OSHAWA, Ont. -- Another Humboldt Broncos player has signed with a hockey team at an Ontario post-secondary institution.
Bryce Fiske, a 20-year old defenceman from La Ronge, Sask., has committed to play hockey for the Ridgebacks at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology this September.
"I've been fortunate to see him play four times this year and Bryce is just a winner," said Ridgebacks head coach Curtis Hodgins, who had flown out to Saskatchewan a couple times to watch some games earlier this year.
He said he liked everything he saw in Fiske.
"The first thing that jumped out at me the first time I saw Bryce was what a competitor he was," Hodgins said in an interview. "He played the game tough, he played it hard -- combined with the fact that he's an elite skater.
"He has some real good skills."
Fiske was one of 13 players injured on April 6 when the Humboldt junior hockey team's bus and a semi-trailer collided in rural Saskatchewan. Sixteen people were killed.
Hodgins said they were days away from offering Fiske a spot on the team when the crash happened.
Fiske, who contacted Hodgins after determining he's ready to play this fall, has enrolled in the faculty of business and technology at the university.
He wasn't available for an interview, but told the school that he's looking forward to fulfilling his dream of playing university hockey.
"It was my goal and I'm excited to see where the future takes me," Fiske said in the university's news release. "I grew up in a small town and started my career in La Ronge, my hometown, and later traded to Humboldt ...which are two small junior hockey towns."
Fiske said he was in a bit of shock when he landed in Toronto on Monday, but was certain he'd adjust.
"I'm excited and happy to be here," he added.
Last month, another player who was injured in the crash took his first steps to getting back on the ice.
Kaleb Dahlgren, a 20-year-old from Saskatoon, has committed to play university hockey for the York Lions in Toronto.
He also hopes to start school this year, but has said it will depend on whether his body is ready.
Dahlgren suffered a fractured skull, a puncture wound in his head, a brain injury and six broken vertebrae in his neck and back.
Two other teammates were paralyzed and another two suffered brain injuries.
