STEVENS POINT, Wis. – After UW-Stevens Point men's hockey's second-straight national runner-up finish, seniors
Garrett Ladd (Fenton, MI/Fenton),
Kyle Brodie (Denver, CO/Northglenn),
Kevin Gibson (Grosse Pointe, MI/North) and
Brandon Jaeger (Champlin, MN/Champlin Park) each signed with East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) teams, as announced on Tuesday.
Ladd and Brodie signed with the Stockton Thunder, coached by Richard Kromm, father of UWSP junior forward
Alex Kromm (Penticton, BC). Gibson will debut tonight (March 31) for the Tulsa Oilers, who are in the midst of a playoff push, while Jaeger has already suited up for the Missouri Mavericks as a backup goaltender. The ECHL is the premier "AA" hockey league and includes 28 teams located across the United States and Canada.
"Having this opportunity is part of the reason why these guys came here," head coach
Chris Brooks said. "All I can do is help them open doors and help them through the transition. Coaches at the pro level want successful players and successful players play in successful programs. The more success you have as a team opens more doors and it's so much more important than individual success. I think it speaks volumes of what these seniors have done and what the expectation has become here."
During their four years at UWSP, Jaeger and Gibson helped the Pointers to a 74-35-8 record. Ladd and Brodie transferred into the program from Bemidji State and joined Jaeger and Gibson as key components of the back-to-back national runner-up finishes.
In three seasons at UW-Stevens Point, Ladd tallied 37 goals and 54 assists for 91 points in 85 games. He was a CCM First Team All-American and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Player of the Year as a junior after tying for fourth nationally in points (42). Ladd was a two-time First Team All-WIAC choice in his three seasons.
Brodie was also a CCM First Team All-American last season and a two-time First Team All-WIAC choice. The defenseman registered 46 points in 56 career games with the Pointers and was the WIAC's top-scoring defenseman in 2013-14 with 26 points.
Gibson was honored as a CCM First Team All-American and the WIAC Player of the Year in his senior season, while also being named a finalist for the Sid Watson Award, which is given to the Division III National Player of the Year. The senior led the nation in points per game among defensemen this season (1.03 ppg) and led the WIAC in assists with 24. He finished his four-year UWSP career with 83 points in 117 games.
A four-time All-WIAC pick, Jaeger wrapped up his four years at UW-Stevens Point as the program's all-time record holder in games played (91) and starts (89) by a goaltender, career saves (2,037), career wins (62), single-season wins (23 in 2014-15) and career shutouts (11). His .912 career save percentage ranks third on UWSP's charts and he recorded a career record of 62-22-5, playing over 5,300 minutes in net for the Pointers.
