NIAGARA, ON – The Niagara IceDogs are pleased to announce that fifth overall pick Ethan Czata has committed to play for the Niagara IceDogs.
The 6-foot, 156Ib. centre from Brampton, Ont played this past season with the Mississauga Rebels of the GTHL. The Rebels enjoyed quite the successful season as they managed to qualify for the OHL Cup, ultimately going 2-2 and finishing fourth in the Lindros Division. Czata played a huge part in his team’s success as he put together an impressive 2022-23 campaign which saw him record 22 goals and 15 assists for 37 points in 35 GTHL games.
IceDogs Owner and GM Darren DeDobbelaer spoke on the addition of Czata. “We are excited to have Ethan in our lineup. Ethan is a complete player, he is one of the fastest players in this class, Ethan scores, wins faceoffs, blocks shots, kills penalties and back checks. He truly does it all.”
Czata is set to wear the number 12 for the IceDogs and will join some elite company in doing so. The last two IceDog players to wear number 12 are both former captains, Akil Thomas and Cameron Butler. Thomas only wore the number for one season, his rookie year in 2016-2017. Whereas, Butler donned the number 12 jersey for two seasons, the 2019-2020 season and the 2021-2022 season.