Niagara, ON – Niagara IceDogs General Manager Joey Burke is proud to announce that 2021 OHL Priority Selection 22nd overall pick Juan Copeland has signed a Standard Player Agreement, committing to the team. The 5’11†left-winger played the past three seasons with the Detroit Honeybaked AAA program (2018-21).
In 6 games played in the condensed 2020-21 season, the Fowlerville, MI born 15-year old scored 2 goals, totalling 3 points. In the previous two seasons, Copeland averaged more than a point-per-game, with 26 points in 15 games in 2018-19 and 23 points in 17 games in 2019-20. The 2019-20 campaign also saw him score the most goals of any High Performance Hockey League (HPHL) U14 player (13) and the most points of any HPHL U14 player (23).
Get excited for @JuanCopeland19, Niagara ?#OHLDraft | @NiagaraOutdoor pic.twitter.com/8OsgmTkAnX
— Niagara IceDogs (@OHLIceDogs) June 5, 2021
GM Burke announced the signing on Monday, saying “We couldn’t be more thrilled to officially add Juan to the IceDogs today. He is the player we targeted all season long and to be able to make it official really is a dream come true. Juan is a player who had a lot of options available to him and I am thrilled he chose Niagara.
“He plays an OHL ready game right now and will become a fan favourite in years to come. I couldn’t be more excited to officially welcome Juan to Niagara. I can’t wait for the season to begin!â€
You heard the man ?@JuanCopeland19 can’t wait for next season!#OHLDraft | @NiagaraOutdoor pic.twitter.com/Kca2r4GwTv
— Niagara IceDogs (@OHLIceDogs) June 5, 2021
“This is something special to me and my family moving forward,†added Copeland, on committing to the team. “It’s something we’ve worked towards since I was younger and to sign my first agreement with the IceDogs is something I’ve worked hard for and am so excited to have done!
“I can’t wait to get going and play in front of all the fans in Niagara.â€
Visit niagaraicedogs.net for more details.
