By Matt Stefano
He just completed his first season with the Ontario Hockey League’s Niagara IceDogs, but now he will be heading to university this fall.
It was announced yesterday that former Soo Thunderbird and current Niagara IceDogs forward Lucas Theriault has committed to the OUA’s York Lions for the 2021-2022 season.
In 48 games played last season with the IceDogs, Theriault scored 5 times, set up 6 others and had only 8 penalty minutes.
Theriault, who doesn’t turn 21 years old until March 14th, is still eligible to play one more season this year in the Ontario Hockey League. But the league still has yet to announce a schedule for the 2021 season.
Prior to joining the IceDogs in 2019, the Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario native played with his hometown Soo Thunderbirds from 2016-2019, where he scored 52 goals and 100 points in 89 career regular season contests.
He also put up 16 goals and 32 points in 33 career postseason games.
In his final season with the Soo Thundebirds in 2018-2019, Theriault scored 40 goals and 76 points in 51 regular season games, and was also the recipient of the Jimmy Conners Memorial Trophy (NOJHL Scoring Champion) and the Gilles Laperriere Trophy (NOJHL’s Most Imrpoved Player).
He also shared the Thunderbirds Top Scoring Forward Award with his former teammate Noah Boman, along with winning the Soo Greyhound Award for the Thunderbirds Most Valuable Player.
In 2019, Theriault was also named to the NOJHL’s Second All-Star Team.
The Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario product was also a member of Team NOJHL West at the 2018 Eastern Canada Cup All-Star Challenge, which was held in Trenton, Ontario back in November of 2018.
In the 2018-2019 regular season, Theriault also set the Thunderbirds record for most goals scored in a second period with 22.
(Photo of Lucas Theriault with the Soo Thunderbirds credit to Bob Davies)
