Jefferson Hagen / MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Two new Edmonton products are poised to add more leadership to an already character-rich MacEwan Griffins men's hockey roster this fall.
Austin Parmiter, who recently helped lead the Spruce Grove Saints to an Alberta Junior Hockey League championship, and Brett Magee, who is no stranger to the Griffins as a spirited foe on the rival NAIT Ooks the past two seasons, will join the Griffins for the 2018-19 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference campaign, head coach Michael Ringrose announced Wednesday.
Parmiter, who served as an assistant captain with the Saints, is coming off a solid end to his junior career – netting 39 points in 52 games this past season, adding 13 points in as many playoff contests.
"He's been a leader in the two years I've known him," said Ringrose, who landed Parmiter in a trade with Grande Prairie midway through the 2016-17 season when he was bench boss of the Saints. "I certainly watched last year and he stepped in our dressing room halfway through the year and immediately assumed a leadership role. This year I watched him flourish as he continued to take that leadership role on and was a huge part of their success down the stretch and in the playoffs.
"I'm very excited to add a player of that character to the program. He's a left winger and can play a heavy game. He has a great shot, but also has a very high hockey IQ – can think his way around the rink and certainly puts himself in good spots out there."
And with a championship pedigree, he fits right in with the Griffins, who are building a winning culture with two-straight ACAC titles.
"I think understanding what it takes to win at any level is just so important," said Ringrose. "Austin has obviously been through it and has the experience of winning at that level – just that knowledge and the understanding of how hard it is to play your best hockey when it matters the most. He has those things and is certainly going to bring even more leadership to our dressing room."
Brett Magee, seen checking Ryan Baskerville during Game 3 of the ACAC final in March, is transferring over from NAIT to MacEwan for the 2018-19 season (Len Joudrey photo).
Magee certainly has that quality in spades, as well. He just might have to mend a few fences on the way into the Downtown Community Arena after battling tooth and nail against the Griffins the past two seasons on NAIT's blueline. Seriously, though, Ringrose and his players already have a ton of respect for the defender who has proven he's tough to play against.
"He's such a good person that I think that his teammates, despite the fact they've competed against him quite a lot over the last couple of years, will take to him very well," said Ringrose. "He's another character kid that's just going to step in and add to what we're already got in our dressing room in terms of leadership."
Magee, who had two assists in 19 games for the Ooks in 2017-18, boasts a solid defensive game, but he has shown the ability to put up points before – potting five goals and 23 assists in his final season with the Sherwood Park Crusaders (2015-16).
"The best way I can describe him is he's a very steady defender who has some offensive upside," said Ringrose, who first met Magee when he had him as a pupil while running training camp for Team Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge. "He's certainly going to help stabilize our back end.
"I see him as a guy having some experience in the league who can step in right away and be an impact player for us. The last two years he's had the experience of playing at NAIT, which is obviously a strong program. He played for the Sherwood Park Crusaders in the AJHL before that and was a leader on that team. We're certainly excited to add a player of his calibre to the program."
