Jefferson Hagen, MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Another Griffins men's volleyball player has inked a professional contract.
Jordan Peters has signed with Denmark's Nordenskov UIF Elite Volley club, head coach Brad Poplawski said on Wednesday.
Peters becomes the third member of the program in the past three years to find a professional job, following Kornel Kowalewski and Max Vriend, who both played in Germany last season.
"I'm just proud that it's now the third athlete (recently) that we've sent (to the pros) from our program," said Poplawski. "I'm happy for the guys and I hope that reflects well on our program that we're producing athletes that go beyond the U SPORTS level."
The Danish club is coached by former Alberta Golden Bears assistant coach Craig Marshall and also features fellow Edmontonian Kyle Behiels – a Thompson Rivers Wolfpack alum – on the roster.
"It's in a small town, but they're well supported, good people – I've heard nothing but good things about the league and club itself, so I think it will be a very positive experience for him," said Poplawski. "He does have a couple Canadians who are with him, so I think that helps with some familiarity."
Peters was set to play his fifth and final season with the Griffins in 2020-21, but the pandemic forced the cancellation of all Canada West sporting events.
"Obviously, it was disappointing the way his career ended that he didn't get to play his fifth year with COVID and the pandemic," said Poplawski of the talented outside hitter. "We didn't get to have his graduating player night and honour him, which is such a nice thing he wasn't afforded."
Even still, Peters was a four-year starter for the Griffins and finished with 596 kills, 330 digs, 119 blocks and 51 service aces in 308 career regular season sets – all marks among the leaders in program history.
Now he gets a chance to start a pro journey.
"I'm really proud of him," said Poplawski. "I've known Jordan since he was 16 and I coached him with Team Alberta. He was a huge recruit for us and brought a lot to the program. He had some cool experiences – he got to play with his brother (Joshua) when he was here.
"He leaves MacEwan with a degree and now has his opportunity. A lot of guys when I'm recruiting them say they want to play pro. That's a good goal to have and we want to make sure ideally the first thing is they can graduate. He was able to accomplish that and now he can pursue a bit of a pro volleyball career. It's very exciting and I'm very proud of him."
PRESEASON KICKING OFF
The current Griffins have some excitement building, too.
They'll finally get some action against other teams when they travel to Calgary this weekend for the Dino Cup preseason tournament.
Featuring split-squad action, the Griffins will play against Saskatchewan on Friday (6 p.m.) before facing Calgary and Mount Royal University on Saturday (10 a.m. and 6 p.m., respectively).
"I like this tournament," said Poplawski. "It's going to be split squads. It's a really good opportunity to get everyone some touches.
"We haven't competed in so long with the pandemic, I think it's a really good opportunity for everyone to get some game play, which isn't maybe the norm for a preseason tournament. Whether it's their first time playing against U SPORTS teams or they just haven't competed in a long time, I just think it's a good chance to get lots of touches."
