The Nipissing Lakers men's hockey team improved its depth up the middle by recruiting hard-nosed forward Cole Stewart.
Stewart, originally from Moncton, New Brunswick, brings a wealth of major junior experience, having played in parts of four seasons in the QMJHL, as well as time in the MJAHL; the Maritimes junior 'A' league.
"I chose Nipissing because I heard nothing but good things about the city the hockey program and the university itself," said Steward.
"I was told it has a small town, Maritimes feel, which I feel would be a good fit for a maritime kid like myself," added Stewart who is enrolled in the Education Program at Nipissing.
Stewart split the season between the MJAHL and the QMJHL.
Stewart had six points in seven games for the Edmundston Blizzard of the MJAHL and he netted one goal in 11 contests for Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the QMJHL.
Prior to that, he spent time in the Q with the Halifax Mooseheads, and the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.
In his career, Stewart had 14 points in 24 games in the MJAHL and a total of five goals and 15 points in almost 100 games in the Quebec major junior circuit.
"I'm a gritty 200-foot player that plays with a lot of energy," he said of his style of play.
In 2016-17, Stewart was a first-team all-star and rook of the year with the Moncton Flyers U18 AAA team before being selected in the third round of the QMJHL draft.
He also took part in the Telus Cup, Canada's national midget championship, in 2018 before making his way to junior.
His goal with the Lakers is a pretty simple one.
"To develop as a player and an individual to ultimately have the potential to earn a pro contract. A team goal would be to win an OUA championship," he explained.
Lakers head coach Mike McParland noted that Stewart has a solid resume and has played high-level hockey with some strong programs and that will help him transition to the Lakers.
"We were looking at adding another experienced centre and are very happy that Cole chose Nipissing," McParland said in a release.
"We continue our strong ties with the Maritimes having Cole join us from New Brunswick.".
