BRAMPTON, ON – The Brampton Beast are proud to announce the signing of highly-touted Montreal Canadiens prospect and standout defenseman Dalton Thrower. The Montreal Canadiens and Hamilton Bulldogs General Manager Marc Bergevin announced the re-assignment of defenceman Thrower to the Brampton Beast from the Bulldogs this morning.
Drafted by Montreal in 2012, Thrower was considered to be a steal of a second-round pick (where he went 51st overall), as many experts had pegged the smooth skating defenseman to go in the first round. The Canadiens recently committed to a 3-year deal with the youngster this past May, further expressing their belief that Thrower has the potential to become a top-4 NHL defenseman.
In addition to his ability to lay punishing checks and shut down opposition scorers, Thrower has shown that he has an adept offensive, evidenced by his 39 points in 42 games with the Vancouver Giants last season (including 8 powerplay goals). A nagging injury has kept the young blueliner out of the Hamilton Bulldogs lineup for the start of this season, making the Beast a great fit for Thrower to begin his reconditioning.
“No organization is as iconic as the Montreal Canadiens, and it is a great step for the Beast to be able to begin a relationship with Montreal,” commented President and General Manager Cary Kaplan. “As the 51st overall pick, Dalton is a significant prospect for their club and when he was with both Vancouver and Saskatoon in the WHL, he exemplified great skill and leadership. We are excited to have him join the Beast.”
In 285 career WHL games, Thrower has amassed 42 goals, 105 assists and 414 penalty minutes. The 6’0″, 205-pound defenseman is expected to make his ECHL debut when the Beast take on the Mallards in Quad City on December 27th.
See Thrower in action when the Beast play the Toledo Walleye in two games back to back next week. The Beast will be wearing specialty ugly sweaters that will be live auctioned following the game on Tuesday, December 30 at 7:00 pm. On Wednesday, December 31, the Beast will be having a Frozen themed game with performances from the ice princesses and a special tea party for kids prior to puck drop. Tickets are still available for both games and can be purchased at bramptonbeast.com.
About the ECHL
Began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 21 teams in 14 states for its 27th season in 2014-15. There have been 541 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including 29 who made their NHL debuts in the 2013-14 season. The ECHL has affiliations with 28 of the 30 NHL teams in 2014-15, marking the 18th consecutive season that the league had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available on its website at ECHL.com as well as on Facebook and Twitter.
About the Brampton Beast
The Brampton Beast was founded in January 2013. The Brampton Beast finished in sixth place and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in their inaugural year. The team was recognized as the he Community Relations Franchise of the Year in their first year of operation.