OTTAWA – The Ottawa Jr. Senators have signed defenseman Tucker McIntosh who is currently playing with the Upper Canada College Hockey Club of the Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association. The native of Toronto, Ontario was a hot commodity in the CCHL and the OJHL, and finally decided to commit to the Junior Senators last week.
“I chose Ottawa because it’s close to home and I really love the organization and what coach Dagenais and his staff believe in when it comes to both hockey and academics. Overall, I thought Ottawa was the best fit for myself and believe it will allow me to develop into the best hockey player and person I can be.”
More and more players from the GTA are joining teams in the CCHL every year, and McIntosh will now be one of them.
“I feel that the CCHL is a heavy recruited league when it comes to the North East D1 schools. Having many friends who have previously and currently play in the CCHL they have had nothing but positive things to say about the league. Travel in the CCHL is much easier than most other junior leagues as most of the away games are under an hour away.”
Head Coach and GM Martin Dagenais didn’t have to think twice before offering a spot to the 5’11, 170 lbs, left-handed defenseman. After he practiced with the team earlier this season, they saw right away that he had special talent.
“Actually, we have been watching Tucker for close to a year now. Our assistant coach Jamie Mayo first saw him at a tournament last season, but at that time Tucker felt he was not ready to make the transition to Junior A hockey. He wanted to spend one more season with UCC. He was seen again this season by Jamie (Mayo) but also by one of our scout, Allan Levere, and both of them were adamant that he was the type of player that would fit in well with our organization. He then showed up to practice, and I saw what they had been talking about. We really think Tucker can become a dominant defenseman in our league.”
Dagenais really likes the fact that McIntosh has all the attributes to become a solid two-way defenseman.
“He moves the puck extremely well. He’s also very agile at the offensive blue line. The nice thing is that his offensive skills don’t make him a liability in the defensive zone. He knows how to play away from the puck, and that’s important for us. He might have to adjust to the pace early on, but once he does, he’ll be real good.”
McIntosh is coming to a team that stresses team defence, and he understands that. However, he does take pride in the intangibles that he can bring to the table.
“I would describe myself as an offensive minded defenseman that can join the rush and create scoring chances, but I can play a strong positioned defensive game using my high hockey IQ.”
Like most players playing in the CCHL, McIntosh wishes to play in the NCAA one day, but first, he wants to show that he can be an impact player at the Junior A level.
“My short term goals are to both have a successful first year of junior by hopefully wining the league championship, and having a strong year myself. At the end of my junior career, I would love to be able to play NCAA Div. 1 hockey at a school where I am most comfortable and believe it will allow me not to just grow as an athlete but as a student too. If after all this I can play pro hockey, that will be the cherry on the sundae”.
