Wassermann honoured with rookie of the year nod

The recognition continues to roll in for Broncos’ netminder Jacob Wassermann.

Sunday afternoon the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) named Wassermann, 18, the co-rookie of the year winner. The Humboldt product will share the honour with Weyburn playmaker Cade Kowalski who led all first year SJHL scorers with 58 points. Wassermann, who won AA midget provincial championship in Humboldt as a 15-year-old started 27 games this season going 14-8-2-3; with a goals-against-average of 2.60 and a .909 save-percentage. He said winning the award was on par with his other accomplishments this year.

“It’s right near the top of the list for sure. I’m very honoured to get selected as rookie of the year,” he said.

Wassermann attended the World Junior “A” Challenge Team West camp and also participated and picked up the victory in the Canadian Junior Hockey League prospects game in Mississauga, Ont. He admitted he has exceeded his own expectations as a young SJHL goaltender.

“At the beginning of the season my goal was to get into as many games as possible and develop my game. With the trust and support I got from all my teammates and coach’s it made it easy to just play because I knew they had my back,” he said.

Wassermann also saw the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Vancouver Giants move his rights to the Regina Pats, the Memorial Cup hosts that feature a star-studded line-up. He has spent most of the second half of the season with Regina due to injuries, he picked up his first WHL win over former Broncos’ head coach Dean Brockman and the Saskatoon Blades on Feb. 23. Wassermann’s goal is to make the jump to the major junior level, as early as next season. Despite the ambition to elevate in leagues he said his year with his hometown Broncos is something he will never forget.

“Playing for the Broncos this year has been my favourite year of hockey to date. I have to thank all my teammates because I couldn’t have done it without them. I also wanted to thank the coaching staff for putting their trust in me and helping me become a better hockey player,” he said.

“It’s been fun to come to the rink every single day.”