CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – The Corpus Christi IceRays of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) are proud to announce the commitment of IceRays tender Trevor St. Jean to Bowling Green State University, a NCAA Division I program in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), for the 2017-18 season.
“It’s a big weight off my shoulders, but it doesn’t mean my work is over,” said St. Jean on his commitment. “I still have a lot to prove to Bowling Green and still have to finish my season. But I can just go out there and play and not have to worry.”
St. Jean, 18, appeared in 29 games with the Ohio Blue Jackets U18 of the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League (T1EHL) this season, recording 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points with 32 penalty minutes and four power play goals. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound forward is tied for second on the team in goals and third on the team in points through the end of T1EHL play. Over his five seasons with the Ohio Blue Jackets program, St. Jean earned 58 goals and 76 assists for 134 points through 160 games with 135 penalty minutes and 27 power play points in bantam, midget minor and midget major play.
He grew up in Findlay, Ohio, which is about a 30-minute drive up Interstate 75 to Bowling Green State, and the Falcons have been a common part of his childhood to this point. His father, Dan, was the assistant coach for the Falcons for four seasons from 1998 through 2002, which were the first few years of Trevor’s childhood. With behind-the-scenes access and the close proximity to the university, Trevor’s dreams were realized when Bowling Green made the decision to offer a scholarship.
“I just grew up dreaming of playing there. I’ve talked to the coaching staff a great amount, and they made me feel like I could be at home there. I’ve just got to keep improving, do the things that Bowling Green wants me to get better at, and I want to win a championship.”
St. Jean is the first player, whether past, present or future, to join Bowling Green State and enters a conference already containing a few IceRays: defenseman Frank Misuraca (‘11-’12) of the University of Alabama-Huntsville and Kyle Froese (‘13-’14) of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Though Misuraca won’t be in the conference in two seasons, Froese will have to defend against the young forward starting in the 2017-18 season. Former goaltender Pheonix Copley (‘10-’11) also spent two seasons with conference member Michigan Tech for two seasons. St. Jean is also the first tender to commit to a NCAA Division I program since current co-captain Nathan Bryer signed his letter of intent to Mercyhurst University during his final season at Victory Honda U18 in 2013-14.
St. Jean signed a tender contract with the IceRays for the 2016-17 season on Dec. 1, 2015 after 16 games with the Blue Jackets.
The IceRays begin their final two-game weekend set against at the Amarillo Civic Center on Friday, Feb. 19 at 7:05 p.m. against the Amarillo Bulls. Nominate the American Bank Center to help make Corpus Christi the next Kraft Hockeyville! Submit your essay at KraftHockeyville.com. Contact the IceRays Front Office at 361-814-PUCK or go to www.goicerays.com for details on season tickets along with pricing and seating. In addition, stay connected with the IceRays on Facebook (/CorpusChristiIceRays), Twitter (@goicerays), YouTube (IceRays TV), Instagram (CorpusChristiIceRays), Vine (@goicerays), and Periscope (@goicerays).
