July 22, 2022 – ECHL (ECHL) – Idaho Steelheads Press Release
BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Steelheads have signed forward and captain AJ White to a standard player contract (SPC) for the 2022-23 season, head coach and director of hockey operations Everett Sheen announced Friday. .
AJ White becomes the first player announced for the 2022-23 campaign.
“I’m always excited to come back and play hockey in Boise,” White said. “I feel like it’s a good challenge after missing a year of the playoffs, unfinished business. It’s a challenge I haven’t taken on yet, so that’s one of my goals for make sure it doesn’t happen again. I want to be part of the group that finds success and has a good run in the playoffs.”
White, 30, joins the Steelheads after a career season in 2021-22, with 25 goals and 44 assists for 69 points with 11 power-play goals, 22 penalty minutes and a plus-15 rating. The Dearborn, Mich., native set career marks in all major scoring categories and power-play goals while leading the Steelheads in those same metrics in his fourth season with the organization and third as captain. He recorded his first career hat trick on October 22, 2021 to open the season against the Utah Grizzlies, he became the fifth player in the ECHL era to reach 100 career assists with the organization on October 31. December 2021 against the Allen Americans, and he played his 400th professional game on April 15, 2022 in Utah. He was named the team’s Most Valuable Player and also won Cal Ingraham Leading Scorer and ICCU 3 Stars awards.
The 6-foot-2 forward is currently on a 266-game regular season Iron Man streak with the Steelheads since Nov. 11, 2017 and has played in 275 of a possible 277 regular season games while also appearing in all 25 playoff matches. time. In 275 career games with the Steelheads, he has 195 points (66 goals, 129 assists) with 17 power-play goals, two shorthanded goals and a plus-52 differential. In the Steelheads ECHL era, White ranks third in games played (275), fourth in assists (129), fifth in points (195) and sixth in goals (67) for a career . He also resides in the top 10 in all of Steelheads ECHL and WCHL history in those same categories: fourth in games played, sixth in assists, eighth in points, 10th in goals.
“I have had the chance to develop and improve throughout my career [in Boise], but I also had very good players with Will Merchant for the last two years. We’ve had good teams that have had success, and that just allows individual success to happen. That’s where it all started.
“Over time, I was able to find ways that worked for me to be successful. I had great coaches who helped me deepen my skills and my ability to shine. I was more willing to ‘listen to the contributions of others as well as learn from past experiences and put that forward to improve myself a little each year.’
“AJ is an integral part of our team and our culture here in Boise,” Sheen said. “We are proud that he leads us and we couldn’t be happier to have our captain back for another season.”
White spent the 2020-21 season with the Utah Grizzlies when the Steelheads pulled out of the year due to the pandemic and posted 40 points (15 goals, 25 assists) in 60 games with a nine-goal lead. numerically, leading the Grizzlies on the power play. count and sit third in scoring. He started his ECHL career with the Atlanta Gladiators in 2016-17 and had 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) in 49 games while spending time with the AHL’s Providence Bruins. In 384 ECHL games over six seasons, White had 86 goals and 169 assists for 255 points with 26 power-play goals, two shorthanded goals, five shootout goals and a plus-25 differential.
Prior to his professional career, White played four seasons at UMass-Lowell from 2012-13 to 2015-16, scoring 28 goals and 51 assists for 79 points with a plus-42 rating in 153 games while serving as captain during his last year. He won back-to-back 20-point seasons in his junior and senior seasons and was a member of the 2013 Hockey East championship roster.
The 2022-23 season calendar has arrived! Get a great start into next season by locking in your partial or full season seats with a 2022-23 season ticket plan! Contact the Steelheads at 208-383-0080 and inquire about securing your seat before the team returns this fall! Follow the Steelheads throughout the summer months on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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