Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Schneider Signs With Vancouver Canucks

Press Release

Portland, OR -- Portland Winterhawks forward Stefan Schneider has signed an entry level contract with the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks.

Schneider, in his final season of WHL eligibility, had career-highs of 12 goals, 11 assists and 23 points this season. He was one of just two Winterhawks to play all 72 regular season games, and served as an assistant captain.

Schneider won several team awards this season, taking home the Bill Anderson Memorial Trophy for Sportsmanship & Ability for the second straight season, as well as the Robert R. Boss Memorial Best Defensive Player Award. He also shared the Scholastic Player of the Year Award with Seth Swenson.

“Everyone with the Winterhawks organization is extremely proud of Stefan, and excited about this opportunity he’s earned with the Canucks,” said Winterhawks General Manager & Head Coach Mike Johnston. “He has worked extremely hard to become one of the league’s top defensive forwards. He’s also a terrific young man who served as an excellent role model on and off the ice for our young players.”

Schneider, who began his WHL career as a defenseman before transitioning into a forward, will finish his three-year WHL career with regular season totals of 23 goals, 20 assists and 43 points in 175 games with Portland and the Vancouver Giants, for whom he played in the 2007-08 season before being acquired by the Winterhawks in a trade.

(Nathan also is a writer for Maineiacs Post to Post and the Maine Hockey Journal. He can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

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