Press Release
With three seasons of experience competing in the junior circuit, Josh Gouin is ready to play a pivotal role for the Waldorf University hockey team.
Gouin, a six-foot, 194-pound defenceman from Fort Frances, signed a letter of intent with the Warriors on 2017.
“Josh is a very skilled defenceman who will help us immediately,” Waldorf coach Brett Shelanski said.
“He moves the puck well, makes good decisions, and sees the ice well.”
A 2014 graduate of Fort Frances High School, Gouin was a three-year varsity starter and letter winner for the Muskies.
He helped guide the black-and-gold to three-straight NorWOSSA championships and two trips to the all-Ontarios, including a semi-final appearance during his senior year.
Making his junior hockey debut during the 2014-15 season, Gouin played for the Fort Frances Lakers of the SIJHL and the Steele County Blades in the Minnesota Junior Hockey League (MNJHL).
Then during the 2015-16 campaign, Gouin competed for the Minnesota Iron Rangers in the SIJHL and also Steele County in the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) Midwest Division.
Last season, Gouin returned to Fort Frances to play for the Lakers and also suited up for Steele County in the USPHL Elite Division.
Gouin’s on-ice success is expected to translate when he laces up his skates for the Warriors at the collegiate level.
“Josh is a very intelligent hockey player and will be a significant contributor for us in all situations,” Shelanski said.
“He plays with an edge and has a lot of grit to his game,” he noted.
“Josh is tough in front of the net and in the corners, and will help make us a more difficult team to play against.”
Signing with Waldorf, Gouin now is preparing to embark on a journey he’s been targeting since childhood.
“Having the opportunity to continue my athletic career at the college level means a lot to me,” he said.
“It has always been one of my goals to play college hockey since I was young.”
Gouin, the son of Vince and Daphne Gouin of Fort Frances, will pursue studies in business, sport management, or wellness at Waldorf.
The university’s academic programs, and the hockey team’s transition to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division sanctioned by the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), led Gouin to joining the Warriors.
“Waldorf offers courses and majors that interest me,” he noted.
“The hockey program has been successful and with it moving to the NAIA varsity level, it will give me the opportunity to grow and develop as a student-athlete.”
The Warriors continued their winning ways this past year, recording the program’s fifth-straight season with at least 20 victories.
They finished the 2016-17 campaign with a 21-11-1 record, knocking off nine regionally-ranked opponents.
During Waldorf’s final season in the Northern Collegiate Hockey League (NCHL), the Warriors turned in a 9-3 conference record to earn the No. 2 seed in the NCHL tournament.
They also secured their fourth-straight trip to the ACHA Division II Central Region tournament.
Waldorf, which will become a charter member of the ACHA’s newly-formed NAIA Division, opens the 2017-18 season with a pair of exhibition contests Sept. 8-9 against the Chicago Cougars and the Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings.
Gouin, like the rest of Waldorf’s incoming recruits, will be called on to provide an edge for the Warriors as they battle in the NAIA Division.
“His toughness, along with his skill, makes him an exciting signing for us,” Shelanski said.
“Our coaching staff saw Josh play a lot this past season and he was a high priority signing for us, and a great addition to our defence as we transition into NAIA hockey,” he added.
