Published: October 07, 2008 12:19 am            

Del Monte tops list of players in Chiefs camp

Ryan Del Monte had a big role in Brock University’s historic run to the Canadian national championship game last season.

The center from Mississauga, Ontario, made obvious contributions such as his 19 goals and 34 points in 26 Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS) games.

The hockey credential that made an even greater impression on Johnstown Chiefs coach Ian Herbers was Del Monte’s role as a captain on a team that upset Canada’s third- and seventh-ranked teams before falling to No. 2 University of Saskatchewan in the CIS final.

“He helped take Brock University to the national finals for the first time in that school’s history,” Herbers said after the Chiefs’ practice on Monday at Cambria County War Memorial Arena. “He was a big part of their team offensively, a good character guy and one of the leaders in the dressing room.”

Del Monte was among a group of six players who traveled to Johnstown Sunday after spending a week at the Lake Erie Monsters’ AHL training camp in Cleveland.

Those six practiced for the first time with the Chiefs on Monday morning.

“It was fast-paced,” Del Monte said of the AHL camp. “You get to see what it’s like at the pro level like that. The puck moves a lot faster. There are a lot less scrambles. I learned a lot at that camp. Hopefully I can bring some of that experience here.”

Herbers paired Del Monte with left wing Andrew Sarauer and right wing Michael Bartlett. The same line was together in Lake Erie. Del Monte played in one AHL exhibition game.

The AHL opportunity was one of the reasons Del Monte signed with Johnstown.

“Ian contacted me after my season,” Del Monte said. “They were going to give me a chance with Lake Erie and I thought it would be a good place to come here. I heard a lot of good things about Johnstown.”

Brock University went 17-8-3-1 during Del Monte’s senior year. Understandably, the ride to the national runner-up finish was memorable.

“We had a pretty good season with a good group of guys,” Del Monte said. “We had a lot of older guys that were the core of our team. We didn’t have a skilled team, but we seemed to find a way every time to reach the next round of the playoffs. We found ourselves playing for the national championship.”

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.