PENTICTON - The Vees are adding an offensive punch to the their lining, signing forward Patrick Newell, (96) for the 2014-15 season.

“Patrick’s skill set will only add to our depth upfront and he’ll be looked upon as an impact player for us. It’s always a great benefit to an organization to add a player with championship experience.”

There have been other recent changes to the team with a staffing announcement at the beginning of July when the Vees said goodbye to Mike and Tom Hengren. Mike was the assistant coach and left the team to spend more time with family as they pulled up roots to move to Prince George where he planned to take a position with the Cougars. Tom's decision for stepping back from his role as Director of Scouting wasn't offered in the press release at the time.

Newell, 18, spent parts of the last two seasons with the Indiana Ice of the United States Hockey League. Earlier this year the franchise announced plans to suspend operations for the 2014-15 season. Newell was selected third overall by the Tri-City Storm in the corresponding USHL dispersal draft, but has elected to play his final season of junior hockey in Penticton, before heading to St. Cloud State University for the 2015-16 season.

Newell helped Indiana capture their second USHL Clark Cup championship in May when they bested the Waterloo Blackhawks in five games. On Indiana’s run to the championship, Newell finished second in team playoff scoring, putting up four goals and seven points in 12 games. In the regular season Newell finished fourth in team scoring, amassing 13 goals and 43 points in 59 games and was an impressive plus 24.

The dynamic forward split the 2012-2013 season between Indiana and the Fairbanks Ice Dogs of the North American Hockey League (NAHL). In 42 games with Fairbanks, Newell tallied 10 goals and 22 points before his move to the USHL. In 20 games that season with the Ice, he was nearly a point per-game player, finishing with 15 points in 20 games. For his USHL career, Newell finished with 16 goals and 58 points in 79 regular season games.

The entire Vees organization would like to welcome Newell to the team and the South Okanagan. Fans can get their first look at the newest forward when the Vees open their Prep Camp on Monday, August 25th.

News from © iNFOnews, 2014