VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds men's hockey program is pleased to announce that Vancouver Giants defenceman Neil Manning has committed to joining the team for the 2012-13 season.
Manning has been accepted into the prestigious Sauder School of Business at UBC.
The 20-year old leaves the Western Hockey League Giants as the first player to complete a full five-year stint with the team, having first suited up during the squad's Memorial Cup Championship season of 2006-07.
He holds the team's record for career games played (310) and sits fourth all-time in career power play goals (35).
“I am so excited to start a new chapter in life, both on and off the ice,” said Manning in a news release from the Vancouver Giants. “UBC has a world-class business program, brand new facilities from the 2010 Olympics, and is building a hockey team that can compete with the top schools in Canada. And I'm thrilled to be staying here in Vancouver, a city I have really grown to love. I would like to thank the Giants ownership, staff and fans for everything they have done for me over the last five years, and now I can look forward to the next four with great excitement.”
Manning, who was born in Nanaimo, took part in Canada's World Junior evaluation camp in the summer of 2010.
That fall, he went to the Philadelphia Flyers' training camp. He was also invited to the Chicago Blackhawks' rookie camp in the fall of 2011.
Manning joins former Vancouver teammate, goalie
Kraymer Barnstable, on the roster, and follows a long of list of Giants to join the T-Birds, including John Flatters and Mitch Bartley.
“One of our priorities was to get a puck-moving defenceman and Neil has done that for the Giants,” said UBC head coach Milan Dragicevic, the Canada West Coach of the Year and the first-ever bench boss for Vancouver. “He brings character and leadership to our program right away.”
For every season played in the Western Hockey League, players earn a 1-year guaranteed scholarship to the post-secondary institution of their choice, including tuition, textbooks and compulsory fees. Western Hockey League clubs combine to act as the leading supplier of hockey scholarships in Western Canada, with over 200 players enjoying a WHL Scholarship each year.
- with files from Vancouver Giants
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