Township of Langley, BC, Friday, September 20th, 2013: The Langley Rivermen Junior “A” hockey club announced today that they have acquired defensemen Charlie Pelnik from the Fargo Force of the USHL, for future considerations. The 6’4 defensemen will make the Rivermen’s back end even more solid, as Pelnik will bring size, skill and grit to his new team.
The Cary, North Carolina native has already committed to playing hockey at University of North Dakota in the 2015-2016 season. He received a scholarship to NCAA powerhouse school at the age of 15, as he will be looking to fine tune his skills with the Rivermen for the next two seasons before making the jump to the NCAA.
Pelnik only appeared in 24 regular season games for the Fargo Force (USHL) in the 2012-2013 season as it turned out to be a year filled with injuries. But it’s just a small blimp on the already impressive resume for Pelnik, as Rivermen Head Coach Bobby Henderson thinks he’ll have no problem getting his game back to where it should be,
“Although last season was disappointing for Charlie with the various injuries, he is coming to town healthy and in shape,” said Coach Henderson.
“We don't expect him to take long to have his game up to speed.”
In 2011-2012 Pelnik played for the Shattuck-St Mary’s under-16 team and he helped lead the team to the USA Hockey Midget Minor National Tournament where he recorded 11 points in 44 games. The young defensemen has been on USA Hockey’s radar for a number of years now, as he was ranked 13th amongst defensemen at the USA Hockey’s Select 16 Development Camp back in 2011.
“Fans are in for a bit of a treat to see a player as highly touted as Charlie,” said Coach Henderson.
Pelnik has long been touted as one of North America's top prospects and looks to re-establish himself on this list with a long healthy season here in Langley.
