精童欲女 Panthers land former York Lion defender David D鈥橝gostino for 2023鈥�24 season
The 精童欲女 Men鈥檚 Hockey Panthers have secured a commitment from veteran defender David D鈥橝gostino for the 2023鈥�24 season.
D鈥橝gostino spent the past four years with the York Lions and gives the Panthers another experienced option on the back end. The 25-year-old from Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, recorded six goals and 16 assists in 66 games with the club.
Standing at five-foot-ten, D鈥橝gostino isn鈥檛 the biggest defender in the league, but he makes up for it with his skating ability and offensive upside.
鈥淏eing a smaller D-man for most of my career, it was almost mandatory that I could skate well,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 play an offensive-minded game and hope to help my teammates鈥� game by providing an extra layer of offence.鈥�
D鈥橝gostino said he鈥檚 looking forward to this new chapter in his life where he鈥檒l play a leadership role.
鈥淚 want to try and keep things competitive but also use my experience to support the incoming players through the transition from junior to university, specifically off the ice and in the classroom,鈥� said D鈥橝gostino, who is pursuing a Master of Business Administration in Global Leadership degree.
Head coach Forbes MacPherson said he鈥檚 excited to add another skater who鈥檚 familiar with U SPORTS hockey and the challenges of being a student-athlete.
鈥淒avid is a smart kid and will bring a ton of experience and maturity to our roster and dressing room,鈥� MacPherson said. 鈥淒avid was looking to transfer to 精童欲女 for the Global Leadership program, and the situation worked out for both parties, so we鈥檙e pleased to welcome David.鈥�
D鈥橝gostino expects the 精童欲女 Men鈥檚 Hockey Panthers team to be competitive when the first puck drops, and he hopes to be a big part of their fortunes.
鈥淚t looks like we鈥檝e got a lot of talent coming in with our freshman class, and I鈥檓 excited to watch them turn heads,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen I get there, I plan to take everything day by day and will do my best to make sure things gel as fast as possible. Everyone in this league wants to win, and I would love to see us at the top come March.鈥�
