Bruins Tender NAPHL Leading Scorer Winkelmann

Nov 3, 2017

AUSTIN, MN – The Austin Bruins, proud members of the North American Hockey League, announced on Friday that they have signed 2000-born forward Joe Winkelmann to a tender agreement. Winkelmann currently plays for CarShield AAA U18 in the NAPHL and leads the league in scoring, with 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists) in six games.

Winkelmann is a St. Louis, MO native and spent three seasons playing for St. Louis University High, where he finished strong with a 45-point campaign in 2016-17, leading the team with 27 goals – including three hat tricks. He then played 22 games for CarShield (formerly known as the St. Louis Selects) at the U16 level, and totaled 35 points, plus seven more in four playoff contests.

Associate head coach Al Rooney, who facilitated Winkelmann’s signing, explained how the Bruins have had their eye on him since the start of the season.

“We saw Joe play at the NAPHL Showcase in Blaine in September and were impressed with his ability to play in a variety of situations,” said Rooney. “He’s a multi-faceted player. Obviously, he can produce offensively, but he sees the ice well, has excellent puck-protection skills, and wins faceoffs consistently.”

Rooney, who was also responsible for bringing fellow St. Louis Select/CarShield alumnus Andy Willis to the Bruins, went on to emphasize Winkelmann’s character.

“There are a variety of reasons we recruited Joe for, but in doing our due diligence on players and speaking with him and his Coach, we feel we are getting a quality person, not just player, that can join our organization,” he said. “That’s what put us over the top and helped make our decision easier, we’re excited for him to be a part of the culture we are trying to create here in Austin.”