As the 2022-23 Season is set to begin in the upcoming days, let’s take some time and catch up with some Austin Bruin Alumni!
There was some hardware added to a couple of former Bruins trophy cases last season as Nico Sturm (2014-15) was a member of the 2022 Stanley Cup Champions, the Colorado Avalanche, and CJ Smith (2011-13) with the 2022 Calder Cup Champions, the Chicago Wolves.
Sturm began the year as a member of the Minnesota Wild and appeared in 53 games (9G-8A-17P) before being dealt to Colorado at the trade deadline. Sturm would appear in 34 total games for the Avalanche and would collect 3 assists in his time with Colorado. During the offseason, Nico would sign a 3-year deal with the San Jose Sharks to join the club for the 2022-23 season.
For CJ Smith, he would appear in 76 total games for the Chicago Wolves, the then AHL Affiliate for the Carolina Hurricane. Smith would put up impressive numbers as he would collect 27G-40A-67P combined for both regular and post-season. Smith would sign a 1-year deal with the New York Rangers during the off-season and is expected to start the season with their AHL Affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Dante Sheriff will be the newest former Bruin to make the turn to Pro Hockey as the Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada, native has agreed to terms with the Orlando Solar Bears on an ECHL Standard Player Contract for the 2022-23 season. Sheriff (2018-20) played two seasons in Austin before heading to Mercyhurst University in, Erie, PA. During his time in Austin, he totaled 158 points (52g-106a) in 141 games. Sheriff was named to the NAHL First All-Star Team in 2019-20 after leading the circuit with 45 assists and received NAHL Second All-Star Team honors in 2018-19.
Staying in the ECHL, Jade Miller (2014-16) will be suiting up with a new team this season, as the Minot, ND, native signed a Standard Player Contract (SPC) for the 2022-23 season with the Idaho Steelheads. Miller appeared in 72 games last season for the South Carolina Stingrays totaling 11G-20A-31P. Prior to his time Pro, Miller attended the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where he appeared in 127 career games for the Bulldogs spanning from 2016-2020. Miller will join former Bruin forward, Justin Misiak, and assistant coach Keenan Kelly when the 2022-23 season begins.
