Former OHL Draft Pick, Austin Washkurak, Acquired by Wolves

By David Paige

The Watertown Wolves are pleased to announce their newest signing for the 2020-2021 FPHL Season, Goaltender Austin Washkurak from Oakville, Ontario!  

Washkurak was acquired by the Watertown Wolves from the Elmira Enforcers for financial considerations.  He is the latest in a series of new signings for the team. Washkurak is coming into the FPHL after a remarkably successful last 4 seasons here in the North Country at SUNY Canton. Austin was signed by Coach Clarke last year while in Elmira, but did not get the chance to play a game in the league before the Coronavirus shutdown.

During his time at SUNY Canton, Austin posted some very impressive numbers, and also built a very impressive resume. As the starter for the “Roos” over the past 4 years, he played 53 games and maintained a 3.38 GAA with a save percentage of .887.  A very impressive record to maintain at the college level!  His great performance has also earned him the title of “Goaltender of the Month” last year.

One of the early highlights of Austin’s career was the honor of being drafted into the prestigious Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in 2011, as the 298th overall pick to the Oshawa Generals. However, Austin decided to pursue his education first.  It wasn't until recently that he decided to once again play hockey at the professional level, and naturally the Wolves were very interested in acquiring his skills.

Washkurak stated, “I'm very excited to be playing in Watertown. I am familiar with the area obviously, having played in Canton.  I'm ready to earn my spot, gain some experience and compete to win a championship.  From what I have heard, Watertown is the place to play, and with the talent we have on this roster, I can’t wait for the new season to finally come around”.

Watertown Wolves Head Coach Brent Clarke had nothing but praises for Austin.  “He actually played for my Dad's team in Juniors, so I have been able to watch him on the ice for a long time now.  He is a solid goalie and he can do great things in this league and for our team. It was a no brainer to sign him for this season.”  Clarke went on to say, “Training camp is going to be tough.  We have 6 goalies coming in to compete for 3 roster spots, but either way we will have solid goaltenders.”

Wolves Owner Andreas Johansson said, “Getting Austin to come to Watertown was something we saw as a great opportunity to add to an already elite group of goaltenders. We will have our work cut out for us as we narrow this extended roster down to the final roster at the start of the season, but we are looking forward to it. We know in a shortened season we will play games at an increased frequency, and we are looking for guys that are great hockey players, as well as great all-around athletes, and Washkurak certainly meets that criteria.”

Washkurak now joins a very impressive group of goaltenders that will be battling it out for the coveted final spots on the roster.

The Watertown Wolves season is expected to start in Early December with an accelerated schedule and a full playoff in the spring.  2020-2021 Season Pass Tickets are on sale now on the Watertown Wolves web site at watertownwolves.net.  Order yours and reserve your seats today!

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