The Oakville Blades are pleased to announce that forward Jackson Bales has committed to Division I NCAA School Merrimack College.
Bales has had quite the rookie season with the Blades. In 43 games this year, the 17-year-old winger has posted seven goals and 25 points. The former Oakville Rangers Midget AAA forward had 47 points in his final season of midget last year, which saw him also see eight games of action with the Blades. Previously, Bales was drafted in the 8th round, 143rd overall by the Saginaw Spirit at the 2013 OHL priority selection.
Outside of league action, Bales was named to Team Oates at the Central Canada, where he was able to grab the tournament championship along with fellow Blade Ryan Garvey. His mixture of speed and skill has earned his fair share of attention with scouts, with Bales getting named to the NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Players to Watch List for the 2015 NHL Draft.
“As an organization the Blades are very proud of Jackson Bales for earning a commitment to play hockey at Merrimack College,” said Blades General Manager Mike Daley. “Jackson epitomizes what the Oakville Blades are about, he's a strong student, great hockey player and better person. Playing a year of Midget hockey gave Jackson the opportunity to jump in and make an immediate impact at the junior level which he has taken full advantage of. We are excited for Jackson and look forward to watching him develop in Hockey East.”
The Merrimack Warriors were recently ranked 18th in the February 2nd NCAA league rankings thanks to their 14-9-3 ranking. Bales will join former OJHLer Brett Seney (brother of former Blade Joe Seney) on the roster, adding to a team that is already strong with Canadian talent.
Bales is one of three Blades players to announce their commitments in the last week, as forwards Ross Sloan and Kamil Tkaczuk both made headlines back on January 30th. For a full list of current Blades commitments, click here.
The Blades return to action on Friday evening when the Stouffville Spirit travel to Sixteen Mile Sports Complex for a 7:30pm start time. Oakville. Who recently clinched a playoff spot with their stellar performance this year, will be looking to climb back to the top of the close South Division before the season comes to a close later this month. We hope to see you there!