The Neepawa Natives are proud to announce the commitment of three year veteran Justin Metcalf to the Minot State Beavers. Metcalf played 186 games with the organization, compiling 80 goals and 82 assists over the three year span. With nearly a point per game pace in his three years in the MJHL, Metcalf is among the top point producers in Neepawa’s franchise history.
Metcalf was excited with his recent signing. “Minot is a great fit both academically and hockey wise, I am excited for the opportunity in Minot.” He went on to thank all coaches and hockey operations for his time with Neepawa. “Firstly I would like to thank the Neepawa Natives for giving me the opportunity to play in the MJHL. I want to thank the coaches and staff who had shown their faith in me as a player since my first spring camp with the team. I want to thank Dustin Howden for doing everything he possibly could to help me improve as a player and a person, Myles Cathcart for giving me the opportunity to play for the Neepawa Natives, and Byron Billett for helping me with the recruitment process and making sure I ended up at a school that was right for me.”
He had further praise for the team’s billet coordinator, “I would like to thank my amazing billet mom Mary Ellen Clarke for everything she has done for me. She will forever be one of my best friends and I am truly blessed to have been given the opportunity to live with such an amazing woman.”
Metcalf went on to share his love for the community and Neepawa organization, “Lastly, I would like to thank the town of Neepawa, the fans, and everyone in the community that contributed to making my time as a Native so enjoyable. I made a lot of friends and a lot of memories that I will never forget, and I am truly honoured that I was able to call Neepawa my home for the last three seasons.”
The Beaver hockey program has been in existence at Minot State University since 1995. The team competes independently at the ACHA division 1 level and plays its home games at the MAYSA Arena in Minot, N.D. In its twenty-third year of existence, the program has a national title to its name. Last season the Beavers had an exceptional 36-2 record.
Coach Wade Regier is happy with the signing stating, “We are extremely excited to land a player with the hockey resume as impressive as Justin’s. With the loss of so many forwards up front to graduation, it was extremely important to add a player of Justin’s calibre. Justin has been one of the premier goal scorers in the MJHL for the past couple of seasons. His biggest asset has been to make his teammates and line mates better. It is these types of qualities we look for in our program. We are expecting Justin to make an immediate impact in our lineup and help us accelerate the very large rebuild we are undertaking this off season.”
The Neepawa Natives organization would like to thank Justin for his three seasons in Neepawa and we wish him all the best in his future endeavours.