Drumheller, AB: April 27, 2018. The Drumheller Dragons are very pleased to announce that Captain Andrew Kartusch has committed to attend Grant MacEwan University in the fall of 2018. The MacEwan Griffins Men’s Hockey Team are the two-time defending Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference men’s hockey champion.
Kartusch played all three seasons of his junior hockey career with the Dragons in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Kartusch used his 6-foot-2, 195 lb. frame to make life miserable on opposing forwards. The right shot defenseman who found his scoring touch in his final season, netted 13 goals and 42 points in 57 games, while adding a gritty 102 penalty minutes. The Red Deer product added six points in 10 playoff games for the Dragons. Over the course of 3 seasons, Kartusch competed in 167 games totaling 63 points and amassing 259 penalty minutes.
Dragons Head Coach Kevin Hasselberg commented “Andrew was a natural leader for our Hockey Team. He quietly held everyone accountable in the room while leading by example on the ice. He consistently brought effort, toughness, and a relentless drive on and off the ice and represented the Dragons with class, humility, and pride. He was a role model for the younger players and was respected by all of his teammates.”
“Hard to play against – that’s the biggest thing,” said Griffins Head Coach Mike Ringrose, who, as the former head coach of the Spruce Grove Saints, had to go against Kartusch on a regular basis. “He can play a heavy game. He plays an in-your-face game, but he also has some offensive skills that makes him effective. He’s very good at stepping up and snapping pucks through on the offensive blueline, makes a very good first pass out of the zone.
“He’s another guy who can come in and play in any situation. These are the type of guys that we try to build our roster with. We’ve shown in the past that we win with depth. He’s another guy who’s going to be able to step in and make our team stronger.”
The entire Drumheller Dragons organization would like to congratulate Andrew on his accomplishment of moving onto Grant MacEwan University. We would like to thank him and his family for their dedication and leadership the past three seasons.