DeSerres Joining Calgary Dinos

Jacob DeSerres will be playing a little closer to home this season.

The former Saint John Sea Dogs goaltender played in a key part in the team’s national championship and now he will try to do the same with the University of Calgary Dinos this year.

The Dinos announced today that DeSerres, a Calgary native, will join the program for the 2011-12 campaign. He will study arts at the university.

The netminder is called “one of the best goalies on the CIS recruiting radar for 2011-12” in the release.

“DeSerres had a great year and we're very excited to have a goaltender of his calibre coming to us,” said Dinos head coach Mark Howell. “He is going to add great value to the goaltending position for our club, where we already have two of the best players in the country. It will be an excellent challenge for all three of them.”

The 21-year old was not claimed off waivers in the Western Hockey League last fall, allowing him to be transferred as a free agent to the Sea Dogs in the Quebec league. He went 27-3-0 in the regular season with a 2.22 goals against average and a 0.916 save percentage. He won the Jacque Plante Trophy as the goaltender with the best GAA.

In the playoffs he had a record of 12-3 with a GAA of 2.00 and a save percentage of 0.916, helping Saint John win their first President’s Cup. He was unreal in the Memorial Cup and put on quite a show in the final against Mississauga.

Before joining the Sea Dogs last season he had spent parts of six seasons in the WHL.

DeSerres was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the third round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft but never signed with the club. He attended Phoenix Coyotes development camp this summer as a free agent invitee.

Although university hockey may not have all the perks of a professional league, it can be used as a stepping stone to the big leagues. Plenty of CIS players get signed by pro-teams each year.

The Dinos have a solid program and made it all the way to Nationals last year which were held at the Aitken University Centre in Fredericton. The Dinos struggled at the tournament which was eventually one by another former Sea Dogs goaltender – Travis Fullerton – and the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds.

Of note, the Dinos are headed to New Brunswick next month for some exhibition hockey. They will play the V-Reds on September 23rd at the AUC and September 24th at the Tri-County Complex in Fredericton Junction.

Photo Credit: Marc Henwood/Station Nation