NEWS

Daniel Baldassarra of the Mississauga Chargers has confirmed his commitment to join the NCAA Division 1 Long Island University Sharks in Brookville, NY beginning with the 2022-23 season.

The 18-year-old from Vaughan played the past two seasons for St. Andrew’s College in Aurora, following two years with the Vaughan Kings U15 and U16 squads.

Baldassarra was a sixth-round pick of the Erie Otters in the 2018 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection.

The 5-foot-9 forward had 51 points in 54 games for St. Andrew’s CAHS team last season. He also played two games as an affiliate with the Milton Menace of the OJHL in 2019-20.

“We were very fortunate to get Daniel after he finished at St. Andrew’s, as he had a lot of options,” said Chargers head coach Joe Washkurak. “Daniel is a good skater with a great skill set. He might not be the biggest player but plays with an edge and will do anything to win games.

“I have been watching him since his minor midget U16 season with the Vaughan Kings. Our GM, Tony Clarke, and I are very excited to have Daniel as part of the Chargers and look forward to watching him this coming season.” 

Long Island is playing its first season of intercollegiate hockey in 2020-21 after announcing the founding of the team April 30.

Former OJHL players on this season’s inaugural LIU roster include Max Balinson (Burlington), Robert McCollum (Brantford), Jordan Di Cicco (Cobourg), Brett Humberstone (Wellington) and Christian Rajic (Oakville).

Congratulations to Daniel and best of luck in the OJHL and NCAA!

The OJHL, the largest Jr. A hockey league in Canada, has had more than 120 NCAA, U Sports, CHL and professional commitments in 2019-20 – including more than 45 NCAA Division I scholarships.

Check out all our 2020-21 commitments by clicking HERE