Troy Stecher has won a national championship with the Penticton Vees.
He's won a gold medal with Canada at the World Junior A Challenge.
"I've been fortunate enough to play with some great teams," Stecher said Thursday night. "Now, I get to join another."
Stecher, a first-team British Columbia Hockey League all-star defenseman, gave a verbal commitment Thursday to play at UND beginning next season.
Stecher is one of the top scoring defensemen in the league with 46 points in 51 games for the Penticton Vees. His addition adds to a strong group of players from British Columbia who will be wearing UND jerseys next season.
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Stecher's Penticton teammate, forward Wade Murphy, also was named a first-team BCHL all-star this week, while Surrey forward Adam Tambellini is a second-team all-BCHL pick.
Stecher, a Richmond, B.C., native who de-committed from Nebraska-Omaha when Mike Hastings left for Minnesota State-Mankato, had narrowed his choice to UND or Western Michigan.
"Obviously, their facilities are the best, maybe in all of hockey," Stecher said. "The production of NHL players is second to none. The way they run things is like a pro hockey team. There are a lot of positives. I couldn't be happier for the opportunity they are giving me to come in as a 19-year-old. That's what I wanted to do."
Stecher said he was hanging out with Murphy on Thursday night and they were already discussing their futures in Grand Forks.
"We're both excited," he said. "Hopefully, great things will come."
Quick hits
• Evan Trupp has been traded from the Bakersfield Condors to the Alaska Aces in the East Coast Hockey League. Trupp is an Anchorage native.
• UND recruit Austin Poganski was named the St. Cloud Times area high school player of the year this week. Poganski is a 1996-born forward who plays for St. Cloud Cathedral.
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• Former UND goalie Aaron Dell is a finalist for the MVP, Most Outstanding Goalie and Rookie of the Year in the Central Hockey League. Dell plays for the Allen Americans.
• UND recruit Shane Gersich, who played for Holy Family Catholic, has joined the Omaha Lancers in the United States Hockey League for the end of the season.
• The WCHA announced Thursday its full schedule for the 2013-14 season. Alabama Huntsville, which recently joined the league, will have a full 28-game league schedule next year.
