By Jonathan Raymond, News Staff
Junior goaltender Brad Thiessen has signed a professional contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Hobey Baker finalist said in a phone interview with The’ News Friday.
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Thiessen said he began thinking about going pro after the men’s hockey team’s season ended last’ Saturday with a defeat to Cornell in the NCAA’ Tournament.
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‘I kind of put things on the backburner until after the season was over,’ he said. ‘There was some talk during the season, but I didn’t really want it to distract from me and the team, what we were doing as a team, so that’s where my focus was and once the last game was over I started thinking about my options and it went from there.’
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Thiessen will be joined in the Pittsburgh organization by teammate senior Joe Vitale, who was a 2005 draft pick of the Penguins. The outgoing captain signed with the team Thursday, according to a Northeastern Athletics press release.
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Thiessen said he would report to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, the Penguins’ American Hockey League affiliate, tomorrow.
He plans to practice with the team and get acquainted with the organization, but does not expect to participate in any live games with the team as the season winds down and the playoffs begin.
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Thiessen said there were five or six NHL clubs that expressed interest in him, and that two or three seemed ‘very serious.’ He said it was nice to have a familiar face with him in Vitale with the Penguins, but that it wasn’t the only factor that led him to Pittsburgh.
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‘It was more the opportunity that Pittsburgh presents for me as a goalie and the organization there, and they really wanted me so that’s a good feeling,’ he said.
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Thiessen also wanted to stress how gratious he felt to the Northeastern fan base for their support of the team this season, and how much he enjoyed his time with the Huskies.
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‘This place has meant an awful lot to me the last three years and I’ve got nothing but good memories from this season,’ he said. ‘The whole student body rallied around the team and it was a lot of fun to be a part of.’
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He also said he would like to finish his degree sometime in the future. Pick up Monday’s edition of The Huntington News for a full story.
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