The Port Moody Panthers are excited to announce the signing of 2004-born defenseman Marcus Olsen for the 2021-22 Pacific Junior Hockey League season.
Olsen, who’s from Surrey, had three assists in eight games with Okanagan Hockey Academy U17 Black in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League this past season.
“I’m excited to join the organization because after having skated with Port Moody and (coach) Terry (Morrison) during the 2019-20 season for some practices, I really felt comfortable with the team,” Olsen said.
“I really felt it was a great place to further develop my skills and help me become a better hockey player and person. I really enjoyed working with Terry. I can definitely tell he is a coach who cares about his players and the team.”
Olsen was a 15-year-old special affiliate with the Panthers during the 2019-20 season while he was a member of the Valley West Giants U16 AAA. In 29 games with the Giants, he had two goals and six points.
Now that he’s committed to start his junior hockey career with the Panthers, Olsen has a goal to move up to an even higher level.
“My goals are to continue to develop my skills and perform at the highest level I can achieve. I want to improve my offensive side to my game so I can become more of a two-way defenseman. I want to put in the work in the gym to become stronger now that I am going up against players who are older and bigger than me.”
Olsen expects to be a further stabilizing force to the Panthers blueline as a rookie next season.
“I am defensive defenseman who provides a strong physical presence in the D-zone, but with my strong skating ability I am able to transition quickly to help out offensively when the opportunity presents itself,” he explained.
With today’s signing, Olsen is the first rookie player committed to the Panthers for the 2021-22 PJHL season.
