The Swift Current Broncos have added an NCAA-committed defenceman to their roster.
They've signed 18-year-old Brennen Hocher away from the Okotoks Oilers of the BCHL.
This signing is an example of the rule change on NCAA eligibility for WHL players helping the Broncos land a player who was already planning to play college hockey in the United States.
"It's one of those situations where I think in the next couple of years, we're going to see a little bit of that," said Broncos General Manager Chad Leslie. "Fall camp for a lot of teams, we're seeing across the board more people around numbers this late in camp. Without having to sign education agreements to play exhibition games, you're seeing more and more people get an opportunity. I think we're going to see this as we move forward. We're excited. He's a great kid."
The Broncos picked Hocher in the 9th round of the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft.
He committed to play for the University of Nebraska-Omaha in the NCAA and spent his first two junior seasons in the BCHL.
"An asset there that for sure we weren't sure was going to be coming to us," Leslie said. "And an opportunity for a guy to get comfortable in our league before he moves on to Omaha, Nebraska. It was just a positive all around, and he's a really good kid and a really good teammate."
Leslie noted Hocher came early to camp and helped out with the Broncos' hockey school.
On the ice, he is excited about the 6'2" defender's skating stride.
"He moves extremely well," Leslie said. "I just have always liked how free he's been. He's physically grown, too. Just a guy that has gotten better and better. He skates well. He's an intelligent player.
"He's just going to take some time to get comfortable here for sure, just moving pucks quickly, defending. I just think his progression is going to go pretty quickly just because of how intelligent he is and how well he skates."
Hocher missed a lot of the 2024-25 season due to injury.
The Calgary product had 4 assists in 25 games with Okotoks.
He put up 12 points in 46 games between the AJHL and BCHL in his 16-year-old season.
His academic pursuits led to him being named the CSSHL U15 Scholastic Player of the Year and CSSHL U17 Top Scholastic Athlete.
Hocher also played in the 2021-22 Alberta Cup.
He joins a Broncos blue line that can return as many as six defencemen from last season's roster.
"Just to have that depth," Leslie said. "I think as we move forward into the season with being a little younger up front, it was very important."
Hocher played in both pre-season games against Moose Jaw over the weekend.
He went -1 with 4 shots on net.
Swift Current resumes their pre-season on Friday in Brandon.