(Halifax, N.S.) - Dalhousie University men’s hockey head coach Chris Donnelly is pleased to announce the commitment of Gareth Nicholson to the Tigers for the 2016-17 season.

Nicholson comes to the Tigers after two seasons in both the Maritime (MHL) and Quebec Major Junior (QMJHL) hockey leagues.

A 6’ defenceman, Nicholson collected 24 points in 45 games with the South Shore Lumberjacks this past season. Before joining the Lumberjacks, he had 23 points in 35 games with the MHL’s Yarmouth Mariners in the 2014-15 season. Nicholson spent two seasons in the QMJHL before joining the MHL. He played with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles for a season and a half before being traded to the Moncton Wildcats in the second half of the 2013-14 season.

“I am extremely excited to join the men’s hockey team,” says Nicholson. “I’m looking forward to playing hockey while continuing my education at Dalhousie.”

A native of Kentville, N.S., Nicholson was the MHL’s Scholastic Player of the Year in 2015-16 and the runner up of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) award. He has been accepted into the Bachelor of Commerce program at Dalhousie.

“We are looking forward to having Gareth join our program,” says Donnelly. “We expect him to develop into a solid defenceman for the program and our team will benefit from his leadership ability, physical style of play and intelligent decision making.”

The Tigers will be looking to build off their strong end to the 2015-16 campaign and make a strong push for the playoffs in 2016-17.