OSHAWA, Ont. – Hopewell Junction native Danny Elser has been named the ninth captain in UOIT men's hockey history.
 
He made his debut with the Ridgebacks against the Concordia Stingers on January 16, 2016 and didn't take long to log his first goal with UOIT, doing so in only his second game, a 5-3 win over the Nipissing Lakers. Elser finished that regular season with two goals and four points in nine games.
 
In the postseason that year he added a goal and three assists in five games, including the game-winning goal in game three over the Queen's Gaels to lift the Ridgebacks to their first playoff victory in program history.
 
Last season, he led UOIT in scoring, finishing 2016-17 with 10 goals and 26 points in 28 regular season games.
 
"We are proud to announce Danny as the new captain of our program," said head coach Curtis Hodgins. "He carries himself very well on and off the ice and is popular with his teammates. Danny has a great work ethic and comes to the rink every day looking to improve his game and we believe that will rub off on our team as we continue to build our culture here at UOIT."
 
Mike Robinson (Stouffville, Ont.), Ben Blasko (Kingston, Ont.) and Tyler Mayea (Burlington, Ont.) were named assistant captains.
 
Similar to Elser, Robinson and Blasko are offensive threats for the Ridgebacks. Robinson finished 2016-17 with 11 goals and 11 assists in 28 games, while Blasko had six goals and 15 assists in 22 games.
 
A defensive stronghold for UOIT, Mayea had a goal and eight assists last season from the blue line.
 
"We believe we have surrounded Danny with an excellent support group as alternate captains," said Hodgins. "All three are veteran players in our program and are fully committed to making our team better. Our coaching staff looks forward to working closely with our new leadership group as we all strive toward our team goals for the 2017-18 season."
 
After finishing their preseason a week ago against the York Lions, the Ridgebacks have spent the last week preparing for OUA conference play, which begins Friday night at the Campus Ice Centre. UOIT welcomes the RMC Paladins for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop.
 
Tickets are free for students with their Student ID. Adult tickets are $10.