FORT McMURRAY, AB (March 12, 2015) – Former Fort McMurray Oil Barons Colton Parayko (St. Albert, AB), Brock Maschmeyer (Bruderheim, AB), and Markus Gerbrandt (Edmonton, AB) were among the NCAA players honoured in the annual men’s Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) awards announced today.
For the second consecutive year, Parayko was named the WCHA’s Defensive Player of the Year. In his junior season, the 21-year old ranked third in the WCHA in defenceman scoring with 20 points (4 goals, 16 assists) in 28 games.
Parayko was also named to the All-WCHA First Team. He signed a two-year entry level contract with the National Hockey League’s St. Louis Blues this past Tuesday, after being drafted in the third round, 86th overall, by St. Louis in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
Maschmeyer, a former Oil Barons captain, was named to the All-WCHA Third Team in just his second year of NCAA play at Northern Michigan University. Maschmeyer tied for the WCHA lead with seven goals as a defenceman, adding nine assists for 16 points as a sophomore. The 22-year old played in three seasons for the Barons after being acquired in a trade with the Lloydminster Bobcats in 2010. He recorded 74 points in 134 games as a Baron, and was named team captain at the start of the 2012-13 campaign.
Both Parayko and Maschmeyer were among 132 student-athletes selected to the WCHA All-Academic team, alongside their former Barons teammate Markus Gerbrandt, who played as a forward for the Oil Barons from 2009 to 2012, recording 160 points in 167 career AJHL games. Gerbrandt currently is in his third year as a forward for Bemidji State University.
The Oil Barons return to action on April 25th when the 2015 Western Canada Cup kicks off at the Casman Centre, featuring the MOB and the champions of the four western Canadian Junior A leagues. Tickets are available at the Casman Centre box office, online at tickets.oilbarons.com, or by phone at (780) 743-5509.