NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TX — Less than a month after winning it all, the Lone Star Brahmas are already well on their way to building another championship team.
Tuesday, the Brahmas added 11 players to their 31-man protected list: Ten through the NAHL draft, and one through a trade.
They added another key piece earlier this week, signing forward Jared Domin to the team’s last remaining tender contract.
A Michigan native, Domin is a Belle Tire and Little Caesars Product. Prior to signing with the Brahmas, Domin played for the Cowichan Valley Capitals in the BCHL, where he registered 38 goals and 46 goals for 84 points over two seasons.
Draft pick Michael Montambault also comes from the Capitals, where he and Domin played on a line together. The Brahmas will no doubt look to use that familiarity to their advantage.
After losing the entirety of their top two lines, Lone Star has made a concerted effort to insert veteran presence into the 2017-18 roster, and with two years of junior experience under his belt, Domin is exactly what the Brahmas are looking for.
“Jared is going to be an important part of our team this year,” Head Coach Dan Wildfong said. “He’s going to be able to step right in and play at a high level and do things the right way.”
While Domin could have easily played out his final year of junior eligibility in the BCHL, he did his homework on the Brahmas and knew that Lone Star was somewhere he wanted to be.
“I talked to Austin Kamer and Julian Biondo,” Domin said. “They had great things to say about the organization. Coach Wildfong knows what it takes to win a championship and I want to be a part of that next year and bring home another one.”
Additions like Domin will undoubtedly go a long way to replacing some of the offense that was lost due to players moving on to play NCAA hockey.
“I’m a north to south power forward that plays a gritty game and enjoys playing and creating chances in the offensive zone,” Domin said, when asked to describe his own game in a few words.
That hard-nosed style will serve Domin well as he makes the transition to playing in the physical NAHL South Division. Wildfong and the Brahmas are counting on it.
The Brahmas are still closer to the end of the last season than the start of the next, but main camp is in July, and then just a month later, the team will hit the ice for training camp.
“I’m excited to come down to the south where the weather will be a lot nicer,” Domin said. “I can’t wait to meet my new teammates and get the season started.”
* A tender is a contract, of sorts, that a player signs announcing his intentions to play for that particular NAHL team and that NAHL team only. Once a player signs a tender with an NAHL team, his playing rights belong to that team within the NAHL and he may not be recruited by any other NAHL team. Each team is granted ten (10) tenders – plus or minus any trades. Tendered players are not eligible for the NAHL draft. *