NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TX — The Brahmas are pleased to announce their first tender signing for the 2018-19 season. 2000 forward Jacob Kalandyk inked his contract earlier this month and will be looking to crack the roster next fall.
Kalandyk is a product of the NAPHL’s Meijer organization, which also produced 2017 tender Jared Kucharek.
At just 17 years old, Kalandyk has good size, standing at 6-foot-1 and weighing in at 192 pounds.
“The first thing that caught our eye was his size,” Brahmas Assistant Coach Justin Hale said. “He’s a big strong kid. He plays for a tremendous program at Meijer and works with a great coach who teaches the game really well, so he’s been around the game.”
“I’m a well-rounded player that can play a two hundred foot game and can bring a physical presence to the team,” Kalandyk said, when asked to describe himself as a player.
That’s exactly the sort of player that the Lone Star coaching staff tends to gravitate towards, especially since a good team defense is crucial to the Brahmas’ playing style.
“He understands what his role is and what he does well and he does that to a T,” Hale said. “We think that he’ll be a good player for us. He’s a good skater, he brings physicality to his game. His offense has really developed and we think that he’ll continue to develop in a positive direction. He’ll be somebody that can step in and play in all situations.”
So far in 40 games with Meijer, Kalandyk has 7 goals and 6 assists. He’s looking forward to coming to Lone Star, which he saw as a good fit, particularly with the team’s recent success.
“I chose the Brahmas because they are the reigning Robertson cup champions and they are a high quality program with some of the best coaching available,” he said.
That’s the sort of reputation the Brahmas like to keep up, and players like Kalandyk help them do exactly that.
In the long run, Kalandyk hopes to be one of many Brahmas to commit to a NCAA Division I program during his time with Lone Star. “My goal for hockey is to play division 1 hockey and playing in the NAHL with the Brahmas will give me the best opportunity for that,” he said.
We’re still a while away from seriously thinking about the 2018-19 season — there’s still more than half this current season left to played. However, it’s never too early to build for the future. Kalandyk is a terrific first step.
* A tender is a contract, of sorts, 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. *