Brennan Gasmo will be returning to his home province to compete for the Briercrest Clipper men’s hockey team this fall.

Gasmo is originally from Prince Albert, SK, but spent this past season playing at the Banff Hockey Academy in Alberta. Gasmo was chosen to compete for the top team at the academy and feels it was a valuable experience for him.

"It was great to skate and workout every day—I really pushed myself this year to have a shot at playing college hockey,” Gasmo said. “One of the best things about this year though was playing with kids from around the world. We had a lot of great hockey players here and it pushed me to be better."

The 5’ 8”, 165 pound forward is admired by his teammates for his work ethic and competitive nature.

“He's always the first person in on a fore-check and is not afraid to throw around his weight. He is not afraid of anyone bigger than him, he just battles”, Yotam Sherf, Gasmo's teammate from Israel, said.

Gasmo’s inspiration and determination comes from his brother Dustin, who has had to go through several heart surgeries in the last while.

"My brother is such a tough kid—I couldn't imagine what he goes through”, he said. “He is my hero, and I love him."

Bill Doherty was Gasmo’s coach in Banff.

"He is one of the most liked kids at the academy because of his hard work and the support and respect he has for his teammates,” said Doherty. “Brennan's top games of the season were when Brennan's brother was in surgery—it’s really amazing how he carried himself on the ice."

Briercrest head coach, Terry Dyck, looks forward to seeing that same work ethic from Gasmo this season.

“Brennan is coming in as a hard working role player”, said Dyck. “He has exceptional speed and accepts all challenges. I like that he is prepared to do whatever it takes and take on whatever role to make the team successful.”

Gasmo is looking forward to the year ahead.

"Briercrest is a great school, and I'm excited for this opportunity I am receiving", he said. "My goal is to play hard, and bring lots of energy to the team, and hopefully win an ACAC championship."