Congratulations to Slaght!
By Jim den Hollander SaukHockey.info - August 4, 2022
Trevor Slaght has worn a lot of hockey jerseys over the years and Wednesday night he added his latest, the Chicago Cougars.
As a product of the Wisconsin Dells area, Slaght played with the Dells/Delton Blades, South Central Cyclones and finally RWD Cheavers through his youth and varsity high school seasons. Slaght signed with the Chicago Cougars Wednesday evening in front of friends, teammates and family. The Cougars play in the USPHL Midwest-East division, made up primarily of teams in the Chicago-Detroit corridor, but also including Decatur south of Chicago.
A four-year starter with the varsity hockey team, Slaght appeared in 79 games, scoring 27 goals and collecting 61 points.
His career highlight came in the spring of 2021 when Slaght, as a member of the Janesville Jets U18 team played a part in a USA Hockey Tier 2 National Championship. It was a bittersweet moment for Slaght who suffered and acl injury in the national championship game which sidelined him until nearly Christmas.
Slaght worked hard though and returned earlier than expected from the injury. He made his presence felt almost immediately with the RWD varsity team and wrapped up his senior season with 12 goals and 24 points in just 14 games.
When Slaght returned on Dec. 21 against Tomah/Sparta, the Cheavers had stumbled to a 5-5 start to the season. After his arrival they posted a 13-1 record the rest of the way although the playoffs ended a little earlier than expected, on home ice against the rival Sauk Prairie Eagles. The Cougars, coached by former Dells Ducks Head Coach Josh Dallman and former Dells Ducks players, Johnny and Cory Schwarz are familiar with Slaght both as a player and as an official at most of the local versions of Ultimate Tournaments.
The team gains a player blessed with solid speed and hands, a great hockey IQ and the ability to find open ice.
“We are excited to add Trevor Slaght to the Cougars roster,” said Coach Dallman in a telephone text interview. “With his skill, work ethic and leadership he will be a great addition to our team.”
Slaght is the second member of the RWD varsity team to make the jump to junior hockey as Cooper Oakes is a few weeks away from joining the Willmar Warhawks of the NA3HL as well.
Local fans will get a chance to see Slaght and the Cougars in action as the team is scheduled to take part in a pre-season tournament, hosted by the Dells Ducks at Lake Delton Ice Arena Sept. 23-25.
About The USPHL
The United States Premier Hockey League of 2022-23 is the nation’s largest junior amateur ice hockey league and the only league to span the continental United States, from Maine to California, and from Florida to Washington State.
The USPHL includes over 100 organizations comprised of 11,000 players spanning the ages of 6 through 20, including Youth and Midget Division teams in the Tier 1 Hockey Federation.
Overall, across all its divisions, the USPHL see more than 3,100 alumni playing college hockey each year and more than 250 playing pro hockey, including in the NHL.
The league’s top level, the Tuition Free Tier II National Collegiate Development Conference, led all North American Tier II leagues with three players selected in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and has seen more than 200 NCAA Division I commitments since its 2017 inception. The NCDC will also expand to include the NCDC West, with teams in Colorado, Utah and Idaho for 2023-24.
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