Bobcat Winger Stacho Commits to American International
SPRINGFIELD, MA – First-year Bismarck Bobcats forward Adam Stacho announced Wednesday that he has committed to play NCAA Division I hockey at American International College starting with the 2019-20 season.
“I am very happy to be able to announce my commitment and to know I will be playing Division I hockey,” stated Stacho, a native of Trencin, Slovakia. “Playing college hockey has been my dream, so I am very thankful to the Bobcats and my coaches and teammates for help me make this dream come true.”
Selected in the second round of the 2017 NAHL Draft by the Bobcats, Stacho is currently sixth on the team in scoring with seven points (3g, 4a) in 10 appearances.
“Adam has great playmaking ability and a strong shot,” lauded Bobcats head coach and general manager Layne Sedevie, “and when you combine that with his strong work ethic you know that he will be a very good player at the next level.”
Stacho, who spent the entire 2016-17 season with Team Slovakia’s Under-18 squad—including five games played at the IIHF World Under-18 Championships—is also a hopeful to make the Slovakian roster at the 2018 World Junior Championships in Buffalo, N.Y.
American International has fielded hockey as a varsity sport since 1948, eventually making the jump to Division I in 1998. The Yellow Jackets currently play their home games at the 8,000-seat MassMutual Center, which they share with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds.
Under the direction of second-year head coach and 1997 AIC alumnus Eric Lang, the Yellow Jackets have become a destination for Bobcat standouts of late: Stacho will join notable alums Jared Pike (2014-16), Patrik Demel (2015-16) and Tobias Fladeby (2015-17) in Springfield.
“Our organization has built a good relationship with Coach Lang and AIC,” added Sedevie, “and we appreciate the opportunities his program has produced for players on the Bobcats and in the NAHL as a whole.”
Stacho and the rest of the Bobcats hit the road Thursday for a three-game week, starting in Minot for the first installment of the 2017 Subway ND Cup against the arch rival Minotauros.
Thursday’s rivalry matchup will be broadcast live locally on Super Talk 1270 AM, the radio home of the Bismarck Bobcats, and worldwide at HockeyTV.com, the official web broadcast partner of the North American Hockey League. Pre-game coverage will begin at 6:40pm.
Pro-rated season tickets are still on sale for the Bobcats’ 2017-18 campaign: lock in the best seats now and be here for all the action! Visit BismarckBobcats.com or call 222-3300 for more info.