Surrey Eagles add young Quebec forward to flock for next season

Montreal native Tio D’Addario to play for BCHL squad in 2020/’21 season

The Surrey Eagles have looked to Quebec for the latest addition to their flock.

Earlier this month, the BC Hockey League team announced that 2002-born forward Tio D’Addario has committed to the team for the 2020-‘21 season.

The Montreal resident – referred to as a “speedy centre” in a news release issued by the team – played hockey last season for the Mount Academy Saints, a prep school in Charlottetown, P.E.I. He scored 21 goals and added 22 assists in 35 games last season, split between two leagues. He was the second leading-scorer on the team.

“Tio’s a brilliant two-way centre. He has excellent hockey sense and can read the play at an elite level. (He’s) a skilled playmaker who can also shoot the puck well,” said Eagles head coach Cam Keith, who also gave credit to the Eagles’ eastern Canada scout Olivier Filion for bringing the young forward to the team’s attention.

D’Addario, who is five-foot-10 and 165 pounds, said he is “super excited” to move up to the junior ‘A’ ranks.

“I spoke to Cam a lot and he seems like a great coach. The team moves the puck really well, and I’m super excited to join the team and try to help the team out,” he said.

D’Addario is the fifth player to commit to the Eagles for the next season, joining Cole Galata, Alec Saretzky, Holden Cardinal and Matt Connor.

Also earlier this month, the team announced that versatile forward J.J. Fecteau agreed to play this season at Stevenson University, an NCAA Div. 3 school in Maryland.

Fecteau, a Savannah, Ga. native, played only one season in South Surrey, notching one goal and seven assists in 52 games. Though the 20-year-old – who joined the Eagles just days before the 2019/’20 season began – didn’t light up the scoresheet, he was an key member of last year’s team because of his versatility; though he started the year as a forward, he switched to defence for long stretches of the season when injuries hit the Eagles’ blue line.

He played defence for months, before the team acquired Kieran O’Hearn and Brendan Kim midway through the season, at which time he moved back to centre, though he did see time back on defence during the playoffs when injuries bit the team again.

Fecteau said the team’s first-round playoff victory over Chilliwack was a highlight of his time in the BCHL. The team was set to start a second-round series against the Coquitlam Express just days before play was suspended, and then ultimately cancelled, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Winning… after being down was pretty cool, and pretty emotional. Especially with how the beginning of our season went, and all the doubt surrounding us. To come back, and beat a team after being down 3-2 in our own rink, and then (to win) in their barn tells you a lot about the guys we had in the room. That was my favourite moment,” he said.