DeCecco decides on Brahmas
Published on July 21, 2005 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Fort Worth Brahmas News Release
Fort Worth- The Fort Worth Brahmas scored a major recruiting coup on Thursday morning, as the team agreed to contract terms with right wing Bret DeCecco for the 2005-2006 Central Hockey League season.
With 52 points last season, DeCecco was the leading scorer for the San Angelo Saints of the CHL. His CHL rights became up for grabs when the Saints franchise suspended operations on April 18 of this year.
DeCecco is the third former San Angelo player who will be joining the Brahmas for the upcoming season. Former Saints defensemen Konrad Brand and Ryan Branham were signed by the team earlier this summer.
The 2004-2005 campaign, his fourth as a professional, was a breakout season for DeCecco. He established professional career highs in every major statistical category, including goals (26), assists (26), points (52), and penalty minutes (101). Seven of his 26 goals came on the powerplay, and 6 of his scores were game winners.
DeCecco also paced the Saints offensively in the 2005 Central Hockey League's President's Cup playoffs. He scored five goals and helped out on two others in San Angelo's seven game first round playoff series loss to the eventual Southern Conference champion Laredo Bucks.
Before coming to San Angelo last season, DeCecco played three full seasons (2001-2004) in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). The majority of his ECHL games were played with the Peoria Rivermen, but he also had brief stints with the Roanoke Express, Greensboro Generals, and Alaska Aces. His best ECHL season came in 2002-2003 when he posted 34 points (15G/19A) in 59 games for Peoria.
A native of Sherwood Park, Alberta, DeCecco played five full seasons of major junior hockey in the Western Hockey League (WHL). He starred for four full seasons (1996-2000) with the Seattle Thunderbirds. He also played parts of two other seasons with Seattle and the final 51 games of his 2000-2001 season with the Kootenay Ice. DeCecco's best individual season as a junior player came in 1998-1999 when he totaled 57 goals and 43 assists in 72 games played for Seattle. His 100 points led the Thunderbirds in scoring and was the eighth highest total in the WHL for the 1998-1999 campaign.
Sims and the Brahmas are expecting DeCecco to play a prominent role in the team's offensive attack this season.
"Bret is a gifted offensive player, no doubt. He was a tremendous scorer at the junior hockey level, and he is just now coming into his own as a professional. Last season, he was the top scoring threat on an outstanding hockey team. He knows how to win, and he comes to play every night. I anticipate him being one of our offensive leaders this year," Sims said.
With 258 regular season professional games under his belt, DeCecco will count as a developmental player on the Brahmas 2005-2006 roster. DeCecco is the eighth player to commit to the Brahmas for the coming season, joining the aforementioned Brand (D) and Branham (D), as well as Vladimir Hartinger (D), Greg Willers (D), Matt Coughlin (D), Justin Coutu (D), and Larry Sterling (G). Thus far, Hartinger is the only player with veteran status (more than 260 regular season professional games played) on the Brahmas roster. Each CHL member team can have just four veteran players on their active roster.
The Brahmas will open their ninth season in franchise history and their fifth in the CHL in late October of 2005. Season tickets for the club's 2005-2006 season are on sale now. For additional information, please contact the Brahmas team office at (817) 336-4423.
Central Hockey League Stories from July 21, 2005
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- Herauf Returns to Blazers Lineup - Oklahoma City Blazers
- All-Star goaltender Beaudry signs with RiverKings - Mississippi RiverKings
- DeCecco decides on Brahmas - Fort Worth Brahmas
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