FRASER, Mich. – Joey Bruce came to the Metro Jets prior to the start of the 2017-18 season with a year of college hockey under his belt.
After this current season, the 20-year-old Wixom native hopes to be playing college hockey at a higher level.
Last year, Bruce registered 18 goals and 35 points in 42 games as the Jets won the Fraser Cup national championship. Through 10 games this year, he’s on a tear with four goals and 12 points.
“I heard a lot of great things about the organization and I wanted to be a part of the culture here,” said Bruce, who captained Walled Lake Western High School during his senior season of 2015-16. “I think I had a decent year last year, but I feel I definitely could’ve done way better. Winning a national championship, the feeling of that will never go away. That was easily the best hockey experience of my life and I use that to motivate myself to get back to that point again.”
So far this year, he’s leading the Jets on one of the team’s top forward lines with Jhuwon Davis and Jets captain Jeremy Schwartz.
“Those guys help so much,” Bruce said. “Playing with such great players as them makes my job easier. Great guys on and off the ice, too.”
Jets coach-GM Justin Quenneville said that while Bruce’s stats are impressive, he still hasn’t reached his full potential at the junior hockey level.
“Bruce came to us from a year at college and we expected big things,” Quenneville said. “He was that guy in the first half of the year last year where everything went his way. When his game is on, he can be the best player on the ice. We are hoping he can find that game for us consistently this season because having him going on a nightly basis would be another threat our team could use. This is a big year for him with college scouts, so we want him to take advantage of his opportunities here. If he does, he will have many options ahead of him.”
Still just mid-October, but Bruce has his eyes on short-term and long-term aspirations.
“This season, I want to bring home another title and hopefully receive scholarship offers,” said Bruce. “I just want to keep improving and getting better every day and see where it takes me.”
