FRASER, Mich. – Brady Hanson came to the Metro Jets last season with a year of junior hockey experience under his belt.
He ended the season as one of the Jets’ top defensemen and will return for 2019-20 looking to wrap his junior career on a high note.
“It really wasn’t a difficult decision to come back to the Metro Jets this season,” said Hanson, a 1999 birth year from Northville. “Not everyone has the luxury of having one of the best organizations in junior hockey basically in their backyard. We have a great group of guys coming back, and I’m sure that the coaches will add new players that will do a good job representing the Metro Jets. I know that we will put a very competitive team on the ice, and we will have exposure to other opportunities in hockey down the road.”
Last season, Hanson tallied seven goals and 15 points in 41 games for Metro.
“’Hanny’ is a competitive player who loves the game,” said Jets coach-GM Justin Quenneville. “He came a long way last year with his development and it showed down the stretch. He has a heavy shot and when he is dialed in, he can be really difficult to play against on both sides of the puck. We are hoping he brings the same edge this year and we look forward to helping reach his goal with several options at the college level.”
Hanson has immersed himself in the Jets culture and has become enamored with what the program offers, on and off the ice, at Fraser Hockeyland.
“The Metro Jets are one of the best teams in the country,” Hanson said. “It is a top-notch organization that starts at the top with our owner (Pete Cammick), and it continues with our coaches, players and rink staff. The Metro Jets continue to put a very good team on the ice every year, and this shows the dedication of everyone involved. This organization is built on player development, but we also win a lot of games.
“It doesn’t get any better than that.”
As for looking ahead to the season, Hanson has but one goal in mind, and that’s to once again play in the last game of the year come March.
“We played in the final game for the national championship last season and came up just short,” said Hanson. “It was a great season, but it left me with a hunger to finish the job this year. My goal for this team is to win the USPHL national championship. Personally, I want to continue to develop under the guidance of our outstanding coaches. This is my last year playing junior hockey, so I’ve worked incredibly hard this offseason on and off the ice so that I can contribute to our team as much as possible. My hope is that this season is a steppingstone for playing college hockey next year.”
In addition, the Jets have announced the signings of defenseman Cooper Partridge and forward Anders Florek.
“’Coop’ and Anders both skated earlier in the spring and showed immediate interest in our program,” Quenneville said. “Cooper is young and will benefit tremendously from this environment, but more importantly, looks to be committed to getting stronger on and off the ice. Anders has some experience playing junior last year and we feel like he will be a fit in this environment out of the gates.”
Partridge is a Fenton native and skated for the Flint Jr. Firebirds’ 16U club last season, while Florek, a 2000 birth year from Oakwood, Ohio, played for the USPHL’s Midwest Blackbirds in 2018-19.
“One thing that really appeals to me is how the team continually pushes their players to higher levels of hockey,” said Partridge. “I love that the team’s main focus is on individual development.”
“I felt that it was definitely in my best interest to sign,” added Florek. “The things that appeal most to me about the Jets are that it’s a well-established team with a great organization and many opportunities to improve as a player. I know that the team has a longstanding winning culture and I am ready to help continue it.”
