Photo Credit: Oklahoma City Blazers
“I was kind of shocked actually, when I heard about it,” Vandermeer said, recalling how he and his brother Bill, who was also a Blazer, reacted to the news. “We got the call and right after that we started talking to each other, trying to figure out what our next move was going to be.”
For the 23-year-old native of
When the call came from the expansion Missouri Mavericks, Vandermeer was immediately interested, knowing that the organization was putting together a top-notch franchise.
“To start with, from what I heard from the organization about how the guys were going to be treated out there…what they’ve set up with apartments and the new facility and a new bus sounded great, Vandermeer said.
In addition, his brother Bill was also being recruited to join the team and the Mavericks had already signed one of their former Blazers teammates, defenseman Tyler Fleck.
“Having
Former Blazers goaltender Doug Groenestege has also signed with the team, adding to the familiar faces that will greet the brothers at training camp. For Vandermeer, the decision to join the Mavericks was an easy one and one that just may provide some stability over the coming years.
With less than a month before training camp and only 44 days until the Mavericks’ season opener in
“I want to stay healthy for the full season, number one, and just doing that, I think I’ll be able to improve my numbers a little bit. After that, it will help to win some playoff series and after that some championships here…that’s what we’re looking for and the way we’ve got things put together right now, it’s looking pretty good for that.”
Contact the author at Robert.keith@prohockeynews.com
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