Jonathon Brodie - Recorder & Times

The Brockville Braves earned one of their biggest victories of the season and it was a result that came off the ice.

Local defenceman Simon Mack will be suiting up in a hometown Brockville Braves jersey next year and hopefully for years to come.

That announcement came along with Mack after he decided late last week to commit to playing for Penn State University in 2020-21.

Mack visited the school's campus and checked out a game back in November and maybe there was a little foreshadowing involved with former Braves Liam Folkes scoring his first-ever goal for Penn State at that game.

Mack was told by Penn State coaches the crowd at the 6,000-plus seat arena would be a little less busy than usual because the game was held over the weekend after American Thanksgiving and students were on vacation, but there was still plenty of buzz and more than enough gusto to hook the young defenceman.

"I was really impressed with the feeling and the atmosphere they had there," Mack said. "It was just a place I really loved from the get go."

The enrollment date a few seasons away gives the 15-year-old plenty of time to work alongside and against older and bigger players and adjust to the college-like level of the CCHL.

Mack was the first player picked in the CCHL's 2016 Bantam Draft. The Braves had pursued Mack to play in their U18 ranks this season, but he decided to head down to the U.S. and play for the South Kent School Select Hockey Academy, which is currently ranked fourth in the USA Midget U15 Tier 1 rankings and on the brink of earning a spot at the national championship tournament in April.

South Kent had said they would move Mack up to their U18 team next year if he stayed, but prospective colleges had suggested to him that he consider playing in the CCHL to further his hockey development and his decision to come to Brockville is mostly based on that - developing.

"There's a lot of things that contributed to coming back to play from the Braves organization, my parents, being home at school. I've enjoyed my time here at South Kent, but at the end of the day it's about hockey development and I feel like I'm going to develop with the Braves," Mack said.

Mack only has positive things to say about South Kent regarding its hockey and academics, but he couldn't be happier to return home and play for a team he grew up watching.

Mack had guessed he had seen hundreds of Braves games over the years, the biggest highlight coming when he watched his team win the Fred Page Cup in 2010. Now he's suiting up for that same team and trying to reach that same goal.

Next year will mark the first time Mack has played in Brockville since he was eight-years-old at the novice level having played with the Upper Canada Cyclones and Rideau-St. Lawrence Kings over the years.

"I'm very excited to say the least," Mack said.

Equally happy in Mack's return is the Brockville Braves organization.

Mack returning to play for his hometown is a win across the board for the Braves.

The addition of the young teen, who the Braves had been watching from a distance while he played at South Kent, will immediately replace the hole on the roster that will be left when the highly-skilled right-shooting defenceman Cameron Crotty leaves to play for Boston University next season.

Mack's arrival is also a local player playing for the local team, which is something needed on the Braves roster.

It might also signal to the community that the team can hold onto the best young homegrown talent if they're looking to eventually move on to the NCAA level.

"He could go anywhere. Once he was in the States he didn't have to come back," said Braves general manager Dustin Traylen. "Sometimes the best option is right in your backyard."

Original article at Recorder.ca