The St. Louis Jr. Blues, proud members of the NA3HL, are pleased to announce that defenseman Tom Yurisich has committed to play NCAA Division III hockey at Lawrence University. The Vikings, from Appleton, Wis., play in the NCHA.
A native of Batavia, Ill., the 6’, 18 lb left-hander came to the Jr. Blues after playing for the Geneva Cyclones in the Central States Developmental Hockey League, and became the bedrock of the St. Louis defense in his three junior seasons. In 126 career regular-season games, he scored 17 goals and 61 assists, finishing with an overall plus-minus rating of +140. By far his best season was his most recent one: starting off 2018-19 by being named Jr. Blues alternate captain, Yurisich became a point-per-game scorer with 47 points (10 G, 37 A) in 45 games, with six of his goals coming on the man-advantage. He picked up one assist while playing for the Central Division team at the 2019 NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament, and in the playoffs he netted one goal and three assists.
“Tom’s just been one of the most consistent, quality players we’ve had over the past few years,” said Jr. Blues head coach Chris Flaugher. “He’s a guy who quietly leads by example whether on or off the ice, and plays a no-nonsense, efficient game from the blue-line. He moves the puck well and is a great man to have out on the power-play. We know he’ll be an impact player at Lawrence and wish him nothing but the best.”
Yurisich is the second Jr. Blues player to commit to Lawrence this off-season, joining Ivan Galaguzov with the Vikings, and the club’s fifth college commitment overall this year.
