Western Michigan adds Isley for 2007-2008

The Western Michigan Broncos will welcome yet another player from the Alberta Junior Hockey League in the fall of 2008.

Lucas Isley signed his National Letter of Intent to attend Western Michigan and play for the Broncos after he completes his third season of play in the AJHL.

"Lucas Isley is a skilled player who will join our program with the ability to play in all situations," said WMU assistant coach Chris Brooks. "He is an intelligent player who plays a lot bigger than his size. When arriving in the fall of 2008, Lucas will have played three years in the Alberta Junior Hockey League and will be counted on to make a significant impact on our team."

Isley, who turned 18 on April 25, is deferring enrollment until the fall of 2008. He is a right winger who currently stands at 5-foot-10 and weighs approximately 160 pounds.

The Bonnyville, Alberta native played in 31 games for the Bonnyville Pontiacs this past season, scoring 12 goals and making 17 assists for 29 points on the year. Isley netted a pair of goals and helped out on two more for four points during the Pontiacs' playoff run.

Western Michigan has had recent luck with student-athletes who come from the AJHL. Dana Lattery led the AJHL in scoring prior to joining WMU and then scored 65 goals and had 55 assists in 140 games from 2000-04. Right winger Jeremy Cheyne played in 87 games for Western Michigan, netting 23 goals from 2001-04 after he led the AJHL in scoring. Mat Ponto played in 100 games as a defenseman for the Brown & Gold from 2001-05 after serving as captain on his AJHL Royal Bank Cup Championship team.

Most recently, CCHA Rookie of the Year Mark Letestu, who led the nation in rookie scoring and then signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, came to WMU by way of the AJHL. The Elk Point, Alberta native also led the AJHL in scoring and also a member of the Bonnyville Pontiacs.