Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League

Koch SUPERU Player Profile: Ian Maier

Ian Maier

Koch SUPERU – Change the Way You Grow
Dave Leaderhouse

The Weyburn Red Wings are looking to get back into the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoffs after missing out of the post-season party last spring and one of the areas the team will have to shore up on is defensive play in their own end.

Last year the Red Wings were in the bottom half of the league for goals allowed and in the abbreviated return to play this season Weyburn had shown marked signs of improvement dropping a pair of games in overtime and another pair by a combined margin of three tallies. There was one blip in a lopsided loss to the Estevan Bruins, but overall, the Red Wings were competitive and an influx of young talent was showing signs of getting the team back on track.

One of the newcomers on the back end is 18-year-old Ian Maier. The Lethbridge product dressed in all five of the Red Wings’ early starts picking up a pair of assists and at 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds his presence was visible.

Maier made the move to Weyburn after spending all of his formative years in the Lethbridge hockey system. Last season with the Midget AAA Hurricanes, Maier collected seven points in 30 games while as a 16-year-old he posted 27 points in 32 games with the under-18 Hurricanes. Maier also had a brief audition with the Midget AAA team that season sniping one goal in two appearances.

Maier’s first season of midget hockey saw him register 19 points in 32 games with the minor midget under-16 team with his play helping the club win a league championship.

When a team is in a rebuilding mode it takes time for all the pieces to fall into place. The Red Wings are hoping for a quick return to play so that they can continue making strides in the right direction. Maier is expected to be a big part of that rebuild and the early returns are certainly positive for the rookie rearguard.