After finishing the regular season with the Niagara IceDogs of the OHL, the Ryerson Rams announced the recruitment of Brampton native Elijah Roberts.
Roberts joins the Ryerson Rams after spending five seasons in the OHL, a tenure in which he split between his time with the IceDogs and the Kitchener Rangers. As Roberts joins the OUA, he becomes the Rams’ first recruitment for next season.
Roberts spent the last three years with the OHL’s IceDogs in St. Catherines, Ontario where he played as assistant to Akil Thomas after a trade from the Kitchener Rangers. Roberts, a defensemen, was traded back in August 2017 while the Rangers received a 2018 third, a 2019 third and a 2020 second.
Looking at his time with the Rangers where the 5’9 defensemen made his junior debut, the forward played in 134 games between postseason play and the regular season. During this two-year time frame, the 21-year-old scored seven goals and 25 assists for 32 points. With a plus/minus rating of +17 over two full seasons, Roberts racked up as well a whopping total of 73 penalty minutes.
In a statement from the left-handed shooter after committing to the Rams on Wednesday, Roberts said with regards to next season, “As an athlete I believe I am a leader; I am always one of the hardest working players and give it 110% every time I am competing. I am a fast, creative player that plays a two-way game and likes to contribute at both ends of the ice.”
Roberts, an OHL veteran, joined the Kitchener Rangers back in 2015, just five months after having been selected 32nd overall in the draft’s second round. Looking at the numbers he amassed, the future Ram collected 85 assists, this totalling up to 108 points.
Seen as a play-making forward, Elijah Roberts represented Team Canada at the U18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. This of course came a year after having won a gold medal at the U17 World Championships.
Adding his presence to Ryerson, Roberts joins the RTA: Sport Media program looking to grow his name and brand come September. Currently, Roberts is co-host of Soul on Ice with Damon Mason and Akil Thomas.
When speaking about the process on Wednesday of trimming down choices and landing on Ryerson, Roberts said, “After looking at the program and researching the university, I felt it was the best fit for me and my future. Ryerson is known as one of the most respected universities in all of Canada with high academic praise and excellent programs. Along with that, they also have a premier hockey program. Year to year the hockey program is always competitive and after speaking with coach (Johnny) Duco and hearing what the school is all about, I fell in love with the school and knew that I wanted to be a Ryerson Ram.”