Simon Burke strengthens Foxes defence

It has become official from HCB Alto Adige Alperia that they have reached an agreement to hire Canadian defender Simon Bourque for the 2024/25 season. The twenty-seven-year-old will therefore return to the NHL, after wearing the Innsbruck jersey between 2021 and 2023.

Bork (185 cm x 90 kg) is a strong defender with excellent attacking instincts and can therefore be used in power play and penalty situations. During his two seasons in Tyrol, he was consistently among the best defenders in the championship in terms of points scored and is fresh from a season in Norway, where he played for Stavanger Oilers.

In the Canadian youth team he managed to make a name for himself and in 2015 he was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens (6th round, 177th pick), where he made his debut in the American Hockey League that same year with the St. John’s Ice Caps. In 2017/18 he played his first full season in the AHL with the Laval Rocket, then continued with USports and LNAH. In 2020, he arrived in Europe for the first time, in France, scoring 24 points (4+20) in 23 games with Bordeaux. Then he arrived in Innsbruck, where over two seasons he scored 11 goals and provided 48 assists in 100 games. And finally the last experience in Norway, where he stopped in the semi-finals with the Stavanger Oilers (the team he shared with Anthony Salinitri at the end of the season) and finished with 41 points (10+31) in 55 games. between the championship and the European Hockey Champions League.

Advertisement – La Fosse de Bolzano

Advertisement – La Fosse de Bolzano

“Having played in Innsbruck for two years, I know the area and my partner and I have fallen in love with the places. – Burke explains –But naturally my choice is dictated by Bolzano’s ambitions: it is a traditional club, a team that is always difficult to play against and, above all, always wants to win. Furthermore, even as a rival, I have been able to experience what it means to play in front of the red and white fans: the atmosphere is simply incredible. I know that we will have a great group that can fight for the title, and I personally want to do everything to help my teammates in both the defensive and offensive phases. The league is growing in level and the level of interest should be high throughout the year.