The Atlanta Gladiators have announced that they signed Defenseman Aidan De La Gorgendiere to their 2023-2024 roster. De La Gorgendiere played for the Yale Hockey Academy for his 14-year-old season, where he first demonstrated his defensive play. He would be drafted by the Saskatoon Blades 5th overall in the 2017 Western Hockey League (WHL) Bantam Draft. The 21-year-old from Abbotsford, BC, was with the Blades for five seasons prior to joining the Atlanta Gladiators.
During his time with the Blades, Aidan De La Gorgendiere put up some impressive numbers. Notably, during his last season with the team, he played in 65 games, where he put up 12 goals and 53 assists for a total of 65 points. The Blades would go on to make a playoff appearance where De La Gorgendiere continued to be a solid asset for the team. De La Gorgendiere helped the Blades defend the #1 overall NHL draft pick, Conor Bedard, during the playoffs. Saskatoon would successfully edge out the Regina Pats (4-1), taking the first-round, best-of-seven series in seven games with just 2:10 of regulation remaining. While De La Gorgendiere may be better known for being great defensively, he has demonstrated his offensive talents as well – earning three goals and 14 assists (17 pts) during last year’s playoff run.
Overall, during his time in the WHL, De La Gorgendiere would play a total of 248 games – tallying 22 goals and earning 133 assists for an impressive 155 points. During his last two seasons with the Blades, he led the team’s defensemen in scoring while also serving as the team’s captain. In his final season with the Blades, he would also be selected to the WHL (East) Second All-Star Team.
In their press release today, Atlanta Head Coach Derek Nesbitt commented on De La Gorgendiere’ s performance during the 2022-2023 playoff series against Bedard, adding that he “can’t wait to see the contributions Aidan [De La Gorgendiere] can make on both sides of the puck for us in his first season as a pro.”
Fans will not have to wait much longer to see what the blueliner can do. The Atlanta Gladiators will begin regular season action on Saturday, October 21st, at 7 p.m. against their division rival, the Savannah Ghost Pirates.
