The Kitmart Dundee Stars are delighted to confirm the signing of forward, Spencer Dorowicz for the 2021-2022 Elite League campaign.

The 28-year-old joins the Stars after spending the last four years in the East Coast Hockey League with three different clubs and was an ECHL All-Star in the 2019/2020 season.

Dorowicz most recently iced with Wichita Thunder and played alongside former Star, Anthony Beauregard last year.

The Canadian center is also a former teammate of other ex-Stars such as Fabrizio Ricci (Wichita Thunder) and Craig Gans (Olds Grizzlys).

The 5-foot-11-inch forward is also a two-time NCAA Regular Season Champion with Robert Morris University, who won back-to-back Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) titles between 2014 and 2016.

 

Picture Credit: Robert Morris University Athletics.

 

Stars General Manager and Head Coach, Omar Pacha was delighted to add Spencer to his roster for the upcoming season and he said: “It was an easy decision to recruit Spencer!

“The references on him were extremely good, especially from Beauregard, Ricci, Gans and also Shane Lust.

“His character is second to none, he was an assistant captain this past year in Wichita and he plays the game the right way.

“As well as a full 200-foot game, he skates extremely well, he is smart, he plays against the top players on the opposition teams and he can also add offence.

“Dorowicz is that two-way center that we really need for this year to be affective on offence and also on the back end as well.”

The Stars boss continued: “For us, the center positions were a huge priority this year and now with Spencer and Dillon (Lawrence), I feel really confident in those two guys.

“Our centers will be extremely important this season, we need to have reliable centermen and Spencer is very reliable and can add offence to the line-up.

“I really like the way he plays his natural game, so if he plays like that then he will provide offence for us regardless.”

 

Picture Credit: @Dorowicz15/Twitter

 

After signing with the Stars and completing his first move to Europe, an ecstatic Spencer said: “I am really excited to be coming to Dundee, I really wanted to see Scotland and play in the EIHL.

“That was a main goal of mine, especially after playing a few years in North America and I was looking forward to the change and to getting to see Europe.

“So, I think playing in the UK and being in Dundee will be an excellent opportunity for me.”

The Olds, Alberta native then explained why he chose now as the right time to make his first move to European ice hockey and playing in the UK, he said: “I just think it is the right time in my career.

“I have been playing for so long in the United States, I did four years in college in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I then did a year in Cincinnati, Ohio and two years in Wichita, Kansas.

“So, I have seen quite a few states and different places in the US and I think for me, I am just getting to that age where I do need a change.

“I would love to get over to Europe before I am done playing hockey, so this gives me a great opportunity to do that and I am excited to get started.”

 

Picture Credit: Robert Morris University Athletics.

 

Dorowicz has played both of the COVID-19 affected seasons in Wichita and discussing the unprecedented experience, he added: “Well it was obviously quite a big shock at the end of spring 2020, when our season just ended so abruptly and we were all sent home.

“Then for our team to be a part of the league this year, we felt very fortunate that we had a really good season, which started later and we played late into June.

“We had a team that contented for the championship but we ended up losing to the team that went on to win it all this year, with us losing it in overtime of Game 5, so it was a heartbreaker.

“However, I felt very lucky to be in that situation and I had a great coach and great teammates there.

“I will be sad not to be going back to Wichita but at the same time I am excited for this new opportunity and the fresh start I will have in Dundee.”

The 28-year-old then shared more about how he was convinced to join the Stars and who else was involved in influencing him to move to Dundee, as well as Coach Pacha.

Spencer said: “I just heard great things about him (Omar Pacha) and the place itself, he is building a championship calibre team and I want to be a part of that.

“He sounds like a great coach and I just cannot wait to get to that part of the world.

“I am excited to be coming to Scotland as I know a few guys that have played there, and they had a great time.

“So, I feel like anyone that I have talked to when I was deciding about it, they all said I should definitely do it, so it was an easy decision and I decided to come and be a part of a high quality and high calibre team.”

The Canadian then added: “Craig Gans is actually from my hometown and I am really good friends with him, so I talked to him quite a bit and I also talked to Anthony Beauregard a bit, he was on my team last year and was the league MVP.

“They both had nothing but good things to say and they were pretty excited for me to be going to play on the team that they played on too.”

 

Dorowicz’s former teammate, Beauregard then summed up Spencer and what the Stars have gained with his signature, he added: “Doro is the guy you want on your team.

“He is a good two way forward and a great person on and off the ice.

“He is always there for the team and his teammates and he will always put the team first.”

 

Picture Credit: @Dorowicz15/Twitter

 

Spencer’s career started back in 2007 with Canadian club, Red Deer Rebels (Black U15 AAA) in the Alberta Elite Hockey League U15 AAA.

In his first ever season, Dorowicz scored 38 points (18G, 20A) in 33 games, before adding two more goals in two playoff matches.

He then moved up to the Red Deer Chiefs U16 side and recorded 10 goals and 19 assists from 30 games in the 2008-2009 campaign.

The following year, the centerman joined his hometown club and began icing with the Olds Grizzlys and their U18 team.

Spencer had one assist in seven appearances for the U18’s and 17 points (7G, 11A) from 41 games in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

In the 2011-2012 season, the Canadian more than doubled his points tally with Olds, scoring 14 times and creating 29 more goals in 59 regular season appearances, while also contributing six more points (2G, 4A) in a 14-game post-season run.

Then a year later, Dorowicz matched his 43 points in the regular season again, with the same amount of goals and assists, in one game extra, but only scored once in three playoff matches.

In his final year of junior hockey, the 192lbs, left handed, forward was appointed as captain of the Grizzlys and went on to lead the entire AJHL in points, therefore winning the Ernie Love Trophy and also a place on the AJHL (North) All-Star Team.

In 59 games of the 2013-2014 season, Spencer racked up 75 points (40G, 35A), before adding one goal and five assists in nine playoff fixtures.

Ahead of the 2014-2015 campaign, Dorowicz committed to joining Robert Morris University Colonials in Pennsylvania and began playing in the NCAA that year.

In his rookie year, he recorded eight points (5G, 3A) from 32 matches before doubling it in his second season with five goals and 11 assists in 35 games.

It was also in his first two years with the Colonials that they won back-to-back NCAA (AHA) Regular Season Championships.

The forward then kept up his habit of repeating the same amounts of points, goals and assists across two seasons, as he bagged five goals and 11 assists for 16 points, once again.

Then in his senior year of college, Dorowicz improved again to reach 19 points (8G, 11A) from 41 fixtures and won a move to East Coast club, Greenville Swamp Rabbits, where he made his professional debut at the end of the 2017-2018 season.

In eight regular season appearances with Greenville, Spencer scored one goal and then had his rights traded to the Cincinnati Cyclones in the summer of 2018.

The Canadian then spent the full season in Cincinnati and recorded 14 points (7G, 7A) after icing in 32 games, but would move on again in the next offseason and joined another ECHL side, Wichita Thunder.

In his first year with Wichita, Dorowicz played in 55 games and scored 15 goals, while also contributing 19 assists, resulting in him being selected to play in the 2019/2020 ECHL All-Star Game.

Finally, last season, Spencer was appointed as an alternate captain and posted 31 points (11G, 20A) for the Thunder from 63 appearances, before adding two goals in five playoff matches.

Therefore, in his career so far, Dorowicz has featured in 652 matches, scored 201 goals, assisted 265 times and has collected 458 penalty minutes.

 

Picture Credit: Mountain View Today.

 

Spencer is our 14th signing of the summer and joins Drydn Dow, Craig Garrigan, Kris Inglis, Alexandre Ranger, Connor Sills, Craig Moore, Kyle Haas, Brett Orr, Dillon Lawrence, Gabriel Desjardins, Brython Preece, Toms Rutkis and Timi Lahtinen on the roster for next season.

You can get your season tickets to watch these 14 players and the rest of the team in the 2021-2022 campaign by contacting: [email protected]

Dorowicz will wear the #51 Stars jersey next season.

To view Spencer’s career stats on Elite Prospects click HERE.

 

Featured Image: Wichita Thunder.

Banner Image: Picture Credit: Robert Morris University Athletics.

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