Evan Daum, Canada West Communications
UBC Thunderbirds forward Anthony Bardaro is the WHL Grad of the Month for October, as announced Wednesday by Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CWUAA).
Bardaro, who played parts of four seasons in the WHL prior to joining UBC for the 2013-14 season, is off to a fast start this season, leading the conference in scoring with 12 points (5 goals and seven assists) in eight games.
The Delta, BC native played 266 career WHL regular season games between the Spokane Chiefs (232 games) and Prince Albert Raiders (34), recording 90 goals and 100 assists.
Bardaro made his WHL debut during the 2008-09 season, suiting up in seven games for the Chiefs, who drafted Bardaro 122nd overall in the 2007 WHL Bantam Draft.
Now in his third season with the CIS No. 8-ranked Thunderbirds, Bardaro has been a major contributor for a UBC team that hosted a home playoff game for the first time in more than four decades last season and is off to a 6-0-2 start to the 2015-16 regular season.
In 64 career Canada West regular season games, Bardaro – an Arts student – has 57 points to go with his 10 career playoff points in as many games.
Other nominees for the WHL Grad of the Month award were: former Edmonton Oil King Jordan Hickmott (Alberta), ex-Moose Jaw Warriors captain Spencer Edwards (Calgary), Lethbridge Hurricanes product Mitch Maxwell (Lethbridge), former Kamloops Blazer Jordan DePape (Manitoba), former Calgary Hitmen captain Tyler Fiddler (Mount Royal), and ex-Swift Current Bronco Andrew Johnson (Saskatchewan).
Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CWUAA):
Canada West is the premier athletic conference in the country and is home to champion student-athletes that excel on the field, in the classroom and in their communities. With the most wins in CIS and over 100 national championships in the past decade, Canada West and its 17 member-institutions commit to a student-athlete experience where competitive excellence, scholarship and sportsmanship contribute equally towards moulding outstanding graduates and community leaders.