Former Halifax Mooseheads defenceman Justin Pender is planning to continue his foray as a pro next season.
The 20-year-old is planning to attend training camp with the American Hockey League’s Lowell Devils, the team he joined last April after the QMJHL season ended.
Pender hopes to secure an AHL contract with Lowell but would report to the club’s East Coast Hockey League affiliate, the Trenton Devils, if that didn’t pan out.
“That’s how my mind is set right now, unless something else comes up,” the six-foot-four 212-pounder said. Pender, who was the Mooseheads’ top-scoring defenceman last season with nine goals and 26 assists for 35 points and 104 penalty minutes in 61 games, said his AHL stint went well last season. He had two assists and was plus-3 in two games.
“I found it a lot easier than the Q,” he said. “The players knew what they were doing, they were a lot quicker, a lot faster pace. As soon as you have the puck, you can move it.”
Pender’s former Mooseheads teammate Kevin Cormier could play in Lowell next season, as well. He recently earned a two-year contract extension with the parent New Jersey Devils.
