Swift Current's Bakus brings size, strong defensive game to Griffins for 2023-24
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Calm and collected, the latest addition to the MacEwan women's hockey recruiting class plays the game the right way in her own end.
Tess Bakus was a defensive stalwart for the Swift Current Wildcats, helping them to a third-place finish in the Saskatchewan Female U18AAA Hockey League last season.
At 5-foot-11, she will be the tallest player on the Griffins as she kicks off her university career in the Canada West ranks in 2023-24.
"The one thing I felt we didn't have a lot of overall, especially on our back end, was some size," said Griffins interim head coach Chris Leeming. "She's a 5-11 right shot defenceman, which we also needed.
"Watching her play, she really impressed me. She's very calm, poised, makes simple first passes. She defends well – she was a key defender for them against other teams' top lines and the powerplay. Just having that poise on the back end is going to be important for us, and it gives us more size, as well."
Bakus has some offence to her game, too, finishing eighth in scoring on the Wildcats with nine points in 28 games, while serving as an assistant captain.
"She brings defensive depth to the back end as she plays a simple low risk game and has the ability to contribute to our transition game, using strong vision to execute an effective first pass," said Leeming.
"Our style is a physical, fast-paced game. With her size, it can be intimidating – taking care of the net front and the corners and defending the rush. You'll see contributions in that sense."
