The Kitmart Dundee Stars are delighted to announce the signing of Canadian defenceman, Jagger Dirk.
The 26-year old joins from East Coast Hockey League club, Kalamazoo Wings and head coach, Omar Pacha was pleased to add the two-way defender that can be his side’s difference maker.
Jagger began last season with the Utica Comets in the American Hockey League before signing with the ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings, where last year he scored four goals and setup 17 more in 49 games.
At the tail end of the 2017-18 season, Dirk was signed by AHL side, Binghamton Devils after leaving St. Francis Xavier University and iced in last seven games of the AHL season.
The Penticton, British Colombia native spent four seasons playing in the USports league with St. Francis Xavier and in 114 matches, he posted 15 goals and 58 assists for 73 points.
Jagger was winner of the Defenceman of the Year award for the 2017-18 season and was also named in the USports First-All Star Team, the All-Canadian Team, the University Cup All-Star Team in the same year.
He was also named in the Second All-Star Team (2016-17) and the All-Rookie Team (2014-15).
Prior to his university career, Dirk was playing in the Western Hockey League with the Kootenay Ice, a team that drafted him in 2008, as a round 11 pick (#235 overall) in the WHL Bantam Draft.
During his five seasons with the Ice, he made a total of 310 appearances for Kootenay, racking-up 139 points and 307 penalty minutes and in his second year, the six-foot tall defender was a part of the WHL Championship winning team.
Jagger made his debut for Kootenay in the 2009-10 season after leaving British Colombia junior side, the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
In his only year with the Silverbacks, he scored four goals and assisted on a further 13 for 17 points.
Jagger has also taken our third and final scholarship for the University of Dundee and will attend along with Drydn Dow and Justin Maylan.
Image courtesy of Kalamazoo Wings
After completing his defensive line-up, Pacha said:
“Jagger had a great career in juniors and in college, even last year when he had games in the AHL and we were looking for a guy who can produce offence from the back.
“He plays a two-way game, he has a great shot on him, he skates well and he has a bit of an offensive upside that we wanted, especially for our powerplay and we want to utilise him in that aspect.
“He is a defenceman that put up good numbers and comes with great references, he was also a captain in juniors and possesses great leadership skills.
“Dirk also had good playoff runs in juniors and in college too with St Francis Xavier.
“He is a guy that was an all-star defenceman and was in the All-Canadian team with one of our new signings, Alex Beauregard.
“Jagger was a top defender in that league and we have had a lot of good players come from that programme and his peers recognised him as being one of the best defenceman in that league.
“That just goes to show, if you look at the players on those lists, they are high-end players and we expect him to be a very big difference maker on our back end.
“It is not easy going from the USports league to the AHL and we are very fortunate to have him.
“There were also other teams in the Elite League after him and he chose Dundee over them, so it just shows that we have a guy that wants to be here and wants to be a difference maker on this team.”
Image courtesy of Utica Comets
After signing his first contract in Europe, Jagger said: “I’m extremely excited to be coming to play for the Dundee Stars next year.
“It was a pretty close choice between Dundee and a couple of other teams but the more I talked to Omar and some buddies that signed there it seemed like a really good fit.
“I liked the way Omar described the team, the community and the atmosphere.
“Plus, I have always wanted to go to Scotland to travel, so I think it was just the best fit overall, both hockey-wise and lifestyle-wise.
“I have always been up for a challenge and I want to help the team get up to where it wants to and needs to be.”
Tickets for the Odense Bulldogs games on August 24th and 25th are on sale NOW, purchase from the DIA Box Office or online NOW.
Jagger is our 15th signing of the summer and joins Drydn Dow, Jordan Cownie, Craig Garrigan, Matt Marquardt, Kris Inglis, Shawn Boutin, Alex Leclerc, Justin Maylan, Duncan Speirs, Anthony Beauregard, Brett Stovin, Reilly O’Connor, Colton Kroeker and Craig Gans in the line-up for the upcoming Elite League campaign.
Dirk will wear #8 for Dundee this year.
To view Jagger’s full career stats on Elite Prospects click HERE.
