Captain A.J. White Returns for Fifth Steelheads Season

BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Steelheads have signed forward and captain A.J. White to a Standard Player Contract (SPC) for the 2022-23 season, Head Coach & Director of Hockey Operations Everett Sheen announced on Friday.A.J. White becomes the first player announced for the 2022-23 campaign.“I’m always thrilled to come back and play hockey in Boise,” said White. “I feel like it’s a good challenge after missing a year of playoffs, some unfinished business. It’s a challenge I haven’t faced yet, so it’s a goal of mine to make sure that doesn’t happen again. I want to be part of the group that finds success and makes a good run in playoffs.”White, 30, re-joins the Steelheads following a career season in 2021-22, boasting 25 goals and 44 assists for 69 points with 11 power play goals, 22 penalty minutes and a plus-15 rating. The Dearborn, Mich. native set career marks in all major scoring categories and power play goals while leading the Steelheads in those same metrics in his fourth season with the organization and third as captain. He recorded his first-career hat-trick on Oct. 22, 2021 to open the season against the Utah Grizzlies, he became the fifth player in the ECHL era to reach 100 career assists with the organization on Dec. 31, 2021 against the Allen Americans, and he played his 400th professional game on Apr. 15, 2022 in Utah. He was named the team’s Most Valuable Player and also earned the Cal Ingraham Leading Scorer and ICCU 3 Stars awards.The 6-foot-2 forward is currently on a 266-game regular season Iron Man streak with the Steelheads dating back to Nov. 11, 2017 and has played 275 of 277 possible regular season games while also appearing in all 25 playoff games in that time. In 275 career games with the Steelheads, he owns 195 points (66 goals, 129 assists) with 17 power play goals, two shorthanded goals and a plus-52 rating. In the Steelheads ECHL era, White sits third in games played (275), fourth in assists (129), fifth in points (195) and sixth in goals (67) for a career. He also resides in the top-10 in all of Steelheads ECHL and WCHL history in those same categories: fourth in games played, sixth in assists, eighth in points, 10th in goals.“I’ve been given the chance to develop and improve throughout my time [in Boise], but I’ve also had some really good players with Will Merchant being that in the last couple years. We’ve had some good teams that have had success, and that just allows individual success to come through. That’s where it all started from.“As time has passed, I’ve been able to find ways that have worked for me to have success. I’ve had good coaches that have helped me reach more into my skill set and ability to shine. I’ve been more willing to listen to other people’s inputs as well as learn from past experiences and put that forward to improve myself a little every year.”“A.J. is an integral part of our team and culture here in Boise,” said Sheen. “We are proud to have him lead us and couldn’t be happier that our captain is coming back for another season.”White spent the 2020-21 season with the Utah Grizzlies when the Steelheads opted-out of the year due to the pandemic and posted 40 points (15 goals, 25 assists) in 60 games with nine power play goals, leading the Grizzlies in power play tallies and sitting third in scoring. He began his ECHL career with the Atlanta Gladiators in 2016-17 and earned 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) in 49 games while spending time with the AHL’s Providence Bruins. In 384 ECHL games across six seasons, White has amassed 86 goals and 169 assists for 255 points with 26 power play goals, two shorthanded goals, five shootout goals, and a plus-25 rating.Prior to his professional career, White played four seasons at UMass-Lowell from 2012-13 through 2015-16, totaling 28 goals and 51 assists for 79 points with a plus-42 rating across 153 games while serving as captain during his final year. He earned back-to-back 20-point seasons in his junior and senior seasons and was a member of the 2013 Hockey East Championship roster.The 2022-23 season schedule is here! Get a jump start on next season by locking in your partial or full season seats with a 2022-23 Season Ticket Plan! Contact the Steelheads at 208-383-0080 and ask about securing your seat ahead of the team’s return this Fall! Follow the Steelheads throughout the summer months on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.