May 03, 2021 | Stephen Dempsey | 944 views
CONGRATULATIONS JULIA CUCCIA - York University Commitment
(May 3, 2021 Aurora, Ontario) – The Central York Girls Hockey
Association is pleased to announce that their 2019-20 Jr Panther Julia Cuccia
has committed to play USports OUA Women’s Hockey for the York University Lions
in North York, Ontario for the upcoming season.
Julia was an integral part of the Central York Panthers Junior program in 2018-19 and 2019-20 and has been Panther since 2014. Over the years Julia has been a favorite amongst her teammates and prided herself on making everyone feel valued on the team. Her leadership qualities led coaches and teammates to choose her for leadership positions year after year.
Julia has always made it a point to give back by helping out younger Panthers at practices and skill development sessions. Her own skill development led her to be one of the top point producers at the PWHL in 2018-19. Julia is a highly skilled player that scores at a high rate while playing a strong two way game that helps her team to create quick turnovers all over the ice.
“I’m very proud to be joining the York Lions Women’s hockey team. This is a very exciting moment for me as it had always been my dream to get to play university hockey. I will always be very grateful to the Central York Panthers for helping me to get to this point. In particular I want to thank all of my coaches and teammates for helping to push me to be better every time I stepped on the ice”, Julia Cuccia communicated in a statement.
In 2019 the Junior program made a significant effort to build a team first culture that would appeal to other like-minded individuals and Julia was a leading force in that effort. Julia was one of only two returning players from the previous season and she was relied on heavily to help guide this program through a rebuilding year. Her commitment to the program was undeniable as she combined her strong on ice play with a commitment to developing and implementing team core values that would set the stage for future years to come.
“I’m really excited to have Julia join our program. She is a skilled hockey player and a great student. The leadership skills she learned while being a member of the Central York Junior Panthers will make her an even greater addition to our program”, pronounced York University Lions Head Coach Dan Church.
Central York’s Junior Head Coach Steve Dempsey is heartened by this signing. “Julia was the first player that I committed to my Junior program and I will always be grateful to her for believing in me and what I am trying to do here. Julia’s talent is undeniable but she is also a fierce competitor and it will help to set her apart at the university level. I think with the coaching she will get from Dan Church that Julia will be an impact player in the OUA for years to come. I can’t wait to see her play for York in the Red and White”.
Julia is scheduled to start the 2021-22 season at York University in September 2021.