Edina Native Anders Lee to Captain Notre Dame Hockey Team

Edina native Anders Lee will be leading the Notre Dame hockey team onto the ice this fall, when he serves as the team's lone captain.

Lee, a 2009 Edina High School graduate, is returning for his third season with the Irish. He's been one of the top-scoring forwards in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) in each of his first two years at Notre Dame and led the team last season with 17 goals and 17 assists. 

The 22-year-old has already been drafted by the New York Islanders, and Notre Dame Coach Jeff Jackson said Lee was a natural fit as captain because he "has the locker room's ear and his teammates like and respect him."

"It's a good combination—not just being the voice in the locker room but also being the heart of the locker room as well," Jackson said, in a release. "We have a very strong leadership group—the four seniors and three members of the junior class—that will work with him. I expect that all seven of them will help Anders in leading this team."

Lee said he's honored to be captaining the Notre Dame hockey team in only his third season—he served as an alternate captain during his sophomore year.

"I'm very thankful that my teammates and the coaching staff believe in me," Lee said. "There are many leaders in our locker room that will help our team and we look forward to taking on this season together."

Lee is no stranger to Edina residents, who remember him as a three-sport standout athlete during his time at EHS. After transferring to Edina from St. Thomas Academy, he quickly established himself as a tremendous athlete in hockey, football and baseball. He was a 2009 finalist for the annual "Mr. Hockey" Award, 2008 finalist for the "Mr. Football" Award and holds a number of conference records as well.

During his high school hockey career, he accumulated 106 goals and 132 assists, ranking second in all-time scoring by a Metro player in Minnesota history.

In two seasons with the Irish, Lee has played in 84 games, scoring 41 goals and tallied 37 assists. He'll take the ice as the captain on Sunday, Oct. 7, when the Irish take on the USA Under-18 team. Notre Dame then kicks off its regular season as they take on Maine in the first round of the Ice Breaker Tournament on Oct. 12 in Kansas City, MO.

"He has the ability to perform when we need a big play or need a big goal," Coach Jackson said. "Those are the attributes that great captains have."

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