Aside from hailing from the Golden Bears program, Josh Prokop, Dylan Plouffe, Clayton Kirichenko, and Matt Fonteyne all have one other thing in common—continued professional hockey careers.
The four have moved on from the Bears’ program, and like many other players before them, are now playing in Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, and more. The most recent graduate from the Bears, Prokop, will be playing his first year in Europe next season.
Prokop recently finished his fourth and final year with the Bears where he served as captain for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 season.
During his senior year with the Bears, Prokop recorded several achievements, including a hat-trick in the second half of the season against Trinity Western University and the Canada West men’s hockey sportsmanship and ability award.
Throughout his four years with the Bears, Prokop demonstrated a passion for scoring, often evening out in goals and assists thanks to his quick shot and composed demeanor.
Said demneanor was prevalent on and off the ice, contributing to his back-to-back captainship for the Bears.
Following the Canada West playoffs, in which the Bears made it to the semifinals, Prokop signed an amateur tryout (ATO) with the Bakersfield Condors in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
In the seven pro games he logged in Bakersfield, Prokop scored a goal and two assists, as well as appearances in two additional playoff games. The right-winger will be playing for the Herning Blue Fox this upcoming season.
Similarly to Prokop, Fonteyne too has spent time in the AHL—a stint with the San Jose Barracudas—prior to heading over to play professional hockey in Europe.
Though unlike Prokop, Fonteyne went from the AHL to the Bears, in which he played for only two years, captaining them through the 2022-23 season and a U Sports silver medal. During said season, the left-winger recorded 43 points during the regular season and playoffs combined.
Prior to joining the Bears, Fonteyne logged minutes in 44 AHL games during playoffs and the regular season before a short hiatus from hockey and later years with the Bears.
During his time with the Bears, Fonteyne was best known for being a great skater with smooth on-ice skills. Couple that with his calm personality, and he will be a reliable addition to Kalmar HC next season.
After moving onto Europe, Fonteyne played for the EHC Winterthur in Switzerland, wracking up 10 goals and 19 assists, before moving onto Kalmar HC in the Swedish Division 1 league, scoring another 29 points during the 2024-25 season.
Both Fonteyne and Prokop were captained under Bears’ blueliner, Kirichenko during the 2021-22 season, during his final year with the Bears. Whereas, in his first year with the program, Kirichenko was a 0.5 point per game defensemen during the Bears’ last national championship season.
Aside from scoring on the backend, Kirichenko is a tough, shutdown player with a well-rounded game. Off-ice, he is a great motivator and a skilled leader.
Kirichenko has since moved on from the Bears to play for several leagues in Europe, broadening his skill set across each team. During the 2023-24 season, Kirichenko played a full season with the Voralberg Pioneers in Austria, logging 41 points in 48 games and will play for HK Olimpija Ljubjana next season.
And lastly, the only former Bear left to discuss, Dylan Plouffe.
While not a captain for the Bears like the aforementioned trio, Plouffe served as an assistant captain and valuable blueliner during his three years with the Bears from 2021-22 to 2023-24. As a two-way defensemen, Plouffe totalled 17, 24, and 17 points again during those three years on the Bears’ backend.
As an assistant captain, Plouffe was a vocal, well-driven player, and will continue to bring these attributes to the Starbulls Rosenheim in DEL-2 next season following his 15 point season in 2024-25.
While this particular list might seem short, it is a small sample size of the quality and quantity of players that the Bears have sent to continue their professional hockey careers in Europe.
