BLOOMINGTON, IL - The Bloomington Bison have announced on Thursday that they have signed Brendan Pepe to a standard player contract for the 2024-25 season. Pepe is the ninth signing in franchise history and the fourth defenseman.
Pepe, 28, joins the Bison from the Roanoke Yard Dawgs of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL). Last season with the Yard Dawgs, Pepe had 41 points in 56 games, as well as three goals and an assist in six playoff games.
The Essex Fells, New Jersey native was the SPHL Defenseman of the Year last year, with a +24 goal differential and the most points by a defenseman in the league. During the 2022-23 season, he won the President’s Cup with Roanoke to earn his first championship.
Prior to his professional career, the 6’3 defenseman played four years at Stony Brook University where he had 103 points in 127 games. Pepe led all defensemen in scoring for his last two seasons. He helped the Seawolves to the playoffs in three of those seasons.
Before that, he played three seasons in the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) for the P.A.L. Junior Islanders and the New Jersey Hitmen, where he also helped his team to the playoffs all three years.
Pepe will make his ECHL debut with the Bison this season.
VIEW PEPE’S CAREER STATS HERE
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