Okotoks Oilers defenceman Drew Weich is staying home to continue his education and hockey career.

The now graduated '95 born from Calgary will suit up for the SAIT Trojans this coming season.

Weich says whenever you can keep playing at a high level and go to school it's worth it.

"Hockey is definitely more fun than working and it's more fun than just doing school," he says. "It honestly just came down to the next 40 years to be an engineer but I only have a limited amount of time to play hockey and I thought I'd play for a couple more years they gave me a really good deal and I really have nothing to lose by going."

The Trojans are a powerhouse in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) winning 12 titles with their last in the 2013-14 season.

Weich says committing to SAIT's program was an easy choice.

"They definitely have a good program there I went down and Dan (Olsen) showed me around there and also a really good friend in Hunter Mills who played for Drumheller he goes there too and it just sounded like a good fit. I could live at home and I really love Calgary and SAIT seems like a great place to continue in my hockey career."

Weich began his career as a 17 year old with the Oilers where they would go on one of their longest playoff runs in franchise history against the Brooks Bandits in 2012-13 and says that year will always stand out for him in his junior career.

"That first year was definitely a huge highlight when we went to the South final against Brooks, we ended up losing but we were really satisfied with that run we made. I meet a ton of great guys like Rhett Gardner, John Edwardh and Mitch Collett. Those guys became my best friends in the next few seasons."

Weich would play with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs of the BCHL before being traded back to Alberta starting the past season in Camrose before signing back with the green and gold late in 2015 and says his second tour with the Oilers was just as memorable.

"Coming back to Okotoks it was a really young team but It was really fun hanging with Matt McNair, Connor Chambers, Carter Huber, Trey deGraaf and Jordie Lawson again. They were great guys and it definitely made my career a fun one. Although I didn't win anything it was always fun and I'll look back on that on the rest of my life as fun memories."

Weich finished his AJHL career playing in 208 regular season games, scoring 17 goals, 44 assists. Eight of those goals in his senior year.

He'll be taking general studies before moving on to engineering at SAIT.

Weich is the 4th Oiler to committ to a post secondary school alogn with Colin O'Neill, U-Mass-Lowell, Connor Chambers, University of Wisconson Stevens-Point and Matt McNair, Adrian University.