The St. Thomas University Tommies men's rugby team is adding three experienced recruits from Atlantic Canada to its lineup this season.

Andrew Steele, of Fredericton, NB, Alex Thompson, of Dartmouth, NS, and Cameron Gillis, of Summerside, PEI, will be joining the Tommies on the field this fall.

Tommies head coach Jon Wilson is confident these new additions will make an impact on the squad and will fill the gaps left from last season's graduating class.

"Andrew has an aggressive, attacking style that should make an impact on our team, and Alex's experience and physicality will be an advantage," he said. "Cameron has developed into a great ball distributor and as a half back will hopefully fill a key hole in our lineup."

Joining the Tommies won't be a difficult transition for Steele—he already has a year of university rugby experience, having competed with the team at Memorial University last season.

"I've been playing rugby since I was nine and have five years of provincial playing experience," he said. "I plan to bring that, along with intensity and energy to the team."

With his ability to play inside or outside centre, Steele has great speed and control through contact on both sides of the ball. He comes to the Tommies after spending the summer on the field with the Fredericton Loyalists and the New Brunswick U20 Spruce teams.

"My expectations for my time at STU are to earn my undergraduate degree in Psychology and to win the cup with the rugby team," Steele said

Thompson, who plays with the Dartmouth Pig Dogs and the Nova Scotia U18 Keltic team, grew up in Australia and started playing rugby when he was eight. His knowledge of the game, coupled with his on-field vision and ability to hook the ball, will be an advantage throughout his rookie season.

"I hope to be a force in the forward pack, to hook the ball quickly and effectively in offensive and defensive scrums, and throw accurate line out plays," Thompson said.

The Prince Andrew High School grad wants to study Criminology and Psychology, which made his decision to attend St. Thomas an easy one.

"Deciding to attend St. Thomas was an easy decision to make, given they offered the program I wanted to go into as well as a men's varsity rugby team that would bring out the best of my ability as a player."

Rounding out the recruits is Gillis, who will fill the gap left by STU alumni and team MVP Johnny Cullen. The PEI native spent the summer playing for the province's U18 team and the Atlantic Rock Elite Program, where he's become a promising ball distributor.

"I'm a player that keeps everyone up tempo, fast paced, and tries to strike before the other team knows what's going on," he said. "I plan to be a good teammate and enjoy every opportunity that comes my way."

The Tommies are coming off their best season in recent years, having made the New Brunswick/PEI University 'A' finals last fall for the first time in 11 years. They begin the 2016 season September 14 against the University of New Brunswick Ironmen.