Kings set for rematch with Eagles
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In those six games, the fivefoot-10, 175-pound de Jong has put up three goals and five assists for a team-leading eight points.
Scoring has always come naturally for the 18-year-old from North Vancouver, who caught the attention of the Spruce Kings two seasons ago while playing for the Burnaby Winter Club’s under-18 prep team along with current Kings defenceman Liam WatsonBrawn and winger Ben Poisson. De Jong totalled 23 goals and 61 points in just 35 games in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League and was called up for nine BCHL games for the Spruce Kings.
Last season in 43 games as a BCHL rookie with the Kings he collected five goals and 25 assists for 30 points. In December he was invited to the Canada West camp for the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. He didn’t make the team but the experience wasn’t lost on him.
“(Joining the Spruce Kings has been) great especially for my development, my first year getting so many opportunities as a rookie helped me so much along the road,” de Jong said. “The Spruce Kings were the most interested in me so you’ve got to go where the most interest is shown.
“Adam (Maglio) did a great job of recruiting over the summer, picking up (Patrick) Cozzi, (Dustin) Manz and a few others, Spruce Kings forward Ethan de Jong tries for a shot on net through traffic during a Sept. 8 game against the Chilliwack Chiefs. especially (Dylan) Anhorn on the back end. We just have a lot of depth this year and hopefully we can take it to May. It’s not a big team but we have a lot of skill and speed.”
De Jong plays on a line with Poisson at left wing and Shawn Kennedy at centre and together they were in on three of the four goals in the Kings’ 4-3 win last Friday over Merritt.
The Kings ran into a hot Victoria Grizzlies goalie last Saturday at the Showcase in Chilliwack and lost their first game of the season, 5-0, despite peppering Zachary Rose with 41 shots while outshooting the Grizzlies 41-21.
“The puck didn’t want to go into their net, it’s frustrating but just looking at the big picture we probably played better than we did against Merritt the day before,” said Maglio. “Sometimes that happens, their goalie played very well but we need to be a little more hungry around the net and bury those pucks.”
The Spruce Kings are in Sur- rey tonight to take on the Eagles, who will be seeking redemption on their Olympic-sized rink after getting outscored 9-1 in a pair of losses to the Kings two weekends ago at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena. Prince George also visits the Express Saturday night in Coquitlam and will be in Merritt for a Sunday afternoon encounter with the Centennials.
“This is the first time with this group that they’ve been on the road and played in different rinks three consecutive days in a row, but we do a good job with our office prep and our loads during the week so guys should be ready for it physically and I think now it’s just preparing them mentally for a grind,” said Maglio.
• Spruce Kings alumni who played for the Bobcats were forward Mark Nelson (2005-09), defenceman Zach Davies (200913) and forward Brooks Robinson (2010-14).
Goalie Michael Garteig, a native of Prince George who played in the BCHL with Powell River and Penticton, played four seasons at Quinnipiac (2012-16). As the starter for the Bobcats he took them to the Frozen Four final twice and set program records for career wins (86) and shutouts in a season (eight). Garteig, 25, signed a one-year contract over the summer to play in the AHL for the Utica Comets, the Vancouver Canucks’ top farm team.