Newest King has insider knowledge
Express rolls into town for weekend BCHL set
Blake Hayward gets his first chance to face his former teammates on the Coquitlam Express tonight and Saturday at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena and the newest member of the Prince George Spruce Kings says he will be paying particularly close attention to No. 15 on the Express.
That would be 20-year-old forward Nik Holowko, the player whose rights the Kings sent to Coquitlam to acquire the 19-year-old Hayward two weeks ago in a trade.
“It’s going to be an exciting game for me playing against my old team and that new guy (Holowko) took my number so I’m going to have some words with him,” said Hayward.
Based on poundage, the six-foot-one 200-pound Hayward ranks as the second-heaviest Spruce King, next to only 205-pound defenceman Chays Ruddy. Hayward likes to throw that weight around and relishes his role of being the enforcer playing the left side on a line with Kyle Johnson and Jarod Hovde.
“I’m a 200-foot player who takes pride in my hitting a lot and I play kind of reckless, I take a lot of shots,” said Hayward, who has a goal and an assist in four games with the Kings. “I’ve got a good snapshot so I try to get the puck off a lot and I’m kind of an energy guy who can chip in offensively and is not afraid to play physical when it comes to that.”
Hayward played two full years with the Express and had eight goals and 29 points in 51 games last season to show for his efforts. Combined with linemates Hovde and Johnson, that forward trio has 384 games of BCHL experience.
“Blake is a big strong kid who skates well and he competes hard and works hard and he brings a lot, just with his game experience,” said Spruce Kings head coach Adam Maglio. “He can play anywhere in the lineup and provides good energy but he also has some offensive instincts too.”
Hayward, an NCAA-recruit heading for Union College next season, started the season in Lincoln, Neb., playing in the USHL for the Lincoln Stars. But a coaching change in July resulted in Chris Hartsburg, the coach who recruited him, leaving the Stars for the Erie Otters of the OHL. Hartsburg’s replacement, Cody Chupp, brought in his own recruits and after six games of sporadic duty with the Stars Hayward asked for a trade three weeks ago and drove 21 hours straight back to his home in Vancouver.
“I felt I wasn’t getting better there so I asked for the trade,” said Hayward. “Prince George is known for being one of the bestfunded and best organizations in the BCHL so I was really happy to get moved up here. The coaches are unbelievable the way they run things, way above anything else I’ve ever experienced with the video and systems here. They’re the new age of coaches Ethan de Jong of the Spruce Kings and Jake Harrison of the West Kelowna Warriors eye a loose puck in the Warriors’ zone last Saturday at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena. The Kings are back on home ice this weekend with games tonight and Saturday against the Coquitlam Express. and you’re seeing that in the NHL with (Travis) Green with the Canucks.”
After two seasons in Coquitlam, which is right next door to his parents’ home in Vancouver, Hayward now has a sense of the isolation that comes with being the northernmost team in the BCHL. That means long bus trips for road games and a lot more time hanging out with teammates even while they are at home.
“We do get the most mileage of any team in the league but we do travel in comfort on a really nice bus with sleeper bunks and there’s nothing more bonding than a road trip with the guys,” he said. “I think that’s why team is one of the tightest in the league and part of that is all the time we spend together. It’s different being up here where your team is your family.
“It’s nice playing here because we get great fans at Spruce Kings games. In Coquitlam we were lucky to get 500 fans at a game. Having loud rowdy fans in the stands makes a huge difference for junior hockey players. It pumps up the home team and gets in the head of the opposition.”
The Kings kicked off an eight-game home stand last weekend beating Nanaimo 3-2 in double-overtime, followed by a disappointing 4-2 loss to the West Kelowna Warriors which Maglio called one of the worst efforts of the season. — see HAYWARD, page 10