Kings shuffle roster

The Prince George Spruce Kings were busy last week in anticipation of the BCHL trade deadline.

They acquired the rights to 19-year-old right winger Haydn Delorme in a future considerations deal with the Coquitlam Express, which came on the heels of a trade to pick up 18-year-old centre Mason Reeves. Reeves was acquired in the deal with the Brooks Bandits which sent winger Ryan McAllister to the Alberta Junior Hockey League team.

Delorme, a five-foot-11, 175-pound native of Port Moody, missed the first two-thirds of the season while he recovered mononucleosis and has yet to play a game in 2019-20. His game conditioning might take time to acquire but Delorme needs no introduction to the skill level and fast pace of junior hockey.

After starting his junior career two seasons ago with the the Express, Delorme made the jump to the WHL last season with the Portland Winterhawks. He played 31 regular season games, posting a goal and three assists, and was also on the ice for four playoff games.

The former Vancouver Northeast Chiefs major midget put up six goals and 14 points in 53 BCHL games with Coquitlam in 2017-18 and also collected two points in four playoff games.

The Kings also sent 18-year-old rookie defenceman Cole Leal back to his native Ontario in a futures trade with the Hawksbury Hawks of the Central Canada Hockey League.

Leal, who missed six weeks early in the season with an ankle injury, was a healthy scratch Dec. 20 in Surrey and wasn’t happy with his icetime and asked Hawes for a trade.

Left winger Wil Kushniryk, who played six games in the WHL over the last couple months after getting called up to the Calgary Hitmen, is back with the Spruce Kings. In 19 games with the Kings this season the six-foot-five, 210-pound Chilliwack native has two goals and two assists.