Austin Gray didn't stick with the Prince George Spruce Kings but he won't be far away this hockey season.
The Spruce Kings reassigned the 16-year-old forward and Prince George minor hockey product to the Cariboo Cougars major midget team and have listed him as an affiliate player.
"Austin had a tremendous training camp and played extremely well in two exhibition games for us. He is a very special player who possesses great speed and has a skill set that will enable him to be a very good player at our level in the years to come," said Spruce Kings general manager Mike Hawes.
"He will excel at the major midget level this season and then will join us full-time next season and be a very big part of our team moving forward. Our fans will get to see Austin often this season as he will be our first call-up when we need a player due to injury."
Earlier this summer, Gray had a tryout with the Portland Winterhawks. He's signed a letter of commitment to join the Kings for the 2015-16 season. He played last season for the Coast Inn of the North Tier 1 midget Cougars.
That leaves the Spruce Kings with 23 players on the roster as they prepare for a home-and-home exhibition series with the Vernon Vipers tonight in Vernon and Saturday at the Coliseum. Saturday's game will conclude the BCHL preseason for the Kings.
