Ryan Howse is the new assistant coach of his hometown Prince George Spruce Kings. Howse had been in discussions with the local B.C. Hockey League team for a couple weeks and his appointment to the post was made official on Tuesday.
"Not too many people get to coach in their hometown, especially a team that I grew up idolizing for so long," said the 24-year-old Howse, a former pro player who guided the Coast Inn of the North midget Tier 1 Cougars to a provincial championship banner this past season. "I have so many ties (to the Kings)."
Howse played all his minor hockey in Prince George and graduated to the Cariboo Cougars major midget program in 2006-07. That same season, he was an affiliate player with the Spruce Kings and was part of the club for the 2007 Royal Bank Cup national junior A championship tournament.
Howse's connection to the Spruce Kings extends to his dad, Jason, who is a former Kings goaltender, and to his grandma, Betty Doran, who spent several seasons as the team's billet coordinator. Over the years, many of the Spruce Kings' out-of-town players were billeted by the Howse family.
"(My involvement) goes back very far and I'm very fortunate and very excited and proud to be representing the Spruce Kings again," Howse said. "I'd like to thank them for looking at me and giving me the chance to be a part of their organization. It's fantastic and I can't thank them enough."
Howse, who became a scout for the Spruce Kings in August of 2015 and was a guest coach at the team's Spring Prospects Camp earlier this month, replaces Jason Garneau, who has moved to Vancouver Island. As an assistant, he will work with head coach Chad van Diemen and associate coach Adam Maglio. Howse said he'll be at every practice and every game but will also keep his day job as aboriginal education sports coordinator with School District 57.
In Howse, the Kings are getting a man who has a wide variety of hockey experiences.
As a player, Howse was picked third overall by the Chilliwack Bruins in the 2006 Western Hockey League bantam draft and went on to play four full seasons with the Bruins. In his final WHL campaign, 2010-11, he fired 51 goals and added 32 assists for 83 points in 70 games.
At that stage of his career, Howse had already been drafted by the Calgary Flames (third round, 74th overall in 2009) and he joined their American Hockey League affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat, in 2011-12. The next season, he split his time between the Heat and the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL. In September of 2013, Howse realized his heart was no longer in the game and he decided not to report to the Flames' rookie camp. Instead, he returned to Prince George and, before long, got into coaching.
"Everything I've been through in hockey, on and off the ice, I can bring to these young men – whether it's playing or taking care of yourself off the ice," Howse said in reference to the impact he hopes to make with the Kings. "The biggest thing I learned is you've got to act like a professional off the ice just as much as you do on the ice. That's a nice thing I can bring, and obviously playing for the Spruce Kings in the national championship here in the Royal Bank Cup is something that I can bring to them and share with them.
"And then obviously in the Western league I spent four years with Chilliwack and then at the pro level I've been around some pretty high-skilled and very professional players. I'm going to bring all the knowledge I can to (the Spruce Kings players) and try and make them better every day."
Kings general manager Mike Hawes is happy to have Howse on board.
"I’m thrilled to be able to add a great young coach like Ryan to our coaching staff," Hawes said in a media release. "He has a great mind for the game and has a lot to offer our players. He’s played the game and excelled at a high level and more recently has proven that he can coach at a high level and be successful. To add his energy and enthusiasm to our group will be nothing but beneficial for our organization moving forward."
As for van Diemen, he said Howse's combination of youth and experience will work in his favour.
"He's not far removed from playing the game and he has been very successful in his first couple years of coaching minor hockey," van Diemen said in the release. "He has a great relationship with his players and he brings a lot of energy and passion to the rink every day. We think he is ready to make the jump to junior and believe he will make an immediate connection with our players."
For Howse, the tough part will be waiting for the start of the 2016-17 BCHL season.
"I'm ready to get going," he said. "I know hockey season is still a little ways away but I'm very excited for this next chapter in my life and my coaching career."
