If, as expected, the Prince George Spruce Kings lose goaltender Tavin Grant, Kings general manager Mike Hawes says he's "absolutely" comfortable with the puck-stopping tandem he now has in place.
Late Tuesday afternoon, the Kings announced the acquisition of 20-year-old goalie Evan DeBrouwer, picked up in a deal with the Nanaimo Clippers that saw 20-year-old forward Parker Colley go the other way. The six-foot-one, 195-pound DeBrouwer is projected to be the Kings' starter next B.C. Hockey League season, with freshly-graduated midget stopper Bradley Cooper as his backup.
As for Grant, who went 15-19 with a 3.43 goals-against average in 2016-17, he will likely be back with the Western Hockey League's Prince George Cougars, who sent him to the Kings in late September of 2016. Grant first cracked the Cougars' roster as a 16-year-old. Now, at 19, he appears to have the inside track on a starting job with the Cats, who have lost Ty Edmonds to graduation and found out in April Nick McBride will be attending university instead of carrying on with his WHL career.
"In my discussions with (Cougars general manager) Todd (Harkins), they're going to give Tavin every opportunity to go in there and earn a spot," Hawes said on Wednesday. "I certainly can't wait around to see what happens with Tavin and not really have a guy in place. If Tavin makes it there with the Cougars - and we hope he does - then that's great. If he doesn't and his rights revert back to us at that point, we'll deal with it at that time."
From Hawes's perspective, with DeBrouwer leading the way, the Kings will be strong in net regardless of what happens with Grant.
"Evan is a proven veteran goalie at our level and I really liked what I saw with him last season in Nanaimo in the games he played against us and a couple other times that I watched him play for Nanaimo," Hawes said. "And our coaches, especially Alex Evin - our new associate coach/goalie coach - really, really like him.
"He's composed in the net and then you throw in the fact that he's a big-bodied kid at six-one and almost 200 pounds. Big goalies seem to be the trend in the game these days and to have a guy like that in there who's really technically sound and mature and has that veteran presence on the ice and off the ice is certainly going to be a good fit for us."
With Nanaimo last season, DeBrouwer had a 15-23 record with a 3.15 goals-against average, .894 save percentage and two shutouts. In a five-game, first-round playoff loss to the Victoria Grizzlies, he lowered his goals-against mark to 2.22 and elevated his save percentage to .931.
DeBrouwer hails from Blenheim, Ont., and played previously in the Central Canada Hockey League with the Smiths Falls Bears. During the 2015-16 CCHL season, he appeared in 52 games and posted a record of 31-19-0-2. Five of his wins were by shutout and his numbers were solid - a 2.59 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage.
Cooper, an 18-year-old from West Vancouver, also has good size. He's six-foot-two and a lean 165 pounds. Last season, he suited up for the Burnaby Winter Club Academy midget prep team and had a 17-7-1 record with a 2.22 goals-against average, .922 save percentage and four shutouts. Cooper was among the players at the Kings' spring prospects camp in April.
Along with DeBrouwer's addition, the Kings will have Patrick Cozzi and Dustin Manz in their lineup next season. The pair of U.S.-born forwards - who already have NCAA Division 1 scholarships in their pockets - have committed to the club, as per a Wednesday media release.
Cozzi, a 19-year-old from Greenlawn, N.Y., had 26 goals and 55 points in 49 games with the New Jersey Avalanche of the Tier 1 (Midget) Elite League last season and is property of Colorado College of the NCAA. He was spotted by Kings head coach Adam Maglio about a month ago at a showcase event in Boston. Cozzi is expected to produce his fair share of points.
"He's dynamic offensively but at the same time he's a responsible player," Hawes said. "He understands the defensive side of the puck but he's going to be leaned on heavily, no doubt about it, to provide some offence and do some real good things on the power play. To add a player as offensively dynamic as he is, is certainly a boost for our team."
Manz, whose post-junior days will unfold at Lake Superior State University, is an 18-year-old from Vanderbilt, Mich. At five-foot-11 and 205 pounds, he plays a physical game and also chips in offensively. Last season with the Aston Rebels of the North American Hockey League he recorded four goals and 16 points in 56 games. Hawes sees Manz significantly increasing his totals in the BCHL.
"He was a 17-year-old player in the North American league, which is a really tight-checking league," said Hawes, who has seen ample footage of Manz in action. "The numbers he put up are a little bit deceptive. He's got the ability to put up some much better numbers in an offensive league like the BCHL and on our team where we're going to play an offensive style and a puck-pursuit style. I think we're going to see him flourish with his numbers but he certainly is a power forward. He's a big, strong-bodied kid who'd prefer to go over a kid than around him."
While the Kings' 2017-18 roster is taking shape, Hawes said he still has plenty of work ahead of him.
"We're still actively recruiting and on June 1 were were able to start acquiring players through trades," he said. "It's an ongoing process and I would certainly anticipate some more announcements from us coming up over the next few weeks."
The Kings will open their main training camp Aug. 24 at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena.
