There’s a new opponent for the Prince George Spruce Kings to face-off against in the quest for multiple Fred Page Cups.
It was announced yesterday (Oct. 8) the Cranbrook Bucks would be the 18th franchise in the B.C. Hockey League (BCHL) starting in the 2020-21 season, months after the city lost its Western Hockey League (WHL) team to Winnipeg.
While travels would see the ‘Kings go deeper in southeast B.C., General Manager Mike Hawes isn’t at all concerned about the amount of time spent on the road, but in fact, he’s grateful for the chance to discuss more expansion given Cranbrook’s proximity to another franchise.
"I actually think it's nice to have another team in the Kootenays along with Trail which will make the travel into that area much more convenient,” said Hawes in an interview with PrinceGeorgeMatters. “It's nice to have two teams to travel to in that area instead of just the one. The same way that it would be nice if we could find a way to get Quesnel back into the league to have two teams in the north."
Bringing a second organization to north-central B.C. is the hope for Hawes, who stands on the league’s competition committee, perhaps resurrecting the Quesnel Millionaires.
Quesnel’s team folded after 15 seasons in the province’s top level of Junior ‘A’ hockey and it also saw Prince George be realigned into the Mainland Division.
While Hawes isn’t frustrated with the next franchise being awarded the Bucks, he is interested in looking at other cities that would be ‘good fits’ for the league.
“I was in the league when Quesnel and Williams Lake both became unworkable situations and, unfortunately, it was the right thing to do from a league standpoint. Any league is only as strong as its member teams. I would be thrilled if at some point in the future a new opportunity presented itself in Quesnel that made sense for the BCHL."
Welcome the BCHL, the @cranbrookbucks Expansion team for 2020/2021! https://t.co/darKWOHBUC
— Spruce Kings (@SpruceKings) October 8, 2019
Of course, adding an 18th team means another division realignment will potentially take place as there are currently seven teams in the Interior Division, five in the Mainland and five on the Island.
It is most likely that Cranbrook would join the Interior and potentially move Merritt into the Mainland, but regardless of what’s decided before next season, Hawes hopes Prince George can stay where they are.
"We spent many years in the interior however, I prefer that we stay in the mainland. It works better for us on many levels,” the reigning BCHL Executive of the Year explained. “That being said, at the end of the day, we need to do what's best for our league and what makes the most sense. I don't anticipate having an answer for this immediately but, as I said, there will be some healthy discussions among some good hockey and business people to come up with the best possible options."
He adds getting a BCHL franchise approved is never an easy process, but would like to see 20 teams in the near future, whether that is Quesnel or elsewhere.
Until then, as the GM and Governor of the Spruce Kings, he’s confident the new opponents will be able to make a good impression.
"It's very exciting to be adding the Cranbrook market to our league. They have a great group of owners who are very motivated and I think our league will be a great fit."
The Spruce Kings are on home ice this weekend against Nanaimo and Salmon Arm on Friday (Oct. 11) and Saturday (Oct. 12).
