With players ranging from 17 to 20, the Prince George Spruce Kings aren't just developing players. They are also developing people.
That's where the team chaplain Jim Brown comes in. Unless there is a game conflict, every Wednesday he has the team out to a learning centre room in the Westwood Church, where they order pizza and watch that night's NHL hockey game. In between periods is where the personal development comes into play.
Players are seated at different tables, and during the breaks Brown gets up to talk about what they are doing as people. The first place to start is their foundation. That includes athletics, family and their own developmental growth. Then stemming from those core values comes their purpose in life and what they want to achieve.
All players are different on the ice, and that is just the same off the ice. Some athletes are looking for the fame and glory that comes with playing at a high level, some play for the love of the sport, and others look for the opportunity that can come through playing in the BCHL in the form of scholarships to various universities. Of course each player doesn't play for just one reason, but some of the factors are higher than others, and they all overlap.
Brown said his focus is being able to build up players where they may have weaknesses, and help make those strengths. One example he provided was last year in the playoffs when one of the players changed his play in the playoffs. In the regular season he was confidently jumping into the rush and taking chances. In the playoffs, though, he seemed unsure of himself, and that's where Brown came in. After a number of games he continued talking up the player, and telling him how great he played.
While all BCHL teams have a chaplain, Brown said he meets with the team way more than others. The meetings happen once a week, while other teams may go two or three weeks between meetings with their chaplain. With more frequent meetings though, they team can bond more with Brown and be able to open up more whether that's in group discussions or after the meeting on a one-on-one level. The players this way are able to come to him for everything from where to pick up car parts, to personal family issues. One year he even had players at his house for a few hours wrapping Christmas presents.
Another protocol the team has is for Brown talking with the team once players are traded. With more experienced players being traded out this year, and younger talents coming in, he said the team was a little more tense at the beginning of the year but things have settled down since. On the flip side, Brown also gets in contact with players right away once they've been traded to Prince George to welcome them.
"We're a unique program. They come in, and they don't really understand how close we are to our players," he said.
Five years ago Brown started working with the team, and he says he tries his best to keep in contact with as many past players as possible. Just the other day for his NHL debut he sent Jujhar Khaira a message congratulating him on the accomplishment. With Khaira making the NHL, there is of course the set of hockey skills that helped him on his journey, but also a number of people, including Brown, who made that dream possible.
Ryan Lepper is broadcaster/communications director for the Prince George Spruce Kings
