Mitch Eden couldn't help but think of what could have been a storybook ending to his junior hockey career as he cleaned out his stall in the Prince George Spruce Kings dressing room for the last time.
If only he could have finished the B.C. Hockey League playoffs the way they started, maybe the Spruce Kings would be playing in the second round this weekend. Eden fired the winning goal in Game 1 with a third-period point blast but was held off the scoresheet in Game 6 Tuesday as the Kings fell 2-1 to the Coquitlam Express and were eliminated in the series 4-2.
All the what-if scenarios rang hollow for the 19-year-old Eden as he packed up to return to his home in Bracebridge, Ont. He's one of five team members who have played their last game as a Spruce King.
"It's definitely difficult, we had some key injuries in the playoffs but that's no excuse, we just couldn't get it done -- Coquitlam came out really strong and they have some deep forward lines and they just got the better of us," said Eden, who's signed to play NCAA hockey next season for St. Lawrence.
"Our goalie, Alex Murray played spectacular, it just came down to guys playing in position they're not normally used to and that was our demise."
Eden delivered 41 points in 55 regular season games and was an offensive catalyst in the playoffs with six points in six games. He played two seasons for the Kings after beginning his junior career in Ontario with the Huntsville Otters.
"It was a growing experience for me coming here and I'm very lucky that I did, the management, the coaches, the players have done tremendous things for me and it was a great two years of my life," said Eden. "It was my first time away from home and I grew up a lot."
Eden's departure, along with that of 20-year-old Christian Weidauer, whose 48 points ranked third in team scoring, leaves two big holes on the Kings' blueline. But with the likes of Karan Toor, Skylar Pacheco, Stephen Penner and Danny Kiraly all coming back, the Kings might have to find an offensive defenceman to fill the gap but they will still have a solid core intact on the back end.
"I think Kiraly and Penner can definitely step into that top four," said Eden. "Penner is just a great defensive guy and Kiraly can wheel, he's probably got some of the best boots I've ever seen on a defenceman. I think it will be a team that can compete and definitely go further than we did this year."
Weidauer is heading to Alaska-Anchorage on scholarship next season, where his college team will be flying to virtually all of their away games next season. The Kings bus to all their road games and while their travel schedule is brutal, Weidauer says he'll always look back fondly on those trips to BCHL destinations.
"The season went by really fast and it's a little sad my junior career is over, but I'm thankful I got the opportunity," said Weidauer, a native of Keswick, Ont., who played three junior seasons in the CCHL with Ottawa.
"I don't think I've ever played on a team with a closer group of guys. We travel the most, that's for sure, but being on the road as much as we were brings the guys closer together and is better for team bonding. I think playing in Prince George is a good fit for any hockey player and we have the best fans in the league. Every game was so loud, just a great atmosphere."
Up front, the good news for Kings fans is they have some proven BCHL stars returning to Prince George for the 2014-15 season with five of their top seven pointgetters eligible to return. That list includes Alaska-Fairbanks 2015-16 recruit Chad Staley, who led the Kings with 29 goals and 62 points, his linemate Jeremiah Luedtke (second in team scoring with 55 points), and forwards Justin Rai, Brent Lashuk and Jake LeBrun. All those returning forwards will be 20-year-olds with the exception of LeBrun, 20, is the only top-six Kings forward who won't be back.
Murray, 20, delivered the kind of solid goaltending the Kings expected when they picked him up in an off-season trade from his hometown Burlington (Ont.) Cougars. He and 18-year-old Jesse Jenks formed one of the top goaltending tandems in the BCHL. Jenks, who starred for Team Pacific in the World Junior A Challenge, will now be the incumbent expected to take the starting role and Murray says the team in in good hands.
"He is one of the best I've ever played with and he's going to do great once he gets some starts in him next year," said Murray, still hoping to get a job playing university hockey next season. "Jesse stole the No. 1 job for awhile early in the season and if he keeps working hard he's going to be one of the best in the league.
"There's a lot of promise on this team and I expect good things from them."
