The Prince George Spruce Kings' January fire sale has paid off in a lanky dividend.
They have acquired six-foot-six, 190-pound goaltender Stefan Wornig to complete a trade with the Powell River Kings made at the Jan. 10 B.C. Hockey League roster deadline.
Wornig, a 19-year-old native of Surrey, compiled an 8-12-0 record in 21 games with Powell River, posting a 3.05 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and two shutouts. He was invited to Canada West team tryouts for the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in 2014 and 2015.
"We are excited to add Stefan to our organization," said Spruce Kings general manager Mike Hawes, in a team release. "He is a big, technically-strong goaltender who will help solidify that position for us.
"Goaltending at our level and in our league is extremely important. Having two solid goaltenders on the roster is going to give us a better opportunity to win hockey games. Stefan has also been in our league for a couple of seasons now so he will also be leaned upon to provide leadership on and off the ice."
Wornig, who turned 19 on March 29, joins 18-year-old incumbent Liam McCloskey on the Spruce Kings roster. Wornig had a 3-8-0 record in 13 games for Powell River in 2014-15.
Knowing they were not in a playoff position, the Spruce Kings parted with their top-scoring defenceman, 20-year-old Adam Brubacher, sending him to Powell River in exchange for 18-year-old defenceman Colten Sandberg and future considerations, which turned out to be Wornig. At the time of the trade, Brubacher had 13 goals and 32 points in 42 games.
In his second BCHL season, Sandberg had a shoulder injury when he arrived in Prince George and was limited to nine games with the Spruce Kings, in which he picked up three assists.
