Prince George Spruce Kings centre John Herrington has been selected for the B.C. Hockey League’s 3-on-3 outdoor all-star tournament Jan. 21 in Penticton.
Herrington, who leads the Spruce Kings in scoring with 11 goals and six assists for 17 points in 18 games, will suit up for one of the Interior Conference teams.
All 18 head coaches in the league participated in a poll to select one player from each team for the initial all-star roster, par of the league’s 60th anniversary celebration that was postponed due to the pandemic last season.
It’s now up to the fans determine the additional six skaters and four goalies who will participate in the all-star tournament. The fan poll begins on Monday and the league will release details on the league website and social media platforms that morning to show how fans can submit their votes.
The 3-on-3 tournament will be played on an outdoor rink in downtown Penticton. There will be four teams of six skaters and one goalie (two teams per conference) who will play each other in a round-robin. The top two teams meet in the championship game. There will also be a skills competition.
The other players chosen for the tournament are as follows:
Interior Conference – Jack Silich, Cranbrook Bucks; Jackson Krill, Merritt Centennials; Bradly Nadeau, Penticton Vees; Owen Beckner, Salmon Arm Silverbacks; Reagan Milburn, Vernon Vipers; Cade Littler, Wenatchee Wild; Jaiden Moriello, West Kelowna Warriors.
Coastal Conference – Ethan Bono, Alberni Valley Bulldogs; Abram Wiebe, Chilliwack Chiefs; Mirko Buttazzoni, Coquitlam Express; Luke Strickland, Cowichan Valley Capitals; Vitaly Levyy, Langley Rivermen; Kai Daniells, Nanaimo Clippers; Karter McNarland, Powell River Kings; Jake Bongo, Surrey Eagles; Olivier Picard, Victoria Grizzlies.
All are forwards except for Wiebe, a defenceman.
Herrington and the Spruce Kings (11-5-1-1-0, third in Interior) are in Trail tonight to take on the Smoke Eaters (7-9-1-1-0, seventh in Interior). Game time is 7 p.m. The Spruce Kings are coming off a 5-2 win at Kopar Memorial Arena over the Alberni Valley Bulldogs on Wednesday. The game will be webcast on Hockey TV and the audio feed of Ethan Ready’s play-by-play broadcast is at Mixlr Spruce Kings. https://sprucekings.mixlr.com/
The Kings will be in Penticton to take on the first-overall Vees on Saturday.
