Chad Staley may be small in stature, but he plays a big game as a forward for the Prince George Spruce Kings.
So much so he led the Kings in scoring, collecting 29 goals and 33 assists for 62 points in all 58 regular season games.
Alex Murray quietly quietly goes about his business in net stopping pucks for the Kings, with a 2.44 goals against average and .917 save percentage.
Both Murray and Staley, 19, were co-recipients of the Spruce Kings most valuable player award that was handed out Saturday night at the Coast Inn of the North.
"We've both had really great seasons," said the 20-year-old Murray, a six-foot, 190-pound netminder from Burlington, Ont. "No one knew for sure who was going to get it, it could have been anyone's award."
The two helped propel the Spruce Kings to second place in the B.C. Hockey League's Mainland Division with a record of 32-20-4-2 and 70 points, 12 points back of first-place Langley.
Staley, who stands at five-foot-nine and 175 pounds from Kennewick, Wash., finished 10th overall in the B.C. Hockey League's scoring race with his 62 points. Landon Smith from Salmon Arm was the league's top scorer with 81 points (43 goals, 38 assists.)
Staley has committed to play NCAA Div. 1 hockey with the University of Alaska - Fairbanks for the 2015-16 season.
Murray's numbers rank him fifth out of 32 goaltenders in the league who played a minimum of eight games. He appeared in 38 games, posting a 23-11-3 record with two shutouts.
Murray's partner in the net, Jesse Jenks, was named the Kings' rookie of the year.
Jenks, an 18-year-old from Crofton, B.C., recorded nine wins, 11 losses and a tie in 22 games for the Kings. He posted a 2.97 goals against average and a .908 save percentage.
Jenks is among nine rookies on the team.
"This is a huge honour, a lot of guys deserve this award," said Jenks. "We've got a great group of guys for next year, it's a good, skilled group."
In early November he backstopped Canada West to a bronze medal at the World Junior A Challenge in November.
He said he learned a lot from his more experienced partner in Murray.
"We have a great working relationship, he's a great goalie," said Jenks. "It's been a good fit and it's a healthy competition to try and get better."
Karan Toor, 20, and Mitch Eden, 19, were co-recipients of the defencemen of the year award. The top defence pair on the Kings collected 72 points between them. but they also caused problems for a lot of their opponents' top lines.
Eden is a 19-year-old five-foot-eleven player from Bracebridge, Ont., while Toor is a six-foot, 19-year-old from Surrey.
Toor was also named the team's top ironman for blocking 133 shots in the 51 games he appeared in during the season. His +30 was also the best on the team.
Kings' captain Bryant Christian was named the team's seventh man for ensuring the coaches' message was always heard. The 19-year-old forward from Moorhead, Minn. amassed 14 goals and 23 assists for 37 points in 45 games. He suffered a broken jaw earlier in the season.
Staley shared the CNC Fan Favourite award with 21-year-old forward Sean Landrey.
Landrey, who grew up in Prince George, was also given the outstanding community service award and received the Muchalla Family bursary award.
Danny Kiraly was named the team's scholastic player of the year.
The rookie 18-year-old defenceman from Glendale, Ariz. recorded high school marks in the 90 per cent range in a combination of online courses and in-school classes.
Justin Rai, a five-foot-ten 19-year-old forward from Surrey, was named the Kings' most improved player. In 51 games, he scored four game-winning goals, and collected 21 goals and 25 assists.
Jeremiah Luedtke was named the team's most inspirational player for his work both on and off the ice. The 19-year-old forward from Lynnwood, Wash. was the Kings' second-leading scorer with 55 points (13 goals, 42 assists.).
Jake LeBrun, with his almost point-per-game production, was named the Kings' most dedicated player. LeBrun, 18, is from Prince George and finished sixth in team scoring with 19 goals and 22 assists.
The second-place Kings begin the first round of the playoffs Tuesday when they host the third-place Coquitlam Express in the first game of a best-of-seven series. The face-off is 7 p.m. at the Coliseum.
