He played just one season with the Prince George Spruce Kings and the day he arrived last August from Ontario, Chays Ruddy already had his playoff beard fully grown.
As it turned out, Ruddy's 20-year-old furry face was a good omen for the Spruce Kings.
All the Kings' men had the chance to put away the razors this spring in what was the team's most successful season in 22 years in the B.C. Hockey League and Ruddy's role in prolonging that 24-game postseason was unmistakable.
As he was throughout the season, Ruddy was one of top defencemen for the Spruce Kings in their climb to the Fred Page Cup championships series, which ended in a five-game series loss to the Wenatchee Wild. His play on the ice caught the attention of the University of Windsor Lancers, where Ruddy will play next season on a partial scholarship.
"I had a couple options here in Ontario and after sitting down with a few coaches this was just the right fit and the hockey team felt like it was going to be the right place to join it so I decided to go with my gut feeling and hopefully it works out," said Ruddy, from his home in Cobourg, Ont.
Ruddy had 14 assists in 57 regular-season games and picked up a goal and five assists in the playoffs, helping the Kings to the Mainland Division regular-season and playoff titles and the Coastal Conference championship. He emerged as a leader on and off the ice for the Spruce Kings.
"We are excited for Chays and his commitment to Windsor University for next season," said Spruce Kings head coach Adam Maglio. "Chays was a tremendous competitor and leader for us this year. He has left our program in a better place and this commitment to play U Sport Hockey is very well-deserved."
Prior to joining the Kings, Ruddy played two seasons in the Ontario Junior (A) Hockey League with the Trenton Golden Hawks. He finished his career with 151 junior A regular-season games and 54 playoff games. The Hawks played in two RBC Cups with Ruddy on the roster and he played four games in the national championship in 2017.
Ruddy was voted the Spruce Kings Fan Favourite at the team awards and he says he'll always look back on his time in the city as a highlight of his life.
"It was definitely a special time in my career and it will leave a lasting impression," he said. "I made a lot of friends and met a lot of people and the support there was crazy. I couldn't have made a better decision for this last season."
Former Spruce Kings defenceman Adam Burnett is heading into his second season with the Lancers and former Kings captain Brett Mennear will join the team with Ruddy.
"Adam saw the Spruce Kings' tweet and he gave me his number to let me know if I had any questions to just ask him and he offered his assistance if I needed it," said Ruddy.
Eleven Spruce Kings from this year's team have now committed to post-secondary schools and six of those players will be back next season. Ruddy is working a landscaping job this summer and plans to study business at Windsor.
"They can only give a certain amount towards your tuition, so I'll get about $4,000 off," he said. "It's kind of grades-based and they can give bursaries for my grades. One of the reasons I decided to go there is I'll come out with little or no debt. I'm pretty excited to get going."
