The Wenatchee Wild will play their first regular-season game in the B.C. Hockey League tonight. The Prince George Spruce Kings will serve as the welcoming committee but the Kings will do everything they can to keep their visitors from getting comfortable.
The Kings and Wild will face off at the Coliseum at 7 p.m. in the season-opener for both teams. They'll have a rematch on Saturday, also a 7 p.m. start.
The Wild officially joined the BCHL as an expansion team on June 1 and became the league's first U.S.-based club since the Bellingham Ice Hawks, who operated from 1990 to 1995.
While the Wild could have some growing pains this season, the team skated to a flawless record during the BCHL preseason, with wins against Coquitlam (6-0), Chilliwack (4-0) and Surrey (4-1). Wenatchee has plenty of weapons and the Kings will have to be at their best to neutralize them.
The Wild will be backstopped this season by 19-year-old goaltender Chase Perry, who was chosen in the 2014 NHL draft by the Detroit Red Wings (fifth round, 136th overall). As for the skaters the Kings will have to try to contain, they include forwards Brendan Harris, who already has an NCAA Division 1 scholarship from St. Cloud State in his pocket. Harris is among several Wild players who have signed scholarship papers. Others include Matt Burchill (Air Force), Bryon Yoon (Colorado College), August von Ungern-Sternburg (Brown), Matt Baker (Dartmouth) and Troy Conzo (UMass).
The Wild also have a former Spruce King, Daniel Nachbaur, in their lineup. Nachbaur, a 19-year-old forward who was born in Seattle, is the son of Prince George Sports Hall of Fame member Don Nachbaur and played 17 games for the Kings in the 2014-15 season.
Most of the Wild players are Americans, as the team is allowed to carry just four Canadians.
While the Wild were perfect during exhibition play, the Spruce Kings - who were rebuilt by general manager Mike Hawes during the off-season - struggled. They lost all three of their games, 4-3 in overtime to Grande Prairie, 5-3 to Vernon and 3-0 to Vernon.
