Jace Hennig is going home to finish his junior hockey career.
The Prince George Spruce Kings made that official Wednesday when they traded the 19-year-old forward to the Coquitlam Express in exchange for 19-year-old forward Brent Lashuk.
Lashuk, a six-foot-two, 205-pound native of Kelowna, played 42 games with the West Kelowna Warriors as a B.C. Hockey League rookie. He collected nine goals and 11 assists in the regular season and added two assists in six playoff games for the Warriors. He was traded to Coquitlam in an off-season deal.
"Brent is a gifted scorer," said Spruce Kings general manager, Mike Hawes, in a team release. "He also has good size to go along with a strong work ethic. I look for big things from Brent this season. We will give him every opportunity to be successful."
Hennig, who stands five-foot-10 and weighs 175 pounds, has signed a letter of commitment to attend Merrimack College, an NCAA Division 1 school in Massachusetts beginning in the 2014-15 season. In 44 games with the Spruce Kings he picked up five goals and 10 assists for 15 points and 21 penalty minutes.
Hennig joined the Spruce Kings in November 2012 in a trade from Coquitlam, his hometown, where he played parts of two seasons for the Express.
"It is always difficult to trade away a player like Jace," said Hawes. "Jace is from Coquitlam and this trade was a matter of family before hockey. We certainly appreciate everything Jace did for the Spruce Kings and wish him well with his hometown team."
Lashuk is expected to report to the Kings' main training camp, which starts Aug. 23 at the Coliseum.
