The good news for fans of the Prince George Spruce Kings is winger Jeremiah Luedtke, their second-leading scorer last season, is back with the team.
The bad news is he couldn't prevent the Salmon Arm Silverbacks from scoring. But then again, none of his Spruce Kings teammates could get the job done either Tuesday night in 100 Mile House, where they lost an 8-5 BCHL pre-season battle with the Silverbacks.
The Silverbacks outscored the Kings 5-1 in the third period to post their second consecutive exhibition game win over the Spruce Kings. They roasted the Kings 9-2 a week ago in Salmon Arm.
"We're obviously giving up too many goals and we have tighten up the D," said Kings head coach Dave Dupas. "We have to have more help. We're really young and inexperienced back there and until these guys play a few games we need everybody to worry about team defence.
"We have a lot of offensive guys and that's going to come in handy, eventually, but we have to play a good sound team defensive game here first, and that will be our focus until we get it down pat. Our team over the last few years has been in the top three or four in the league in goals against and we have to keep it that way if we want to be successful here. You can't win in this league with just pure offence."
Dupas said he liked the intensity his players showed in a hard-hitting game but didn't like the fact his team played shorthanded 10 times and got burned on three of those occasions. The Kings went 2-for-3 on the power play.
Luedtke picked up a goal and an assist in his return to the BCHL. The 20-year-old native of Lynnwood, Wash., rejoined the Kings on Monday after he was cut from the Bloomington Thunder of the USHL. Luedtke totalled 55 points in 58 games last season, including 13 goals.
The addition of Luedtke creates a glut of 20-year-olds in Prince George, along with defencemen Karan Toor and Valik Chichkin, and forwards Chad Staley, Brent Lashuk, Justin Rai and Michael Buonincontri. BCHL teams are allowed to carry six overagers, while the USHL limits each roster to just four overagers.
"As a 20-year-old rookie coming into that league, [Ludtke's] chances were not very good," said Dupas. "Even though he's talented enough to play in that league it's really tough to unseat a 20-year-old guy."
Dupas said the Kings will move one of their 20-year-olds to address the current situation.
Rory Neary led the way for Salmon Arm with two goals and one assist. Six other Silverbacks scored on Kings goalie Jesse Jenks, who played the entire game, and Dupas said the 19-year-old struggled at times in his first pre-season action. Former Prince George Cougars forward Carson Bolduc and Prince George minor hockey product Steven Jandric, who now play for the Silverbacks, were held off the scoresheet.
Other Kings goalscorers Tuesday were Rai, Frankie Spellman, Braiden Epp and Brogan O'Brien. Prince George rested goalie Alex Brooks-Potts, defenceman Jake McCarthy and forwards Lashuk, Marco Ballarin, Cole Todd and Riley Hawes, all nursing injuries. Toor, a Dartmouth University recruit, remains sidelined with a groin injury he suffered last season in the playoffs. Dupas is hopeful he will return to action in about a month.
The Kings hit the road Friday for a game in Vernon against the Vipers, then wrap up the pre-season Saturday night at the Coliseum with a rematch with Vernon.
The Kings' regular season starts Sept. 20 at the BCHL Showcase in Chilliwack, where they play the Nanaimo Clippers, followed by a Sept. 21 morning encounter with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. The Kings' home opener is set for Friday, Oct. 3 at the Coliseum when they take on the Chilliwack Chiefs.
