Don't panic. That wasn't the same Prince George Spruce Kings team that will take to the ice during the B.C. Hockey League regular season.
Tuesday night in Salmon Arm, the hometown Silverbacks thumped a baby-faced Spruce Kings squad 9-2 in exhibition action. The Silverbacks also dressed many of their prospects and those players used their speed, skill and the emotions of playing in their own rink to full advantage.
"It's never a game you want to have, but we had a really young lineup - not as much veteran presence as we would normally have," said Kings general manager Mike Hawes. "We had two really young goaltenders and a really young defence corps. Against a skilled team like Salmon Arm - and let's give them credit because they played hard - it was definitely an eye-opener for our young kids and a learning experience."
The teams were tied 1-1 after the first period but the Silverbacks seized control after that. They outscored the visitors 5-1 in the second period and 3-0 in the third. Structure, particularly on defence, was a problem for the Spruce Kings.
"We had training camp and then no ice on Monday as it was the holiday," Hawes said. "We had no real practices as a smaller group heading into the exhibition game so for all intents and purposes it was more like another intrasquad game. It was that sort of a mentality with no real systems in place where everyone is on the same page. Again, with the young group, they had trouble adapting to Salmon Arm's speed and skill."
Goaltending prospects Bailey DePalma and Liam McCloskey split the puck-stopping duties for the Spruce Kings. DePalma allowed the first four goals and McCloskey the last five but neither got much support from the Kings' defence. Salmon Arm outshot Prince George 35-26.
Offensively, the line of Brent Lashuk, Taylor Allan and Jake LeBrun was the best for the Spruce Kings. Lashuk (first period) and Allan (second period) were the Kings' goalscorers, and Lashuk also had an assist.
"We did have a few veterans up front and that line was the number one line for us," Hawes said. "They probably had the most sustained pressure inside the Salmon Arm zone. So there were some bright spots there, and I don't want to say all the young kids played poorly because we definitely had some young guys that played extremely well."
One of the standout players was 1997-born defenceman Tavis Roch, who skated at the midget Tier 3 level in Quesnel last season.
"He was a late addition to our camp roster, to be honest," Hawes said. "He's going to play junior B this year in 100 Mile House for the Wranglers but he was a big surprise for me at camp. He's a better player than I thought he was. He showed himself extremely well through camp and in the game."
Hawes said the Kings will keep Roch as an affiliated player.
"I've talked to the coach in 100 Mile and we're making those arrangements now," Hawes said. "[Roch] is definitely in the future plans of the Spruce Kings."
The Kings held a practice Wednesday night and will skate at noon today, Friday and Saturday. They'll take a day off on Sunday, practice Monday and battle Salmon Arm again on Tuesday, this time in 100 Mile House.
The Spruce Kings currently have 24 players on their roster. Hawes said they will trim that number by at least one in advance of Tuesday's game.
