On deadline day for deals, the Prince George Spruce Kings swapped 19-year-old forwards and added a 17-year-old defenceman to the roster.
They traded Logan Lorenz to the Camrose Kodiaks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League on Monday for Luke German.
German, a five-foot-11, 165-pounder from Calgary, has eight goals and seven assists this season in 33 games this season for the Kodiaks. He played just six games last year for Camrose and had one assist, after collecting 17 goals and 49 points in 35 games the previous year with the Edge Academy Prep C team.
Lorenz was acquired in November in the trade from the Vernon Vipers which sent 17-year-old centre Max Borovinskiy to the Vipers. Lorenz was held without a point in 11 games with the Spruce Kings.
Earlier in the day, the Kings called up 17-year-old blueliner Adam Leitch from the Ridge Meadows Flames of the Pacific Junior (B) Hockey League. The six-foot, 185-pound native of Ridge Meadows had five goals and 11 assists in 19 games this season for his hometown Flames. A product of the Burnaby Winter Club minor hockey system, Leitch had one assist in four BCHL games this season with the Victoria Grizzlies.
To make room for Leitch on the roster, the Kings traded 19-year-old defenceman James Bohn to the Cowichan Valley Capitals for future considerations. Bohn was acquired by the Spruce Kings Nov. 29 as part of a three-way trade from the Coquitlam Express that sent 19-year-old defenceman Brody Gagno from Prince George to the Surrey Eagles. Bohn was held without a point in six games with the Kings.
In other Spruce Kings’ news, goalie Aaron Trotter has been named the first star of the week in the BCHL. Trotter, a 20-year-old from Victoria, made 36 saves in a 5-0 victory Saturday in Cranbrook to earn his first shutout of the season.
He also helped the Spruce Kings beat the Wenatchee Wild on Dec. 31, stopping 22 hots in a 5-3 victory. The University of St. Thomas recruit for next season now has a 9-7-0 record to go with a 2.58 goals-against average (seventh-best in BCHL) and .907 save percentage.
The Spruce Kings host the West Kelowna Warriors Wednesday night at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena. The Warriors (19-10-0-0-0, .655 winning percentage) rank third in the Interior Conference, five points ahead of the Spruce Kings (9-2-1-0, .611 winning percentage). The Kings have played two fewer games than the Warriors.
Wednesday's game was re-scheduled due to the pandemic and fans are asked to use their tickets labelled Thursday January 13th vs. West Kelowna” to attend the game. Saturday's date with the Merritt Centennials is also a rescheduled game necessitated by a postponement during the floods in November. Season ticket members will be able to pick up their tickets for Saturday’s game and other dates changed games during Wednesday’s game.
