Prince George Spruce Kings defenceman Layton Ahac is intent on ending a couple of droughts this season.
First are foremost, he wants his Spruce Kings to end the 2018-19 season with a victory, one that will bring them the first championship of their 23-year B.C. Hockey League existence. They fell three wins short of that goal when they lost the Fred Page Cup final in April to the Wenatchee Wild.
Also high on Ahac’s list of objectives is to get his name on the 2019 NHL draft list. That hasn’t happened for a Spruce King since 2012, when the Edmonton Oilers took forward Jujhar Khaira in the third round.
Considering what Ahac brings to the table in his second BCHL season, that’s a real possibility for the 17-year-old native of North Vancouver. He was a relatively unknown quantity when he joined the Spruce Kings last year after being recruited from the West Vancouver Academy Elite 15s.
But after helping the Kings to the league final, everybody in the league knows Ahac’s capabilities in keeping Prince George a Cup contender.
“This year we’re not going to be second place, we want to be first place, this year our goal’s to win it,” he said. “We’ve got a great team coming into this year and I’m really looking forward to it. I want to finish first, I’m not looking for anything else.”
Ahac’s heads-up ability to make the right play with or without the puck under pressure and an exceptional skating stride that rarely left him out of position earned him a spot on the BCHL All-Rookie team and he was a big part of the Spruce Kings’ playoff push to the league final.
He scored six goals and had 22 assists for 28 points in 57 games and was a key figure in all 24 playoff games, scoring one goal and five points. He was one of the most coveted BCHL players among NCAA teams wanting him to sign a college commitment. According to Ahac, “roughly half” of the 60 Division 1 schools wanted him. He and his family decided on the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he’s destined to play next season.
But before he goes off to college, he’s got unfinished business to attend to in his last season of junior hockey with the Spruce Kings. The Kings have 14 returning players and are intent on winning the league this year, and with Ahac one of the anchors, the veteran-laden Prince George defence is among the best in the BCHL.
“He was a 16-year-old last year and physically he hadn’t fully matured but he’s obviously a very dedicated kid – he’s focused in the off-season on areas he wanted to improve in and putting on a bit of mass and muscle was one of those areas,” said Kings head coach Adam Maglio.
“He was able to start off the year playing some big minutes and that carried through right to our last game. He’s a cerebral kid and he has the right mindset – he did all last year, regardless of his commitment to Ohio.
“Now he’s looking for some different recognition now that he’s draft-eligible for the NHL and that could be something that happens for him. He’s obviously put in the work in the off-season to give him a chance to have a good start to the year.”
Three of the returning defencemen including Ahac already have NCAA Division 1 scholarships lined up for next season. Dylan Anhorn, 19, is heading to Union, while 19-year-old Liam Watson-Brawn has signed with Colgate. Twenty-year-old Jay Keranen is a good bet to ink an NCAA deal if he picks up where he left off in the playoffs. Nick Bochen, 18, joined the Kings in the postseason from the Burnaby Winter Club and didn’t look out of place.
The Kings have also recruited local product Brennan Malgunas, 18, an all-star defenceman in the B.C. major midget league with the Cariboo Cougars, as well as 20-year-old Ontario native Max Coyle, who started last season with the Nanaimo Clippers before returning to the Greater Ontario League’s Listowel Cyclones. Local product Max Arnold, 17, who played last year for the Cariboo Cougars, survived the first round of cuts from the weekend.
“It’s awesome, everybody in our lineup can play big minutes and be really effective out there,” Ahac said. “It’s a good feeling when you know your teammates have got your back. They’re great players too and everyone brings something to the table. I think that’ll be a strength for us this year.”
At six-foot-three and still growing, Ahac added 12 pounds to his lanky frame during the off-season and now weighs 194 pounds. He’s among the heaviest of the blueline crew.
“I wanted to put on size and strength, it’s a big and fast league so that will help me with my D game and my all-around game,” he said. “It was definitely a great year and I hope I step into a bigger role. I’ve been through it already so for the rookies I can kind of show them the way.
“Obviously I do want to get drafted, but my mind’s on the team and finishing first, that’s what really matters. I’m excited for the season. I think we’re a lot deeper this year and everyone has bonded a lot better than last year. We’re a little more outgoing, a little less shy, and that will be good out of the gate.”
• The Spruce Kings haven’t had a NHL-drafted defenceman since 1999, when the Carolina Hurricanes picked Fort St. John native Brad Fast, who began a three-year junior career with the Kings in 1996. The third-round pick left to play college hockey for Michigan State and went on to score a goal in his only career NHL game playing for the Hurricanes, April 4, 2004, against the Florida Panthers.
This year, seven BCHL players were taken in the NHL draft in June.
• The Kings pared down their camp roster from 38 to 25 players in anticipation of their first preseason test Wednesday night at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena against the Merritt Centennials. The Cents will host the Spruce Kings Friday in Merritt.
