Chad Staley was the consummate captain for the Prince George Spruce Kings a shining example of the type of hockey player the B.C. Hockey League team wanted as its leader on and off the ice and the hockey world is mourning his loss.
Staley died Monday at age 25. Details of his death were not revealed.
"Chad was just a great individual who was always there for his teammates to lend an ear and lend a hand whenever needed and that's why he ended up our captain as a 20-year-old," said Kings general manager Mike Hawes.
"When his career came to an end with our team I remember telling him, "you epitomized everything it means to be a Spruce King, the way you treat people, the way you treat your teammates, your community involvement and your play on the ice.' That's how I'll remember Chad."
Staley graduated the junior ranks in 2015 after he scored 60 goals and 87 assists for 147 points in 164 regular season games over three seasons in the B.C. Hockey League with the Spruce Kings. His playoff performance in 2015 as a 20-year-old, centring a line with Jeremy Luedtke and Michael Buonincontri, helped the Spruce Kings advance to the second round after a six-game series win over the Langley Rivermen.
Hawes has a poster-sized photo of Staley scoring a game-winning goal late in a game near the end of the 2013-14 regular season which helped the Spruce Kings clinch second place in the standings to start the playoffs at home. He was voted the team's most dedicated player and and most inspirational player in his last season in Prince George.
The Spruce Kings discovered Staley, a native of Kennewick, Wash., in the spring of 2012 when he and Luedtke helped the Wenatchee Wild midget team win a tournament in Kelowna. He and Luedtke attended the Kings' spring camp in April and signed shortly after.
"I still remember when we recruited Chad and Jeremiah Luedtke together from their midget team in Wenatchee as 18 year-olds," " said Hawes. "They were a little undersized but we knew they played hard and were we ever in for a special treat.
"He had a tremendous (third) season and got a scholarship to Alaska-Fairbanks. He was the leader as we won a playoff round for the first time in a long time against Langley."
Staley went on to lock up a scholarship at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and played four seasons of NCAA Division 1 hockey with the Nanooks before heading to Europe this past season to play professionally.
"We are saddened to learn about the sudden passing of former Alaska hockey player, Chad Staley ('19)," the University Alaska-Fairbanks said on its Twitter feed. "Chad was always the first to lend a hand, picked you up when you were feeling down & had an unmatched work ethic. A teammate & friend we will never forget, we will miss you 22."
Staley produced nine points in nine games for the Hamburg Crocodiles of Germany's third-division league and had five goals and 17 points in 14 games for Unterland of the Italian 2 league, where Buonincontri led the team in scoring this past season.
Hawes learned of Staley's death Monday night in a text from Denver University assistant coach Dallas Ferguson, Staley's former coach at Alaska-Fairbanks, after Staley's mother posted news of his sudden passing on social media.
