When he suits up next season for the Prince George Spruce Kings, Nick Rhéaume will have something to brag about no other hockey player in the B.C. Hockey League can boast.
Not only did his father play pro hockey at the NHL level, but so did his aunt.
The 17-year-old forward from Sherbrooke, Que., signed with the Spruce Kings this week after scoring nearly a point per game this past season with the Cushing Academy Penguins high school team in Massachusetts. Rhéaume, who stands six-foot-one and weighs 181 pounds, finished the U.S. Hockey League season with 10 goals and 25 assists in 34 games.
Rhéaume’s father Pascal totaled 39 goals and 91 points in 318 NHL regular season games as a forward for the New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks, Atlanta Thrashers, and Phoenix Coyotes. He also played 45 career NHL playoff games and won the Stanley Cup with the Devils in 2003.
Nick’s aunt is goalie Manon Rhéaume - the first female to ever play pro hockey. She played in two NHL exhibition games for the Tampa Bay Lightning (in 1992 and 1993) and also stopped pucks in the IHL. ECHL and WCHL. Manon backstopped Canada to IIHF women’s world championships in 1992 and 1994 and won an Olympic silver medal in 1998.
“We are very excited to add Nick Rhéaume to our roster for next season,” said Kings head coach Alex Evin, in a team release. “Nick has the ability to make an impact in all three zones of the ice and also comes from a good hockey family.
“His mix of power and skill will be a welcomed addition to our forward group.”
