The man that led the Prince George Spruce Kings to its first-ever league championship has decided to move on in his career.
Adam Maglio will be moving south of the border to take an associate coach position with the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League (WHL), according to a team release, after spending two seasons as the head coach of the Spruce Kings and four years with its hockey operations staff.
The decision comes after guiding Prince George to a pair of historic seasons that included:
- 2019 National Junior ‘A’ Championship Final appearance
- 2019 B.C. Hockey League (BCHL) Fred Page Cup
- 2019 Doyle Cup
- Back-to-back BCHL Final appearances (2018, 2019)
- 20-game home-winning streak to start 2019
- Most regular-season wins in franchise history (39)
- Two 30-plus win seasons (2018, 2019)
- Three straight series sweeps (2019 playoffs)
“I’m very happy for Adam. I’m glad that we were able to play a role in moving him along and getting him closer to his goal as a hockey coach,” said Spruce Kings General Manager Mike Hawes in a statement. “We are in the business of developing players and moving them on in the hockey world. We are also in the business of doing the same for our coaches. We have done some very special things as a team in the four seasons that Adam was with us, especially the last two seasons with him as our head coach.”
Hawes credits Maglio’s leadership with the organization and how his hockey sense has changed the way the team moves forward in seasons to come.
“He is one of the best young progressive coaches in the game,” he adds. “I’m not surprised that he was sought after by many teams. We will miss him and he will be hard to replace but at the same time we are extremely excited for him and wish him nothing but the best in Spokane.”
With Maglio’s departure, Prince George has promoted his assistant, Alex Evin, to be the new head coach of the Spruce Kings for the 2019-20 season.
This will be Evin’s third year behind the bench for the BCHL’s most northern team and his fifth in the entire league after serving in Alberni Valley for two years prior.
Hawes also calls Evin a progressive young coach and believes he’s ready to fill the shoes Maglio is leaving behind.
“Having that person available to us within the organization is important to me as it will allow us to continue down the same path that we are on as a team and provides us with the continuity that I feel is vitally important,” said Hawes. “Adam and Alex worked very closely and very well together and I know that Alex will take a lot of what he learned from Adam into his new role. Alex’s relationship with the players is outstanding and he has a lot of passion for our team and for the community. I am really looking forward to working closely with him as we continue to move the Spruce Kings down the path to success.”
Today’s (July 19) announcement means the Spruce Kings will be looking to fill three vacant positions with its hockey operations staff.
The assistant head coach, athletic trainer, and equipment manager positions are reportedly still available for the reigning BCHL champions.
Maglio will make his return to Prince George in the fall when the Chiefs visit the Cougars at the CN Centre, Oct. 17 and 18.
