The Prince George Spruce Kings will be wearing an extra number on their uniforms this season.
Each player on the 2020-21 roster is set to wear a special decal on the back of their helmets in honour of Chad Staley, a former three-year member of the organization who died suddenly in March.
He was 25 years old when his family announced his passing.
On Tuesday (Sept. 29), Prince George unveiled a pair of stickers consisting of his ‘C.S.’ initials embedded in either a red or blue Spruce King crown.
“Chad was the ultimate teammate and friend to all and epitomized what it meant to be a Spruce King,” the team said in a social media post.
“Chad will always be in our hearts and he is missed every day by everyone in the Spruce Kings organization.”
The Kennewick, Wash. product captained the Spruce Kings in his final Junior ‘A’ hockey season in 2015.
Over three years, he combined for 147 points in 173 BCHL games, plus 14 points in 21 playoff matches, scoring 60 goals for Prince George and added 87 assists between 2012 and 2015.
He then moved on to play his entire collegiate career at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, where he tallied 55 points in 127 games.
Staley played professionally in Europe, competing in German and Italian hockey leagues.
The Spruce Kings will compete in eight exhibition cohort games starting Oct. 10 before beginning the new BCHL season on Dec. 1.
