The Prince George Spruce Kings have started 2020 with a requested trade.
Rookie Ryan McAllister has been dealt to the Brooks Bandits, the current number-one Junior ‘A’ hockey team and the club that defeated Prince George in the finals of last year’s National Championship.
In exchange, the Spruce Kings are getting Mason Reeves, a junior-league rookie from Waterdown, Ont.
The 18-year-old forward only has eight points in 27 games with the Bandits this year, but Mike Hawes believes Reeves’ physicality will be of much benefit to the team.
"He's a big body with skill who also skates well,” said Prince George’s General Manager in a team release as Reeves has also recorded 78 penalty minutes.
“He can play either the wing or up the middle. To add a big body that can play centre was a big selling feature for me in this trade. I like the idea of adding some more size and strength to our forward group. Mason is also a young player who will be a great addition this year but also for the future."
In comparison, McAllister has 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 37 games with the reigning BCHL champions.
"Ryan decided that playing here wasn't working for him and he requested a change,” explained Hawes. “We agreed that a change was best at this time. We wish Ryan good luck in Brooks."
The Spruce Kings are 13-21-2-3 and fifth in the BCHL’s Mainland Division standings with 19 games left in the 2019-20 campaign.
Prince George will drop the puck on the new decade where they left the 2010s.
They take on the Rivermen in Langley tonight (Jan. 3) at 7:15 p.m.
