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Three Prince George Spruce Kings named to BCHL All-Star, Rookie teams

Layton Ahac, Logan Neaton, and Nick Bochen recognized for stellar seasons ahead of playoffs
Kyle Balzer
Kyle Balzer

After being snubbed for the year-end awards, the B.C. Hockey League (BCHL) has placed three local hockey players on a pair of seasonal all-star lists.

Prince George Spruce Kings’ Layton Ahac and Logan Neaton were selected as 2018-19 Second Team All-Stars, while Nick Bochen was named to the All-Rookie team.

Goaltender Neaton provided the X-factor for Prince George, setting a new team regular season record with 32 wins in 47 starts.

The 19-year-old American carried the Spruce Kings to its best regular season in franchise history since joining the BCHL in 1996 with a record of 39-13-1-5.

In his first full BCHL season, Neaton also finished atop of the league netminder standings in wins, goals-against-average (1.92), shutouts (five), and minutes-played (2,748).

He was nominated for Top Goaltender of the year.

Ahac, a 19-year-old defenceman, stood out this year along the blue line and around the boards, getting called up by the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) to participate in the 2019 Top Prospects Game.

He recorded a goal and an assist in that contest for Team Canada West and was also named the MVP for his squad.

The North Vancouver product finished second among Spruce Kings d-men this season with 32 points (four goals, 28 assists).

He was nominated for Top Defenceman of the year.

Ahead of Ahac on the Spruce Kings’ stats sheet was Nick Bochen, and his all-around performance landed him on the All-Rookie team as a result.

The 18-year-old from Vancouver accumulated 38 points (eight goals, 30 assists), topping all other rookie BCHL defencemen; he would finish ninth overall in the standings.

Bochen’s skills were also recognized south of the border, committing to the Michigan Wolverines for U.S. college hockey starting in 2020.

The BCHL Playoffs start this weekend for the Spruce Kings, who will host the first two games of their best-of-seven first-round series against the Coquitlam Express.

Games One and Two are scheduled for today (March 1) and Saturday (March 2), with a 7 p.m. puck drop each night at the Rolling Mix Concrete Arena (RMCA).