A hometown product will be suiting up with Powell River Kings Hockey Club for the 2014/15 season.
For Hunter Findlater, playing for the Kings is a dream come true.
“This has been a goal for me since starting hockey in Powell River when I was a kid,” said Hunter. “I’m really excited to get going with the team and I’m really looking forward to camp.”
Over the past two seasons, Findlater has played for BC Major Midget League’s North Island Silvertips. Last year, he earned a point per game, with 20 goals and 20 assists in 40 regular season contests. The Nanaimo-based Silvertips missed the BCMML playoffs, but his point total put Findlater at the top of his team’s scoring, and 28th overall in the league.
The 5’10”, 170lb winger played 11 games with the Kings last season as an affiliated player (AP), including an extended stint in the playoffs. “Everything in the playoffs is so fast and physical, and I think that experience last year will really help me out this season,” explained Findlater, who generated a number of chances around opposition nets during the Kings’ playoff run. “I’m really happy with how I did in the playoffs, and was disappointed we couldn’t go further, but that experience is going to be huge for me this year.”
“We’ve been following him for the last couple of years. He obviously AP’d with us last year and played quite well in our games,” said Kent Lewis, Kings head coach and general manager. “We felt as an AP he was a good part of our club last year and we’re happy to have him this season.”
Lewis added that he is happy to add a player to the Kings roster with an intimate knowledge of the team. “He knows what we’re about. He’s familiar with the program. He’s seen it from the inside out from both playing with us last year, and being around it since he was a kid.”
Findlater will spend the summer in Powell River, getting ready for camp in late August. “I want to try and get bigger and stronger, be harder to knock off the puck,” said Findlater.
Powell River Kings Main Camp begins in late August, with the season opening up at the BCHL Showcase in Chilliwack, September 19-21.
“His speed is what’s going to help him make the transition from Major Midget to Junior A,” Lewis said. It’s a view shared by Findlater, “I also want to try and get faster…just make sure I’m ready to go for camp.”
