Another big forward has committed to Powell River Kings for the upcoming 2017/2018 BC Hockey League (BCHL) season.
Mitchell Williams brings more of the physicality Kings head coach Kent Lewis has been looking for up front, something he said was missing from the team that lost the 2016/2017 BCHL Island Division final to Victoria Grizzlies four games to three.
“You get a big body that can play either the middle or the right side,” said Lewis. “He’s really starting to come into his own and brings some good physical strength below the circles at both ends of the ice. He’s a great kid and we need to be a little bigger and a little stronger.”
The 6-foot, 1-inch, 195-pound forward spent last season with Campbell River Storm of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League. Williams joins Trent Bell as the most recent players added to the Kings’ roster.
Lewis said Bell is also a physical and aggressive forward and that he expects the pair to take some time to develop and go through an adjustment period.
Hunter Findlater and Gavin Rauser were regarded as two of the team’s most consistent physical players last year for finishing hits and being good on the forecheck, according to Lewis; both forwards will return to the Kings lineup next season.
Lewis said more players in that mould are needed and Williams and Bell fit the profile.
“They play the game honest, but they play it right,” said Lewis. “Mitch is very good down low and very good at puck possession in both ends. Trent can bring a little bit of everything with speed and he’s a tenacious forechecker and finishes hits well.”
Williams said he is comfortable playing in the corners, has some finesse with the puck and also a mean grit to his game, but takes few penalties.
A big difference between the level Williams has been playing and the BCHL is the speed of the game. Lewis said he expects new players to the league to adjust.
“All players at that age who are good-sized, that is the number one focus.” said Lewis. “It is such a fast game now; you have to be able to move.”
Lewis said Williams is similar to forward Ben Berard, who played his rookie season with the Kings last year, and Rauser, who is entering his third season with the team.
