Evan Orr will still be a King once the BC Hockey League resumes play, but the jersey he pulls over his head will be different for the 2020/2021 season.
Powell River Kings acquired the 19-year-old defender from Prince George Spruce Kings for future considerations earlier this month.
Powell River general manager Chad van Diemen said Orr, who has played two years of junior hockey, one in the North American Hockey League and one in Prince George, makes his team better.
“To add a veteran defenceman and make our team better was a pretty easy decision,” said van Diemen. “We’ve done a lot of homework and he is excited to be here. He is familiar with some guys on our team who he played with in the North American League.”
van Diemen said there will be some new faces patrolling the blueline for the Kings this year and the experience Orr brings to the club will be important.
“Anytime you can add a guy with a hundred junior A games to your blueline, that is a huge addition to our club,” he added.
Orr, who is from Detroit, contributed five goals and 10 assists last season in 52 regular season games with the Spruce Kings. He has committed to playing at Michigan Tech University in 2021/2022.
Kings also announced recent commitments from defender Joshua Wessels, who spent last season with Burnaby Winter Club’s U18 prep team, and forwards Ben Raymond and Caleb Parkhouse. Raymond is from Newton, Massachusetts, while Parkhouse is a product of the Powell River Minor Hockey Association.
Van Diemen said 25 players will be in Powell River by the end of September to prepare and practice for the upcoming BCHL regular season, which has been delayed and is tentatively set to begin in early December, with an exhibition tournament among Island Division teams currently in the planning stages.
