The Powell River Kings are pleased to announce the commitment of 2001-born defenceman, Ben Wozney from the Burnaby Winter Club.
The 6’2, 165lb blue liner from New Westminster played 34 games for Burnaby last season, scoring 7 goals and assisting on 21 others. Wozney also got a taste of the BCHL this season, dressing with the Prince George Spruce Kings in a game against the Langley Rivermen.
“Coming out of my season this year, I wasn’t really sure where I was going,” said Wozney. “To get it done with Powell River is very exciting, they had a good run last year and it wasn’t a hard decision to choose Powell River.”
For Head Coach and GM Tyler Kuntz, Wozney is a big addition to an experienced Kings blue line.
“We’re excited to get Ben for this season. He’s got a good skill set with his size and his skating, there’s a lot to work with there” says Kuntz. “He always plays with his head up, he’s an intelligent player and the biggest thing is that he wants to be a hockey player, not just the idea of being a hockey player. There’s a big difference.”
Wozney is keen to contribute in Powell River at both ends of the ice, however realizes that the jump to Junior A is substantial.
“Next year, I really just want to contribute,” said Wozney. “My game overall is being a puck moving defenceman with good vision, I can contribute defensively and offensively and I think the offensive game will come in Powell River with time and experience.”
Wozney is due to join his new team mates ahead of Main Camp in August, before the season kicks off in early September. Between now and then, Wozney is focused on closing the gap between prep school and Junior A hockey.
“It’s a big jump to the BCHL so I’m just focused on getting better to be able to make that jump,” said Wozney. “It was good to see how I stack up against those guys (when AP’d with Prince George), I could see how big the guys were, how fast everything was so this off-season is all about getting bigger, stronger, faster.
The Powell River Kings are holding their annual Spring Camp in Kamloops from May 11th to 13th, 2018. Registration information is available at powellriverkings.com/2018springcamp.
A special Early Bird rate for 2018/2019 Season Tickets is also available until May 25th. Renewals must be processed via the Kings office, open 10am – 4pm weekdays. New purchases can be done online by visiting tickets.powellriverkings.com.
