The Powell River Kings are looking forward to the addition of University of Vermont commit, Dylan Finlay to their 2019/2020 roster.
The 2001-born, 6’1, 176lb Quebec native has spent the last two seasons with the Lac St-Louis Lions in the Quebec Midget AAA League where he racked up a total of 59 points in 82 games from the blue line.
“I think Finlay is going to bring some reliability and consistency to our backend,” says General Manager and Head Coach Tyler Kuntz, “He’s extremely mobile.
“When I spoke with his coach, he described Dylan as a huge hockey nerd. He can’t get enough of learning and being taught. This is how I coach, so I like hockey nerds, I have found that those types of kids often improve very quickly.”
Finlay enjoyed his time playing in Lac St-Louis saying, “I believe my time there has played an instrumental role on the player and person I am today. I don’t think there’s any better place to develop in midget hockey in Quebec, and maybe all of Canada. The coaching staff all really know what they’re talking about and if you look at the alumni and the seasons they’ve had in the past, it speaks for itself.”
Bringing Finlay onto the roster was a no-brainer for coach Kuntz, “We are getting a kid who will be around for two years and who will work extremely hard and be a good leader. His coaches have had great things to say about him as a person. Our recruiting with him started last November and he has done his research. He asked intelligent questions and I was very impressed not just by his play but by how mature he is, we are very excited to bring him in.”
When making his decision on coming out to BC to join the Kings organization, Finlay spoke with Kings alumni, Ryan Brushett, “We didn’t really know each other but I remember him from watching the Lions games when I was younger. We texted back and forth and spoke on the phone and he had great things to say about Powell River and he made me really want to play for the Kings.”
After speaking with Ryan and hearing about how coach Kuntz teaches, Finlay felt it was an easy decision, “I feel Coach Kuntz and my coach in Lac St-Louis, Jon Goyens are very similar in the fact that they are teachers first and they really care about player development which was very intriguing. Video sessions have helped me grow as a player and hearing how much Tyler likes to do video and how often he does it, really helped influence my decision.”
Finlay will be busy this off season trying to add a few pounds to his frame, “I want to gain more strength all throughout my body, in my core, my hips and my upper body to become a bit more of a physical presence out there.” Finlay will join his teammates in Powell River for main camp, starting August 19th.
