The Powell River Kings are thrilled to announce the commitment of 1996-born winger Chris Protopolous for the 2015/2016 season.
From Verdun, Quebec, the 19-year-old Protopolous is a speedy and skilled winger. “Speed is one of the biggest aspects of my game” says Protopolous. “I use it to my advantage, but I also play gritty. My coaches also tell me to shoot lots, I have a good shot.”
For the past two seasons, Protopolous (pronounced Pro-top-olous) has played with the Dawson College Blues in the QCHL. Protopolous was better than a point per game in his 2nd and final year (41 in 35), totaling 35 goals and 24 assists in 68 games for the Blues during his time there. “I was very fortunate to be chosen for them in my first year (2013/14), and two years with the Blues really helped me develop my game and become one of the better players in that league” says Protopolous. “I’m coming out to BC to play junior to continue that development and hopefully attract attention from D1 scouts. A lot of people say that the BCHL is the best Junior A league in Canada, and I’ve been doing research on Powell River and it looks like a beautiful place with the ocean right there and a great place to play hockey.”
“An NCAA coach first bough Chris to our attention, and from there on out we’ve maintained a good dialogue with him. Chris flies around the ice, he’s very very quick and that’s going to be invaluable to establishing a good forecheck and backcheck, playing a 200-foot game.” says Kings Head Coach and GM Kent Lewis. “He’s offensively gifted and will slot nicely into our top 6. To find a player like Chris to help replace what we’re losing this off-season up front is a big positive for our club.”
The 5’9, 190lb Protopolous will spend the summer in his home province of Quebec, readying himself for a jump to Junior in September. “I need to work on being ready for that longer season, more games. I’ll be working on my conditioning, and of course wanting to get stronger and faster” says Protopolous.
The Kings held their annual Spring Camp over the weekend in Kamloops, watching over prospective Junior A players. Around 30-40 players (including recruits and eligible returnees) are expected in Powell River for Main Camp, beginning in late August.
