(photo credit to Vicki Brown & the Prince George Spruce Kings)
BCHL

Cousins determined to help Kings get back to winning ways next season

Jun 25, 2020 | 3:35 PM

Despite the uncertainty of when next season will start for the Spruce Kings, players are beginning to prepare for the Fall.

For Sechelt product Kolton Cousins, he’s hoping to build off a strong first year in Prince George and help the team get back to their winning ways.

Cousins was acquired by the Spruce Kings early last season from the Cowichan Valley Capitals and joined a young core here in PG.

“My season, I think I earned my ice,” explained Cousins.

“I love the coaching staff. All of the teammates we really appreciated each other and really looking forward to next year.”

Result wise, it was a tough season for the group. But it was a year of learning and for the returning core, they can now build off and learn from their experiences from this past season.

“It’s going to be my 3rd year in the league. Time has flown by. I think we will have lots of leadership next year. The guys coming in with trades, I know they are great guys and pretty motivated too and with the younger guys, we can show them the ropes and make sure they are comfortable. I think we will have a good year next year and I think Prince George and Spruce Kings fans will be pretty happy with how we do next year.”

Like every other player in the BCHL, Cousins has been dealing with the challenge of training during the Covid-19 pandemic but has found ways to stay motivated and continue to improve.

“It has definitely been different for sure. I took 2-3 weeks off to hang out with the family. Then I obviously started training pretty hard. I think Covid was actually pretty good for me. I am pretty motivated and I just feel like that it made me train that much more. Say if I was bored I would go for an extra run or work on my speed. I think for training wise it has been good so far,” shared Cousins.

He also received some help from the community of Sechelt when it comes to his off-season training.

“The town of Sechelt has donated me a lot of equipment. That has been pretty cool and they have helped me out quite a lot. I owe a lot of my success to them.”

And even though there is no official start date for the 2020-2021 campaign, the 19-year-old is chomping at the bit to get back on the ice with the team.

“I think fans will love our on ice product,” said Cousins.

“If we have a tight group, I think that is huge for next year and everyone is a key piece to the team. I’m really looking forward to next year and it should be a good one.”

Cousins finished the 19/20 season with 4 goals and 5 assists, which was highlighted by a hat-trick on November 2nd against the Langley Rivermen.