By Ethan Ready

First taste of Canadian Junior Hockey

Laylin feeling right at home with Spruce Kings

Jan 12, 2022 | 8:15 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – 20-year-old Luc Laylin has been a member of the Prince George Spruce Kings for over a month now. The St Michael, Minnesota product was acquired from the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League at the end of November and has quickly established himself among the team’s top forwards.

“I had a lot of interest in coming here. Some of my buddies from back home played in this league and [I] heard how good it was, obviously. I knew Prince George was a great place to be.”

In 14 games with the Lincoln Stars, Laylin finished with one goal and three helpers in 14 games played. Prior to joining the Stars, Laylin spent the 2020-21 campaign with the Minnesota Magicians of the North American Hockey League, finishing with 22 goals and 16 assists in 48 games played.

Laylin managed to score in his BCHL debut against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks back on Dec. 4 and has gone on to continue his point contribution as a point-per-game player.

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“The coaches are giving me a chance to play and I’m very thankful for that. And along with my teammates, they’re helping me get those points. We have some good finishers on the line I’m playing with, [Kolton] Cousins and John Herrington are really good at finishing. I feel like I’m doing a really good job at distributing the puck and we’re finding ways to score so we’re doing a good job there.”

Head Coach Alex Evin believes the addition of the 20-year-old not only brought success on the stat sheet but also boosted the leadership in the locker room as well, as the Spruce Kings find some consistency.

“He’s been good. The first part, he’s been really good in the room. He fits in how we want our guys to compete and act. He’s been first class in our locker room as an older player. He’s gritty, he gets into and engages battles. For him, as an undersized forward, that’s why he’s going to have success. And then he’s got some skill on him. So he’s able to create a lot of space on the ice. I’m not surprised he’s having immediate success with our group. He’s been a very positive impact so far.”