Drayton native Nick Spaling will take to the ice with the Kitchener Rangers on May 16 for his first ever Memorial Cup game.
The 10-day junior hockey tournament marks the culmination of the season for the Canadian Hockey League.
As this year’s hosts of the Memorial Cup, the Rangers had an automatic berth in the tournament. But, not wanting to take the easy road, the team battled hard to win the Ontario Hockey League championship in a thrilling 4-1 win over the Belleville Bulls in game seven of the series on Monday night.
Spaling, 19, finished fifth in OHL playoff scoring, registering 30 points in 20 games. His 14 goals secured him third place in that category.
In the first two rounds of the OHL’s Western Conference playoffs, the Rangers swept the Plymouth Whalers and the Sarnia Sting in four games. In the conference finals, the Rangers defeated the Soo Grey Hounds 4-1.
In the OHL finals, the Rangers jumped out to a commanding 3-0 series lead, only to lose three straight to the Bulls, forcing a seventh game on Monday night in Kitchener.
The Rangers outplayed the Bulls in that contest, outshooting Belleville 51-27.
After one period of play Kitchener led 1-0. In the second, Spaling scored the eventual game winning goal to make the score 2-0. The final was 4-1.
Spaling was selected by the Nashville Predators in the second round, 58th overall, in the National Hockey League draft last year.
In the 2007-08 regular season, he finished third on the Rangers and 29th in the OHL with 72 points (38 goals, 34 assists) in 56 games. The previous two seasons, Spaling tallied 59 and 25 points respectively.
In addition to his improving offensive skills, Spaling is also heralded for his defensive play, which has resulted in increased playing time over the past two seasons.
According to Hockey’s Future, a website dedicated to evaluating prospects, “Spaling has shown an impressive ability to be solid in all aspects of the game: offensive, defensive, and special teams.”
The evaluation continues to say he “has all the tools needed to be an effective – and valued – member of any franchise in a two-way or defensive checking role.”
The Rangers’ appearance in the Memorial Cup will surely be one of the greatest highlights in an already impressive season for Spaling, which included scoring a goal in the OHL All-Star game, and being one of 37 players picked to try out for the national junior team in December. He was eliminated in the early days of the try-out camp when he got mononucleosis.
The Memorial Cup kicks off on May 16 at 7pm, as the Rangers face off against the Gatineau Olympiques (champions of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League).
Next, the Rangers will play the Spokane Chiefs (champions of the Western Hockey League) on May 18 at 4:30pm, and then the Belleville Bulls on May 21 at 7pm.
The semi-final is scheduled for May 23 at 7pm, while the final is set for May 25 at 4:30pm.
All games will be played at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium and will be televised live on Rogers Sportsnet. For more information visit mastercardmemorialcup.com.
