Drayton native Nick Spaling is participating in his first Stanley Cup final series.
Spaling’s San Jose Sharks reached the final after eliminating the St. Louis Blues in six games in the NHL’s Western Conference final on May 25.
Spaling, who began the season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, joined the Sharks in a Feb. 22 trade. Spaling and defenceman Roman Polak went to San Jose in exchange for two second-round draft selections and minor leaguer Raffi Torres.
Prior to the trade, Spaling had recorded one goal and six assists in 35 games with Toronto. During the rest of the regular season in San Jose he added two goals and four assists in 23 games.
Spaling played in all 18 playoff games leading up to the final series, recording an assist and six penalty minutes and playing a prominent role on the team’s penalty killing unit.
On May 30, Pittsburgh won the opening game of final series by a 3-2 margin. Spaling was credited with two shots on goal and three hits in just under 12 minutes of ice time.
