A decorated player will be joining the Prince George Spruce Kings, the season following their most decorated year.
The Spruce Kings acquired goaltender Jett Alexander from the North York Rangers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League in exchange for Future Considerations.
Alexander, a 6-foot-five, 215-pound product of Bloomfield, Ontario, joins the Spruce Kings after spending three seasons in the OJHL.
The Spruce Kings have acquired 2019 Ontario Junior Hockey League Goaltender of the Year Jett Alexander from the North York Rangers.
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— Spruce Kings (@SpruceKings) July 24, 2019
Coming to the BCHL was a step Alexander believed would be necessary for furthering his career following what will be his final year of junior hockey. Having passed on an opportunity to play in the CHL after being drafted by the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads in 2015, Alexander has had his eyes set on a scholarship south of the border.
“I never really wanted to go that route,” Alexander told MyPGNow on his CHL opportunities. “I had the option to but I decided to kind of bet on myself and try to go NCAA. I’ve talked to quite a few of schools over the past two-three years, and it’s just never been the right opportunity, right fit with any team so hopefully, this year, playing in Prince George, I get the right school looking at me.”
Coming to the BCHL was “priority number one” for the 19-year-old, entering his final year and feeling like North York was likely not going to be as dominant in the Ontario Junior Hockey League as they had been in years past.
With the Spruce Kings coming off a season which they won both the BCHL’s Fred Page Cup and the Doyle Cup with Logan Neaton between the pipes, Alexander isn’t comparing himself to his predecessor, who was drafted in the fifth round (144th overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft by the Winnipeg Jets.
“I know Prince George has had success in the past with goaltending but I don’t know exactly if I’m planning on filling those shoes. I think I’ll take my own path and be the best I can be for the team every night. I don’t want to think too far ahead with that, I just want to get there and start winning hockey games.”
Last season for North York, Alexander posted a 30-11-1 record with 10 shutouts, the most of any goalie in the league. On the year, he’d post 1.67 GAA to go with a .947 save percentage between the pipes. He was named the OJHL Goaltender of the Year as voted on by the leagues General Managers.
How Jett Alexander, how did you stop it?! #BelieveInNYR @OJHLOfficial @cjhlhockey pic.twitter.com/Tv8VVcL0t7
— North York Rangers (@OJHLRangers) November 30, 2018
The same year, he’d also be named the OJHL’s Most Valuable Player, making him a finalist for the CJHL Player of the Year Award, and a First-Team All-Star, all while posting the league’s best Goals Against Average and Save Percentage. Alexander was also a member of the 2016 Telus Cup championship team where he posted a 1.93 GAA in five games played.
“We are excited to add a proven veteran goalie like Jett to our team,” Spruce Kings GM Mike Hawes. “Over the past several seasons we have had not only great goaltending but tremendous young men fill that position for us. We will be continuing down that path with the addition of Jett. He is a great young man and teammate and is one of the premier goalies in the country.”
Coming halfway across the country, the sense of eagerness to come to the Northern Capital is prevalent.
“Don’t know a whole lot in depth about the organization, and obviously I don’t know everyone who’s a part of it, but I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone and getting to know what it’s like to be a Spruce King.”
Alexander will take his place in the crease when the Spruce Kings start their main camp in August.