The Prince George Spruce Kings have completed their coaching staff ahead of their title defence this season.
Prince George announced the additions of Jessie Leung as their new Associate Coach and Nick Drazenovic as the new Skills and Development Coach.
Jessie Leung is 34 years old and spent the last two seasons as the Associate Coach with the Trail Smoke Eaters. Prior to that, he spent six seasons with the Valley West Hawks of the British Columbia Major Midget League. Three seasons as an assistant coach and three seasons as the team’s Head Coach.
“I’m excited to add Jessie to our staff,” said Spruce Kings General Manager Mike Hawes. “I know that he will compliment Alex very well. Our discussions with Jessie over the past couple of weeks have been very good. His knowledge of the game is exceptional and I’m confident that he understands what our expectations are as an organization. Our organization has taken a lot of strides forward in recent years and adding a good coach like Jessie will help us continue down that path.”
“I’m excited to be joining a first-class organization in the Prince George Spruce Kings. As someone who watched the program from afar last season, I was impressed with the structure, execution, and accountability demonstrated throughout the team,” said Leung.
32-year-old Nick Drazenovic grew up in Prince George, playing his minor hockey here and then playing for his hometown Prince George Cougars for five seasons. After junior hockey, Nick played nine seasons of pro hockey in the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League.
Currently, he is the owner-operator of the prestigious Northern Elite Hockey where he uses his knowledge of the game to help develop young players.
“I’ve known Nick for a lot of years and am very proud and excited to add him to our coaching staff. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our group. The finer points of the game that he will be able to teach our players is going to be incredibly valuable. Individual player skill development is a very crucial component of the game and having a coach like Nick on board to assist our players with this aspect is a huge benefit for the program,” said Spruce Kings General Manager Mike Hawes.
“I’m excited to join the Spruce Kings and I’m excited to continue to help grow hockey development in the city that has given me so much,” said Drazenovic.