(Spruce Grove, AB) ? General Manager Rob Sklaruk and the Spruce Grove Saints are proud to announce that 2003 born defenseman Breck McKinley has signed a letter of intent for the 2020-2021 season.
McKinley, who hails from St.Albert, AB, is a fixture on the back end for his hometown Midget AAA St. Albert Raiders hockey team.
The 16 – year old rear guard currently sits 2nd in AMHL (Alberta Midget Hockey League) defenseman scoring and tied for 4th on his Raiders team scoring after compiling 3 goals, 15 assists and 4 penalty minutes in 23 games played this season.
The 5?9? 165 – pound defenseman is a highly sought-after prospect, having him commit to the Saints was vital in continuing the tradition of rolling out elite right shot defensemen like Matt Benning, Ian Mitchell and TJ Lloyd.
Saints General Manager Rob Sklaruk knew locking down McKinley was one of the top priorities on his list.
?Breck McKinley is a gamer, he reminds me a lot of a young TJ Lloyd, not the biggest guy but uses all the tools in his bag to his advantage.? Stated the 3rd year General Manager. ?His (McKinley) skating and passing is elite, he is thinks the game at an incredibly high level and he defends very well for his size. Breck was a can?t miss prospect for our team, we know that a lot of teams were calling and trying to recruit him. We are thrilled Breck and his family chose the Saints.? Sklaruk Finished.
McKinley, like fellow Saints commit Jayden Davis, is very familiar with Spruce Grove as he is an affiliated player with the reigning AJHL Viterra North Division champs. In 8 regular season games McKinley has posted 2 assists and 4 pims.
There is a burning desire to win in McKinley, Saints bench boss Bram Stephen has seen it and loves what he?s seen so far in the latest Saints recruit.
?Breck hates to lose, simply put, he?s a competitor through and through.? Exclaimed Stephen. ?He (McKinley) demands a lot from himself and that produces a very high compete level on a consistence basis, something that is rare at his age. With injuries to our back end Breck has stepped into our line up seamlessly and played a key role night in and night out in all situations.?
Stephen also noted the similarities in his game to former Saints captain and current Bowling Green Falcon TJ Lloyd.
?Breck?s intelligence and skating produces low fatigue levels which allows him to eat up a ton of minutes on the back end, it?s really impressive; very similar to a TJ Lloyd if we were to compare players? Stephen continued. ?Adding a player of Breck?s pedigree is huge for our team?s future. It?s been a pleasure for our coaching staff to work with him so far, we are excited to add him to the Saints family.?
The entire Saints organization would like to welcome Breck and his family to the team.
The Saints return for 2 home games this week. First, on Tuesday, which is the last Twoonie $2uesday of the year, Grande Prairie visits the Grant Fuhr Arena for the last time this season.
Then Friday is the CL 12 & PT 30 Memorial game where the Saints will honor former Saints and Humboldt Bronco players Conner Lukan and Parker Tobin. The very special night will include a pre-game ceremony, in game tributes and special 3rd jerseys that will be worn and auctioned off with 100% of jersey auction proceeds being given to Parkland County Victim Services.
Tickets for both games can be purchased online now at tickets.sprucegrovesaints.ca