Spruce Grove Saints General Manager Rob Sklaruk announced today 2004 born forward Liam Watkins has signed a letter of intent for the 2021-2022 season.
Watkins is captain of the Okotoks Oilers U18 AAA team who compete in the Alberta Elite Hockey League (AEHL) – formerly known as the Alberta Midget Hockey League (AMHL).
The 16-year-old forward led his team in scoring and was top 20 in AEHL scoring after posting five goals, two assists and two penalty minutes in five games played this season.
Liam will join his older brother Lucas, who is a defenseman with the Saints.
General Manager Sklaruk hopes to have hit another homerun with his newest recruit.
“Liam is going to be an exciting player for the Saints. He was a highly sought-after prospect, so we are thrilled about adding him to our organization.
Sklaruk continued, “I say it with all of our incoming prospects, but Liam has a high hockey IQ. That is a foundational piece of our prospect identification process. Liam is a total package player and comes from a great family.”
Listed at 6 feet and 181 pounds, the left shooting forward already comes with the physical attributes to be a power forward in the AJHL. He also comes to the team having already secured a college commitment to the University of Nebraska Omaha (NCAA Division l).
Saints Head Coach Bram Stephen had this to say about the incoming Watkins.
“I’m excited to have Liam join us next year. He has a ton of skill and plays the game the right way at both ends of the rink. Liam is one of those players where the game and puck seem to gravitate to him. This leads to the play centering around him almost every shift. Liam comes from a fantastic family that is grounded and hard working. We believe Liam will end up being an elite player at junior and beyond that.”
The Saints organization would like welcome Liam and his family (again) to the organization.