The Trail Smoke Eaters are poised to take on the West Kelowna Warriors Friday night at the Trail Memorial Centre, but also announced they’ve secured some top-end prospects for the future.
The Smoke Eaters confirmed three BC Major Midget League commitments for the 2020-21 season with forward Zack Feaver and defencemen Ethan Willoughby from the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds, and defenceman Cameron Moger from the Okanagan Rockets.
Feaver is a three-year veteran of the Thunderbirds, and the 18-year-old from Chilliwack led the Thunderbirds to a 23-7-2 record while leading the team in scoring. Feaver sits third league wide with 41 points in 31 games. With 108 games played, Feaver was a part of the 2018 BCMML Championship team.
“Zack is a guy who competes every shift with skill and toughness,” said Assistant General Manager Jeff Urekar in a release. “He is a well rounded 200-foot player who sees the ice really well and has a strong hockey IQ. Being the captain this year, Zack leads by example and quickly stood out as a player we wanted in our organization.”
Willoughby, 17, is a six-foot-two, 200-pound d-man in his first season with the Thunderbirds, after playing last season with the Abbotsford Pilots of the Pacific Junior Hockey League (PJHL). As a member of the Pilots, Willoughby was named to the PJHL Prospects team, where he represented the Harold Brittain Conference. As a Thunderbird, he has three goals and nine assists this season.
“One of the first thing that stands out about Ethan is his size and strength along with his character. On the ice Ethan is a smart player, he has a very simple game but he does everything extremely well, he’s got a great first pass and is a top shut down defenceman matching up against other teams top lines,” said Urekar.
The six-two, 17-year-old Moger is the BCMML’s leading scorer for defenceman racking up 6 goals and 30 assists in 32 games this season for the Rockets.
Moger played one game as an AP for the Smoke Eaters this year against the Alberni Valley Bulldogs in November. The Vernon native also comes from NHL Lineage, as his father Sandy Moger, played over 200 games in the NHL with the Boston Bruins and Los Angeles Kings between 1994 and 1999.
“Moger is physical and is difficult to play against. He sees the ice extremely well and makes high level plays both offensively and defensively,” added Urekar. “Watching him at the Mac’s tournament, it was clear he was one of the best players on the ice. He’s got a strong Hockey IQ, and it shows in his ability to distribute the puck.”
The Smoke Eaters take on the 14-29-5-3 Warriors, who, with 36 points, are fighting for the sixth seed in the Interior Division with Prince George, 40 points, and Victoria, 41.
The puck drop goes at 7 p.m. Friday night.