There aren’t many players in the BCHL playing as well as Prince George Spruce Kings forward John Herrington.
Through nine games, the Hudson’s Hope, BC product has tallied 14 points on the strength of seven goals and seven assists.
“I am a lot more confident with the puck,” he explained. “My linemates are really helping me out a ton where we are all battling in the corners. I am getting lucky with shots going in because they are doing the work on most of my goals.”
Herrington is part of a trio that consists of playmaker Killian McGregor-Bennett and Kolton Cousins who are performing at a point-per-game pace.
PG is off to a 7-2 start in the ultra-tough Interior Conference thanks to Herrington and a host of others who boast the league’s top-rated power-play.
It’s been a quick rise to the top for Herrington who already secured an NCAA scholarship to Lake Superior State for the 2022-23 season.
“Lake Superior State is a small, community-feeling type of school. I am from a small town so going to a small community college is a perfect fit for me I feel like. When they offered it was kind of a no-brainer.”
With a commitment in his back pocket, Herrington aims to help take the BCHL’s northernmost franchise back to the Fred Page Cup.
After playing eight games as an affiliate player in 2019-20, Herrington became an important piece inside the Chilliwack pod last spring for the Spruce Kings, notching 14 points in 20 games.
Herrington notes the first few games were a bit of an eye-opener after making the jump from the Under-18 Cariboo Cougars program. “I was a rookie in the league last season and it was a bit of an adjustment coming to junior. But then I found that confidence and felt I was able to skate and move the puck a lot easier, and it went from there.”
Herrington is no stranger to the northern BC hockey scene. The 19-year-old had two successful seasons with Cariboo from 2018-20, amassing 61 points in 77 career games and becoming the team’s captain in his final season.
Prior to that, he cut his teeth at the Under-15 level with the Fort St. John Flyers from 2015 to 2017. His best season came in 2016-17, where he accumulated 34 goals and 50 points in 32 games.
From there, he made the jump to the NE BC/Yukon Trackers U18 AA program in 2017-18 and notched 26 points in 20 games. However, it’s the minor hockey days in his hometown of Hudson’s Hope that stick with Herrington to this day.
“In Hudson’s Hope, there was a lot of free ice time. Me and my dad would go out there for three to five hours a day and work on skating and shooting and that is what helped me come and be able to play on teams like the Spruce Kings.”
“It’s just house hockey there but we kind of built a little league with the surrounding communities and it was fairly competitive. We had fans for a house hockey game so it was a tight community and everyone supported each other.”
Photo credit: Chuck Chin
