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In the weeks leading up to the start of the 2024-25 season, we will go team-by-team to profile new players entering the league, as well as offseason acquisitions through trades. We speak with the coach/GM of each team to get their thoughts on the new crop of players.
Next up are the Powell River Kings.
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The Powell River Kings missed the playoffs in 2023-24 after finishing ninth in the Coastal Conference, three points back of the final spot.
With a number of new recruits in place for the upcoming year, the Kings are looking for a bounce-back season and a return to the playoffs. We discuss the new additions with assistant general manager Stephan Seeger Jr.
New recruits
Niccolò Mansueto (2004, F)
Hometown: Verona, Italy- Previous team: Lugano (U20-Elit)
Mansueto spent the past five years in the Lugano system in Switzerland and was the under-20 team’s leading scorer in 2023-24 with 50 points in 48 games.
Seeger’s scouting report:
“Niccolò is like a compact SUV. He’s 6-foot-1, about 195 pounds and he’s not afraid to throw the body. He plays with a lot of passion and he’s a guy who’s got a pretty nice release on him. He can shoot the puck. He should bring offensive skill to our lineup.”
Brendan Giles (2005, F)
Hometown: Ridgefield, Conn.- Previous team: Brunswick School (USHS-Prep)
Giles played the past three seasons at Brunswick and, in 2023-24, he led the team in both goals, with 39, and points, with 68 in 34 games. He also played in 17 games for Powell River last year, but returned to school partway through the year to get his diploma.
Seeger’s scouting report:
“He came in as a tryout guy and earned a spot and just kept earning more and more respect from the staff last year. We’re really excited to have him back here. He absolutely destroyed prep school when it came to points. I think he’s going to be a nice all-around forward for us this year.”
Joel Purdom (2004, F)
Hometown: Winnipeg, Man.- Previous team: Selkirk Steelers (MJHL)
Purdom played the previous two seasons with Selkirk in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League where he totaled a combined 69 points in 103 games.
Seeger’s scouting report:
“We’re trying to strengthen our lineup down the middle and we saw some stats on Joel that were just ridiculous. He had something like a 67 per cent win rate on faceoffs last year, which is pretty much unheard of. The more and more we watched his film, specifically on the faceoffs, it was pretty unbelievable what he could do. As we did a deeper dive into what he was like as a player, we saw that he’s a constant Energizer bunny. In his last 10 games, I think he had nine power play goals, so he can score too. He’s no stranger to being five feet in front of the net.”
Calvin Beard (2005, D)
Hometown: Southborough, Mass.- Previous team: St. Mark’s School (USHS-Prep)
In his third and final year at St. Mark’s, Beard was the team’s top-scoring defenceman with 44 points in 28 games.
Seeger’s scouting report:
“Calvin fits our idea of getting bigger on defence this year, but still keeping that skill and offence that the BCHL is is known for. He’s a 6-foot-2, 195-pound, smooth-moving defenceman out of prep school. I think he’ll be a pretty good two-way effective guy for us.”
Elliot Pratt (2005, G)
Hometown: Toronto, Ont.- Previous team: Camrose Kodiaks (AJHL)
- College commitment: Robert Morris University
Pratt played his rookie season in the Alberta Junior Hockey League last year, split between the Sherwood Park Crusaders and the Camrose Kodiaks. He owned a record of 8-10-1 in 22 appearances. In the playoffs, he stepped up his game and posted a .942 save percentage in eight postseason contests for the Kodiaks.
Seeger’s scouting report:
“Last year, as an 18-year-old, he had some pretty good numbers with Camrose, even though they were kind of a bottom-end team in that league. He kept them alive in the playoff hunt. We really like his compete level. He’s enormous at 6-foot-4. It doesn’t look like there’s a lot of net to shoot at on him. He just plays with a lot of calm composure, which I think will be something good to add to our goalie trio.”
Tre Peck (2007, F)
Hometown: Long Lake, Minn.- Previous team: Totino-Grace High School (USHS-MN)
In this third year at Totino-Grace, Peck averaged a goal per game with 26 in 26 contest to lead the team. He was also their leading point producer with 45. Peck played in two games with the Kings as an affiliate, scoring in his first game with the team in a March 9 matchup with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
Seeger’s scouting report:
“He kind of reminds me of a hybrid between [former NHLers] Nathan Gerbe and Martin St. Louis. He’s the little guy who just keeps ticking and I mean that in the most respectful way possible. He is short, but he is not small. He’s built like a shed and he’s absolutely fearless.”
Michael Mardula (2007, F)
Hometown: Lemont, Ill.- Previous team: Little Ceasers (16U AAA)
Mardula put up exactly a point per game last year at the under-16 level, notching 19 goals, 25 assists and 44 points in 44 contests. He got into four games with Powell River last year as an affiliate and scored his first BCHL goal in his first game on Dec. 15 against the Surrey Eagles.
Seeger’s scouting report:
“He’s got the character that you want all your guys to have. He’s always a walking ray of sunshine. He’s just excited to learn and excited to be at the rink. He loves hockey and, on top of that, he’s got a heck of a lot of skill for a young guy. He’s someone who we’re happy to be able to have this year and start to develop. Both Michael and Tre Peck each scored in their first AP games with us last year, so we have high hopes for both of them. They get along well and we’re hoping that they can be creative, hopefully together in the lineup. That would be a pretty cool thing to see.”
Axel Löfgren (2005, D)
Hometown: Luleå, Sweden- Previous team: Luleå HF (J20 Nationell)
Löfgren played his entire junior and youth hockey in Sweden prior to this year. He had four goals, six assists and 10 points in 45 games at the J20 level last year.
Seeger’s scouting report:
“He’s a big kid at 6-foot-3, about 215 pounds, who can skate like the wind. It doesn’t make sense how he can skate that way being as big as he is, but he does it. He should be another big minute-eating defenceman.”
Kurt Gurkan (2004, F)
Hometown: Darien, Conn.- Previous team: Drayton Valley Thunder (AJHL)
- College commitment: Yale University
Gurkan brings two years of experience in both the BCHL and the Alberta Junior Hockey League. He began his junior career in 2022-23 with the Vernon Vipers where he had five points in 19 games before being traded to the Blackfalds Bulldogs. He split last year between Blackfalds and Drayton Valley and tallied 25 points in 44 contests.
Seeger’s scouting report:
“He’s like a mister all-around – he just does everything consistently. You know what you’re going to get from Kurt all the time and he has a really strong yearning to learn more about the game. He wants to be going into video. He wants to be shown different systems. He wants to learn. ‘Hey, what’s going to get me to the next level?'”
Sam Grabner (2004, D)
Hometown: Ottawa, Ont.- Previous team: Merritt Centennials (BCHL)
Grabner played in 37 games for Merritt last year and contributed a goal and two assists. The year prior, in his first full season of junior hockey, he put up 13 points in 45 games for the Ottawa Jr. Senators of the Central Canada Hockey League where he won a league title and played in the national championship tournament.
Seeger’s scouting report:
“Coming from Merritt and knowing what it’s like to be part of a small community team will bring a lot of good and mature experience to our locker room. We also like that he brings championship pedigree from his time with the Jr. Senators. He’s a big guy that’s going to eat a lot of minutes for us.”
Ben Wright (2005, F)
Hometown: Mill Bay, B.C.- Previous team: Merritt Centennials (BCHL)
Wright played for three different teams last year, starting with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League, moving on to the Estevan Bruins of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and then finishing with Merritt of the BCHL. He had nine points in 34 games with Estevan and four assists in 13 games with Merritt.
Seeger’s scouting report:
“He came highly recommended on the character side of things from [former teammate] Sam Grabner and a few of the other Merritt boys that we talked to. The composure is one thing that we really like with Ben, as well as his experience. He’s a 6-foot-4 power forward and he is a presence when he’s out there. Even just seeing him on the ice standing there, never mind when he’s coming at you full speed, is something to be accounted for. You always have to watch out for what he’s doing out there.”
Cooper Flemming (2005, G)
Hometown: Hammonds Plains, N.S.- Previous team: Salisbury School (USHS-Prep)
Flemming appeared in 43 games for Salisbury over the past two years, while also playing with the Springfield Thunderbirds 18U program.
Seeger’s scouting report:
“He’s a big and very raw goalie who likes to challenge shooters. He likes to be up on the crease and to be competitive. He does a good job of handling second and third opportunities when they’re there. He’s a fighter to the end. The puck is either going to end up underneath him or he’s going to the very end in sprawling positions to make saves.”
Photo credits: Mauro Cantamessi Photography (Mansueto), Dan Hickling (Giles, Mardula), Oliver Åström (Löfgren), Renegades Photography (Gurkan), Liz Wolter (Grabner)
