The Prince George Spruce Kings are pleased to announce that rookie forward Jeff Earnest has verbally committed to a four-year scholarship at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
UAF is an NCAA Division I school featuring a top-ranked engineering program and a top-ranked hockey program. The Nanooks play out of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), a twelve team division featuring such teams as Northern Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Bowling Green.
Currently playing in his first season with the Prince George Spruce Kings, Earnest has quickly shed the moniker of rookie picking up three goals and three assists along with 23 minutes in penalties through fourteen games.
Prior to joining the Spruce Kings, the Alaskan-born forward played for the San Jose Midget U-18 AAA Sharks, where he scored 17 goals, added 31 assists and picked up 76 minutes in penalties through 58 games. His fierce competitive style and offensive abilities are what led the University of Alaska Fairbanks to offer Earnest a scholarship for the 2011 season.
“This is absolutely perfect for me,” said Earnest. “I will be playing in my home state close to my family and friends for a school that has one of the best, if not the best, engineering degree programs. And the hockey is good too.”
“The entire Spruce Kings organization would like to congratulate Jeff on this early season accomplishment,” said Spruce Kings general manager, Ed Dempsey. “We are extremely proud to have a player with the calibre of Jeff. We had been watching Jeff for a couple of years and had brought him to a few of our camps. We knew that there were schools looking at him and for him to find a school that fits his needs will now give him the opportunity to continue to develop into a great forward in the British Columbia Hockey League.”
Jeff Earnest becomes the first player on the Spruce Kings roster to commit to a NCAA Division I school this year and is the fourth active player with a scholarship.
Jeff will follow in the footsteps of Spruce Kings alumni David Keough (2000), John Morlang (2001) and Kevin Petovello (2005), who is currently in his junior season with the Alaska Nanooks.
