The bobcat is known throughout the animal kingdom as an adaptive and elusive predator. Resiliency has allowed the species to thrive, even today, in the face of man’s destructive impact on the environment. These characteristics help to make the bobcat an animal to be admired, but it also begs the question: does anyone know what kind of noise these creatures make?
Prince George Spruce Kings defenseman Zach Davies doesn’t have a clue about bobcat sounds, which is probably normal for a guy his age. But he does share a few of the animal’s positive qualities – and the connection is set to intensify. Next fall, Davies will head south to Quinnipiac University, home of the highly-acclaimed Bobcats hockey program. The Division I school, located in picturesque Hamden, Connecticut, is renowned both educationally and athletically throughout North America. Qunnipiac has become a haven where many former BCHL stars have thrived and Davies appears poised to continue that trend. Davies, a six-foot, 175 pound defenseman began playing hockey at an early age. “My family got me involved when I was four or five,” said Davies. “It was the family thing to do from a young age.” Hailing from Smithers, B.C., Zach became immersed in the game throughout his minor hockey career and quickly developed a love for the game. “Great friends, great teams and we had a lot of success,” Davies recalled. Smithers, which is located in northwest British Columbia, is home to approximately 5,400 residents. Zach cites playing in the Civic Centre as a huge thrill growing up. Originally built as an aircraft hangar in the 1940s, the arena has a unique atmosphere. “It gets really loud in there,” said Davies. “It’s a fun place to play.” Davies honed his craft throughout his youth and regards Vincent Lecavalier as a player he admired growing up. And it was as a forward that Zach was identified by the Spruce Kings and became a target of the British Columbia Hockey League franchise. “His skating ability, on-ice vision, work ethic and competitive nature are a few of the attributes that we saw in him,” said Prince George head coach and general manager Ed Dempsey. “He had the complete package.” Zach joined the Spruce Kings up front for the 2006/07 season, but due to a number of circumstances was later shuffled to defense, where he thrived. “We originally had him pegged as one of our top three forwards,” said Dempsey. “But we had a number of injuries and Zach had the size and skating ability to play D.” Such a drastic change of position, especially at a later stage of development, could be damaging for some players. But for Zach, it was a smooth transition. “He handled it well,” said Dempsey. “He’s an intelligent player and such a great skater that we thought there wouldn’t be any problems moving him.” Prince George hosted the RBC Royal Bank Cup in 2007, meaning that the Spruce Kings qualified automatically for the event. The entire 2007 run was a huge thrill for Zach, who points to the experience as his career highlight thus far. Being a rookie though, he does admit that he may have taken the whole run for granted. “Everything came so fast,” said Zach. “It’s so hard to get there, but it’s something I’ll never forget.” Playing in the RBC Royal Bank Cup, Canada’s National Junior A Championship, is an honor that few players get to experience. Young men only play for a maximum of three or four years and with only five teams qualifying each season and over 137 teams Canada-wide, it’s a rare accomplishment. The Spruce Kings placed second in 2007, earning themselves a silver medal, but Zach hungers for the gold and the prestige of playing in the finals again. The 2007/08 season saw Zach have a breakout year offensively. He notched 11 goals and 33 points and truly established himself as an offensive threat in the league. Most notable amongst his stats were the ways in which he scored. He produced three times on the power play and twice shorthanded, proving that he is a special teams threat. On top of that, three of his goals were game winners. The season saw Davies begin to realize his offensive potential and his true ability to control the pace of a game. “Zach is a very fluid skater and sees the ice extremely well,” said Ron Gallo, voice of the Spruce Kings. “He can turn a defensive situation into an offensive opportunity with ease. He can change the pace of a game and dictate the flow of play when he is on the ice.” 2008 may end up being known as the year of the election in North America. Canada recently went to the polls, our neighbors to the south are choosing a new President and there are numerous municipal votes occurring in the coming weeks as well. A less publicized election of sorts occurred within the Spruce Kings organization at the start of the season. Indeed, the team held a vote to determine a new captain with Davies being the unanimous winner. “I was pretty happy to be named the new captain,” he said. “It’s a special honor and it means so much to be voted in by the guys.” “Zach is an ambassador of the game and represents the Spruce Kings organization extremely well both on and off the ice,” said Gallo. “He is well liked and respected by players, coaching staff and fans alike. Zach is a true inspiration for hockey in the north.” Zach calls himself a “quiet leader” and prefers to lead by example. “He’s a tremendous leader who does all the little things right,” said Dempsey. “He’s a character guy who’s well thought of, seldom makes mistakes and is a huge presence in our dressing room.” This current season has the Spruce Kings fighting in a logjam atop the Interior Conference. Zach is off to a spectacular start personally, averaging over a point a game. In order to take the next step, the Spruce Kings must “play with a little more grit” according to Zach. He also noted a need for more offensive urgency if the Spruce Kings hope to climb in the standings. The move to Quinnipiac University is one that Zach is very much looking forward to. “They have a great hockey program and are very good academically,” said Davies. He also pointed out that the school has a number of former BCHL players on their squad, which should make it easier to adjust to his teammates. Zach is hoping to work towards an education degree while at Quinnipiac and said that becoming a teacher is an eventual goal. He also cited a strong interest in history and hopes to delve deeper into that particular subject while at university.For now, though, Zach will continue to contribute to the Spruce Kings as they work their way to another RBC Royal Bank Cup appearance. In the meantime, maybe Zach could try and find out for sure just what type of noises bobcats make. It’s knowledge that could serve him well this coming September.
Ben Lypka's bi-weekly player and team features will appear Tuesdays during the BCHL regular season and playoffs.
