FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JOHNSON SIGNS WITH SMOKIES
Trail, British Columbia (December 8th, 2017) – The Trail Smoke Eaters are pleased to announce the commitment of 2002-born Kent Johnson for the 2018-2019 season.
Johnson, a forward, currently plays for the Burnaby Winter Club Academy Midget Prep team alongside other Smokie commit Sean Donaldson. The native of Port Moody, BC has had a productive season to date posting 26 points in 20 games which ranks him third in team scoring as a first year midget-aged player and was a much sought-after recruit across the league.
Head Coach and General Manager, Cam Keith saw Johnson play first-hand earlier this season and came away impressed. “Kent thinks the game at an elite level. When you watch him play, [Johnson] makes right decision after right decision, with and without the puck. Impressive at any age, let alone as a 15-year-old rookie in that league.” Keith went further saying, “[Johnson] has the head, the heart and the hands to one day develop into an elite player in the BCHL, with that day coming sooner rather than later.”
Johnson visited Trail last week, when he suited up for the Smoke Eaters for an away game against Vernon and a home game against Merritt where he did not look out of place against players up to 5 years his senior.
Kent had a very positive experience during his visit to Trail which helped solidify his decision. “My time in Trail was an awesome experience for me; seeing the amazing facilities, as well as getting to play in such a great hockey town in front of the best fans in the BCHL, in an awesome rink. After this experience I was sure I wanted to play for Trail. I’m very excited to get to play for this historic franchise next season,” said Johnson.
The Smoke Eaters organization would like to welcome Kent and his family to our team and look forward to following his progress for the remainder of this season with the Burnaby Winter Club and are excited to see him wear a Smoke Eaters uniform next fall.
