PHOTO: Damon James/BCHL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 28th, 2019
TRAIL, B.C. – The Trail Smoke Eaters Junior ‘A’ Hockey Club is pleased to announce defenseman Trevor Zins has committed to the St. Cloud State Huskies for the 2019/20 season.
Zins, 20, is coming off of a very productive second season with the Smoke Eaters, pacing the team in scoring from the blue line with 12 goals and 34 assists for 43 points, which also ranked him 4th among defenders in scoring in the BC Hockey League. The 6’1”, 188-pound rearguard finished the season with points in six of his last seven games and brings a bit of grit as well, adding 58 penalty minutes while playing in each of the 58-regular season contests for Trail in 2018/19.
The Saint Michael, Minnesota native amassed 15 goals and 44 assists for 56 points and 86 penalty minutes in 99 career regular season games while adding 3 assists in 11 playoff games a season ago. Zins will get to play close to home in suiting up for the Huskies next season with Saint Cloud, Minnesota located just 30 minutes away from his hometown of Saint Michael.
“Today is a great day for Trevor and his family,” stated Smoke Eaters General Manager and Head Coach Jeff Tambellini, “He has had an outstanding season leading our defensive group. As an organization, we are very proud to help a 20-year-old player commit to the number one ranked team in the NCAA. We know that Trevor Zins will have a great college career and we’re excited for him moving forward.”
“It’s top end hockey that will help me get better every day, the coaching staff is unbelievable and will help me develop on and off the ice,” commented Zins, “The resources that are in place there will help me get to the next level and play professional hockey at one point in my career.”
“I know a lot of the boys there on the team and with the campus being only 30 minutes from my hometown, it made my decision of St. Cloud that much easier,” continued Zins, “I grew up playing there in tournaments and practices and watching them turn into the program they are today.”
The St. Cloud State Huskies play in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and are currently ranked as the number one team in the Nation. The Huskies play out of the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center and are coached by Brett Larson, who has pushed St. Cloud State to a 23-4-3 record to this point in his first season as the bench boss.
The Smoke Eaters open the postseason on Friday night in Game #1 of their best-of-seven Interior Division Quarterfinal against the Merritt Centennials. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 PM from the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena with the game being broadcasted live on mixlr.com/trail-smoke-eaters as well as pay-per-view at HockeyTV.com beginning at 6:45 PM with the Voice of the Smoke Eaters, Trevor Miller.
