The Surrey Eagles are excited to announce that 2001-born defenceman Cody Hough has committed to the team for the upcoming 2019-20 BCHL season. Hough comes to Surrey from the Vancouver NE Chiefs program of the British Columbia Major Midget League. Hough is the third player to join the team out of last weekend’s spring identification camp.
Originally from Maple Ridge, Hough came up through the Delta and Yale hockey academies before spending the last two years with the NE Chiefs. He took on a leadership role this past season as he became an assistant captain in his second year. Hough has also appeared in six BCHL games as an affiliated player for the Coquitlam Express and Salmon Arm Silverbacks over the last two seasons.
Hough told SurreyEagles.ca that he will try to bring some of those leadership qualities over to his new team, but knows that making the jump to Junior A will be a difficult one; A jump that he feels playing in the BCMML has prepared him well for.
“Playing in the BCMML drastically improved my skills,” Hough described. “It allowed me to play against guys that were older than me. In my last season I was placed in a more leadership role, and that gave me a chance to really dominate on the ice.”
Through two different stints as an affiliated player, Hough has a pretty good understanding of what the BCHL game is all about. That experience allowed him to take a step back and make a conscious decision about which team would be the best fit for him. When head coach and associate general manager Cam Keith officially extended the offer at last week’s spring camp, he immediately accepted.
“Cam Keith showed a lot of interest in me. He told me about the direction that he wants to take this program, and it was really interesting to me. It’s close to home, so it’s definitely the right fit for me. The BCHL is also a league I grew up watching, and I’ve always considered it to be the best Junior A hockey league in Canada. It’s the best route for me because I want to go to college and get an education out of hockey.”
Hough’s commitment is the club’s seventh announcement of the offseason. The new-look Eagles team is shaping up to be very young, fast, and skilled – all things that excite the newest member.
“Having a young team is great, because that allows a lot of room for opportunity. Anything can happen when there’s room for young guys like me to move up in the roster. I think that I can fit right in because I’m a smart, puck-moving defenceman with some offensive ability. I have good vision and speed to help make quick plays.”
Now the long off-season is the only thing that stands in the way of him beginning his first full BCHL season. He’s anxious to get things going, but plans on putting in a lot of work between now and the beginning of main camp in August.
“I’m going to enjoy the off-season, but I’m eager to improve my skills ahead of main camp. I think in order to make the jump to the BCHL I need to work on becoming bigger, stronger, and faster, like any new player coming into the league – but I’m extremely excited to get the season going.”
Welcome to Surrey, Cody!
