The Surrey Eagles are excited to announce that 2001-born forward Buddy Johnson has committed to the team for the upcoming 2019-20 BCHL season. Johnson, a White Rock native, comes to the Eagles from the Delta Hockey Academy where he has spent the majority of his minor hockey career.
A proven goal-scorer, Johnson led his team last season with 22 goals in 32 games, finishing with 31 points. He later added 3 points in 3 playoff games. His 22 goals were good for 14th in the entire CSSHL, one spot lower than fellow Eagles commit Gabe Schovanek of the Pacific Coast Academy.
Living in White Rock and committing to play for the local BCHL team holds a special meaning for Johnson, who grew up watching the Eagles and admiring former players.
“Being a local guy, it makes things pretty exciting,” Johnson said in an interview with SurreyEagles.ca. “This has always been a dream of mine and I’m really looking forward to the season.”
On top of being able to stay close to home, Johnson chose to play in Surrey because of the connection that he felt with new head coach Cam Keith – and also the exciting, young roster that Keith has built over the course of the summer.
“When I first met [Cam Keith] I knew I could trust him and he seemed like a great coach,” Johnson said about his decision. “I’ve heard nothing but great things about him. I feel a lot of trust in the staff here. It just felt like a great place to develop, I felt very welcomed here.”
Although he doesn’t know many of the other players on the team personally, he’s excited to meet his new teammates and get the season going. The rest of the summer will be spent preparing himself physically for the challenge of playing BCHL hockey.
“I consider myself a 200-foot player. I like to be physical and be tough to play against. I’m definitely excited to play, but I know it’s going to be a lot faster. I’ve been working out every day and I’ve been running at the track a lot.”
Other recent Delta Hockey Academy products to play for the Eagles include Brandon Santa Juana and Max Mohagen. Johnson is looking to keep that success going – eventually culminating with a scholarship to an NCAA division I school.
“My goal is to get a scholarship,” Johnson explained. “I want to play as hard as I can here, and we’ll see where that takes me. The school route has always been the way for me. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone and having a great year!”
Welcome to the team, Buddy!
The Surrey Eagles exhibition schedule has been announced! Join us for three home games in August as the team prepares for the 2019-20 BCHL season. We will be hosting games at South Surrey Arena on August 24th, 27th, and 31st. Please click here for more details.
Don’t have your season tickets yet? Don’t worry, there’s still time! Purchasing season tickets gives you a discount of up to $250 compared to getting them from the box office, including many other perks on top of that. Click here for more details if you are interested in becoming a season ticket holder.
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