PHOTO: Chloe Garvey
Spruce Grove Saints General Manager Rob Sklaruk announced Wednesday the team has acquired forward Chris Battaini (’05) from the Powell River Kings in exchange for future considerations.
Battaini, 20, joins the Saints as the league’s current sixth leading scorer, registering 20 goals and 26 assists for 46 points in 35 games with Powell River this season. The 5’11”, 165-pound forward has been on a tear as of late, recently having a seven-game point streak snapped in which Battaini collected 10 goals and seven assists for 17 points over that stretch, including a hat-trick and five-point game on January 25th against the Surrey Eagles.
The Pittsfield, Massachusetts native is on stranger to Alberta, having suited up 16 games for the Sherwood Park Crusaders a season ago and has also seen stops in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Des Moines Buccaneers, Waterloo Black Hawks and Omaha Lancers over his junior hockey career.
“When the opportunity to acquire a player like Chris is available, it’s something we knew we needed to step on,” commented the Saints GM, “Chris has had an incredible season and will bring another layer of offense to our group. We believe with our existing group along with the additions of Josh Polak and now Battaini, we have one of the best forward groups in the league.”
The Saints are back in action for a rare Wednesday night affair as they host the Vernon Vipers at Thompson Family Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM with tickets available for purchase online at tickets.sgsaints.ca.
