PRINCE GEORGE – The Prince George Spruce Kings are excited to announce the commitment of centre Zach Zapanta (’05) for the 2023-24 BC Hockey League season.
A product of Richmond, BC, Zapanta has been spending the last five seasons with St. George’s in Vancouver, BC, playing in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. The 2022-23 season marks his second year playing on the school’s U18 Prep team. This season, he has scored six goals and 14 assists (20 points) in 21 games played and leads the team in overall points.
Last season, playing as a 16-year-old, he scored 13 goals and 24 assists (37 points) in 36 games at the U18 level.
“I am thrilled and honoured to be part of the Prince George Spruce Kings,” said Zapanta on his commitment. “Throughout the recruitment process, all the staff were very welcoming and transparent about the program. I’m excited to take and further my skills at the BCHL level with the Spruce Kings.”
Zapanta approaches the game with the intention of being a playmaker, being a point-per-game player throughout his prep school career. In 121 career games at St. George’s, Zapanta has tallied 149 points (61 goals, 88 assists). When it comes to postseason performance, the forward has scored 14 points (eight goals, six assists) in eight games throughout his career at St. George’s.
“Zach is a very good young man and a hard-working player with skill who possesses the attributes we look for in a Spruce Kings player,” said Spruce Kings General Manager, Mike Hawes. “We look forward to adding him to our team next season.”
When recruiting Zapanta, the Spruce Kings staff recognized the 17-year-old forward as a player that would bring an unprecedented work ethic to the team in Prince George.
“Zach is a tremendous young man from a great family who is a tenacious forward,” stated Spruce Kings Assistant General Manager, Craig Carter. “He possesses a high hockey IQ and skill set. Zach is the type of player every team wants coming from the St. Georges program under Tyler Kuntz. He does all the little things well and drags his teammates into the fight every shift. We are very excited to officially add Zach for next fall.”
The Spruce Kings would like to welcome Zach to the family and look forward to seeing him complete the 2022-23 season with St. George’s before joining us in Prince George ahead of the 2023-24 BCHL season.
