It was not that long ago we saw the Saint John Kings wing off a record setting winning streak. Being 1 season removed from a season where the Kings and the Saint John faithful appeared destined to roll the competition and grasp another ODBHL Cup, we saw a stumble, a playoff falter you might say. This playoff gaff came after knocking out a very talented young Miramichi Moose team, then showing the playoff exit door to Cains River Blues and their overly enthusiastic mosquito population. We then saw the Kings face the South Esk Scotsmen in what can only be described as a traumatic event to the fans in the Loyalist City. The Kings rushed out to a 3-1 series lead and like the waves of the great Bay of Fundy, they were rolling, then it happened. The Scotsmen forced the Kings to overtime in a potential series clinching game 5 where the Sou’s Nick Suzuki squeaked one by Logan Thompson for the win. This was the goal that turned the tide and inevitably shot Suzuki to the top of the Saint John alumni's most hated list. Things then unraveled to see South Esk come back and bury the Kings Cup dreams with a game 6 overtime win and an embarrassing defeat in game 7.
Fast forward 44 games and the Kings are not quite in the position the management had envisioned. Even after overcoming a horrendous first 20 games where the team sat 9th in the league, the GM John Kenny felt there was something missing. With less than 2 weeks until the trade deadline, Kenny was afforded the opportunity to make change when an intriguing trade offer crossed his deck from South Esks Shannon Goodfellow. In an attempt to pry a young talent David Legwand, the Scotsmen were monitoring for a while , the forward Nick Suzuki as the centerpiece to an exchange. After days of consideration on how the fanbase would react Kenny did pull the trigger on the deal sending 20 year old centre David Legwand and winger Vitali Kravtsov to South Esk for the Suzuki brothers Nick and Ryan as well as 21 year old forward Wyatt Johnston. When asked about the trade, GM Kenny said “ He (Nick Suzuki) was an integral part of the Scotsmen victories and I see where he can help solidify our wing, giving us a little more defensive support up front for our goaltending tandem. This is a win now deal which I want to see pay off and hope after Nick helped dash our dreams last season, he can help make them come true this season!”
This trade truly is a surprise to see as a Kings fan and for the teams sake and the sake of Kenny's reputation, it really needs to come out as a positive
Irwin P Freeley
Telegraph Journal
1/14/2026 - 470 words
