Saskatchewan forward Blake Chorney received a belated birthday gift he won鈥檛 soon forget.
The 15-year-old hockey player has been signed to the Vancouver Giants, team general manager Barclay Parneta confirmed Wednesday.
鈥淎s an organization, we are thrilled to see Blake sign the education and development agreement with the Vancouver Giants,鈥� Parneta said.
鈥淗is talent, work ethic and dedication make him a great fit for our team. We believe he will be a key contributor to our success in the future.鈥�
Chorney, who celebrated his birthday last week, was the Giants first-round pick in the 2024 WHL prospects draft this month, 10th overall.
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The 5-foot-11, 182 pounder was a dominating force for Northern Alberta Xtreme (NAX) this past season, helping the program secure its second consecutive U15 Prep Western Championship in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League, with five goals and seven assists for 12 points in five playoff games.
His 12 playoff points were second amongst all skaters in the U15 prep division, trailing only teammate Jaggar John.
Chorney recorded 19 goals and 23 assists for 42 points in 24 games in the regular season, which were second on a very deep NAX team and just outside the top-10 in the U15 prep division.
The left-shot forward also scored four shorthanded goals during the 2023-24 season, which tied for the most in the U15 prep division.
鈥淚 would like to thank my family and friends who have supported me to get to this point,鈥� Chorney said.
鈥淚鈥檓 extremely thankful to be able to put this Giants jersey on and can鈥檛 wait to suit up for the G-Men in the future.鈥�
Prior to attending NAX for the 2023-24 season, Chorney played for the Lloydminster Athletics U14, where he produced 42 goals and 77 points in 32 games in 2022-23.
The Nipawin, Sask. product will play for the Saskatoon Blazers in the Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League for the 2024-25 season, who have won back-to-back league championships.
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