Crawford keeps on Truckin' with the Panthers

October 6th, 2020
North Saanich, B.C.

Putting together a Hockey Club is exactly like cooking a big turkey dinner in a lot of aspects.  And for the Peninsula Panthers, having obtained the talented 17-year-old defenceman in Evan Crawford three weeks ago was like putting some gravy on the mashed potatoes.  Crawford had played his Minor Hockey mostly out of the George Pearkes Arena and although the Panthers had shown some interest in him the past two summers, the young rearguard decided to sign with the arch-rival Cougars Organization.

"We were disappointed that we were not able to convince Evan to come out here for the past couple of summers however once he ultimately signed with the Cougars, we simply moved on," explained GM Pete Zubersky.  "We did not give it a whole lot of thought until the Cougars contacted Brad and let us know that he might be available.  Apparently the Cougars' practice schedule did not work for Evan and Brad was able to close a deal in just a couple of days.  We could not be any happier."

The Panthers have an extremely young group and Crawford has fit in like a glove.  The Club has split a pair of early season games with the same Cougars Team and Crawford has probably averaged 20 minutes a game and has not missed a beat.

The youngster, who seems to be quite mature for his youthful age, had a few comments when discussing his situation.  “I was a late addition to the Panthers Roster but the minute I walked into the rink I felt welcomed by the Coaching Staff, Team Management and my new teammates.  I played my Minor Hockey with Saanich Braves/Victoria Admirals and have had the chance to play with some of these guys before especially, the defensive core.  This has made for a smooth transition in my role with the Panthers. I look forward to improving my game and working hard as a teammate. We have a solid group of guys and I am anticipating a successful season!”

Crawford is currently attending Claremont Secondary and is finishing off his Grade 12 year.  He works full-time during the summer months for Capital City Paving and grabs the occasional shift at times throughout the school year.  But his real love is his truck who he's tinkering away at trying to make it into a dream set of wheels.  He is an outdoor enthusiast and loves to go quadding.

Tippett on Crawford:
"Evan made a huge impression at our camp a couple of years ago. He stood out in a group who were mostly older players. The Cougars had also recruited him and he played a couple of games for them, and he had agreed to play for them this year. Sometimes things just don’t mesh and situations change. I got a call on a Thursday from the Cougars GM asking if we had interest. We came to a tentative agreement and 24 hours later, Evan joined the Panthers. I usually buy some lottery tickets on Fridays. This week I thought it would be a waste of money because one person only gets so much luck and I had used up all mine earlier in the day. He sees the ice well, anticipates the play and plays with extreme poise. He asks the right questions in practice. Evan has played with most of our defensemen in the past so he fits right in. He will be a go-to guy for us."

The Panthers are looking for Crawford to carry a big load for the Club this season when he is not dreaming of the perfect truck.