David Budgell carries the puck up the ice as a member of the St. Stephen County Aces during a Maritime Junior Hockey League game against the Valley Jr. A Wildcats last season.
Already a handful of former Kings stars signed for the season, St. Anthony native David Budgell — a power forward with the Kings before graduating from the ranks two years ago — is one of the hopefuls for this year’s edition of the western representative in the Newfoundland Senior A Hockey League.
The 20-year-old spent last winter playing with the expansion St. Stephen County Aces of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League, but opted to pack it in because he wasn’t having fun playing the game anymore.
He is now immersed in the books in his first year of a two-year forest technician program at College of the North Atlantic in Corner Brook.
Playing hockey with the hometown Royals with family and friends watching him is something he hopes comes to fruition. It also helps that he gets to continue playing the game at a competitive level and still prepare for the future with education on the top of his priority list.
A sturdy five-foot-11 winger who brings truculence to the rink, Budgell is hoping he can impress the coaching staff when he attends the team’s training camp later this month.
“It would be a relief I guess,” he said with a light chuckle when asked about what it would mean to wear the jersey. “You still got your friends and family around and you’re playing close to your hometown in your own province.”
Budgell, who lives with his brother Tim Budgell in Humber Village, has no regrets about his short stint on the mainland. He believes he learned a lot about the game and thought he matured as a person from being away from familiar faces and surroundings. He met some great people through his travels and there were some good moments despite finding out quickly that a change of scenery would be required because he wasn’t content.
“It was a good learning curve for me,” he said.
Now his focus is on making the team. If he does, expect a large contingent from St. Anthony to make the trek to the city to watch one of their own perform.
