Local players fuel Ravens’ hockey

The Seattle Ravens, a new U.S. junior hockey team in Kent, plans to give local teens a chance to improve their skills by playing at a higher level.

Andrew Bell, 15, of Auburn, and Ben Lehfeldt-Ehlinger, 18, of Renton, are grateful for the opportunity.

“For me to play locally is a huge thing,” said Lehfeldt-Ehlinger, a senior at Lindbergh High School in Renton. “I know I could have gone other places and played and done fairly well, but for me it is the friend group (here), and I love Seattle.”

For Bell, leaving the area to play isn’t really an option right now.

“I’m 15,” said Bell, a student at Auburn Riverside High. “My parents are not going to send me away. It isn’t going to happen. There aren’t too many options to play this high of level locally.”

The Ravens are one of seven Northern Pacific Hockey League (NPHL) teams throughout Washington and Oregon.

About two-thirds of the Ravens roster is composed of local talent, said Ravens general manager Adam Speer.

“They come from everywhere, from Puyallup to Seattle, Issaquah to North Bend,” Speer said. “They are really some of the best young players that grew up in our region.”

The Ravens take to the ice Friday for their opening game against the Eugene Generals at the Kent Valley Ice Centre, 6015 S. 240th St. The Ravens face the Generals again on Saturday. Both games start at 6:35 p.m.

Tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for students and seniors and may be purchased at the door. Food and beverages will be sold at the On the Edge Cafe.

“This is a great, affordable family night out,” Speer said.

Following the games, there will be a public skating session, and several Ravens players will skate with their fans.

“Fans can get a chance to get to know them,” Speer said.

Speer said his team is ready for its first regular-season game. The Ravens beat the West Sound Warriors in Bremerton last Saturday night in a preseason matchup.

“The talent that we have should be very strong in the league, so we are looking forward to getting things going,” Speer said.

Lehfeldt-Ehlinger said the team is excited about the first game.

“I think the nerves will set in probably minutes before the game,” he said. “Right now we are not too worried about it.”

Lehfeldt-Ehlinger and Bell started skating and showing an interest in hockey at age 3.

“My older brother started playing and my parents would bring me to games, and I guess when I was 3 I could tell that I liked it, so I strapped on the skates and took it up,” Lehfeldt-Ehlinger said.

When Lehfeldt-Ehlinger moved to the Seattle area from Indiana two years ago, he met Speer, who told him about the Ravens.

The Kent Valley Ice Centre has been Bell’s home throughout his hockey career. He played club hockey under Ravens coach Danny Lorenz.

“For the past few years, Adam and Danny have talked about starting a junior team here, and it started to become a reality when our core group at Kent started getting older,” Bell said.

The Ravens is a developmental team similar to the Seattle Thunderbirds but at a lower level. The NPHL is a Tier III league in U.S. junior hockey. The Thunderbirds play at the ShoWare Center and in the Western Hockey League, a part of the major junior level of the Canadian Hockey League, or the equivalent of Tier I U.S. junior hockey.

Tier III hockey is geared toward younger players who hope to develop their skills to go on to play at the college level or at a higher tier in the junior hockey system.Lehfeldt-Ehlinger, a defenseman, hopes to play collegiately after his stint with the Ravens.

“My dream is to play for the Air Force Academy,” he said. “I want to be in the military.”

Bell, a forward, wants to work his way through the junior hockey ranks,

“I would like to go play some junior hockey in Canada, B.C.,” he said. “I have some relatives up there.”

But for now, both young men are focused on making the Ravens first season a success.

“I think an above-.500 record would be a pretty outstanding goal,” Lehfeldt-Ehlinger said. “It will give us a benchmark of where we could line up with other teams.”

Bell said he thinks this year will be centered on building the team and adjusting to playing at a higher level. Only two Ravens have played junior hockey.

“I think this year is going to be geared toward developing a core group of players for this team,” Bell said.

“We have a lot of guys who will probably be here for one or two seasons, which will help,” Lehfeldt-Ehlinger added.

For more information, visit seattleravens.com.

Ravens upcoming home games

Eugene Fri, Sept. 25 6:35 p.m.

Eugene Sat, Sept. 26 6:35 p.m.

Bellingham Fri, Oct. 2 6:35 p.m.

Eugene Fri, Oct. 9 6:35 p.m.

Eugene Sat, Oct. 10 6:35 p.m.

Tri-Cities Sat, Oct. 17 6:35 p.m.