Spud Kings continue to be the hottest ticket in town and DJ MacLeish has added to the fun with a new team record

Allan Steele, EastIdahoNews.com

DJ MacLeish recently set the Spud Kings’ points record and continues to add to the mark. | Courtesy Steve Thayer.

IDAHO FALLS – At 3-years old, DJ MacLeish was already skating around with a stick.

At 5, he was competing in hockey at the local rink.

“It just clicked right away for me,” he said.

Of course, at that time the young MacLeish had no idea he would eventually grow up to become the Spud Kings’ all-time point scorer, but here we are.

At 19, MacLeish’s path, which started in his hometown of Troy, Michigan, eventually led him to Idaho Falls and into the record books.

“I just kept building my journey and falling in love with the game,” he said.
Like most of the Spud King players, MacLeish took to the sport early and played on several youth hockey clubs. He won a state championship on his AAA travel team, but continued to want more.

He joined the Spud King last season and played in 50 games, scoring 19 goals and totaling 47 points.

MacLeish started this season on the Aberdeen Wings, a Tier II junior team based out of Aberdeen, South Dakota, but eventually returned to the Spud Kings in early November.

“One day I woke up and it was ‘I miss Idaho,’ so I decided to head back here and it was the best decision I ever made in my life,” he said.

MacLeish admits he didn’t know much about Idaho before he originally joined the Spud Kings.

“I’m just going to go there and play hockey and go home at the end of the season,” he said.

But things changed.

“I never wanted to leave. I fell in love with this rink, this organization, and more importantly the fans … this organization and fan base is absolutely the best in junior hockey,” he said.

Entering this week, the Spud Kings are in first place in the Mountain Division of the National Collegiate Development Conference with 65 points and have already clinched a playoff spot. They’ve also drawn more than 100,000 fans to their home games.

As for the points record, MacLeish said he had no idea he was close to reaching the record.

“I didn’t even know there was a point record,” he said. “After that standing ovation from the fans I had the most chills ever. I was glad I was able to do it because this is my second home.”

He had a goal and two assists against the Casper Warbirds on Jan. 31 to break the record.

Since then he’s added two more assists and the Spud Kings have won four straight games, nine games overall.

MacLeish is eligible to play next season, so the points record could approach triple digits.

His longer term goal is to play NCAA Division 1 hockey.

“I’m going to do all I can to get there and push myself every single day,” he said.