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Vees announce two roster moves ahead of CJHL trade deadline

Penticton Vees trade Kenny Johnson as part of two roster moves
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The Penticton Vees have dealt defenceman Kenny Johnson in a four-team deal to the Victoria Grizzlies just ahead of the Canadian Junior Hockey League trade deadline. Mark Brett/Western News

The Penticton Vees announced two roster moves Thursday, just ahead of the Canadian Junior Hockey League afternoon trade deadline.

The moves are the acquisition of 2000-born defenceman Evan McIntyre from the USHL’s Cedar Rapids Roughriders in exchange for future considerations and acquiring 1998-born forward Ty Pochipinski from the Cowichan Valley Capitals in a four-team deal that sees 1998-born defenceman Kenny Johnson go to the Victoria Grizzlies.

To acquire Pochipinski, the Vees swung a four-team trade that breaks down as follows; Penticton traded Johnson to Victoria in exchange for forward Lach Hadley and defenceman Jarrin Sutton. Sutton was then moved to the AJHL’s Grand Prairie Storm in exchange for forward Cruz Cote. Cote and Hadley were then traded to Cowichan for Pochipinski.

Related: Trade deadline looming for BCHL teams

McIntyre, from Oakville, Ont., has been with the Roughriders since the beginning of the season scoring twice and adding five assists in 23 games played.

Prior to making the jump to junior hockey, McIntyre spent two years at the prestigious St. Andrews College in Aurora, Ont., where he was teammates with Vees alumni Ryan O’Connell during the 2016-17 season.

“Evan is an elite skater with strong vision and play making ability,” Vees head coach, general manager and president Fred Harbinson said in a news release. “He has a strong track record of producing points over his career.”

Related: Vees bested 3-1 by Silverbacks

McIntyre comes to Penticton with an NCAA Division I scholarship to Merrimack College. He will make his Vees debut Friday when the Powell River Kings visit the South Okanagan Events Centre.

Pochipinski, from Colorado Springs, Col., spent two seasons with the Capitals leading them with 21 goals and finishing with 38 points in 58 games last year. In his BCHL career, he’s missed just one game and has 27 goals and 22 assists in 115 games with the Capitals.

He has spent the first half of the season at Colorado College, appearing in four games and scoring once.

“Ty is a strong two-way centre who will be a great fit into our locker room and will bolster the depth of our lineup, which will be essential for a long playoff run,” Harbinson said.

Pochipinski’s dad, Trevor, was a member of the Penticton Knights in the 1985-86 season recording 30 points in 42 games and helping the Knights win the National Championship. Pochipinski is expected to be in the lineup for Friday’s game.

“With the loss of two forwards for the remainder of the season, which would have left us with just 11 forwards when completely healthy, we had no choice but to move a defenceman,” Harbinson said. “The fact that Kenny is a 20 year old created a situation where he was the odd man out. This was by far the most difficult trade in my 12 years in Penticton, but it was a hockey trade that needed to be made. Kenny fortunately will land in a great spot in Victoria as he finishes his junior career.”

Johnson had spent the past two and a half seasons with the Vees, playing in 134 games recording five goals and 23 assists. He was a member of the 2017 Fred Page Cup team, but didn’t play in the playoffs due to injury.


 

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