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Salmon Arm Silverbacks bring in new forwards with trades

Team made deals with squads outside the BCHL for the new players.
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In a two-step trade announced on June 26, the Salmon Arm Silverbacks parted way with defenceman Devan Newhook and added forward Braden Fischer to the roster. (Salmon Arm Silverbacks photo)

After finalizing trades with teams outside the BCHL, the Silverbacks have announced a pair of off-season roster moves.

Most recently, the ‘Backs announced they would be moving 20-year-old defenceman Devan Newhook to the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Notre Dame hounds in exchange for Jayce Nikbaht. The team didn’t hold on to Nikbaht for long though. On June 26, the Silverbacks announced they would be trading Nikbaht and offering future considerations to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Winnipeg Blues in order to add 17-year-old Braden Fischer to their roster.

Fischer, a forward from Winnipeg, was named to the all rookie team of his home province’s Junior A league this past season. He is credited with 19 goals and 26 assists in 58 games.

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“Acquiring a dynamic player like Braden, who competes hard and has a scoring touch and junior experience, was something we felt we needed to add to our forward group,” said Silverbacks general manager Brooks Christensen.

“It’s never easy trading away a kid like Devan with his character. With our 20-year-old situation, we felt it was best to move Devan to a place where he’d have more responsibility and opportunity.”

A post on the Silverbacks’ website noted that Newhook only played 31 games last season due to injury, but described his leadership as invaluable.

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Earlier this month, the ‘Backs picked up another forward from out of province, trading D-Man Zach Gabruch and future consideration for 19-year-old Daniel Panetta.

Panetta had been playing for the Wellington Dukes of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. According to the Silverbacks, the new acquisition brings three years of junior hockey experience, including 48 Junior A playoff games, including a championship win with the Dukes in the 2017/18 season. He tallied 18 goals and 26 assists in 54 games last season.

“We believe Daniel is an addition to our roster that will impact our offensive side of the game,” Christensen said.

The announcement of the trade notes that Gabruch, who played his rookie season with the ‘Backs, had a defensive impact for the team, particularly on the penalty kill.



jim.elliot@saobserver.net

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Jim Elliot

About the Author: Jim Elliot

I’m a B.C. transplant here in Whitehorse at The News telling stories about the Yukon's people, environment, and culture.
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