The Prince George Spruce Kings continue to tinker with their roster as their push to make the BC Hockey League playoffs begins to heat up.
The Spruce Kings have acquired the rights to 19-year-old defenceman Brendan Gillmore in a trade with the Blackfalds Bulldogs for future considerations.
Gillmore played for Blackfalds last season when they began the year in the Alberta Junior Hockey League and was also with the Alberta-based team when they made the split to the BCHL at midseason last year. He had three goals and three assists in that 41-game span.
The five-foot-11, 170-pound native of North York, Ont., moved on to the North American Hockey League this season with the Northeast Generals and was with the Fairbanks Ice Dogs when the trade was made to bring him to Prince George.
In 29 NAHL games he collected five goals and 13 assists.
"Brendan is a nice addition for us.” said Spruce Kings general manager Mike Hawes, “He is a smart player with a very good skill set who will add an offensive component to our back end. We’re looking forward to getting him into our lineup.”
A spot on the blueline became available when defenceman Evan Bellamy left last week to join the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League
Coming off a 7-5 loss Wednesday at home to the Surrey Eagles, the Spruce Kings have a break in their schedule with no games this weekend. They’ll begin a three-game Vancouver Island tour with a game Wednesday in Nanaimo against the Clippers, the team they need to catch to make it into the postseason.
The Spruce Kings (12-18-3-1, ninth place) are two points behind the eighth-place Clippers in the Coastal Conference standings. Nanaimo (14-17-2-0) has one game in hand over Prince George.
