EVERETT — The Everett Silvertips parted with some of their future youth to enhance their veteran depth Monday as the organization announced it had acquired 19-year-old defenseman Brycen Martin from the Saskatoon Blades.
Everett will also receive 2017 conditional third- and sixth-round draft picks in exchange for 16-year-old defenseman Jantzen Leslie, the rights to 16-year-old left wing Ryan Anderson and Everett’s 2017 second-round draft pick.
Martin was the third-round selection of the Buffalo Sabres in the 2014 NHL draft. He had three goals and 21 assists in 25 games with Saskatoon. In 236 WHL games with Saskatoon and Swift Current, Martin has 18 goals and 100 assists. This season he is sixth in scoring among WHL defensemen and is second in assists by blue liners.
“He’s a very experienced defenseman who moves the puck exceptionally well,” Everett general manager Garry Davidson said. “We think he is a real solid addition. He’s our eighth defender and we thought it was important to have some depth back there because you’re always concerned about depth if you have injuries.”
Leslie, a native of Lloydminster, Alberta, appeared in 10 games with the Silvertips and was sent back to the Lloydminster Bobcats after four games this season. He was Everett’s first-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. Anderson, an Edmonton native, was Everett’s fifth-round selection in 2014. The Tips currently have four 16-year-olds on their roster.
“In adding quality you have to give up something, and we sacrificed some youth in the (19)99 group,” Davidson said. “(Leslie and Anderson) are two good quality young players that we had to sacrifice in the deal. But again, we’re very excited about our (19)99 group.”
Martin seemed to welcome the news, tweeting:
“Would like to thank @BladesHockey for the past year. Great organization with a great group of guys. Happy to be joining the @WHLsilvertips.”
Martin, who will wear No. 4 with Everett, played for Canada Pacific at the 2012-13 U-17 World Hockey Challenge and led all defensemen at the tournament with nine points. He played two games at the end of last season with the Rochester Americans, Buffalo’s AHL affiliate.
“The key is that he’s a guy that can skate very well and he handles the puck very well and in today’s game those are very important ingredients for a player,” Davidson said. “He did put up points as a young bantam (player). I think he fits in well with what we do, which is control and manage pucks.”
Austria tabs Winkler
Everett forward Dario Winkler was named to the Austrian U-20 junior team that will compete at the World Junior Division I A Tournament scheduled for Dec. 13-19 in Vienna, Austria.
The winner of the tournament earns promotion to the top division and a berth at the 2017 World Junior Championships, while the loser is relegated to Division I B. The remaining four teams stay in Division I A for next year’s tournaments.
The Austrians will compete with Germany (relegated from last year’s World Juniors), Norway, Latvia, Italy and Kazakhstan (promoted after winning Division I B last year).
Winkler is scheduled to depart on Dec. 6 and return on Dec. 26.
Hart nominated
Everett Silvertips goaltender Carter Hart was the WHL’s nominee for CHL Goaltender of the Week for the second time this season.
The 17-year-old was 3-0-0-0 last week with two shutouts and one goal allowed and a .985 save percentage.
Hart leads the WHL in shutouts (six), goals against average (1.61) and save percentage (.939). He is also tied for the lead in victories with 14.
The CHL winner will be announced later this week.
For the latest Silvertips news follow Jesse Geleynse on Twitter @jessegeleynse.
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