FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 12, 2017 (Trail, BC) — The Trail Smoke Eaters have acquired 20-year-old goaltender, Brandon Wells from the Melville Millionaires in exchange for defensemen Tyson Slater, Ryan Warner and future considerations.
With Zack Dyment aging out of the league and Linden Marshall moving on to the NCAA, the Smoke Eaters were in need of an experienced goalie to carry a heavy workload in the coming season.
The Smoke Eaters are excited to add Wells, who is expected to immediately provide experience, maturity and leadership for the team.
Wells, who is a product of Spirit River, Alberta, played the past two seasons for Melville in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. In his rookie season with the Millionaires, he was named the team’s Most Valuable Player. The 6-2 goaltender followed his MVP season up with an even more impressive run, playing 24 games and posting a 2.80 GAA .924 save percentage and his strong play yielded seven invites for goaltenders to the Canada West tryouts. In the second half of the season, Wells was traded to the Spruce Grove Saints where he continued his strong play, posting a 7-3 record, 1.91 GAA and .926 save percentage. Wells also started 5 games for the Saints in the 2017 playoffs before the team was eliminated in the second round.
During the off-season, Wells’ rights were transferred back to the Millionaires, with whom the Smoke Eaters made the deal.
Head Coach, Cam Keith was selective in his search for a netminder, knowing that whoever was brought in was going to be relied upon to assume the starting role for a team that had success last year in reaching the second round of the BCHL playoffs. The addition of Wells solidifies the team’s net and further strengthens the club to contend for a league title in the 2017-2018 season.
The entire Smoke Eaters organization would like to wish departing players, Ryan Warner and Tyson Slater all the best as they continue their hockey careers with the Melville Millionaires in the SJHL.
