TRURO, N.S. – The Truro Bearcats of the Maritime Junior Hockey League stood pat on trade deadline day.
Bearcats general manager Shawn Evans didn’t make any moves before the Jan. 10 deadline, saying he is happy to send his current group of players over the boards for the remainder of the season and into the playoffs.
“There’s a lot of players here that are going to get some experience for the rest of the season and beyond,” said Evans. “So I wasn’t really willing to add to move players out and wasn’t really willing to add to put players in the stands that aren’t going to get a chance to get better.
“At the end of the day, there’s a plan here; there’s a plan here for this year and beyond and standing pat – right or wrong – is the way I chose to do business this year.”
A flurry of deals were made by MHL teams this week. Notable trades included the league-leading Yarmouth Mariners adding depth up front with the acquisition of Landon Quinney from the Valley Wildcats for a first-round pick in the 2020 draft. The North Conference-leading Summerside Western Capitals also bolstered their offence with the addition of Dylan Riley and Jacob Hickey from the Pictou County Weeks Crushers.
Click here for a full list of trades and acquisitions
“I don’t react to what other teams do; I never have,” said Evans. “I stick to what I think is best for the Bearcats short term and long term, and I need this group to keep improving to have a chance in the end this year.”
The Bearcats, however, will have a new player in their lineup this weekend, as 16-year-old forward Logan Camp will make his Maritime league debut against the Valley Wildcats on Friday.
Camp, drafted by Truro last June, has been playing in the Quebec major junior league with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. He had one goal in 22 games before he was sent down to the Bearcats.
“He’s a young guy, we’re happy to have him,” said Evans. “He’s gonna come in here and I expect him to have a good attitude, I expect him to be excited to play. I don’t want to speak for him, but I’m going to assume his goal is to get back in the Q next year, so we got a good, young guy that’s going to be motivated to play and play well. I’m just looking for a young guy that is going to play 200 feet for us and that’s what I expect from Logan.”
The Bearcats sit third in the Eastlink South Division with a record of 18-10-1-1. They are just four points behind the second-place Amherst Ramblers and enter Friday’s contest (RECC, 7 p.m.) against the Wildcats as winners of two straight.
On Saturday, the Bearcats will face a stiff test when the Mariners visit the RECC for a 7 p.m. start.
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Forward Gavynn Carter of Camden was traded on Jan. 10 from the Edmundston Blizzard to the Valley Wildcats for an eighth-round pick in the 2020 draft and future considerations. Carter has four assists in 24 games this season.
