Powell River Kings trade for experience on blueline

Powell River Kings last straight player trade was made in 2016.

But on Friday, June 29, the hockey club sent two players and future considerations to Wellington Dukes of Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) for experienced defender Mason Snell, who was a standout on the blueline for the Dukes last season.

Kings traded veteran defender Callum Volpe, rookie forward Nick Abbott and future considerations to Wellington for the 18-year-old Snell.  

Volpe became a King in the 2016/2017 BC Hockey League season. He dressed in 77 games and scored 42 points, including playoffs.

Injury limited Abbott to five points in only 25 games last season.

Last season, the 6-foot, 190-pound Snell shone during the Dukes run to an OJHL championship, the Dudley Hewitt Cup awarded to the central Canadian Junior A champion and at the Royal Bank Cup, Canada's national Junior A hockey championship; he was named top defender at the tournament.

Although ranked 173rd among North American skaters for the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, he was not selected.

Snell has committed to Penn State Nittany Lions in the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) Big Ten Conference. He is the third new blueliner Kings head coach and general manager Tyler Kuntz has added to his roster for the 2018/2019 season, showing he is not afraid to shake things up.

Snell will join new defenders Ben Wozney and Brendan Saether at training camp in August.

BCHL released its 2018/2019 schedule on June 29. Kings open at home on September 8 against Island Division rivals Victoria Grizzlies.

Meanwhile, Gavin Rauser, who played three full seasons with the Kings, his last in 2017/2018 as captain of the team, has committed to Vancouver Island University (VIU) Mariners for the coming BC Island League Hockey season. Rauser played 140 games during his junior career with the Kings, scoring 71 points. A native of Campbell River, he plans to pursue a bachelor of science in biology at VIU.

In other Kings-related news, Daniel Carr, who played with the team during the 2009/2010, has been signed by the NHL’s Las Vegas Golden Knights for $750,000. Carr played 38 games with Montreal Canadiens last season and was declared an unrestricted free agent on July 1.