THREE-YEAR JUNIOR A VETERAN BRINGS SIZE, POISE & LEADERSHIP TO BULLDOGS’ BLUELINE
Port Alberni, BC – The Alberni Valley Bulldogs have completed a trade with the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Drayton Valley Thunder, acquiring the CJHL playing rights to 1999-born defenceman Marcus Walter in return for 1998-born forward James Orban and 1999-born forward Bradley Ong.
Walter hails from St. Albert, AB and began his junior hockey career in Drayton Valley before spending the 2017/18 season with the NAHL’s Springfield Jr. Blues. He scored five goals and added 16 assists in 59 regular season games for Springfield and in December earned an NCAA Division I commitment to Bentley University for 2019/20.
“Marcus brings size, physicality, puck-moving ability and poise to our blueline,” says Bulldogs head coach Matt Hughes. “One of our goals heading into the offseason was to find a veteran defenceman who would make us bigger and harder to play against in our own zone, and Marcus certainly does that. He’s also an excellent two-way player who makes a good first pass and will contribute offensively. We’re very excited to add a young man of his caliber to our group of defencemen.”
Walter spent the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons with the Drayton Valley Thunder, dressing in 100 regular season games as a 16- and 17-year old. His most recent campaign with the Thunder included six goals, 12 assists and 47 penalty minutes in 59 regular season games.
Heading to Drayton Valley are a pair of forwards in Orban and Ong, who each recently completed their first seasons with the Bulldogs. Ong dressed in all 58 regular season games with the team, scoring four goals and totaling nine points, while Orban was acquired in a mid-season trade with the Olds Grizzlys and went on to net 15 points in 30 regular season games.
“This was a difficult deal to make because James and Bradley are both talented players and great people,” says Hughes. “Ultimately it was a case of having to give up good players to acquire a good player, but we’d like to thank them both for their efforts on the ice and for representing the team so well in the community.”
Walter will join the Bulldogs when training camp opens at Weyerhaeuser Arena on Monday, August 20th.
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For more information, please contact:
Matt Hughes
Head Coach/GM
(250) 723-4412
matt@albernivalleybulldogs.ca
