Two local hockey players are on the move in the Western Hockey League.
Schael Higson has been traded from the Brandon Wheat Kings to the Kelowna Rockets. The team confirmed Wednesday that it had acquired the 20-year-old defenceman in exchange for Braydyn Chizen and a fifth round pick in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft.
“We had the chance to add Higson, we feel that he will add a physical presence to our hockey team,” says General Manager Bruce Hamilton. “I think that both players are in the same boat, a change of address will benefit them both.”
Higson grew up playing in Grande Prairie before he was signed by the Saskatoon Blades. He spent a season and a half with the club before being traded to the Wheat Kings. The D-man has three goals and 14 assists in 20 games so far this season.
Also packing his stuff is Brenden Kwiatkowski. The 18-year-old defenceman has been traded to the Kootenay Ice from the Moose Jaw Warriors in exchange for a 2019 ninth round draft pick.
Kwiatkowski also came up through Grande Prairie hockey teams and played 19 games with the Storm before heading to Moose Jaw in the 2017/2018 season. He has two assists in 14 games with the Warriors this season and had one assist in his first with the team.