The Canadian Junior Hockey League saw two inter-league trades featuring Manitoban teams this past week. Both the Virden Oil Capitals and the Waywayseecappo Wolverines rolled the dice on deals featuring teams from across borders.
The Oil Caps sent a veteran player to a team from Nova Scotia in exchange for some future assistance in the trading market, while the Wolverines added a fellow vet from the SJHL, also in exchange for some negotiating leeway.
Officially, Virden dealt 2001-born forward Sam Brunton to the South Shore Lumberjacks for future considerations, while the Weyburn Red Wings shipped 2001-born defenceman Nicolas Dobson to Waywayseecappo for future considerations.
Brunton, 19, is a Dryden, ON. product who spent the past season with Virden, following three years as a AAA Kenora Thistles U-18 forward. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound winger operated at a point-per-game through 92 games in his final two seasons with the Thistles. Things didn’t quite work out as planned with the Oil Capitals, as the ‘import’ only found the back of the net twice, while adding two assists in 38 contests last season.
Dobson, 18, has a Canadian/United Kingdom dual citizenship, which has seen the defenceman primarily play his youth and junior hockey within North America. Growing up in Alberta, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound blueliner spent the 2019-20 with Weyburn. He put up two goals, 13 points and 67 penalty minutes in 43 regular season SJHL games.
The MJHL is set to see its season begin this Friday, October 9.
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