The Kootenay Ice continued to get younger on Wednesday with the acquisition of 2000-born forward Bradley Ginnell from the Portland Winterhawks in exchange for a 2018 second-round draft pick and a 2019 third-round draft pick.
After sending veteran forward Jeff de Wit to the Victoria Royals for a seventh-round pick in 2019 earlier in the day, Ginnell is expected to join the Ice to fill the empty slot in the roster.
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At 6’1 and 170 pounds, the 17-year-old is in his sophomore WHL season and has five goals and six assists in 25 games so far this year. The Calgary, Alberta native played in 51 regular season games during the 2016-17 season and recorded six goals and 10 points. He also played in eight playoff games and put up two goals and three points.
“Bradley is a highly skilled young forward that we believe makes our team better today and moving forward,” said Ice president and general manager Matt Cockell in a team release. “We look forward to Bradley getting into our lineup as we work to earn a playoff spot.”
Ginnell also comes from significant hockey pedigree. His grandfather Pat Ginnell was a longtime junior head coach, most notably with the WCHL’s Flin Flon Bombers (1968-74) and the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers (1979-82). He then worked as a scout for the NHL’s St. Louis Blues from 1989 to 2003.
Ginnell’s father Erin is a WHL alumnus as well, having played in the league from 1985 to 1987, and currently works as an amateur scout for the Vegas Golden Knights.
Bradley entered the WHL as a fifth-round Portland draft pick in 2015 and had his minor hockey career highlighted by his final season with the AMMHL’s CRAA Blue Minor Midget AAA team in which he put up 80 points in 35 games.
The Ice play a home game tonight against the Calgary Hitmen at 7 p.m.
