PHOTOS: Cowichan Valley Capitals
Spruce Grove Saints General Manager Rob Sklaruk announced Monday the team has acquired defensemen Luke McCrady (’05) and Frederic Deschenes (’05) from the Cowichan Valley Capitals in exchange for defensemen Adam Lang (’05) and Ryan Harvey (’05).
McCrady, 19, comes to the Saints in his first season in the BCHL, playing in each of the Capitals 29 games this season while adding eight assists from the back end. The 6’3”, 200-pound blueliner will add plenty of size and experience to the Saints back end with the Calgary, Alberta product spent last season with the Niverville Nighthawks in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) and is committed to Cornell University to play for the Big Red following his junior hockey career.
Deschenes, 19, also carries a wealth of junior hockey experience, suiting up in 110 games between the BCHL and United States Hockey League (USHL). The Sorey-Tracy, Quebec native has a goal and six points in 16 games with the Capitals this season and produced 27 points in 56 games as season ago split between Cowichan Valley and the West Kelowna Warriors. A commit of Michigan State University, the 6’2”, 180-pound blueliner has also seen 41 games of USHL action with the Des Moines Buccaneers during the 2021-22 season.
“This is a hockey deal with each team getting some great players,” said Sklaruk, “We are very excited to add Luke and Frederic to our d-core. They both have a ton of upside and will get lots of opportunity to excel here. They are both committed to D1 schools and our staff is looking forward to helping them develop and get ready to take the next step of their careers.”
Lang was in his third season with the Saints, playing in 133 games with the organization where he amassed four goals and 53 assists for 57 points during that span. Harvey suited up in 44 games for the club between two seasons, posting two goals and 16 assists for 18 points while with the Saints.
The Saints would like to thank Adam and Ryan for their contributions to the team and the city of Spruce Grove while welcoming Luke, Frederic and their families to the Saints organization.
The Saints are back in action with a home-and-home set against the Sherwood Park Crusaders in the final weekend before the holiday break. After playing on the road Friday, the Saints are back in Spruce Grove Saturday night at Grant Fuhr Arena in their final game of 2024. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 PM with tickets available for purchase online at tickets.sprucegrovesaints.ca.
