The Okotoks Oilers have bolstered their forward ranks with a trade with their arch rival.
Okotoks acquired 2006-born forward Brock Souch from the Brooks Bandits on Nov. 1 for future considerations, the BCHL team announced on Friday.
“It will help us out with the offensive part of it and making plays,” said Oilers head coach and GM Tyler Deis on Friday. “He’s a young guy that’s been playing in the league for a while.
“He wanted to be put in a situation where he’s being utilized a little bit more and with us acquiring him here he’s going to get that opportunity.”
Playmaking, speed and competitiveness are among the strengths the 2006-born forward brings to the ice, the coach added.
The Edmonton native had two points in eight games this season with Brooks after a 62-point campaign last season with the Bandits and Sherwood Park Crusaders.
The 5-foot-9, 170-pound winger is a St. Cloud University commit.
Deis said the new acquisition will likely play on the left side adding there’s a number of different lines he could fit on in Okotoks.
“With our team, I feel like we have 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D,” he said. “The points are pretty evenly matched across all four lines. It’s just finding that right chemistry and seeing who he’s going to play with.”
Okotoks picked up its fourth win in five games in a comeback 5-4 triumph over the visiting Sherwood Park Crusaders on Nov. 2.
Captain Jackson Rowland and second-year forward Kade Duell each scored twice with fleet-footed winger Jamie Hikida notching the game-winner. Souch, who skated on a line with Rowland and Hunter Sawka, was held pointless in his Okotoks debut.
The Oilers are 6-8, good for fifth in the BCHL’s Interior East Division.
“Every game is a tight game,” said Deis of the season thus far. “We’ve played Brooks and Penticton twice each and those are probably the top teams. Every other game you go into it’s competitive, it’s good hockey and that’s one of the reasons why we did what we did.
“It’s good hockey and on any night, any team can win.”
This week, Okotoks is in Brooks for its third meeting of the season versus the Bandits on Nov. 8 and returns home on Saturday, Nov. 9 for its first matchup against the West Kelowna Warriors (6 p.m. at Viking Rentals Centre).
For more information, go to okotoksoilers.com.
