SUMMERSIDE – The Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capitals have acquired an experienced defenceman.
The Capitals obtained the MHL (Maritime Junior Hockey League) rights to Noah Massie and a fourth-round draft pick in 2020 from the Bridgewater, N.S.-based South Shore Lumberjacks in a transaction that was announced late Tuesday night. The Lumberjacks received the MHL rights to forward Brandon Stone, a first-round pick in 2020 and future considerations.
The Capitals picked up Stone, who is entering his first year of junior A eligibility and played last season with Cole Harbour’s major midget team, from the Amherst Ramblers in a deal for forward Hunter McIntyre of Kilmuir on Aug. 25.
"We added a very good defenceman,” said Caps general manager Pat McIver. “Noah expressed his interest in playing in Summerside, and staying on the Island.
“Fortunately, for us, we were able to make a deal and move Brandon Stone, who wanted to stay in Nova Scotia. Noah will make his debut this week, and we’re very excited to have him aboard.”
Click here for story on recent Caps' trades with Amherst Ramblers:
The 19-year-old Massie, who has two years of eligibility remaining, comes to the Caps after playing the last two years in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Massie, listed as six feet and 216 pounds, had six assists and 31 penalty minutes in 44 regular-season games with the Islanders last season. He appeared in one playoff game. Massie was pointless and had 12 penalty minutes in 43 regular-season games with the Moncton Wildcats during the 2016-17 campaign.
The Islanders have maintained Massie’s QMJHL rights and he will affiliate with the Charlottetown-based team.
“We are looking for him to be a steady, stay-at-home defenceman and would like to see him use that big body and be really hard to play against,” said Capitals head coach Billy McGuigan. “From talking to different major junior groups, he has an expectation on himself that he wants to be more of an offensive player. Those things may come at this level, and we will give him every opportunity to do that.”
Click here for story on Western Capitals making first cuts:
Host Amherst
The Capitals will resume their pre-season schedule against the Amherst Ramblers at Credit Union Place’s Ice Pad on Thursday at 7 p.m. Capitals’ fans can expect to see a veteran-laden lineup.
“My goal is to be play basically our Day 1 lineup Thursday night,” said McGuigan, who noted the team is down to around 26 players remaining in camp and some tough decisions await.
“There are some real good players we may have to release that we don’t want to release,” said McGuigan. “At the end of the day it’s a numbers game.
“We probably are going to keep 13, 14 forwards, and in that situation it’s always tough for a coach because you are always healthy-scratching somebody, and that can get old pretty quick. If you want to have your best team, you need to have competition, you need to have players hungry to get in the lineup.
“As long as everyone stays with the great attitude that they are here for your team and winning, because that’s the goal of our team this year. We want to be as close as we can to winning this division and getting into the big dance – the final – and taking a run at it. We’ve been in the division finals three years in a row, and it’s time to take the next step.”
Click here for story on Caps' pre-season game against Pictou County on Friday:
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