Broncos add assistant coach; Blades complete two trades
The Humboldt Broncos, who parted ways with head coach and general manager Nathan Oystrick last week, have added an assistant coach to their bench.
The Broncos announced that Troy Smith will work under interim head coach Scott Barney for the balance of the season. Smith was fired by the Ontario Hockey League’s Saginaw Spirit in November despite an 11-9-1-1 record, and also worked as an associate coach and assistant GM of the OHL’S Hamilton Bulldogs from 2015 to 2017. He spent seven seasons as an assistant and two as a head coach with the Kitchener Rangers.
Smith has worked with the national team program on seven different occasions.
The Broncos, who are 21-132-1, opened the post-christmas portion of their schedule Wednesday night at home against the Notre Dame Hounds.
BLADES SWING TWO DEALS ON WEDNESDAY
The Saskatoon Blades completed two trades on Wednesday afternoon. In the first, they acquired 19-year-old defenceman Reece Harsch from the Seattle Thunderbirds in exchange for 17-year-old defenceman Zach Ashton and a 2022 5th-round pick.
In their second deal, the Blades sent 18-year-old defenceman Seth Bafaro to the Vancouver Giants for a 5th-round 2021 pick.
“Reece is an experienced player we’ve had our eye on for a while. He plays a hard game, has 25 games of playoff experience and knows what it takes to win a championship in this league,” stated Blades general manager Colin Priestner in a press release. “We feel Reece makes us a better team today and his leadership and experience will help our younger players continue to develop.”
Harsch has played 149 Western Hockey League regular season games, scoring 15 goals and 47 points with 77 penalty minutes. The six-foot-three defender won a WHL championship with the Thunderbirds in 2017.
Ashton had one assist in nine games as a rookie for the Blades. Bafara played in 85 regular season games for the Blades, scoring seven goals with 17 points. Harsch could make his Blades debut as early as Friday against the Regina Pats.