Anderson moved to Broncos

The Prince George Cougars’ youth movement continued Sunday night.

The team has traded 19-yearold defenceman Josh Anderson to the Swift Current Broncos for two first-round WHL bantam draft picks, one in 2018 and the other in 2019.

Anderson has been a Cougar since he was 15 when they drafted him in the first round, third overall in the 2013 draft. The six-foot-three, 220-pound native of Duncan has played 177 games over five seasons, including 25 games this season, in which he totaled one goal and six assists and 42 penalty minutes. In his WHL career he has seven goals and 28 assists for 35 points and 257 penalty minutes.

The Colorado Avalanche selected Anderson in the third round of the 2016 NHL draft, 72nd overall.

The Broncos (29-10-3-0) have the second-best record in the WHL. The Cougars (15-184-3) rank 19th in the 22-team league and have unloaded several of their veterans the past week to bring in younger players or draft picks. The Anderson deal is the fourth trade the Cats have made in less than a week in advance of Wednesday’s 2 p.m. PT trade deadline.

“Josh has been with our organization for the past five years and has been a great leader for us on the blueline and in the dressing room,” said Cougars GM Todd Harkins. “He’s an NHL-drafted defenceman who is going to a contending team in the East and he’s getting a great opportunity to make a deep run in the playoffs.”

“With this deal, we now have five first-round draft picks in the next three years. The last time we had that opportunity, we drafted cornerstone pieces Jansen Harkins and Brad Morrison, who helped us win our first B.C. Division banner.”