On Nov. 24, the Powell River Kings made a trade with the West Kelowna Warriors. In the deal, West K nabbed 2005-born defender Axel Löfgren, while the Kings acquired several assets.
In exchange for Löfgren, Powell River received 2005-born defender Landen Hildtich, 2007-born forward Eliot Compton, and future considerations. A week later, the Kings flipped Hildtich to Penticton for future considerations from the Vees.
This trade is the first multi-player move the Kings have made this season. In exchange for one defender, the Kings got one defender and one forward. The future considerations could be a player to be named later, cash, or a combination of the two.
This article will analyze the trade, where the players came from, and what they bring to their new teams.
What West Kelowna receives
The Warriors get Löfgren, a 2005-born import defender from Sweden. Before coming to British Columbia, he played his career on minor and junior teams in his home country.
Löfgren played two seasons with the IF Björklöven hockey program from 2019-21, mostly with the U16 squad. He then moved on to the MoDo Hockey J18 and J20 teams before joining the Luleå HF J18 team midway through the 2022-23 season.
He was a regular with Luleå HF J20 last season and also played four games on loan to Kalix HC in the Swedish third-tier HockeyEttan.
Before being traded to West Kelowna, Löfgren played 20 games for the Kings and put up eight goals and eight assists.
What Powell River receives
As mentioned above, future considerations could be another player, cash, or a combo of the two. Because of this, I will focus on the two players Powell River acquired.
Hildtich is a veteran defender from Surrey, B.C. He is a product of the Valley West Giants program, playing for the U15 and U18 teams in the BC Elite Hockey League. He played in West Kelowna since midway through the 2022-23 season when the Warriors acquired him from his hometown Surrey Eagles. Hilditch played 18 games for the Eagles that year and posted one assist.
Hildtich’s playing time with the Warriors this season was limited due to injury. His last game was a 3-2 overtime loss to Okotoks on Nov. 9. In 89 games with West Kelowna during parts of three seasons, Hildtich notched three goals and 22 assists. His time with the Kings was brief as he never played a game for Powell River before being moved to Penticton. Hilditch remains on injured reserve as of this writing and is yet to make his debut with the Vees.
As for Compton, he’s a product of the Shawnigan Lake School hockey program in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. He was a rookie for the Warriors in 2023-24 and put up three goals and seven assists in 50 games.
He got into 22 games in West Kelowna this season, posting a goal and two assists before joining the Kings.
What each team receives
For West Kelowna, the Warriors receive a 6’3″, 201-pound defender from the Kings. Löfgren is also an offensive defender as his eight goals and eight assists for 16 points in 20 games for Powell River indicate.
For the Kings, they get one forward, and future considerations from West Kelowna and Penticton will likely be some combination of players and/or cash.
Compton is a young prospect with one BCHL season under his belt who was an offensive forward at Shawnigan Lake School. With the U15 Prep team during the 2021-22 season, he notched 49 points. A year later for the U17 Prep team, the Victoria, B.C. product had 54 points.
He didn’t light the lamp much in West Kelowna, getting 13 points in 72 games. A change of scenery might be good for Compton to get more opportunities to showcase his offensive ability.
The situations in Powell River and West Kelowna
Powell River sits at the bottom of the Coastal Conference, well back of the ninth-place Prince George Spruce Kings. The Kings underwent a coaching change in late October when Glenn Anderson stepped down from his position. Stephan Seeger Jr. is now the Kings’ head coach.
As of this writing, the Warriors don’t have a winning record in the difficult Interior Conference, sitting in the ninth spot. They are battling with Okotoks and Spruce Grove, with all three teams within a point or less of each other.
The Blackfalds Bulldogs are last in the BCHL, well back of Powell River. The top teams in the Interior Conference — and the BCHL — are Penticton, Brooks, and Trail.
The Kings have faced stiff competition against their Island Division rivals. Alberni Valley, Cowichan Valley, and Victoria are among the top 10 in the BCHL standings.
Photo credit: Garrett James Photography
