The Salmon Arm Silverbacks, Powell River Kings, and Ottawa Jr. Senators of the Central Canada Hockey League are all part of what amounts to essentially a three-way trade on Monday.
First, the Silverbacks sent 2002-born forwards Braden Fischer and Philippe Jacques to the Kings for 2002-born forward Brandon Santa Juana.
Then, Powell River shipped Jacques to the Jr. Senators for 2003-born forward Kaleb Nelson.
During the pod season with Salmon Arm, Fischer had a goal and an assist in 16 games. He was a rookie in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League in 2019-20 and posted 45 points in 58 games for the Winnipeg Blues.
The Winnipegger was acquired by the Silverbacks in a trade with the Blues last June.
Jacques is a product of Quebec, QC who is entering his second season of junior hockey. He had three goals and a two assists in 17 Vernon pod games for the Silverbacks this past season.
As an 18-year-old member of Stanstead College in 2019-20, he posted 30 goals and 59 points in 55 games of prep hockey.
Santa Juana was stellar during the 2020-21 BCHL season, finishing 17th in league scoring with nine goals and 22 points in 18 games. He is committed to the University of Connecticut for September 2022.
2021-22 is the fourth season in the BCHL for the Langley, BC product. Santa Juana is a proven scorer with 35 goals and 84 points in 127 career games with the Surrey Eagles, who sent him to Powell River earlier in June to complete an earlier trade.
Nelson, who’s committed to Providence College for fall 2022, spent the 2020-21 season with the Islanders Hockey Club of the National Collegiate Development Conference. He finished with a goal and an assist in six games.
The Keswick, ON product joined the Jr. Senators in March but didn’t play any games due to the cancellation of the CCHL season due to the pandemic. He spent 2019-20 with the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Aurora Tigers and put up 24 points in 50 games.
