The only captain the Fredericton Red Wings have known is on the move.
Fredericton, a first-year franchise in the Maritime Hockey League, traded veteran defenceman Evan White to the Edmundston Blizzard.
The 20-year-old Newfoundland native was Fredericton’s captain and was leading the team in scoring.
This will be White’s last year at the junior level.
It was the first of two deals the Red Wings made Tuesday with an eye on Friday’s trading deadline.
The return for White to EastLink North Division rival was bountiful for the Red Wings.
Coming the other way is top six forward Aaron Brown, defenceman Marc-Antoine Couture, a third round draft pick this year and future considerations.
Brown is an impact 18-year-old and Couture is 19.
Brown has skated in 18 games for the Blizzard and the left-winger has posted eight goals and 14 assists for 22 points. He has three powerplay goals and two game winners this season, his second in the MHL.
He is a native of Timberlea, NS.
Couture has played in 28 games for Edmundston, notching three goals and adding five assists. He is from East Angus, QU.
‘A trade like this is something that a team in our position has to do in order to improve the organization with an eye on the future,’ said Wings’ president and board of governor, Roger Shannon. ‘It is a significant trade for our future. Having said that, we cannot say enough about Evan White and the impact he had on our organization. He was such a great asset to us in our inaugural season. We wish him the best moving forward.’
The other deal Fredericton made saw it deal the rights of Brandon Ciafrone to Lorriane, QU, for future considerations.
Both players are expected to be in Fredericton’s lineup when the Red Wings host the Miramichi Timberwolves on Thursday at the Grant*Harvey Centre.
‘This is not a trade any general manager loves to make when it comes to a player like Evan,’ said Fredericton GM, Brent Grant. ‘It was a trade we had to make because we understand what it takes to build toward a championship team. We are filling our stable with this trade. It is going to make us a much stronger team moving forward.’
The MHL trade deadline ends Friday.