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ICE deal another 20-year-old
The Kootenay ICE yesterday traded 20-year-old forward Jon Martin to the Swift Current Broncos in exchange for a fourth round pick in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft.
ICE general manager Jeff Chynoweth announced the trade of the big Winnipeg product, a seventh round selection (135th overall) in the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft and Vancouver Canucks draft pick.
“Our 1995-born Bantam group was a very deep and talented class, and parting ways with an individual like Jon Martin is an extremely tough decision. Jon will get a great opportunity to continue his WHL career as a member of the Broncos. We wish Jon all the very best with Swift Current and thank him for his many contributions to our hockey club over the past four years,” Chynoweth stated.
In 250 career regular-season games with the ICE, Martin compiled 72 points (35-37-72) and 346 penalty minutes.
Including long-term injuries, the ICE is now carrying 25 players (three goaltenders, 10 defensemen and 12 forwards).
The ICE are currently tied for last in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with the Regina Pats, with a one win, three loss record.
Their lone victory was a 5-2 home ice win over the Spokane Chiefs. Their last home ice game at Western Financial Place was a 5-1 loss to the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Saturday evening, before a paltry crowd of 1,942.
The ICE hit the road for the next four games, against Prince Albert tomorrow (Tuesday, Oct. 6), Saskatoon on Oct. 7, Brandon Oct. 9 and Moose Jaw on Oct. 10. They are home next on Wednesday, Oct. 14 for a re-match against the Warriors.
Support is needed, but…
With continued talk of the team being moved from the Key City, WHL hockey fans in Cranbrook and the region have got to try and overlook the fact the club is in a re-building mode and making the playoffs for a WHL-record 17th straight season could be in jeopardy.
The ICE have surprised many times before and they need our ticket-buying support or we risk losing an anchor tenant at Western Financial Place and the quality on-ice entertainment of WHL hockey in our region.
That said, we also challenge the ICE hockey club to pull up its marketing socks and find ways to encourage an increasingly more fickle ticket-buying public to set foot in WFP.
It’s a two-way street. It’s time for you to make a better effort, too. Only by working together as a community and a team that we support can this situation be turned around. Let’s get some bums in the seats!
Lead image: Jon Martin of the Kootenay ICE, heading to the Broncos for his 20-year-old WHL season. ICE photo
Ian Cobb/e-KNOW
