POKERTHUMB

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The Lethbridge Hurricanes Hockey Club announced on Friday that they have acquired overage forward Cory Millette and a fifth round draft pick in the 2016 WHL Bantam draft from the Seattle Thunderbirds in exchange for Captain Jamal Watson.

Millette, who is from Storthoaks, Saskatchewan, scored 47 points (24g-23a) while appearing in 71 games with the Seattle Thunderbirds, Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades last season. He scored five points (2g-3a) in six playoff games with the Thunderbirds this past spring. The 5’10”, 194-pound forward has played in 238 career WHL games with the T-birds, Raiders, Blades and Red Deer Rebels scoring a total of 121 points (60g-61a).

Hurricanes General Manager, Peter Anholt, says Millette is a smart player, “Cory is one of those players that has really good hockey sense. He has some offensive ability around the net. I kind of compare him to [Tomas] Holmstrom of Detroit; his skating isn’t the best, but he makes up for it with his hockey sense. He’ll be a good add for us.”

Watson, who hails from Calgary, Alberta, was named the 24th Captain in franchise history last year and set career highs in goals (26), assists (28) and points (56) while appearing in 66 games. During his four years with the Hurricanes, Watson appeared in 270 games which ranks him tied for seventh in franchise history. He was also tied for 26th in franchise history with 69 goals, 39th in assists with 79, and 34th in career points with 148.

Anholt says trading the Captain was a difficult decision, “It was really hard. He’s played here four years and he was a real good warrior for the Lethbridge Hurricanes. It’s tough, he was our Captain but it’s maybe time for him to move on and moving to the Western Conference it will be kind of a fresh start for Watty.”

The Hurricanes still have two open overage spots heading into the 2015-2016 hockey season.

Catch up on all the latest on the Lethbridge Hurricanes by visiting the team’s website at www.lethbridgehurricanes.com, and/or follow on Twitter @WHLHurricanes.