Sherwood Park, AB: The Sherwood Park Crusaders have acquired defenceman Tyler Bates (2002) and future considerations from the Brooks Bandits in exchange for forwards Liam Hughes (2002) and Nolan Wutzke (2002).
“We are extremely excited to acquire defenseman Tyler Bates,” said General Manager & Head Coach Adam Manah. He is today’s type of defenseman. He is an elite skater, can escape trouble by being dynamic, poised with the puck, and having great vision on the ice. He is going to come in and be a leader for our young group. He will teach our young guys how to play the game the right way, and he is going to play a lot of big minutes for us in key situations.”
Bates is heading into his third season of junior hockey after spending the previous two with the Brooks Bandits. The Calgary native has played in 38 games scoring one goal and ten points during that time. He is also committed to Colorado College of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference in the NCAA. Ҭ
“When you can acquire a player like Tyler, you’re immediately elevating our program,” continued Manah. “He is a Colorado College commit who is driven to take his game to the next level.”
Heading to Brooks are forwards Liam Hughes (2002) and Nolan Wutzke (2002), who will be second-year players next season. Hughes played in 19 games for Sherwood Park, scoring six goals and nine points. He had also dressed in four games the year before as an affiliate. Wutzke played in 15 games and scored one point.
The Crusaders would like to thank Liam, Nolan and their families for their time and commitment to the organization and wish them the best of luck in the future.Ӭ
They’d also like to welcome Tyler and the Bates family to Sherwood Park.
For any further information, please contact liamhorrobin@sherwoodparkcrusaders.com.