The Pembroke Lumber Kings have traded three experienced players to teams in the Maritime Junior Hockey League.  The moves were made to provide 20 year old team captain and forward Cameron Hough,  19-year old forward Brady Egan and 20 year old defenceman Devan Newhook with an opportunity to play this year in the only junior hockey league in the country that has started its regular season.

Hough was entering his second season with the Lumber Kings after playing in the Ontario Hockey League.  In the off season he was named the team's captain, an opportunity he was looking forward to given his junior hockey experience. He scored 24 goals and added 21 assists last season for the Kings in 56 games.  He has been traded to the Pictou County Weeks Crushers.

Egan has spent the past two seasons with the Lumber Kings. In 62 games last year, he scored 29 goals and added 20 assists in 62 games.  Before joining Pembroke, Egan had been selected in the third round of the Ontario Hockey League draft by the Peterborough Petes.

Newhook had been acquired by the Kings in the off season after spending last season in the British Columbia Hockey League with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. Newhook is a native of St. Johns, Newfoundland and so the trade brings him a bit closer to home.

In making the trades, Lumber Kings owner and head coach, Alex Armstrong said he would have never done it had things been normal, but with so much uncertainty concerning whether the Central Canada Hockey League will have a season this year, he wanted to be fair to his graduating players.

“We have to do what’s best for the kids at this point,” says Armstrong who was interviewed by the Pembroke Observer and News following the trades.  You can read the entire article here.

In all of the trades the Lumber Kings are receiving future considerations or player development fees.