Blades beef up forward core, acquire 2003-born Armstrong from Wild
Saskatoon, SK – The Saskatoon Blades made another trade Tuesday acquiring 2003-born forward Easton Armstrong from the Wenatchee Wild in exchange for two WHL Prospect Draft picks. The picks include the Brandon Wheat Kings third-rounder previously acquired in the Jayden Wiens trade, and Saskatoon’s 2027 sixth-round selection.
“Before I comment on Easton, adding him meant having to say goodbye to one of the most beloved Blades we’ve ever had in defenceman Spencer Shugrue,” said Blades General Manager Colin Priestner, “I’m not sure I’ve ever met anyone else quite like him, and he will always be Mr. Game 7 to us and a local legend for his playoff performance last year. There are very few players in hockey that have gotten more out of themselves than he has, and despite his lack of size he never backed down once in his career from anyone. Having to move on from him due to only being allowed to keep three 20-year-olds is one of the hardest decisions we’ve ever made, but we know Spencer is going to thrive wherever he lands and bring his unique blend of personality and incredible teamwork to another group of young players.”
It’s the second move of the day for Saskatoon who acquired defenceman Grayden Siepmann from the Calgary Hitmen earlier in the day.
The towering 6-foot-3 Armstrong is in his fourth and final WHL season, scoring 52 points (32G, 20A) across 152 career games. The 20-year-old winger began last year with the Regina Pats before going to the Winnipeg ICE putting together 31 points (19G, 12A) in 66 games, all career highs.
“Easton has had a fantastic start to the year in Wenatchee with nine points in four games, but what we really like about him what we saw during his time in Regina which is his tenacity, size and leadership,” said Priestner, “His willingness to go to the net and pay the price is going to be huge for our team and he fills a big need for us in terms of having a big, skilled power forward with lots of playoff experience.”
Armstrong suited up in 19 playoff games during the ICE’s run to the WHL Championship series. The right-handed shot scored a goal and an assist during that stretch, collecting ten penalty minutes as well.
With the move, the Blades have three overage players on their roster and have moved forward Jake Chiasson to the Pro Hockey List as he is expected to start the season with the Edmonton Oilers ECHL affiliate in Fort Wayne.
The Blades want to welcome the Armstrong family to the Blades organization and look forward to him joining the Bridge City Bunch. The Blades also want to thank Spencer for all his contributions on and off the ice during his time in Saskatoon, and wish him nothing but the best in his next chapter.
Armstrong is slated to join the Blades for their game Wednesday night at Rogers Place vs the Edmonton Oil Kings. Puck drop is set for 7:00pm.
