Blazers acquire Holowko from Raiders

The Kamloops Blazers added some veteran depth at forward, acquiring 19-year-old Nic Holowko from the Prince Albert Raiders in exchange for a sixth round pick in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft.

Holowko, a 6-foot, 190-pound product of Burnaby, B.C., has skated in 26 games with the Raiders this season, registering seven points (2G-5A). Over 161 career WHL games, the left winger has accumulated 36 points (13G-23A).

“Nic adds some depth and experience to our forward group,” said Stu MacGregor, general manager of the Blazers, in a team release. “He plays a fast game and we are happy to add him to our line up.”

Prior to the 2016-17 regular season, the Raiders acquired Holowko in a training camp deal from the Seattle Thunderbirds, where he had spent the previous two campaigns.

“We had this in the works for quite some time,” said Curtis Hunt, general manager of the Raiders, in a team release. “Good luck to Nic as he continues his career.”

The Blazers are in the midst of an Alberta road trip, skating to a 3-2 win over the Edmonton Oil Kings on Saturday night and set to face the Calgary Hitmen Sunday afternoon. Holowko is expected to join the Blazers Monday before debuting with his new club on Dec. 13 at Red Deer.

The arrival of Holowko comes at a good time as the Blazers lost the services of veteran forward Matt Revel, who suffered an upper body injury Saturday in Edmonton. He is expected to miss the duration of the team’s road swing, which carries on from Red Deer to Lethbridge (Dec. 14) and Medicine Hat (Dec. 16) before ending in Cranbrook (Dec. 17).