The Prince George Cougars shored up their blueline Tuesday when they acquired Joel Lakusta from the Saskatoon Blades.
In exchange for the 1998-born defenceman from Sherwood Park, Alta., as well as a 2016 sixth-round WHL bantam draft pick, the Cougars sent the Canadian Hockey League rights of 1994-born goaltender Collin Olson to the Blades.
Lakusta, six-foot-one and 151 pounds, was originally selected by the Blades in the seventh round (149th overall) of the 2013 WHL bantam draft.
"He's a very steady hockey player," said Cougars head scout and director of player personnel Todd Harkins. "He's got good feet and has a right-handed shot which is hard to find. He's a very good competitor and has good size."
In 2013-14, Lakusta appeared in 35 games with the Sherwood Park triple-A midget Kings and tallied four goals, 10 assists and 14 penalty minutes.
Harkins said Lakusta adds some depth to the defensive corps, which includes netminders Ty Edmonds and Brett Zarowny.
Olson was listed by the Cougars prior to the 2012-13 season. He spent parts of last season with the Ohio State Buckeyes of the NCAA and the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL. He was selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the sixth round of the 2012 NHL Draft.
With the sixth-round pick in the 2016 WHL bantam draft, the Cougars are looking ahead to their future.
"[Head coach] Mark [Holick] and I sat down at the end of the season and listed our needs and wants for the team," said Harkins. "We're moving forward with trades... we're trying to make the team better and put a new and improved product on the ice as we move into a new ice age [the Cougars new slogan]."
Meanwhile, Edmonds is in Calgary today for the ninth annual Hockey Canada Program of Excellence goaltending camp.
He's among 10 under-20 netminders from across the Canadian Hockey League who'll work with a number of top instructors in the game.
The instructors include former NHL netminders Fred Brathwaite and Sean Burke, who now work with Hockey Canada. The camp wraps up Saturday.
The Cougars open their camp Aug. 21 when the top prospects arrive at CN Centre while the veterans will report a week earlier.
