The Cranbrook Bucks are excited to announce the addition of 2000-born defenseman Drake Burgin and 2002-born forward Josh Barnes.
Burgin, who hails from Winnipeg, MB, joins the Bucks after spending the previous two seasons with the Winkler Flyers in the MJHL. After amassing 22 points in his rookie season, Burgin followed that up with a 53-point sophomore season. His strong second year saw him named as the top defenseman in the MJHL, a first-team all-star, and earned him a scholarship to St. Lawrence University. “Drake is a young man that we are excited to bring into the Bucks organization for the remainder of the 2020-21 season. He is a young man that we believe can add a veteran presence to our defensive group, while also being able to contribute in all 3 zones. We look forward to working with Drake on his game in order to best prepare him for his NCAA career.” said Head Coach and General Manager Ryan Donald
In a separate transaction, the Bucks swung a deal with the Brockville Braves in the CCHL which saw them land the CJHL playing rights to 2002-born forward Josh Barnes. Barnes has accumulated 64 points over the course of 93 games played in the CCHL, after being selected 24th overall in the OHL draft in 2018. Barnes was named to the CCHL All-Rookie team in 2019 after a great 16-year old season. “Josh is a young man that we are thrilled to acquire the playing rights to. We believe that he has the ability to be an impact forward in the BCHL right away, and are optimistic that Cranbrook can be an outstanding place for him to take the next step in his junior career. We see Josh being a valuable member of our hockey club and community moving forward.” Donald said. In the midst of the Covid-19 challenges being presented to hockey across the country, Barnes has elected to spend the remainder of the 2020-21 season playing in the United States.
In a corresponding move, the Bucks also acquired the CJHL playing rights to 2000- born defenseman Matthieu Wuth.
