Rockets deal overage defenceman, pick 10 players in Prospects Draft
Elias Carmichael has been traded to the Red Deer Rebels. (Steve Dunsmoor/Kelowna Rockets photo)
Kelowna Rockets have acquired a third-round pick in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft from the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for defenceman Elias Carmichael.
“We currently have two overage defencemen on our roster and our plan going into next season was to have one,” general manager Bruce Hamilton said. “We made this move to get a third-round pick in next year’s draft, it gives us some currency to play with to use or if we need the pick it’s another early one.
“Elias has been here for four years, we wish him all the best next season. It’s a change of scenery. I think Red Deer will be a good spot for him.”
Carmichael appeared in 62 games for the Rockets this past season, posting six points (6G, 23A), 54 penalty minutes and a -3 plus/minus rating.
The 6’3″, 191-pound defenceman has appeared in 192 WHL games over four seasons, posting 60 points (13G, 47A), 119 penalty minutes and a +8 plus/minus rating.
The Rockets drafted Carmichael during the second round (No. 40) at the 2018 WHL Prospects Draft.
ROCKETS MAKE 10 SELECTIONS IN WHL PROSPECTS DRAFT
The Kelowna Rockets selected a total of ten players in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft on Thursday, including four defencemen and six forwards.
“We’re excited to add another group of young talented players to our prospect pool,” Rockets GM Bruce Hamilton said following the draft. “Our head scout Terry McFaul, assistant general manager Curtis Hamilton and team of scouts did a fantastic job of identifying players for our program. Terry himself scouted over 600 games this season.”
With their first pick of the day, the Rockets selected centre Eli Barrett four picks into the second round (No. 26) from St. George’s School U15 Prep of the CSSHL.
Barrett, born in 2008, posted 73 points (31G, 42A) and 10 penalty minutes through 27 games this season with the U15AA team. The 5’8″, 142-pound centre also added six points (2G, 4A) in three playoff games.
“The draft went really well, a little better than what we thought it would,” said McFaul. “We got very lucky with some of the kids that we got, some that we missed out on, but we scored big where we had to. Our scouts worked hard and it was a team effort, it went very well.”
For more on the Rockets selections, click here.