by Dan O’Connor
Prince George Cougars
The Prince George Cougars have traded 1995-born forward Aaron Macklin (High River, AB) to the Regina Pats in exchange for a conditional 7th round pick in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft.
Macklin was originally acquired by the Prince George Cougars in November, 2013 in a trade with the Kamloops Blazers. In 97 career regular season games with the Cougars, Macklin scored seven goals, 10 assists and added 202 penalty minutes. In 184 career games in the WHL (with Kamloops and Prince George), Macklin has tallied 11 goals, 17 assists and 272 penalty minutes. He also has three goals and 12 penalty minutes in 13 career playoff games.
“Aaron Macklin has been a heart-and-soul type of player for us ever since arriving in Prince George and we are grateful for the work ethic and character that he brought to the rink with him every day,” comments Prince George Cougars General Manager, Todd Harkins. “This was another very difficult decision for us, but we are only allowed to carry three 20-year-old players on our roster after October 15th, and this move provides Aaron with the chance to continue his WHL career with the Regina Pats and we wish him well in his next hockey chapter.”
With this move, the Prince George Cougars have three remaining 20-year-olds on their roster: Chase Witala, Joe Carvalho and Mack Shields. Their roster now sits at 26 players total: 16 forwards, eight defencemen and two goaltenders.
The Prince George Cougars 22nd WHL regular season officially kicks off on Friday, September 25th at home against the Everett Silvertips.