The Estevan Bruins have announced a number of acquisitions as they continue to piece together the club that is to host the 2022 Centennial Cup national junior A hockey championship, presented by Tim Hortons.
On Friday, the club announced that 2001-born forward Eric Houk of Regina has committed to play for the club.
Houck joins the Bruins after playing the last three seasons with the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Swift Current Broncos, serving as an alternate captain the last two years. Houck also played with the Bruins for three playoff games during the 2018 postseason, earning an assist in his first SJHL game.
“I’m excited to come to a great junior A organization like the Bruins and do my part to bring a national title to the city of Estevan,” said Houk.
“Eric is a player that gives an honest effort every night. We like how hard he competes and we feel he will add leadership to our dressing room as he served as the assistant captain for the Swift Current Broncos the past two seasons. He’s a player that will contribute to both ends of the ice and we are looking forward to having him join us this season,” said Bruins head coach and general manager Jason Tatarnic.
Houk had three goals and an assist in 14 games played in the WHL bubble in Regina in the 2021 season.
The Bruins have also acquired 2001-born forward Joey Moffatt from the Portage Terriers of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) in exchange for a player development fee. Moffatt has played a combined 217 games at Junior A over four years, putting up 185 points. Moffatt also played a key role for Portage in 2018-19 as they won an MJHL championship and Anavet Cup, qualifying for the national tournament.
“We acquired Joey Moffatt for a few different reasons. Joey has played in the national championship, he knows what it takes to win and he has a history of putting up points. We feel his experience will be very valuable; we’ve watched quite a bit of video on him and we really like what he can bring to our team,” said Tatarnic.
Moffatt played for the Terriers starting at a 16-year-old in 2017-18. He split last season with the Minot Minotauros of the North American Hockey League and the Cowichan Valley Capitals of the B.C. Hockey League, putting up 10 points in 25 games.
Carter Massier, born in 2001, comes from the Melville Millionaires in exchange for a conditional pick in the 2023 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) Bantam Draft.
Massier has played the last three seasons with the Regina Pats of the WHL, appearing in 95 games and tallying 27 points. During the 2021 WHL hub games in Regina, Massier played in all 24 games, putting up 12 points.
If Massier, who hails from Peace River, Alta., is made available to the junior A level for his 20-year-old season, the Bruins will hold his rights in the SJHL.
Ben Diamond (’02) was acquired from the St. Thomas Stars of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League in exchange for a player development fee.
Diamond last played during the 2019-20 season, as there was no junior hockey played in Ontario during the 20-21 campaign due to COVID-19 restrictions. In his last full season as a 17-year-old, Diamond finished with 29 points in 41 games played, split between the Strathroy Rockets and the Stars.
After a midseason trade, Diamond (6’1, 185lbs) was a point-per-game player with the Stars with 18 points in his last 18 games.
The Bruins have previously announced the commitments of Zach Burfoot, Zachary Smith and Brenden Holba, who will spend their first season of junior A hockey in Estevan.
