EDMUNDSTON, N.B. – The Edmundston Blizzard has made an important trade that will allow the team to aim for top honors during the 2021-2022 season of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League.
Centerman Blake Richardson, who played with the QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada for the past three seasons, comes to Edmundston. Richardson’s rights belonged to the Amherst Ramblers who got him through supplemental draft. The Blizzard gave in return forwards Tristan Sanchez and Matthew McHatten, defenseman Alex MacKinnon and the second pick in the 2022 MHL Draft.
Richardson is 20 years old and is 5’8 tall and weighs 160 pounds. He played 113 games in three seasons in the Courteau league, tallying 17 goals and 33 assists for a total of 50 points. His coach with the Armada was his father, Bruce Richardson, who enjoyed a professional ten-year career with several teams and leagues in the United States (AHL, UHL and ECHL). He also played for the Manitoba Moose, IHL, in 2001-2002, and another four seasons on European soil.
“We’ve given a lot in return, but we’re delighted to have got our hands on a player who will make an immediate impact and who will certainly be among the best players in the league. Our goal is to win the championship this season. With the character and skills that Blake has shown in the QMJHL, he will make the Blizzard an even more remarkable team,” explained general manager Steve MacPherson, who noted that Richardson already knows Austin Paul, a player that the Blizzard has obtained during a previous transaction two weeks ago.
Blizzard’s new acquisition could not be happier to come to the North West squad. “Edmundston was my first choice as a team from the Maritimes because it’s closer to home and because of its reputation,” said Richardson, who lives in Pincourt, a city located southwest of Montreal. I’ve only heard good things about the Blizzard organization and the fans who fill the amphitheater every game.
Richardson intends to respond to the great expectations put on him. “I have to continue to be the player that I am. I have been successful because of my efforts. I am an offensive player with good skills and a good vision of the game and very responsible in my zone. I’m also good at face-offs and the coach can use me in all situations of the game,” he said.
Richardson, who speaks French and English, also describes himself as a playmaker, especially when it comes to power-play.
In an interview, Blake said he followed his father to Europe at an early age. “I took skating lessons when I was 5 when my dad was in Germany, then I played hockey in England when I was 7 and 8.”
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Photos
Blake Richardson (photos courtesy)
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Source: Hugues Chiasson, vice-president communications – The Edmundston Blizzard; (506) 740-0623 – cell phone