EDMUNDSTON, New Brunswick – Edmundston Blizzard general manager Steve MacPherson pulled off a big string last night by making a draft picks trade ensuring the team would speak first in the Maritime Hockey League (NHL) draft to be held online on July 15th.
The Blizzard traded their 2022 first-round pick (from Valley), 2022 second-round pick (from Campbellton) and 2023 eighth-round pick to the South Shore Lumberjacks for the first-round pick of 2022 and the 2023 seventh-round pick.
At the conclusion of the 2021-22 season, the Lumberjacks earned first overall draft pick after finishing last in the standings. That pick will now go to Blizzard.
“It will be exciting to have the first overall pick in franchise history,” Steve MacPherson said.
The general manager is careful not to reveal the identity of the player he will select because he must also choose eighth in the same first round.
In order to obtain this first choice of the Lumberjacks, it is necessary to be a fine strategist and to analyze all the situations. The Blizzard’s first pick of 2022 was obtained in a trade that sent goaltender Antoine Lyonnais to Valley on July 22, 2021. A month later (August 26, 2021), the Blizzard obtained Campbellton’s second pick as well as Phil Collette in return for Frédéryck Janvier.
The Blizzard will begin its sixth season in Edmundston this fall. Liam Leonard was the very first pick in the team’s history (1st round, 7th overall) in June 2017 in Miramichi. Here are Blizzard’s other top picks over the years: Aaron Brown in 2018 (1st round, 8th overall), Mitchell McLeod in 2019 (1st round, 5th overall), Jacob Long in 2020 (1st round, 6th overall) and Noah Matulu in 2021 (1st round, 7th overall).
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Blizzard’s first picks through the years.
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Contact: Hugues Chiasson, vice-president communications – The Edmundston Blizzard; (506) 740-0623 – cell phone