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Crusaders amp up offence in huge trade for Kendall

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If there was any doubt that the Crusaders are all in for this season — and why wouldn’t they be after a tremendous 24-2 start — it should be pretty clear how serious they are taking things now.

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A major trade made on Wednesday announced that as clearly as that Strathcona County refinery flare that was seemingly signaling alien civilizations earlier this week.

The Sherwood Park Crusaders acquired forward Jacob Kendall from the Camrose Kodiaks in exchange for forward Brett Wieschorster and future considerations, further strengthening a very deep roster.

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Kendall is now in his fourth season in the Alberta Junior Hockey League, having spent all of them with the Kodiaks.

He’s played in 191 games, scoring 129 points (69 goals, 60 assists).

The six-foot-two, 192-pound forward had a career year last season when he recorded 27 goals and 50 points and is looking to eclipse those totals this campaign having 23 points (15 goals, eight assists) in 24 games.

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“It’s a deal that (GM Kyle Chase) has been eying up for a while here,” said Crusaders head coach Adam Manah. “We knew we needed another body who could fit into our top six in terms of scoring and we feel we have definitely found that with Kendall. He brings a lot of heaviness, size and grit He is that power forward type who can drive pucks to the net and has good mitts in tight. For us, it is a massive pick-up. We are extremely happy to have him and we know he is going to be a massive contributor, not only to our lineup during the regular season, but he is another guy who could be a big help in the playoffs, just like bringing in a guy like Jarred White from Fort Mac earlier this year.”

Kendall is currently sitting in a three-way tie for 11th overall in the AJHL in goals scored with 15 with new Crusaders teammates Will Zapernick and White.

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Of course, to get a good player like Kendall, something has to go the other way and that was a Sherwood Park product in Wieschorster.

“Brett has been a heavy player for the past few seasons since we acquired him from the Drumheller Dragons,” Chase said in a team release. “He’s a really good teammate, works hard, plays at both ends of the rink and is super competitive. We are thankful for everything Brett has done for our organization, and we wish him and his family nothing but the best in Camrose.”

“There are always two sides to trades and it is never easy to see a guy go who we have a ton of respect for,” Manah added. “He is a tremendous kid on and off the ice. He did everything that we asked of him. He was more of a depth guy for us that played a lot of minutes on the penalty kill and more of a checking role and chipped in on offence when he could. We can’t thank him enough for everything he did for us the last couple of years. It’s tough, but obviously we are very happy to get Kendall and we know Brett will get a good opportunity in Camrose and we wish him the best of luck.”

Wieschorster, who native joined the organization in 2018 after being acquired from the Drumheller Dragons, played in 78 regular-season games for the Crusaders and scored 38 points (15 goals, 23 assists).

sjones@postmedia.com

twitter.com/Realshanejones

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