The Canmore Eagles added some defensive depth on Wednesday acquiring Daly Hamilton from the Canadian Junior A Hockey League champion West Kelowna Warriors for future considerations.
Hamilton joins the Alberta Junior Hockey League club after playing just three games for the B.C. Hockey League side this season. Listed at six feet and 175 lbs., the Calgary-born player played his minor hockey with the Calgary Flames organization.
In two seasons at the major midget level, Hamilton played 68 games, registered 37 points (10G-27A) and racked up 170 penalty minutes.
“We watched him … we listed him but we knew he was going to West Kelowna so we didn't really recruit him,” said Andrew Milne, Eagles GM and head coach.
“West Kelowna had a lot of guys fall in their lap over the summer including d-men. … As a rookie and sort of a guy that was going to be lower on the depth chart they decided to move him.”
Milne said Hamilton's physical play and puck-moving abilities will serve the Eagles well moving forward. In his final year of midget AAA, the defenceman racked up 30 points in (8G-22A) in 33 games and seven (6G-1A) in eight playoff games.
“He can produce a lot of points offensively in his career in midget AAA and that is something we look at eventually getting out of him,” said Milne.
Hamilton arrived in Canmore on Wednesday evening and joined the team on their bus ride Thursday to Camrose where the team will participate in the annual AJHL Showcase. The Eagles take on the Spruce Grove Saints at 4:30 p.m. Thursday and the Drayton Valley Thunder at noon on Friday.
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