One of the Surrey Eagles’ longest-serving players is on the move.
On Tuesday, the BC Hockey League team shipped 19-year-old forward Darius Davidson to the first-place Penticton Vees in a three-team deal that sees the last-place Eagles acquire 19-year-old forward Rhett Wilcox from Cowichan Valley, and future considerations from the Vees.
Davidson has been among Surrey’s most consistent forwards this season, and has 11 goals and 14 assists in 30 games this season.
Wilcox will join the Eagles immediately, and the deal will be completed in the off-season when the “future” assets come to Surrey from Penticton.
“(The trade) brings us a number of great assets for the future – for the rest of the season and looking ahead to next year,” said Eagles coach Blaine Neufeld. “Penticton has been after Darius for awhile now, and we saw it as an opportunity for him and for our team moving forward.”
In Penticton, Davidson joins a first-place club that has lost just twice in 31 games this season, and is one of the country’s top contenders for the RBC Cup national championship.
Though Davidson has one year of junior eligibility after this season, Neufeld – who says Davidson has drawn plenty of interest from college scouts – figures this will be his last year before he moves on to the NCAA.
Wilcox has six goals and eight assists in 25 games with the Cowichan Valley Capitals this season, and Neufeld thinks he will thrive in Surrey given a bigger role.
• Tonight’s game at South Surrey Arena, against Coquitlam, is the Eagles’ annual Teddy Bear Toss game, where fans throw new plush toys on the ice after the home team’s first goal. The bears are then donated to Surrey Christmas Bureau.