The Alberni Valley Bulldogs weren’t as busy as other teams leading up to the Dec. 1 roster deadline.
However, the team made three roster moves that the team feels puts them in a good position leading up to the final Jan. 10 roster freeze, according to a team press release.
As of Dec. 1, each team in the BCHL is given 25 cards for the remainder of the season.
Included in those 25 cards are all players that are currently on the roster.
Therefore, a team that has 22 players on their current roster will have only three moves available to them leading up to the final January deadline.
This includes signing prospects out of junior B or major midget, signing veteran players that are released by major junior teams, and trading for players.
Any player that remains on a team’s injury reserve after Dec. 1 counts as one of those 25 cards even though that player doesn’t currently take up an active roster spot.
Earlier this week, the Bulldogs traded Nathan Craft to the Langley Rivermen for future considerations. This move immediately freed up a roster spot for defenseman Brandon Halls, who was cleared to resume full play after undergoing emergency appendix surgery a month earlier.
The Bulldogs also removed defenseman Daniel Delbianco from the active roster. Delbianco was presented with a plan to get him back into game shape after undergoing shoulder surgery in the offseason but instead of practicing with the Bulldogs and getting into game action with a local junior B team, he chose to leave the club and go back home.
“We wish Daniel all the best in his recovery and conditioning and hope to see him playing in the BCHL again soon,” assistant coach Adam Hayduk said in the press release.
In the final move leading up to the deadline, the Bulldogs released 20-year-old American-born forward Chris Tracy.
Tracy was picked by the Bulldogs at the start of this season after briefs stints this season with the Langley Riverman and the Surrey Eagles.
These roster moves leave the Alberni Valley Bulldogs with an active roster of 21 players and in a position to pick up a 20-year-old player before the Jan. 10 roster freeze without necessarily having to move any personnel.
However, if the right opportunities do present themselves, the team has up to four moves to strengthen the team’s depth.
This is the first time since October 2011 that the Bulldogs have a completely healthy roster, Hayduk noted.