Spokane, Red Deer swap injury-plagued defensemen

The Spokane Chiefs exchanged one defenseman who has battled an injury-plagued season for another, the team announced before Saturday’s game with Tri-City.

The Chiefs traded 18-year-old Colton Bobyk to the Red Deer Rebels for 19-year-old defenseman Nick Charif.

Bobyk has been limited to eight games this Western Hockey League season because of lower-body injuries. Charif had missed the Rebels’ last 24 games with a lower-body injury.

Both players, however, are expected to immediately contribute to their new teams. Bobyk, a native of Red Deer, will be cleared to play for the Rebels while Charif, of Edmonton, Alberta, is expected to be in the lineup when he arrives in Spokane.

“Colton Bobyk and Nick Charif are both coming off injuries and the trade will give both players a fresh start going into the second half of the season,” Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz said. “We are excited to have Nick join our group and give us another puck-moving D-man.”

Bobyk, a 10th-round selection in the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft, played 66 games with Spokane, including 56 last season, when he had five goals and 12 points.

The Chiefs also acquired a second-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft and a conditional sixth-round pick in 2016. Red Deer received a fourth-round pick in the 2016 draft.

Chris Derrick