The Sudbury Wolves have added some height to their blueline after acquiring 6-3 defenceman Noah Van Vliet from the Brantford Bulldogs.
The trade was made in exchange for defenceman Owen Protz and three future draft picks.
“We are really happy to add Noah to the Sudbury Wolves,” said team VP and General Manager Rob Papineau. “He is a big strong shut down defender who has a strong stick and boxes out well. He is an OHL champion and a hard guy to play against. We are excited to welcome him to Sudbury.”
The 220-lbs left-shooter was drafted by the Bulldogs 66th overall in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection. During the 2021-22 season, Van Vliet was party of the Bulldogs squad that led Hamilton to claim the J.Ross Robertson Cup as OHL Champions and play for the Memorial Cup.
An assistant captain for Brantford this season, Van Vliet has appeared in 108 regular season games and 23 post-season games, recording 24 points and 86 penalty minutes. Prior to this season, he was also invited to the Edmonton Oilers development camp.
During the 2023-24 campaign, Van Vliet has seven points (2G-5A) and - 3, and 12 penalty minutes through 36 games.
“We would like to thank Owen for everything he has done for the team. He is a great young player and teammate. He has a great future ahead of him,” Papineau said.
Fans will have their first chance to see Van Vliet in action this Wednesday night when the Wolves host the Mississauga Steelheads at 7:05 p.m. Game tickets are on sale now at GreaterSudbury.ca/tickets and in-person at the Sudbury Arena box office.
