Earlier this month, in the lead-up to the Jan. 8 Western Hockey League trading deadline, the Kamloops Blazers found themselves in an unenviable position. As the standings in the Western Division were extremely close, with many teams separated by only a handful of points, the Blazers were cautious about any major roster changes until NHL defenceman Harrison Brunicke was officially returned to their lineup.
Brunicke, who has been with the Blazers since 2022, made his NHL debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins and played nine games with them before being moved to spend time with their American Hockey League affiliate, the Scranton Penguins. In January, Brunicke helped Canada secure a bronze medal at the World Juniors hosted in Minnesota before he was reassigned back to the Blazers two days before the WHL trade deadline.
With this strong right-side defensive player back with the team, the Blazers had the opportunity to shift their trading priorities elsewhere before the deadline.
Once Brunicke was returned, the changes came quickly. The Blazers’ first move came in a trade with the Everett Silvertips, where they sent Kayd Ruedig in exchange for first- and fourth-round picks in the 2028 draft.
To free up another defenceman space on the roster, the Blazers released 2007-born defenceman Evan Markel.
In the final hours before the trade deadline, the Blazers completed one last deal with the Red Deer Rebels.
Red Deer received a pair of fourth-round picks for 2026 and 2028, including a pick via the Vancouver Giants, which the Blazers acquired in 2024 from a trade. In return, Blazers received Ty Coupland, a 2007-born forward. Coupland is a North Vancouver-born who has scored nine goals and 11 assists in 33 games with Red Deer this season. With that final trade, the Blazers’ roster now sits at 14 forwards, eight defensemen and two goaltenders.
Beyond the trades, the Blazers also welcomed back some key players returning from injuries. Jordan Keller, who hasn’t played since Nov. 21 due to an upper-body injury, finally returned to the lineup on Jan. 10 against the Penticton Vees and netted two goals on his first game back. In addition to Keller, the Blazers also shared a video on their social media of forward Vit Zahejsky returning to the ice during practice in a no-contact jersey. Zahejsky suffered a lower-body injury in September after a big hit by Seattle Thunderbird’s Kaleb Hartmann and was stretchered off the ice. His return to the game is expected soon.
Meanwhile, the midterm draft rankings were released, with Blazers’ standout star J.P Hurlbert ranking 10th among North American skaters. Hurlbert, who is the Canadian Hockey League’s point leader, has continued to climb the rankings throughout the first half of the season. In September, he was projected as a mid-second-round pick; however, his performance in the WHL shifted his position in the rankings.
With the return of key players and several roster moves completed, the Blazers are set for the last half of the season. Although they currently sit at seventh in the Western Conference, only 10 points separate third and ninth place in the division. Every game counts and is a must-win from here on out.