The Brandon Wheat Kings have traded veteran defenceman Logen Hammett to the Vancouver Giants for a fourth-round draft pick in 2024.

The deal was announced on Friday afternoon.

Hammett, who was selected 101st overall by the Wheat Kings in 2018, was caught up in the team’s overage battle, which also included forwards Brett Hyland, Dawson Pasternak and Zakhar Polshakov, along with defenceman Kayden Sadhra-Kang.

Wheat Kings head coach and general manager Marty Murray said it was a difficult move to make.

“Obviously Logen is a good enough player to certainly be on our team, it’s just a numbers thing,” Murray said. “Unfortunately with these 20-year-old situations, it’s a tough thing and Vancouver reached out to us and asked if he was available. We put a lot of thought into who we’re going to keep and I think we’re only going to keep one 20-year-old defenceman. It didn’t make sense for us to keep two at this point.

“Those are always very tough decisions when you’re dealing with good hockey players but good people as well.”

In 144 games with the Wheat Kings over three seasons, the six-foot-one, 190-pound blue-liner from Regina had four goals, 33 assists, 98 penalty minutes and a plus-minus of -22.

The Wheat Kings also officially added a player when they announced their 19th overall pick in 2023, defenceman Giorgos Pantelas of Victoria, has signed a standard player agreement with the club.

The pick Brandon used to draft the six-foot-two, 182-pound Pantelas was acquired from the Saskatoon Blades for forward Jake Chiasson in a deadline day deal on Jan. 10.

He joins forward Jaxon Jacobson as signed members of the latest class.

“Part of it is identifying players to draft and what we need for our program, and then the next phase of it is to get them signed,” Murray said. “They’re drafted in the positions they are and you want to make sure you get them, so to get both of those guys wrapped up is key for us and hopefully we can keep moving forward with some other players as well.”

The two will be in action next weekend as Brandon hosts its annual prospects camp at J&G Homes Arena from Friday to Sunday.

In other news Friday, the Wheat Kings and their radio partner Q Country 91.5 Radio announced they have parted ways after one season with broadcaster Chase Johnston, who also served as the team’s director of media relations.

A search has begun for a replacement for Johnston, who was brought in last September, days before the season began.

ICINGS: Brandon prospect Ethan Eskit of the Yale Hockey Academy was named a first-team all-star in the 2022-23 Canadian Sport School Hockey League’s under-18 prep B.C. Division on Thursday.

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