The Yarmouth Mariners will add exciting new prospects at the MHL Draft.
The event in Grand Falls, New Brunswick takes place Saturday morning.
Head Coach and General Manager Laurie Barron says his team has five picks around the second and third rounds.
“We have three picks in the second round, plus an extra pick at the end of the second round and a pick in the third round because we didn’t use territorial picks this year. There should be some good players available in that area,” said Barron.
The Mariners missed the playoffs last season for the first time in nine years.
Barron says they’ve also made some trades for players that can jump into this years’ line-up.
“It was uncharted territory, we’ve been spoiled with some great teams here every year. We made the best out of a bad situation at the trade deadline in January, we picked up several prospects and draft picks, along with trades for players that will enter our line-up this year. It’s great, but I don’t want to be a seller again.”
Last week, Yarmouth picked up forward Liam Dutcher from Grand Falls, forward Liam Wolf-Taulbee from Summerside, Easton Schlender from Miramichi and defender Jano Zambakdjian from West Kent.
The Mariners currently don’t have a pick in the first round, their first pick will be in the second round, 16th overall.
When asked about his goaltending situation, he says both Keegan Warren and Carter Arnold are still with the team, along with U18 goaltender Noah Muise.
Matt Barron joins Dad Laurie on bench:
In other news, former Yarmouth Mariner Matt Barron is joining the team as an assistant coach.
Barron spent the last two seasons with the Leeds Knights in Europe, and formerly played in the ECHL and USPORTS.
Matt is also the all-time leader in points for the Mariners, serving as captain and winning a championship during his five-year junior career.
Dad Laurie says it’s bittersweet.
“I’m super happy he’s going to be by my side this season, but I’m really going to miss watching him play. Matt brings a wealth of pro-hockey experience to our bench. We have a great coaching staff here along with John Murphy and Aaron Boogaard. I can’t wait to get going again this year.”
