Rockets Trade Bowman for D-man

r The Kelowna Rockets have swapped defencemen with the Moose Jaw Warriors, sending Collin Bowman to the Warriors in exchange for Kevin Smith.

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r A three year veteran, Smith, 19, played 70 games with Moose Jaw last season, scoring seven goals and adding 17 assists and 76 penalty minutes.

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r Bowman, 19, played three full seasons with the Rockets but requested a move to another team at the end of last season.

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r “Collin thought a change might be best for him,” said Rockets president/general manager Bruce Hamilton. “I worked away at this all summer trying to find a suitable deal for Collin and most importantly for the Kelowna Rockets. It was imperative we got a defenceman in return.”
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r In Smith, the Rockets hope to fill the role Bowman was playing with the team.  The 6-foot-2 192 pound Smith is a native of North Vancouver and has played 169 career regular season WHL games, all with Moose Jaw.

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r “In Smith we hope he will be similar to Collin,” said Hamilton. “Anytime you lose a guy that has been with you for three years it’s difficult. Collin played hard for us every night. In his case a player that is not happy here needs to be in a situation where he is happy.”
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