The Langley Rivermen Junior “A” hockey club have announced a pair of trades involving defenseman. The team trades Thomas Nitsche (1992 born) to the Penticton Vees for future considerations and have acquired Austen Bietenbeck (1995 born) from the Surrey Eagles for future considerations.
Nitsche, who is a native of North Carolina, appeared in 82 games with the Rivermen and racked up five goals and 21 assists to go along with 101 penalty minutes.
“It was tough moving a guy like Thomas who has been around since day one, but at the end of the day we feel we needed to get younger on the blue line and we are confident that he will flourish in Penticton,” said Rivermen Associate Head Coach Jordan Emmerson.
This BCHL season, Nitsche has played in 27 games and recorded one goal, six assists and 45 penalty minutes. For his efforts he received a scholarship to Colgate next season.
“He is a hardnosed player and is a guy that was well liked by his teammates in the dressing room. He will be missed and we wish him the best of luck.”
In Bietenbeck, the Rivermen are getting a big defenseman at 6’3”, 198 pounds who is also young at 17 years old. He is a Langley native and appeared in 20 games for the Eagles this season posting one assist.
“Austen is a good local talent that has tremendous upside. He is a big body back on the blue line and has all the tools to become a great player in this league,” Emmerson said.
The Rivermen organization would like to thank Thomas for his contributions on and off the ice and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.
The Rivermen’s first home game in 2013 is on Sunday, January 6th against the Cowichan Valley Capitals. As always Sunday games feature the “Skate with the Rivermen” directly following the game; the skate is free and skate rentals are available. Tickets are available at www.langleyrivermen.com or call 604-882-8800. Game time is at 2:00 PM.
