Overager Labardo acquired from Oshawa

Press Release

The Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League announced today that they have acquired overage center J.P. Labardo (luh-bar-doe) from the Oshawa Generals in exchange for a conditional 15th round draft pick in the 2013 OHL Priority Selection.

A resident of Bolton, Ont., Labardo has appeared in 218 games across four seasons in the OHL with Oshawa and Guelph. The left-handed shooting center has scored 31 goals and dished out 35 assists for 66 points in his OHL career.

The 5-foot-8, 174-pound Labardo was drafted from the Markham Majors in the second round (41st overall) of the 2008 OHL Priority Selection by the Guelph Storm. He was traded to Oshawa during the 2009-2010 season and posted career bests of 10 goals and 12 assists during the 2010-2011 season with Oshawa.

“We’re excited to have a high character player like J.P. on our team,” Otters general manager Sherry Bassin said. “We like his leadership skills and as an overage player he can bring a lot to the table this season with those qualities.”

Labardo is slated to make his Otters debut Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. when the Otters begin the regular season on the road against the Niagara IceDogs. Fans can listen to all the action starting with the Erie Federal Credit Union Pre-game Show beginning at 6:45 p.m. on Fox Sports Radio AM 1330 The Fan.

(Nathan can be reached at nathanfournier@mainehockeyjournal.com)