Rivermen Deal Defenseman

Press Release

Township of Langley, BC, Wednesday, October 31, 2012: The Langley Rivermen Junior “A” Hockey Club has announced a trade with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. The Rivermen trade defenseman Bo Pellah (1995 born) to the Bulldogs for forward Evan Anderson (1995 born) and defensemen Turner Popoff (1994 born).

Anderson, a North Vancouver product, is having a fantastic rookie year recording 4 goals and 10 assists in 18 games. His early efforts this season have been rewarded with a scholarship to UMass-Lowell for 2014/2015. Popoff, a Richmond native, has put up 1 goal and two assists in 17 games this season with the ‘Dogs thus far.

“It is obviously tough moving a player as talented as Bo Pellah and it was not an easy thing to do. He has been a good teammate here in Langley and has been a pleasure to watch, but at the end of the day we feel that this is a move that will help make our team more competitive,” said Rivermen Head Coach/GM Bobby Henderson.

Evan Anderson is a guy that has impressed Henderson when seeing him play against the Rivermen this season and he feels he has a bright future ahead of him,

“There is plenty to like about Evan. Right off the bat he has great speed and is a very talented player with good stick skills, good vision and moves the puck well.  We feel he will address offensive needs for us not only this season, but for years to come,” Henderson said.

Turner Popoff brings some more experience to the Rivermen blue line as he has played in 58 career games registering 4 goals, 7 assists and 119 penalty minutes.

“Turner is the type of player that isn’t the glamorous type by any means, but at the same time he is a guy that helps you win. He is everything that you look for in a defenseman. He is steady back there and moves the puck well, but the thing we like most about him is his compete level. We watched him enough in the past two years either in person or on film and feel his is just a great overall defenseman,” Henderson said about his new blue liner.

As for Bo Pellah, he has been electrifying since suiting up as a rookie last year. The 17 year old is off to a great start with 1 goal and 12 assists in 13 games to date.  In his 71 games in a Rivermen uniform he registered a total of 4 goals, 34 assists for 38 points to go along with 63 penalty minutes and locked up a scholarship to Penn State.

“I am sure the fans in Langley are going to be sad to see Bo go as he was an exciting player to watch. I hope the fans in Alberni Valley get out and take advantage of the opportunity to see a player like him. He is a kind of guy that is few and far between in this league and we believe the sky is the limit with his potential. We feel this trade is good for both organizations and I hope it works out the best for everybody,” Henderson finished.
 

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