The Prince George Cougars Hockey Club have traded veteran winger Jackson Leppard to the Winnipeg ICE for forward 2001-born forward Holden Kodak, 2001-born defenceman Marco Creta, two third-round WHL bantam draft picks (in 2021 and 2022) and a conditional fifth-round pick (2020).
“It’s a good move for our organization right now and moving forward - we’re getting two players that will step into our lineup and make an impact,” said Cougars general manager and head coach Mark Lamb.
“This is a good fit for Jackson too, as he’s going to a great organization and we wish him all the best in his future in Winnipeg.”
The 19-year-old Creta, 19, a native of Oak Bluff, Man., had two assists in seven games with the ICE this season. He started his WHL career in 2017 with the Regina Pats, after a year in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League with Virden. Creta split last season with the Pats and ICE, finishing with four goals and 18 points in 61 games. A veteran of 101 WHL games, he has five goals and 25 points in his career.
Kodak, an 18-year-old from Cloverdale, is in his second WHL season and was held without a point in six games with the ICE this season. He had three goals and 10 points in 49 games last year for the ICE, when the team was based in Cranbrook.
Kodak lit up the Canadian Sport School Hockey League two seasons ago as the scoring champion and league MVP with 52 goals and 40 assists for 92 points in 36 games for Yale Academy. He was am 11th round pick of the Portland Winterhawks in 2016.
Leppard played 177 games over four seasons with the Cats and picked up 28 goals and 42 assists for 70 points and had one goal in five games this season. The native of North Vancouver was the Cougars first-round pick (eighth overall) in 2015.
Creta and Kodak are expected to be in the lineup Tuesday (7 p.m., CN Centre) when the Cougars host the Swift Current Broncos.
