Canucks prospect Cole Candella dealt to Sudbury Wolves

According to an official press release from the team, the Sudbury Wolves have acquired Vancouver Canucks prospect Cole Candella from the Hamilton Bulldogs in exchange for multiple draft picks.

Candella was selected by the Canucks in the fifth round of the 2016 draft. He’s spent the last three seasons with the Bulldogs, a team not expected to be competitive in the OHL this season. Candella will go into his final OHL season as a key player on the Wolves’ blueline.

“Cole is a player who was highly sought after as he is expected to be one of the top 19-year-old d-men in the league this season and he will have an immediate impact on the backend,” said Rob Papineau, VP of Hockey Operations and General Manager. “He is an excellent skater and a strong puck moving defencemen who has a great shot. He is an NHL drafted player and we are very happy to add Cole and his experience to our hockey team.”

This move doesn’t matter all that much in the grand scheme of things, but it puts a Canucks prospect in a better position to succeed on a stronger team. It’s also promising that another OHL team would be interested in acquiring Candella, who’s described as a jack-of-all trades defenceman that can play a leadership role on a team.

“I had a lot of emotions,” Candella said in an interview with the Sudbury Star. “I wasn’t sure what was going on, but then I heard Sudbury was trying to acquire me. I talked to my agent and my parents and we all felt it was a great opportunity for me. After I accepted the trade, I felt like I was going into a new environment, which is going to be good for me, and getting to know a new team and a new coaching staff, so it’s a great opportunity for me to take hold of and really get things going.”