2016 7th round pick Brett McKenzie has been traded by the North Bay Battalion this morning, heading to the Owen Sound Attack.

The full deal is Matthew Struthers, a 14th round pick in 2018, and a 2nd round pick in 2020 for Brett McKenzie.The centre joins current Canucks prospect and Team Canada representative Jonah Gadjovich in Owen Sound.

This move gives the Attack some much-needed centre depth, while the Battalion stockpiles some picks for their overage player. It’s fair to believe that McKenzie will slide into the 2nd or 3rd line spot behind Kevin Hancock. Recently the Attack has been shuffling their lines, looking for balanced scoring, so we could see someone like Gadjovich or Nick Suzuki on the same line as McKenzie in the near future.

McKenzie was eligible for the AHL this season but it appears Canucks management felt there was more development needed in his game and the possibility of being moved to a better team was something that may happen. The trade today is exactly that – McKenzie moves to a better team that will allow him to have some offensive support. The Attack are not a contender for the OHL title, but should at the very least make the playoffs.

The Canucks do retain McKenzie’s rights until June 1, 2018 and if they choose not to sign him, he will re-enter the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.