The Trail Smoke Eaters have signed two defencemen as their first two recruits of the 2021-2022 season.
Joel Barton is a 17-year-old, right-shot defenceman coming out of the Okanagan Hockey Academy (OHA) where he scored one goal and added in three assists in a shortened nine games this season. In a full season last year, Barton was able to put up 17 points in 36 games. Barton will head into the team with chemistry already established as he was a teammate of current Smoke Eater Connor Michaud last season in the OHA U18 league. The Kelowna native is the younger brother of a Smoke Eater alumni, Seth Barton, who played for the team during the 2017/18 season.
I am excited for the opportunity to play for the Trail Smoke Eaters. Trail has consistently checked all the boxes for an amazing hockey club,” said Joel Barton. “The hockey history, the culture, the team ownership, the coaching group, the facilities, the city, and the fan support… amazing!”
Chris Kobelka comes from the Edge hockey school in Calgary, Alberta where he has played for the past couple of seasons. The 17-year-old tallied four assists in a short three-game season this year playing for the U18 Prep hockey team within the Edge program. The Calgary native scored five goals and added in 18 assists in a full 2019/20 season.
“When choosing where I wanted to play junior, I wanted to find a place that would allow me to develop individually as a player and more importantly compete for a championship,” said Chris Kobelka. “After spending a month in Trail, training and skating with the team earlier this year I realized that it was the perfect place to accomplish both.”