UPDATE Aug 30 – The Kamloops Blazers have traded defenceman Mats Lindgren to the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for defenseman Kyle Masters and a conditional first round draft pick in 2025.

Masters, a 19-year-old Edmonton native, put up 27 points in 109 WHL regular season games with Red Deer over the past three seasons.

“We are excited to add a player like Kyle to our team,” Blazers Head Coach and General Manager, Shaun Clouston, said. “Kyle plays a well-rounded, 200 foot game and we believe he will be a great fit with our group to our defense.”

If the Rebels are part of the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft Lottery, the Blazers will get a first-round pick in 2026 instead.

Drafted by the Wild in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Draft, Masters will join the Blazers at training camp with on-ice sessions getting underway this Friday, Sept. 2.

A draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres in 2022, the 18-year-old Lindgren put up 54 points in 94 regular season games with the Blazers over the past three seasons.

The North Vancouver native reportedly put in a trade request shortly after the 2022 NHL Draft.

Asked about that while on the NL Morning News Tuesday, Clouston didn’t say one way or another whether the rumours were true.

“Both players were looking potentially for another opportunity and I think that it impacted it to the extent that we were able to make a trade and something that I think is going to be a positive hopefully for both teams moving forward,” he said.

“As I already mentioned, we’re getting a good player, an older player and a first round pick is pretty big.”

My understanding is a trade request came in shortly after falling to the 4th round in Montreal. Blazers swapping 4th round NHL picks and a get another 1st round chip. Now two 1sts in 2023 & 2025. https://t.co/DI8R4SgbQa

— Jon Keen (@JonKeenNLSports) August 29, 2022

– With files from Jeff Andreas