The Coquitlam Express has bolstered its defence with a towering NHL prospect.
But whether he’ll actually play for the BC Hockey League (BCHL) team is still to be determined.
Express general manager Tali Campbell announced Tuesday, July 30, the team has acquired 6’5” defenceman Matt Lahey along with Cooper Wilson and future considerations from the Nanaimo Clippers in exchange for forward Luke Lavery.
Lahey was a seventh-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2024 NHL Draft that was held in June in Las Vegas.
He had two goals and 17 assists in 54 games for the Clippers last season.
But Lahey recently committed to play his final year of junior hockey for the Fargo Force, the reigning Clark Cup champions in the US Hockey League (USHL).
Campbell said if things don’t work out in Fargo for the 18-year-old Victoria-born defender, “he is excited about playing in Coquitlam.”
General Manager Tali Campbell has announced the acquisition of Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick
— Coquitlam Express (@BCHLExpress) July 30, 2024
Matt Lahey and Coquitlam-native Cooper Wilson from the Nanaimo Clippers in exchange for Luke Lavery. pic.twitter.com/L5VVdHjCwe
At the Maple Leafs’ development camp on July 5, Lahey told reporters he was looking forward to advancing his game in Fargo, ahead of moving on to Clarkson University in the NCAA’s Div. I in the fall of 2025.
“It’s a bigger step from the BCHL,” Lahey said of playing in the USHL.
“It lets me develop more as a person and player and lets me grow into my body a bit more.”
Wilson, who had a one-game look from the Express three years ago, had six assists in 39 games last season — his first full campaign with the Clippers.
The Express just acquired Lavery from the Sherwood Park Crusaders on July 8. Originally from Nanaimo, he played for the Cowichan Valley Capitals last season and most of the 2022-23 campaign, scoring 72 points in 96 games.
