Panthers add to depth with acquisition of Junior A veteran defenceman Taylor Redmond

February 10th, 2020
North Saanich, British Columbia

The Peninsula Panthers have added what they believe will be a key piece on the back end in 20-year-old Taylor Redmond.  The smooth-skating rear guard has been on the Club's radar for a couple years and it was only six hours before the carding deadline of 4:00 pm Monday afternoon, that he was added to the roster.  Redmond will add significant depth to the defensive corps having been at the Junior A level in both Manitoba and Ontario for the past several seasons.  The Panthers had obtained the playing rights for Redmond a couple of years ago in a three-way trade involving the Panthers, Campbell River Storm and Saanich Braves.  But it was only on Monday that they were able to bring him into the fold after obtaining his release from the Neepawa Natives of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

Head Coach Brad Tippett shared some thoughts on his latest addition:

"We had obtained Taylor’s Jr B playing rights via future considerations in a trade with Campbell River two years ago. At that time we knew he was going East to play Jr A so it was just a lottery ticket that we threw in a drawer and hoped one day that it might work out. The one empty card we had left expired today at 4:00 pm. So— it worked out. Stefan Grunert is still recovering from a fractured bone in his foot and Eric Horricks is just returning from an injury that sidelined him for almost 2 months. Skyler Diamond-Burchuk will miss the next few games while competing overseas in the Red Bull Extreme Skating races. The playoffs can have teams playing a lot of games in a few days. Taylor’s skating ability and experience provides us with depth. He knows many of his teammates, so he will fit in nicely. We know other teams were inquiring about him, so we are grateful to add Taylor to our lineup."

Redmond has been off the ice for some time but is expected out to practice on Monday and Tuesday evenings with the Team.  If all goes well, he will suit up on Wednesday evening when the Panthers head to the Q Centre to take on the Westshore Wolves.  Fans on the Peninsula will get their first look at the veteran on Friday night when they welcome in the Wolves for the back end of the home-and-home series.  The puck is set to drop at 7:30 pm.