Walleye Swap 20-Year-Old Blueliners with Rockets
November 30, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release
Big, right-shot defensemen with a bit of snarl to their game are valuable commodities in the hockey world. The Brandon Wheat Kings have added just such a player in a trade with the Kelowna Rockets.
The Wheat Kings and Rockets have exchanged 20-year-old defensemen, with Kayden Sadhra-Kang going to the Rockets and the Wheat Kings bringing in Jackson Desouza. Desouza has a goal and six assists in 15 games so far this season, while Sadhra-Kang had put up one goal and seven assists in 27 games.
"He's a big, right handed defenseman that is a defense first type player," said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. "He does everything hard, he makes it hard on opposing players and makes them fight for every inch of ice. We felt that a little change of our d-corps was something we needed. Hopefully he brings some fresh enthusiasm to our back end.
Desouza brings a towering frame to the Wheat Kings, standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 207 pounds. In addition to using that size to play a bruising style, Desouza also put up six goals, 20 points, and a plus-eight rating in 66 games with the Rockets last season.
"He just needs to be himself and be hard to play against," Murray said. "We felt that addressing our D situation, this was a step closer to making some strides there."
In addition to being an assistant captain with the Rockets, Desouza earned NHL attention as he attended both rookie camp and main camp with the Detroit Red Wings in the offseason. He returned to Kelowna just after their opening weekend.
"He has good leadership qualities," said Murray. "He knows what he is. That was the first thing he talked about when we spoke on the phone today is that he knows he's a defense-first type defenseman, and that's what we need."
After arriving in trade from the Swift Current Broncos on January 9 of 2023, Sadhra-Kang has played in 57 games in a Wheat Kings sweater. He put up one goal and 15 assists in those games. The Wheat Kings would like to thank Kayden for his contributions to the team and wish him all the very best in his future in both hockey and life.
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