Jimmy Darby Acquired In Trade With Trail

The Surrey Eagles have traded for defenceman Jimmy Darby from the Trail Smoke Eaters in exchange for forward Corey Clifton. Darby, 18, is a native of North Vancouver. The 6-foot-3, 200 pound defenceman scored six points and added 24 penalty minutes in 40 games in his rookie season with the Smoke Eaters last season.

Darby brings needed size, defensive ability, and youthfulness to a reworked Eagles core for 2019-20. Before joining the Smoke Eaters, he was a product of the Vancouver NW Giants program of the BC Major Midget League.

The team is very excited to bring Darby into the fold, specifically head coach and associate general manager Cam Keith, who expects him to make an impact on the roster right away.

“Jimmy is a hybrid defensemen,” Keith said about the team’s newest acquisition. “He has the ability to make smart decisions out of the defensive zone, with high end play making ability in the offensive zone.”

Keith also spoke highly about Darby’s physical ability. The coach anticipates that he will lead the way as the team makes an effort to become more difficult to play against.

“He’s a force,” Keith explained. “He will make things hard for the top end players on opposing teams. With a year already under his belt as a 17-year-old, we expect him to be an impact player right away.”

The Eagles organization would also like to thank Corey Clifton for his dedication during the 2018-19 season. We wish him nothing but the best with his new team.

We’ll have more announcements throughout the summer, so make sure you keep checking back to SurreyEagles.ca as the off-season rolls along!