Photo via Portland Winterhawks

The Kamloops Blazers have landed another stockpile of draft picks as they continue to replenish their draft table.

They’ve traded the playing rights to 19-year-old defenseman Tyson Jugnauth to the Portland Winterhawks for a third and conditional sixth round pick in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft, a conditional second round pick in 2025, and a second round pick in 2026, which Portland previously acquired from the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Jugnauth, a Kelowna native, was a first round pick of the Swift Current Broncos in 2019, but he opted to go the college route. The Blazers redrafted him in the seventh round in 2021.

The six-foot defenceman was a fourth round pick of the Seattle Kraken in the 2022 NHL Draft.

Jugnauth is currently playing for the University of Wisconsin Badgers, but he’s expected to leave the NCAA and join the Winterhawks. He’s put up a pair of assists in 13 games this season, his second in the NCAA.

Prior to joining Wisconsin, Jugnauth spent two seasons with the West Kelowna Warriors, where he was named BCHL Top Defenceman in 2021-22 after posting 50 points (9G-41A) in 52 games.

With the move, the Blazers now have replenished their picks used to acquire talent for last year’s Memorial Cup run. They also traded goaltender Matthew Kieper to Swift Current and forward Fraser Minten to Saskatoon last month.

The Blazers now have four first round picks, four second round picks, four third round picks, and six fourth round picks spread out over the next four WHL Prospects Drafts.