The Kamloops Blazers blueline got a little less crowded today.

The team has traded 17-year-old defenseman Trevor Thurston to the Lethbridge Hurricanes for a third round pick in the 2021 WHL Bantam Draft.

General manager Matt Bardsley says the team has been letting things play out since acquiring Max Martin – which put the team at eight defenseman.

“Once we got to a point where both Thurston and Ethan Brandwood, they’ve been in and out of the lineup and really, right now, the only way one would get into the lineup is by dressing seven, because we do have a fairly veteran defense,” Bardsley tells NL Sports.

“So this seemed to be a good fit for [Lethbridge], and he’s a young prospect who I think has good upside. So if we were going to make that move we wanted to get a good return, and we think that a third-round pick is a good return.”

Thurston was originally drafted by the Blazers in the fourth round of the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft. The North Delta native hadn’t registered a point in eight games with the Blazers this season.

With the move, the Blazers roster now sits at 23 players including two goaltenders, seven defensemen and 14 forwards.