The Red Deer Rebels have traded away Escalus Burlock.
On Tuesday the team announced they sent the 17-year-old forward to the Victoria Royals in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft.
The Rebels drafted the Edmonton native two years ago in round seven, 135th overall in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft. He appeared in eight games last season for Red Deer registering just one goal.
Owner, president, and general manager of the Rebels Brent Sutter said Burlock was well-liked among his teammates but felt he needed to go somewhere where he would get more opportunities to play.
“He’s 17 years old and where we’re at with the depth of our team he was someone that wouldn’t be an everyday player for us,” he said.
“We just had a number of players that were ahead of him at this point on the depth chart. He needs to play and Victoria had lots of interest in him and at the end of the day, you need to do the right thing for the kid too.
“Hopefully it works out for him. He’s a great kid and he was well-liked in the dressing room but it just came down to that he needs to play.”