Western Capitals sign Smith; acquire Ferdinand

The Summerside Western Capitals signed forward Gavin Smith and acquired Matthew Ferdinand in two separate transactions, the team announced on Sunday.

The news was announced via Facebook. 

Smith, who turns 18 later in the month, played 18 games with the Valley Wildcats last year and scored four goals and six points. The St. Andrews, N.B., native appeared in one game for the Charlottetown Islanders of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in the 2024-25 season.  Smith attended the Cape Breton Eagles training camp this summer but was reassigned earlier this month. The Capitals acquired the playing rights to Smith via a trade with Valley in June. 

In the second transaction, the Capitals acquired Ferdinand from the Valley Wildcats. In exchange, the Capitals send a player development fee (PDF) to the Wildcats. 

Ferdinand, 19, was attending the Western Capitals’ training camp on a loan from the Wildcats. He appeared in two preseason games with Summerside, picking up one assist. 

The New Maryland, N.B., native played 13 games with the Wildcats with zero points. He has also spent time with Grand Falls Rapids and Fredericton Red Wings and has a total of four goals and 16 points in 73 games. He appeared in six games with the Hearst Lumberjacks of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) and had one goal. 

Ferdinand was a second round pick of Fredericton in the 2023 MHL Entry Draft and was also an eighth round pick of the Cape Breton Eagles in the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft. 

Full career stats for Gavin Smith can be found here.  

Full career stats for Matthew Ferdinand can be found here.