Western Capitals acquire forward MacLean

The Summerside Western Capitals have acquired forward Dylan MacLean from the Valley Wildcats.

In return, the Western Capitals send a player development fee (PDF) to Valley.

The trade became official on the Maritime Hockey League website as-of Thursday.

MacLean, 18, played 24 games with Valley last season and picked up four assists. The New Haven, P.E.I., native was originally a fourth round pick of the Wildcats in the 2025 MHL Entry Draft. 

From 2023-2025, MacLean played with the Under-18 Kensington Wild and scored eight goals and 19 points in 47 games. He also appeared in nine games with the Morell Lions of the P.E.I. Junior C Hockey League.

Summerside begins its 2026-27 regular season on the road in Truro on Saturday Sept. 12 to take on the Bearcats at 7 p.m. AST.

Capitals acquire defenceman Andersen from Ontario

The Summerside Western Capitals have acquired defenceman Matthew Andersen from the King Rebellion of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL), the team announced Tuesday.

The news was announced via Facebook.

In exchange, the Western Capitals send a player development fee (PDF) to King.

The Newmarket, Ont., native scored five goals and 13 points in 45 games with the Rebellion last season. The season prior, the soon-to-be 19-year-old, appeared in 13 games with the Rebellion (1-4-5), one game with the Sarnia Legionnaires of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL), and 22 games with the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

In two seasons with King Rebellion, the six-foot, 174-pound frame scored six goals and 18 points in 58 total games. 

Andersen was a ninth-round pick of the Sarnia Sting in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection and picked up two assists in 35 total games with the Sting over the course of two seasons.

To see Andersen's full career stats, click here.

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.

Caps make trade; release four more players from training camp

The Summerside Western Capitals had some more roster movement on Monday.

The Capitals traded forward Carson MacKenzie to the Pictou County Crushers in exchange for a player development fee (PDF). 

MacKenzie, 19, was acquired by Summerside last September and appeared in three games with the Capitals with zero points. The native of St. Peter's Bay, P.E.I., was originally drafted in the eighth round by the Campbellton Tigers in the 2023 MHL Entry Draft.

For a full list of trades made by the Western Capitals during the 2026-27 offseason, please click here.

The Western Capitals also announced it has released four players from training camp.

Goaltender Dylan Wile and forwards Ellis Callaghan, Logan Griffin and Harrison Hutt were reassigned to their respective clubs. The Capitals' training camp roster now stands at 25 players with three goaltenders, eight defencemen and 14 forwards. 

Summerside will wrap its preseason schedule this weekend with two games against the West Kent Steamers - Friday Sept. 4 on the road and then Saturday Sept. 5 in Rustico. Both games at 7 p.m. AST.

Missed headlines: Caps acquire Madgett; Hendry leaves for BCHL; Sim to attend Regiment training camp

 

There has been some news that has been missed while I was on my honeymoon vacation, so here are the missed headlines.

Sim to attend Regiment training camp

Summerside Western Capitals forward Lane Sim has been invited to and will attend the training camp of the Newfoundland Regiment of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).

Sim, 19, scored three goals and 10 points in 16 games with the Capitals this past season while adding an additional two goals and four points in 14 playoff games. In seven games at the 2026 Centennial Cup, Sim added two goals for four points.

The New Glasgow, N.S., native also spent the 2025-26 season with the Vernon Vipers of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) where he scored three goals and five points in 26 games. He also also skated with the Charlottetown Islanders of the QMJHL as well as the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

The Newfoundland Regiment is holding its training camp at the Gerard ‘Turk’ Gallant Arena in Summerside from Aug. 19-23.

Hendry signs in B.C.

Defenceman Alex Hendry won’t be returning to the Summerside Western Capitals for the 2026-27 season as he has signed with the Victoria Grizzlies of the BCHL. 

The Victoria Grizzlies announced the news via Facebook on Tuesday.

The 19-year-old, Milton, Ont., native scored three goals and eight points in 43 games with the Capitals last season. Despite going pointless in 14 playoff games, Hendry added two assists in seven games at the 2026 Centennial Cup. Prior to joining the Capitals, Hendry skated with the Wellington Dukes of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) during the 2024-25 season and scored two goals and 14 points in 43 games.

Capitals trade Cam Griffin, acquire rights to goaltender Madgett

The Summerside Western Capitals have traded 2026 territorial pick Cam Griffin to the Miramichi Timberwolves, in exchange for the rights to goaltender Sam Madgett.

The Capitals announced the news Wednesday via Facebook. 

Griffin, who turns 18 in September, was selected by the Capitals with their second territorial pick in the 2026 MHL Entry Draft in June. The Summerside native played the last two seasons with the Kensington Wild Under-18 AAA where he scored 34 goals and 72 points in 73 games.

Griffin is the younger brother of Carson Griffin, who the Capitals traded to Miramichi back in June.

Madgett, 19, appeared in four games with the Lloydminster Bobcats of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) where he posted a 2-2 (won-lost) record with a 2.77 goals against average and a 0.822 save percentage. He then joined the Mooseheads as their third-strong goaltender but never played a game.

The Stillwater Lake, N.S., native was a 10th round pick of the Halifax Mooseheads in the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft.

Capitals and Lightning exchange picks

The Summerside Western Capitals and the Chaleur Lightning made a trade on Tuesday. 

Summerside trades their first round draft pick in 2028 to the Lightning in exchange for a third round draft pick in 2027, which originally belonged to Summerside. 

The trade was made official on the MHL website. 

According to the Chaleur’s Facebook post, “this transaction completes a previously agreed-upon trade between the two organizations.”

This most likely completes a trade back on Sept. 8, 2025 between the two teams in which the Capitals traded defenceman Mason Cook and a conditional third round draft pick in 2027 to Chaleur for goaltender Justin Robinson, a fifth round draft pick in 2027 and future considerations. 

It could also be the deal from August 2025 in which the Capitals acquired Owen MacPherson. 

Capitals acquire forward Smith from Valley

The Summerside Western Capitals have acquired forward Gavin Smith from the Valley Wildcats, the team announced Saturday morning. 

In return, the Western Capitals send a second-round pick in the 2027 MHL Entry Draft to the Wildcats. 

Smith, 17, played a majority of last season with Rothesay Netherwood School Under-18 where he scored 13 goals and 19 points in 33 games.  The native of St. Andrews, N.B. appeared in 18 games with Valley last season scoring four goals and six points. 

The six-foot-two, 183-pound frame was drafted in the eighth round by the Charlottetown Islanders in the 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft. He appeared in one game with the Islanders in the 2024-25 season.

See his full career stats here. 

Capitals deal Griffin to Timberwolves for haul in return

The Summerside Western Capitals have traded forward Carson Griffin along with a fifth-round draft pick in 2026 to the Miramichi Timberwolves, the team announced Friday.

In return, the Western Capitals receive the rights to forward Brody Molloy, rights to forward Aaron Chipp, rights to forward Logan Roop, a second-round draft pick in 2027 and future considerations.

Griffin, 19, scored eight goals and 18 points in 47 games with the Capitals this past season and only skated in one playoff game, while suiting up for two games at the 2026 Centennial Cup. The native of Summerside, P.E.I., has major junior experience under his belt having played 19 games with the Cape Breton Eagles in 2024-25 but recorded no points. 

Molloy, 18, played with Stanstead College Varsity of the CAHS (Canadian High School Hockey) located in Quebec this past season where he scored 19 goals and 38 points in 35 games. He also appeared in two games with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the QMJHL.

Chipp, 18, also spent the past season with Stanstead College Varsity of the CAHS scoring 21 goals and 31 points in 27 games. The Halifax, N.S., native also appeared in 25 games for the Rimouski Oceanic and scored two goals and six points.

Roop, 19, has spent the last two seasons with the Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL where he has scored 10 goals and 19 points in 87 games. The Brookfield, N.S., native played for the Pictou County Weeks Crushers during the 2023-24 season where he scored 15 goals and 34 points in 50 games.

The 2026 MHL Entry Draft is June 20, 2026 in Campbellton, N.B.

Western Capitals acquire defenceman Culligan from CCHL

The Summerside Western Capitals have acquired defenceman Alex Culligan from the Carleton Place Canadians of the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL), the team announced on Wednesday.

In return, the Capitals will send future considerations to Carleton Place.

Culligan, 18, scored two goals and 15 points in 34 games with the Canadians this past season while adding an additional two goals and six points in five playoff games.

The Quispamsis, N.B., native stands six-foot-three and weighs 176-pounds and previously played for the Saint John Vitos U18 AAA and Mount Academy Saints U18 Prep. 

This is the second trade the Western Capitals have made since the trading period opened on Monday. 

Culligan will be a great addition to the blue line for 2026-27 season.

Capitals trade Ouellet

The Summerside Western Capitals made a minor deal on Monday, sending forward Henry Ouellet and a 2026 fifth-round pick to the Truro Bearcats.

 

There is no return as the trade completes a previous trade. 

 

In a subsequent trade, the Bearcats then traded Ouellet to the Grand Falls Rapids to complete another previous trade.

 

Ouellet, 20, was acquired by the Capitals on Nov. 12, 2025 via trade with the Hearst Lumberjacks of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL). 

 

The St-Alexandre, Que., native scored 10 goals and 28 points in 31 games with the Capitals this past season while adding two goals and four points in 14 playoff games. Ouellet had a goal and one assist in five games at the 2026 Centennial Cup in Summerside.  

 

The off-season trading period opened on Monday June 1, 2026.

 

In other moves around the league, former Capitals forward Ethan Dickson was traded to the Miramichi Timberwolves by the Pictou County Weeks Crushers to complete a previous trade. Another former Cap, Coen Miller was acquired by the Amherst Ramblers from Grand Falls to complete a previous trade.