Bobcats Acquire Bellant in Three-Team Deadline Blockbuster
BISMARCK, ND – Hours ahead of the 2017-18 NAHL Roster Deadline—at 11:59pm CT Tuesday—the Bismarck Bobcats took part in a three-team blockbuster trade, acquiring third-year veteran forward Andrew Bellant from the Philadelphia Rebels.
In the deal, the Bobcats sent second-year winger Luke Millen and future considerations to the Kenai River Brown Bears; Kenai River dealt leading scorer Luke Radetic to the Rebels.
“Looking at our roster, we thought we needed to make a big move [Tuesday],” stated Bobcats head coach and general manager Layne Sedevie. “When you look at Andrew and what he has accomplished in this league, he is a big-time impact player—the kind of guy who can step in and solidify our roster and help us make this playoff push.”
Committed to Division I Michigan Tech University, Bellant has posted 27 points on 11 goals and 16 assists in 28 appearances with the Rebels this season. The Linden, Mich., native put up 55 points (27g, 28a) in 56 games in 2016-17 en route to being named an All-East Division forward.
Millen departs the Bobcats with 14 goals and 20 assists in 90 games played in black and gold.
“The flip side of making a big trade is that you have to give up a good player to get one,” added Sedevie, “and trading Luke was a difficult decision; we wish him all the best with the Brown Bears.”
Now the Bobcats turn their attention to a special Thursday night home contest at the VFW Sports Center as they face the Brookings Blizzard for the last time all season at 7:15pm.
Tickets are now on sale for Thursday’s mid-week clash: fans can buy and print tickets online 24 hours a day at BismarckBobcats.com or by clicking “Shop Now” on the team’s Facebook page.
Live coverage of Thursday’s divisional clash will start at 6:50pm locally on Super Talk 1270 AM—the radio home of Bobcat Hockey—and worldwide on HockeyTV.com—the official web television partner of the North American Hockey League.
Pro-rated season tickets and flex tickets are still available! Lock in the best seats for the playoff push now: call the Bobcat box office at 222-3300, Monday through Friday, 9:00am until 5:00pm.