Rockets acquire veteran D

The Kelowna Rockets have made a move to shore up their back end.

The Rockets acquired defenceman Nate Corbet from the Medicine Hat Tigers on Thursday.

Going the other way, 19-year-old forward Ethan Neutens, a third round pick in 2025 and a fifth rounder in 2028.

"For starters, Ethan was a really solid young man. He has a skill set that very few players have but he just hasn't been able to get going here," said Rockets president and GM Bruce Hamilton.

"I honestly believe a change of scenery will be good for him. There are very few players that are his size, skate the way he does and have the skill set he does. It's just a matter of him getting going. He was at Los Angeles' camp so the tools are there."

In 135 games over three seasons, Neutens scored 11 goals and 14 assists.

"I needed to get somebody that had a little bit more bite and Nate Corbet brings that to us. He's a very aggressive player, we wanted that aggressiveness and size," said Hamilton.

"He's 18-years-old too, so it fits right into where we want to go. We've been working on this for a long time, well over a month, and it's exciting to get it done."

Over 71 games spanning two seasons with the Tigers, the 6'2" 181 pound Corbet put up four goals, 10 points and 121 penalty minutes.

Corbet is expected to join the Rockets in time for weekend games in Prince George Friday and Saturday night.