The Nanaimo Clippers have added veteran 2001 born defenceman Moe Acee to their lineup in a trade with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs for future considerations. The 19-year-old defenceman hails from New York State and is set to go to St. Lawrence University on an NCAA Division I scholarship in 2021-2022. Last year, he accumulated 15 points in 53 games including four goals with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. He had previously played in the US National Developmental program and was recently a first round draft pick in the NAHL Supplemental Draft after being drafted 192 overall in the 2017 OHL Priority Draft.
Wes Mussio, Owner of the Clippers commented on the trade; “Last season, our defensive core was the gold standard for excellence, limiting the other team’s offensive opportunities and moving the puck out of our D zone quickly and efficiently. We simply haven’t got to the same high level of last year’s D core despite bringing in some very high end younger talent. I got the coaching staff looking for an experienced puck moving defenceman and when I heard Moe was available, I told my staff to jump on it. We believe that Moe will be the additional piece to our defensive core which has struggled at times containing the offence of other Island teams.”
Head Coach and GM Darren Naylor added, “Moe is a player who caught my eye several times this season and last and when the opportunity arose to acquire him, we jumped at it. He is a smooth skating defenceman who makes a nice 1st pass and has a bit of a nasty side to him. We need to improve our first pass out of the defensive zone and we need a more gritty hard to play against defence corps. I’m very confident Moe will add those two key components to our defensive core.”
