Amarillo, TX – The Wranglers are excited to announce the acquisition of 6’6″, 200 lb defenseman Martins Kruklitis from the Merritt Centennials of the British Columbia Hockey League in exchange for future considerations.
Kruklitis, 19, has 1 goal and 4 assists in 24 games with Merritt. The Latvian defenseman brings an impressive combination of size, skill, and agility to the Wranglers defense core. Kruklitis represented Latvia in the 2022 U18 WJC tournament, scoring 1 goal and 2 assists in 4 games. In his time playing in Latvia and Merritt, Kruklitis has showcased his ability to make significant contributions on both ends of the ice.
“We have had great success with Latvian import players and looking forward to welcoming Martins to our team for the next two seasons,” said Wranglers President of Hockey Operations & GM Harry Mahood. “Martins is a player that has a lot of length and range and will quickly become a fan favorite because of his physical play and defensive competitiveness.”
In a separate series of moves, the Wranglers have traded Tommy Cunchukov, Colin Doherty, and Alex Papaspyropoulos to teams in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League for future considerations.
“We greatly appreciate the contributions of all three players, (Chunchukov, Doherty, & Papaspryopoulos) and wish them all continued success in their pursuit of playing college hockey in the near future,” said Mahood. “The primary focus of Junior hockey is to put players in optimal development situations and to this end we have transferred the players to various Jr. A partners within the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.”