Zach Bansley & Gabriel Filion . (Graphic courtesy/Humboldt Broncos)

By Ben Tompkins

Zach Bansley

Broncos acquire Tisdale native from AJHL

Dec 11, 2024 | 10:22 AM

The Humboldt Broncos had made a trade for a local and former Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) player.

Humboldt is sending Gabriel Filion to the Drayton Valley Thunder of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) in exchange for Tisdale native Zach Bansley.

Bansley, a 19-year-old forward spent this season split between Drayton Valley and the Grand Prairie Storm of the AJHL. In 17 combined games, he recorded eight goals and three assists for 11 points.

Bansley last played in the SJHL this past year, beginning the 2023/24 season with the Melville Millionaires.

The Tisdale product had nine points (four goals and five assists) in 19 games before ending the year with the Coquitlam Express of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL).

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Prior to the 2023/24 campaign, the 5-9 150-pound forward spent parts of seasons with Melville, the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League (WHL), and even the Melfort Mustangs.

Bansley’s U18 AAA career meanwhile, had him playing as a Tisdale Trojan and Prince Albert Minto.

“I felt the team needed a shake-up. Obviously the SJHL is a crazy competitive league this year and we’re currently out of the playoffs and going through a little rough patch. I feel Zach has the tools we need to provide a spark. He also has tons of experience and is only 19 years old. Obviously, we wish Gabriel the best in Alberta and can’t wait to get Zach in our lineup,” said Head Coach and GM, Brayden Klimosko.

As for Filion, the Montreal, Quebec native had 19 points (nine goals and 10 assists) in 25 games with Humboldt so far this season.

That built off the past two years for the 20-year-old forward who played a combined 94 contests with the Estevan Bruins, 12 of which were in the playoffs, registering 20 goals and 23 assists for 43 points.

The 5-11, 185-pound Filion has prior experience in the AJHL, having begun his 2022/23 season with Grand Prairie.

The Humboldt Broncos are coming off a 4-0 win over the Notre Dame Hounds last night (Tuesday) in which their trainer Skip Deed celebrated his 1,300th career junior game.

The Green and Gold will next see the Mustangs this weekend for a home-and-home set, beginning in Melfort on Friday, in which Bansley could make his Broncos’ debut.

The trade also freed up an additional 20-year-old spot on the roster.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On X @BenTompkins_8