A key piece of the West Kelowna Warriors' march to a national junior A hockey championship won't be back with the BCHL club next season.
The RBC Cup champs have sent 20-year-old forward Brett Mennear to the Prince George Spruce Kings to complete an earlier trade between the two clubs.
Mennear is compensation in return for forwards Bryan Basilico and Jake LeBrun, who were acquired from P.G. on Jan. 7.
Mennear, from West Kelowna, was one of only three players who was in his third season the Warriors in 2015-16—the others being Kylar Hope and Liam Blackburn.
This past season, the 5-foot-9, 185-pound forward scored 18 goals and had 42 points in 52 regular season games.
In the playoffs, Mennear scored seven goals and added 14 assists in 35 games.
Warriors' head coach and GM Rylan Ferster said trading Mennear was difficult but it was part of the price in building a championship team.
"Brett was a vital part of our program the last three years and a big part of our RBC team," Ferster said. "To get something you have to give up something and that's the reality of our business.
"We would like to thank Brett for his contributions to the program and wish him continued success with the Spruce Kings."
Mennear will join another former Warriors player, Tanner Campbell, in Prince George.
Mennear is committed to Bentley University near Boston for the 2016-17 NCAA season.