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Islanders make multi-player deal with Langley

Delta trades Ryan Jones for third consecutive year with an eye towards the future
lacrosse
For the third and final time, Ryan Jones won't be finishing the junior lacrosse season with the Delta Islanders. The high-scoring 21-year-old had been traded to the Langley Thunder as part of a multi-player deal.

The Delta Islanders didn’t wait until the B.C. Junior “A” Lacrosse League trading deadline this time to move Ryan Jones.

The high-scoring 21-year-old Delta native was dealt to the Langley Thunder on Tuesday, along with defender Harrison Smith for three players — Ty Ewen, Aiden Ellis and Connor Whyte.

Jones, in his final year of junior eligibility, has now been traded in each of the last three seasons. 

In 2017, he was sent to Ontario League powerhouse Six Nations and last year he led the BCJALL in playoff scoring in helping the New West Salmonbellies reach the finals, only to bow out to Coquitlam.

With Delta currently sitting with a 2-7-0 record, he was certain to be moved again and a month ahead of the July 1st deadline sweetened the return.

The 6-3-0 Thunder yielded some of their future as they look to earn one of two B.C. berths up for grabs for the Minto Cup which happens to be taking place at the Langley Events Centre in August.

Ewen was the Thunder’s first round pick in the 2017 Midget Draft and has two more seasons of eligibility. The Surrey native has six points in three games since joining Langley from his freshman year at Queen’s University of Charlotte in North Carolina. In Junior B1 last season, Ewen had 23 points in six games with Langley.

Ellis will give the Islanders some defensive help while Whyte is a Port Moody native who helped Maple Ridge win the B.C. Intermediate title in 2017.

The Islanders are likely not finished making deals as they look to build around a 2000-born core group that will still have two years of eligibility remaining after this season. Among the remaining assets is second-year standout Haiden Dickson who leads the league in goals with 23. 

The Minto Cup in B.C. this season should work in the Islanders favour with more potential trading partners thanks to the extra national berth.

Delta is back in action on Saturday when, ironically, the Thunder visit Ladner at 7 p.m.