The Owen Sound Attack stayed busy on the trade front, completing a swap of young defencemen with the Niagara IceDogs.
The Attack announced late Wednesday evening defenceman Blake Munnings was moved to the IceDogs in exchange for right-shot blueliner Caden Bell.
Bell, 17, was a third-round pick of the IceDogs, 49th overall, also in the 2025 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound blueliner spent the 2025-26 season in the Greater Ontario Hockey League (GOHL) with St. Catharines Falcons, scoring 11 goals and adding 29 assists in 46 games. His 40 points were tied for second-most in the GOHL among true rookie defenceman last season.
“Caden Bell has emerged as a promising young right-shot defenseman who had a standout year with the St. Catharines Falcons in the GOHL,” says Attack President and General Manager Tyler Nother in a team statement. “When we were evaluating our roster, there was a need to strengthen the right side of our D-Core. To add a player with Caden’s two-way upside is very exciting, and we look forward to assisting Caden in his development on and off the ice.”
Munnings, 17, was a second-round pick of the Attack, 28th overall, in the 2025 OHL Priority Selection. The left-shot defender suited up in 33 games for Owen Sound during the 2025-26 season, scoring twice and adding a pair of assists.
He was a draft pick of former Attack General Manager Dale DeGray, who is now heading up hockey operations in Niagara as GM of the IceDogs.
“I am very happy to get re-engaged with Blake. As a second-round pick for Owen Sound last year, he was obviously a player I had seen many times and wanted on our team. Looking at our roster, I feel it’s a very good fit for us in Niagara,” DeGray says in an IceDogs statement on the trade. “He’s a big defenceman that can move the puck well, adding more youth and more experience. We know what he’s capable of and look forward to seeing him in an IceDogs jersey.”
The move by the Attack came after a pair of transactions with Brantford and Flint, changing up the look of Owen Sound’s crease. The Attack acquired overage goaltender Ryerson Leenders from the Bulldogs, and dealt overage netminder Trenten Bennett to the Firebirds.