AUSTIN, Minn. – For those who thought Bruins Head Coach/General Manager Steve Howard was finished after his moves last week that brought in Jared Christy and Kyle Herbster, think again. The second-year Bruins coach has made another move, this time acquiring forward Ben Almquist from USHL Cedar Rapids in exchange for other considerations.
Almquist, a 2019-20 commit of the University of Wisconsin, has played in 26 games this season with the Rough Riders earning five points (4G, 1A). The 19-year-old native of Victoria, MN, brings with him a little more than a season’s worth of time in the USHL, starting his career with the Tri-City Storm in 2017-18 at the end of his high school career. After spending time in the Storm training camp this season, Tri-City dealt him to Cedar Rapids right before the start of the regular season.
This marks the third move in the past week that the Bruins have made in an effort to bolster their roster for a playoff push. Earlier, Che Landikusic was moved to Corpus Christi in exchange for a tender, while Joe Winkelmann and a tender were sent to Odessa in exchange for the aforementioned Christy and Herbster.
The Bruins are coming off a weekend home-and-home sweep against the Minnesota Magicians last weekend, including a thrilling overtime winner on Saturday night in front of a sold-out Riverside Arena crowd. For this weekend they’re back on the road taking on the Bismarck Bobcats in back-to-back games. Austin returns home next weekend on February 15 and 16 for a showdown with the Minot Minotauros. Tickets for next weekend’s game go on sale Monday, February 10 at 10 A.M. at all the Bruins vendors including, Games People Play, Hy-Vee, Holiday Inn, and Jim’s Marketplace.
