Walleye trade leading scorer Erik Bradford for defenseman

The Toledo Walleye traded leading scorer Erik Bradford to Brampton in exchange for defenseman Jamie Doornbosch on Thursday.

Toledo's Erik Bradford (19) was traded today as the Walleye added a defenseman for the stretch run.

Bradford, a 23-year-old forward, had 39 points (14 goals, 25 assists) in 46 games for Toledo this season after being acquired in a November trade.

Doornbosch, a 28-year-old defenseman, has appeared in 26 games this season for the Beast posting two goals and 12 assists.

Walleye coach Dan Watson said he wanted to upgrade his defensive corps through a trade. The deal was made just before the ECHL trade deadline.

Toledo traded for Bradford in a Nov. 19 deal with Rapid City in exchange for forward Darian Dziurzynski. Adding in his time with the Beast, Bradford has 45 points with 15 goals and 30 assists in 53 ECHL games this season.

VIDEO: The weekend ahead for Walleye

Doornbosch, a Richmond Hill, Ont. native, had 12 penalty minutes with the Beast. The second-year pro also has played six games this year in the American Hockey League with Bellville and Bakersfield.

Doornbosch, at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, started the season in Wichita where he collected a goal with seven assists and 12 penalty minutes for the Thunder. Doornbosch (pronounced dorn-bahsh) skated in 44 games in his rookie season (2016-17) with Wichita, posting 10 goals, 20 assists, and 32 penalty minutes.

From 2012-16, Doornbosch played college hockey in Canada at St. Mary’s University. Before that, he played four full seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, appearing in 264 contests between Kitchener and Peterborough, then made one appearance with the New York Islanders on April 8, 2011.

Watson said he was willing to part with one of his top point producers to bring in a high-end defenseman.

It was Bradford's second stint with Toledo. He started the 2016-17 season with the Walleye before he was traded to Utah five games into the season.

The Walleye, who lead the ECHL with 85 points, have a three-game homestand this weekend.

Contact Mark Monroe at mmonroe@theblade.com, 419-724-6354, or on Twitter @MonroeBlade.