The Ontario Hockey League is joining the Western Hockey League and the entire Canadian Hockey League in mourning the loss of former Swift Current Broncos captain and current Edmonton Oilers forward Colby Cave.
Cave, a native of North Battleford, Sask., passed away Saturday morning at the age of 25, after being placed in a medically-induced coma following surgery for a brain bleed.
Selected by the Kootenay ICE in the first round (13th overall) of the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft, Cave’s rights were traded to the Broncos in a blockbuster deal for Cody Eakin on January 9, 2011. Cave went on to make his WHL debut with the Broncos on February 25, 2011.
From there, he went on to become a quality WHL player, suiting up in 302 career WHL games, including 287 regular season contests and 15 playoff games. The 6-foot-1, 201-pound centre collected 202 points (95G-107A) in those 287 career regular season games, adding another eight points (4G-4A) in 15 playoff games.
During the 2013-14 and 2014-15 WHL seasons, Cave served as the captain of the Broncos. At the conclusion of the 2014-15 season, his last in the WHL, Cave took home a couple key Broncos team awards, including Team MVP and the Coach’s Award, .
Following a stellar 2014-15 campaign in which he set career highs in all major offensive categories, including 75 points (35G-40A) in 72 games, Cave signed an entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins on April 7, 2015. He made his NHL debut with Boston on December 21, 2017, skating on a line with former Broncos teammate Jake DeBrusk.
Cave was acquired by the Edmonton Oilers during the 2018-19 season. In total, he skated in 67 NHL games between the Bruins and Oilers, registering nine points (4G-5A).
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