07/29/2026
Blue Ridge Bobcats Acquire Defensemen Beren Simard and Hlib Varava from Watertown Wolves
The Bobcats have strengthened their defensive corps ahead of the upcoming season, acquiring defensemen Beren Simard and Hlib Varava from the Watertown Wolves in exchange for goaltender Anthony Shrum.
Simard spent last season with both the SPHL's Evansville Thunderbolts and FPHL's Watertown Wolves. The 6-foot-1, 194-pound left-shot defenseman appeared in 6 games with Evansville before joining Watertown, where he skated in 9 contests. A 21-year-old from Montréal, Québec and former QMJHL draft pick, Simard possesses tremendous upside while adding toughness and reliability to the Bobcats' blue line.
Varava spent time in both the SPHL and FPHL last season. The 24-year-old Ukrainian defenseman appeared in 19 games for the Knoxville Ice Bears before finishing the year with the Watertown Wolves. Prior to coming to North America, Varava gained valuable experience playing professionally in Ukraine while also representing the Ukrainian National Team in international competition. An excellent skater with strong puck-moving instincts, Varava is expected to enhance the Bobcats' physical game while providing poise and vision from the back end.
"Simard and Varava give us two versatile defensemen capable of playing in every situation. Their blend of skating ability, offensive instincts, defensive reliability and physical toughness provides us with an upgraded blue line that can move the puck efficiently while playing a hard, intimidating style in our own end. Both players have built reputations as competitors who won't hesitate to defend teammates, making them ideal additions to our improved physical brand of hockey," said Head Coach and GM of Hockey Operations Vojtech Zemlica.
Zemlicka emphasized the trade was the result of a patient approach after Shrum requested a change of scenery following the conclusion of last season:
"Anthony requested a trade following the end of last season for family reasons. It wasn't something we wanted to do, and we were determined to be patient until the right opportunity came along—one that would bring meaningful value back to our organization and ultimately make us a stronger hockey team. With several of our defensemen earning opportunities to advance to the next level, filling those roles became a major priority this offseason. The chance to acquire Hlib and Beren was one we believed significantly improves areas of our game where we felt we needed to be better last season. We'd like to sincerely thank Anthony for everything he contributed to the Blue Ridge Bobcats organization and wish him nothing but the best in Watertown. At the same time, we're extremely excited to welcome Hlib and Beren to our organization, and we can't wait to see the impact they'll have on our team."
"We're in a very good position at the goaltending spot," Zemlicka continued. "Our ducks are in a row there, and we'll have some exciting news to announce soon. We feel very confident in where we're headed."
The acquisition of Simard and Varava continues an aggressive offseason for the Bobcats as the organization prepares for the 2026-2027 campaign with the goal of building upon last season's success and competing for the Commissioner's Cup.
Season Tickets are on sale for all 28 home games at at blueridgebobcats.com/26-27-season-tickets.
