(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and AHL’s Ontario Reign, announced today via a Swamp Rabbit Moving Transaction that the team has engaged in a three-team trade. 

The Swamp Rabbits acquire rookie forward Oliver Tarr and third-year defenseman Nico Somerville from the Wichita Thunder in exchange for Dante Sheriff, who has been sent to the Wheeling Nailers for the ECHL rights to Connor Lockhart, the latter of which has signed an AHL contract with the San Jose Barracuda.

Tarr turned professional at the end of last season with the Wichita Thunder following the conclusion of his final NCAA college campaign. The 6’0”, 185-pound forward made his pro debut on March 6^th at Indy, and earned his first point, an assist, in the rematch the next night. Tarr later earned his first professional goal at home against Kansas City on March 24^th and finished the campaign with four goals and eight points in 20 games.

“I’ve heard nothing but great things about the organization, the fans, and the city of Greenville. I can’t wait to get down there and meet everyone,” Tarr said of the trade to the Swamp Rabbits. “I play the game of hockey with a lot of passion. My IQ helps me be responsible while creating offense with speed and creativity. It was nice to play a good chunk of pro games after finishing my college season last year, and I plan to take what I learned in Wichita to be an effective player right off the jump this season. The goal is always to win and do what I can to help our team win games. I want to be a consistent player that the team can trust to play the game the right way night after night.”

“Both of these players are phenomenal additions to our team across all 200 feet of the ice. I’m glad we were able to work out a deal,” Chad Costello, Head Coach/GM of the Swamp Rabbits said of the swap with Wichita. “Starting with Oliver, he’s a bright, young forward that found a scoring touch in college, leading Canisius in scoring. He has a great IQ that only got better with a good stretch of experience in this league towards the end of last season. His talent has the potential to be a gamechanger for us on a nightly basis.”

A native of Uxbridge, ON, Tarr, 24, completed his NCAA career as the captain of Canisius College, registering career-highs with 12 assists and 20 points in 35 games. As a four-year member of the Golden Griffins, he scored 24 goals and earned 52 points in 115 games and helped the team to the 2023 AHA Championship and a subsequent NCAA Tournament appearance, both firsts in a decade. Prior to going to college, Tarr played four seasons of junior hockey with the OJHL’s Whitby Fury and Haliburton County Huskies.

Somerville joins the Swamp Rabbits following his second professional season, both spent with the Wichita Thunder. The 5’9”, 185-pound defenseman scored once as part of six points in 56 games in “The Air Capitol”. Somerville played his 100^th professional game on April 8^th at Allen.

“I’ve heard nothing but great things about the city of Greenville, the organization, and the South Division. It’s all first class and a great challenge ahead with a new team and new division, so I’m excited to meet everyone in October,” Somerville said of the trade. “Over the last two years, I’ve learned how to prepare myself and take care of my body with the grind of the season, and have used that to put together a full 200-foot game as a defenseman. I’m a smaller guy, but I don’t shy away at all from physical play, and while I keep my game simple, I know when I can contribute all over the ice. My biggest goal is to contribute. Every high level athlete wants to win, so I want to add to an effort geared towards chasing winning and a championship, which has to be our expectation from day one of camp.”

“Regarding Nico, he comes in as a battle-tested d-man with over 100 games and playoff experience,” Costello added on Somerville. “He has a solid, simple game, allowing him to be used in all situations on the blue line. He skates well, and brings a high motor and compete level despite his size, which will only add some bite to our back-end. With less than 70 days until the home opener, our roster is starting to really take shape, and Oliver and Nico will fit into our team well.”

Hailing from Port Alberni, BC, Somerville, 27, enters his third professional season with 105 games of experience with the Thunder, accruing four goals and 17 points. Before going pro, he played four NCAA college seasons at American International College, sharing three of those seasons as a teammate of newcomer Blake Bennett. As a Yellow Jacket, Somerville had 22 points and a +18 rating in 110 games, earned 2021 AHA All-Rookie Team and 2024 All-Tournament Team honors, and captured back-to-back AHA Conference Championships in 2021 and 2022. Prior to college, he played five BCHL seasons for the Victoria Grizzlies and Penticton Vees.  

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About the Greenville Swamp Rabbits …
Acquired by Spire Sports + Entertainment (SS+E) in 2020, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits hockey team have been providing family friendly, live entertainment at Bon Secours Wellness Arena since 2010. Formerly the Greenville Road Warriors, the Swamp Rabbits are the highest-level professional minor league franchise in South Carolina. The Swamp Rabbits are the proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's LA Kings and the AHL's Ontario Reign. Greenville is a member of the ECHL, Premier ‘AA’ Hockey League.