Returning depth can be both a blessing and a bit of a curse.

The Swift Current Broncos had the luxury this fall of their returning their entire group of six defenceman from the end of last season.

The downside is that it didn't leave them much room for highly touted prospects like Dom Schmiemann and Noah King who are set to play a big part in their future.

Swift Current dealt with that log jam by shipping veteran defenceman Jaydan Gordon to Calgary for a 2017 sixth round bantam draft pick.

"We've got a number of young defencemen that we think are ready or close," said Broncos Director of Hockey Operations Jamie Porter. "With us returning the defencemen that finished the year we're going to need some spots open. Jayden was one of the guys other teams were talking about and we were able to make a move with Calgary.

"We're pretty sure that Dom Schmiemann, Noah King, Matthew Stanley and Ethan Martini are ready or close," Porter noted. "We need them to have an opportunity to figure some things out."

The undrafted defenceman spent two seasons with the Broncos and won the team's most improved player award.

He appeared in 102 games for Swift Current and put up 8 points over that span.

"Jaydan had really taken a step as a player in the second half," Porter said. "He had really seemed to find his way a bit. That bodes well for him in what will hopefully be a good time in Calgary."

Jaydan is the younger brother of former Broncos sniper Coda Gordon.

Both Cochrane, Alberta products came to Swift Current as list players who earned roster spots as 17-year-olds.

Jaydan received very limited playing time in 35 games as a rookie often as a 7th defenceman. He earned a regular shift in his sophomore season.

"He put the work in the summer and came back to see if he could grow into his role," Porter said. "In the second half he gave us some real quality minutes when we needed it."

This is the first roster move for the Broncos since they re-structured their management group and hired Manny Viveiros.