Hendrik de Klerk is staying home in Swift Current.

The Swift Current Broncos traded for the 16-year-old hometown prospect from the Spokane Chiefs Thursday evening, dealing a fifth-round pick in the 2022 WHL Bantam Draft to the Pacific Northwest club.

The 2002-born de Klerk, who turns 17 in October, is coming off a stellar rookie season in 2018-19 that saw him named a SMAAAHL second-team all-star while recording 37 points (6 G, 31 A) with the Home Hardware Midget AAA Legionnaires. That mark was good for second among defencemen in the league.

The performance also helped him sign a WHL Standard Player Agreement with Spokane this March.

"Well first of all, with Hendrik, it's always his skating. He's a strong skater, and that's with the puck and without the puck to defend. He's got a good mind for the game," said Legionnaires Head Coach, Darren Evjen.

"He's a smart hockey player, and he moves the puck well. That was really evident last year for us - whether it was to get out of your end or to go on a power play."

de Klerk's game has seen a rapid trend upward in the past two seasons especially, since getting drafted in the seventh round (138th overall) in the 2017 bantam draft by the Chiefs.

The 5-foot-11 blueliner started his final level of minor hockey with the Midget AA Broncos in the 2017-18 season, suiting up for 35 games, adding 23 points. However, he wrapped up the campaign in Midget AAA with the Legionnaires, playing the final eight contests of the season with the navy and gold.

"As he gets going, as the year goes on in the levels he's been at, he's been able to [get comfortable]," said Evjen. " Adjust to the speed, and use his feet a little bit more when he can.

Evjen, who was behind the bench as an assistant coach with the Broncos for three seasons, said the next leap de Klerk will have to take will be a good test of his growth and his game.

"It just takes time [in the WHL]... The jump from AAA to the WHL is a really big jump," he said. "I think when young players come into that league, it takes time to make the adjustment and to get used to the speed and all those things."

Though he anticipates the obviously necessary feeling out process for de Klerk, Evjen said that if the work is put in and he adapts to the WHL, some steady playing time could be on the horizon for de Klerk.

"You always talk about ceiling and potential, and I think he's got the potential as he moves on in his career to keep making steps, and getting better and better, and moving up into a top-four situation."

Evjen noted that de Klerk's character and work ethic would be key in helping to strive for the consistency needed to reach that level.

We'll have comments from de Klerk on Friday regarding being a signed prospect in his hometown team's system.