Chilliwack Bruins general manager Darrell May hopes his team has acquired a boatful of toughness and experience with the arrival of Evan Fuller and Brett Ward.

May flipped the switch Tuesday, dealing 18-year-old forward Brayden Metz and two later-round draft picks to the Moose Jaw Warriors in exchange for Fuller and Ward, both 20 years old.

“It was a chance to move a guy out who wasn’t contributing much to the team and bring in two guys who might be able to,” May noted.

In Metz, the Bruins wave bye-bye to a once-promising prospect who never fulfilled expectations.

Lately, he’d become a regular in the press-box, dressing for just three of Chilliwack’s six games.

“I like Brayden personally, but he had a hard time pushing himself shift in and shift out,” May said. “It was probably the work ethic more than the skill level, and coaches get frustrated pretty quickly. He wasn’t happy with his role on this team, and we didn’t need an 18-year-old sitting in the box.”

Ward’s acquisition may finally give the Bruins a stabilizing influence on the D. Jesse Craige and Chris Van Duynhoven (both 19) were the elder statesmen, shepherding around a bunch of fresh-faced kids.

The inexperience has shown in the first six games.

“Described in one word, I’d say he’s solid,” May said of Ward. “He’s bigger and thicker, more of a man than some of the guys on our blueline right now. He should steady our back end a bit more. We like our young guys, but you need someone to help them out, kind of like Nick (Holden) helped playing with Jeff (Einhorn) last year.

Fuller is a familar face from his time in Prince George. The former Vancouver Canucks pick has moderate offensive skill, but plays a high energy game and can drop the mitts if need be.

“He’s a quality guy to play with our young forwards and he’s a guy who will keep our team from being pushed around,” May said. “And he’s got enough skill to play.”