Westman MJHL teams tinker at deadline

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This article was published 09/01/2023 (618 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Those expecting a bevy of blockbuster deals in the lead-up to the 2023 Manitoba Junior Hockey League trade deadline were likely disappointed.

While there were several deals made throughout the league ahead of Tuesday’s transaction freeze, there weren’t any major shakeups.

“Every year is different, but when I was talking to several general managers throughout western Canada this week, it didn’t seem like it was as active as it has been in the past for whatever reason,” Waywayseecappo Wolverines head coach and general manager Taylor Harnett said.

“If you look at our division right now, all six teams have a .500 record or better. That’s almost unheard of at this level. With how tight things are, you don’t want to change things up too much as while it may help you going forward, you could also end up going in the opposite direction.”

Dauphin Kings head coach and general manager Doug Hedley agreed with that assessment, while also noting that he felt that many of the clubs made their moves ahead of the Dec. 1 roster cutdown.

“The month of December didn’t really solve anything though as the league got even tighter,” Hedley said.

“There really wasn’t that many sellers across the country and there’s not many teams willing to move their top guys as they feel they can make a run in the playoffs.”

Waywayseecappo Wolverines

The West Division-leading Wolverines made their deals last week.

Prior to their return to action on Friday, they added 19-year-old netminder Marek Andres to join 19-year-old Foxwarren product Tresor Wotton between the pipes.

Andres, who calls Redcliff, Alta., home, had an 8-3-0 record with a 1.64 goals-against average, a .946 save percentage and three shutouts for the Helena Bighorns of the North American 3 Hockey League this season.

He also made 25 appearances over the last two years with the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Olds Grizzlys.

“We were pretty fortunate to get a line on Marek at the last minute,” Harnett said. “He wanted to get back to playing at the Junior A level in Canada and we found a way to get him here.”

The Wolverines also landed Birtle product Aiden Sotas from the Portage Terriers last Thursday.

The 17-year-old forward started the season with the Western Hockey League’s Portland Winterhawks and had one assist in 20 games.

He had two goals and five assists in 34 contests with the Terriers last year.

“He likes to play a physical game, but he also has the skill set to follow that up,” Harnett said.

“Once we chatted with him and (Portage head coach and general manager) Blake Spiller, it was a pretty easy move for us to make.”

Waywaysseecapo made a minor move on Friday as it dealt 19-year-old defenceman Jason Ruff to the Niverville Nighthawks for the rights to 16-year-old forward Rory Poole of McCauley.

Poole is in his first season with the Yellowhead Chiefs under-18 AAA program and has 11 goals and 13 assists in 31 contests

Ruff, who was the captain for his hometown Winnipeg Wild team that won the Manitoba AAA Under-18 Hockey League title last year, suited up in just two games for the Wolverines after he was acquired from the AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons last month.

Dauphin Kings

The defending Turnbull Cup champions welcomed back as a big piece to their lineup late Monday night as they reacquired 19-year-old forward Blake Boudreau from the Terriers.

Boudreau, who is from Windsor, Ont., had eight goals and 10 assists in 18 games for the Kings when he was dealt to the Terriers on Dec. 1 in exchange for 20-year-old forward Jamie Valentino.

He had a goal and two assists during his seven-game stint in Portage la Prairie.

“I think Blake was just looking to make some deals to strengthen his roster for the Centennial Cup and we were scheduled to get his rights back in June anyways, so we moved the process up a little bit,” Hedley said.

“He should help us out a lot with our special teams and give us some more skill up front, especially as he was already playing in our top six before we made the trade in December.”

With Boudreau’s return to the team, the Kings dealt 20-year-old forward and Dauphin product Garrett Hrechka to the Superior International Junior Hockey League’s Dryden Ice Dogs on Tuesday.

Hrechka had spent the last three years with his hometown club. He had 17 points in 66 regular season games and had five points in 14 games during Dauphin’s run to the league title last spring.

“We gave Garrett the option to stay in Dauphin but he wanted to play a bigger role up front in his final year of junior, which I totally respect and understand,” Hedley said.

“We helped him out with that and we’ll hopefully see him at the Centennial Cup in May.”

The Kings also acquired 19-year-old defenceman Sam Boldt from the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Weyburn Red Wings on Monday.

Boldt had eight points in 20 games with the Red Wings this season after putting up six points in a combined 37 games with the AJHL’s Camrose Kodiaks and the British Columbia Hockey League’s Merritt Centennials in 2021-22.

“Sam fills a real need as a veteran guy with a right-handed shot,” Hedley said. “He’s going to eat up a lot of minutes for us.”

Virden Oil Capitals

Virden’s only deal came on Tuesday as they dealt 18-year-old forward Parker Konneke to the Grizzlys for future considerations.

Konneke, who is from West Kelowna, B.C., had two goals and four assists in 19 games with the Oil Capitals after recording 43 points last year with the Summerland Steam of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.

Oil Capitals head coach and GM Tyson Ramsey said the move was done to get the team down to 13 forwards and so that their younger players can get more ice time going forward.

“We thought about a number of different things that we could do and we kicked some tires today, but nothing was the right fit for us,” Ramsey said.

“Having said that, we believe in the group we got here, especially after we got a couple of big wins this weekend on the road against the OCN. We have some games in hand in the race for a playoff spot and we don’t think we’re that far away.”

Neepawa Titans

The Titans traded 18-year-old defenceman Isiah Kinnavanthong to the SIJHL’s Kam River Fighting Walleye on Saturday.

The Winnipeg product — who started the season with the OCN Blizzard and the AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm — has an assist in five games with the Titans after being acquired by the club in November.

While that deal was to get the team back down to 23 skaters, the majority of the team’s moves were done earlier in the campaign when they acquired forwards Briley Wood, Connor Thompson, Carter McLeod and Mason Hartley.

“We wanted to get everyone in here before Christmas so we could build some chemistry and we’re really comfortable with the group of guys we have moving forward,” Titans head coach and GM Ken Pearson said.

“It was kind of a slower deadline, but I know it wasn’t for a lack of trying. I think most of the team were kicking the tires to see what was out there.”

ICINGS: The Terriers were busy on Tuesday as they acquired 20-year-old-forward Michael Stubbs from the SIJHL’s Thunder Bay North Stars and the rights to 19-year-old forward Brock MacDonald from the Blizzard. Stubbs spent last year with the Ontario Hockey League’s Mississauga Steelheads, while MacDonald started this season with the North American Hockey League’s Johnstown Tomahawks. The Terriers also dealt 17-year-old forward and Brandon Wheat Kings prospect Hayden Chaloner to the Winnipeg Freeze.

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