(Photo from Allen Douglas/Kamloops Blazers)
For the second summer in a row, Tri-City Americans General Manager Bob Tory has made a deal to add a veteran blue-liner to the roster. In 2016 it was overage defenseman Dalton Yorke who was traded by the Prince Albert Raiders to Tri-City in exchange for a third round pick in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft. On Monday, Tory completed a trade with the Kamloops Blazers to acquire 6’3″, 193lb. defenseman Daniel Gatenby. In return, Tri-City sends a conditional 7th round pick in the 2018 Bantam Draft to Kamloops.
“Danny is a big guy with WHL experience. He skates well and will add depth to our blue line. He did a very good job killing penalties last season,” said Tory on Tuesday. Penalty killing was an issue for the Americans last year, especially in the post-season. They ranked 17th out of the 18 teams that made the playoffs, with a PK running at 60%. During the regular season they were ranked 12th among the 22 teams at 78.5%.
Gatenby joins a defensive unit that will be losing at least one, and most likely two key pieces from the 2016-17 group. As mentioned, Dalton Yorke, who led the WHL in penalty minutes last season, was an overage player and is not eligible to return next season. New York Islanders prospect, Parker Wotherspoon, is eligible to return to the Americans next season. However, he will most likely end up in Bridgeport of the AHL if he doesn’t make the Islanders’ roster out of training camp. Wotherspoon is the Americans all time leading scorer among defensemen.
With seven points last season (1g, 6a) Gatenby shouldn’t be expected to fill that scoring hole that will be left if Wotherspoon does not return. But the experience he brings entering his 19-year-old season, and his PK abilities will add to a group not short on talent. Three of the Americans’ blue-liners (Juuso Välimäki, Dylan Coghlan and Dakota Krebs) are currently ranked by NHL central scouting in upcoming draft. That talent and experience should give the Americans a strong defensive unit for the upcoming season.
