*Barclay Parneta has entered the chat….*
The Vancouver Giants got in on the trade deadline festivities about an hour after the rival Victoria Royals made a splash by acquiring Anaheim Ducks first-round pick Brayden Tracey from the Moose Jaw Warriors.
The Giants acquired 2000-born forward Eric Florchuk, along with a 2021 seventh-round pick, from the Saskatoon Blades in exchange for ‘01 forward Evan Patrician, a 2020 first-round pick and a 2021 second-round pick.
Florchuk, the 13th overall pick in the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft, returns to the BC Division after playing the first 94 games of his WHL career with Victoria before a trade to the Blades.
So far this season, the Fort Saskatchewan, AB, native has 24 points (11G, 13A) in 33 games with Saskatoon after a 50-point campaign last year that included 21 goals.
The trade also gives the Giants five NHL draft picks on their roster — and now two Washington Capitals prospects, joining captain Alex Kannok Leipert — as Florchuk was selected in the seventh round (217th overall) in 2018.
“We are very excited to welcome Eric Florchuk to the Vancouver Giants,” said Barclay Parneta. “He’s an experienced, versatile, natural center that has taken a lot of faceoffs in his career, which is invaluable. And he adds a scoring touch.”
As for Patrician, he is in his second full season in the WHL and has eight points (2G and 6A) in 37 games this year.
The Calgary native was picked in the seventh round in 2016 by the Giants and has been a solid in the faceoff circle and on the penalty kill this season, having earned praise from coach Michael Dyck for it.
Per the Giants release, “We want to thank Evan for his positive contributions to the Vancouver Giants over the past few seasons. We wish him the very best as he continues his WHL career in Saskatoon.”
Vancouver owned two 2020 first-round picks after the trade with Medicine Hat one month ago, so this trade doesn’t keep them out of the first round in May’s bantam draft. The pick in this trade was Medicine Hat’s.
Florchuk is expected to join the team in time for tomorrow’s game in Spokane.
