Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control, I was unable to do Thursday Thoughts following the trade deadline (thanks airlines). I thought I might as well save them for this week and give a little bit of an opinion on the “Winners” and “Losers” of the trade deadline. Some of these deals won’t come to fruition for a number of years due to the picks involved but it is safe to say there were some more definitive moves made in the weeks leading up to the deadline.
First, though I will cover a couple of thoughts on the week.
More, please
The Victoria Royals have put out a video related to the trade deadline and I am sure I speak for almost every single person who follows the WHL in saying “more, please!” These videos are well done and very informative and that is what the fans and media of the WHL crave. You can find other videos from the Royals on their YouTube page, please subscribe as well.
Take a behind the scenes look at the moves the @victoriaroyals made at 2020 WHL Trade Deadline.
WATCH ? pic.twitter.com/Re3YDiQYEK
— The WHL (@TheWHL) January 13, 2020
Trade Deadline, “Winners and Losers”
This trade deadline saw 31 trades completed from December 27th to January 10th. Involved in those trades were 49 players, 42 bantam draft picks as well as eight conditional draft picks.
There was very little movement of first-round draft picks around the deadline this year because there is expected to be a very deep draft and a lot of the wheeling and dealing of those picks happen at the draft itself. Everett, Saskatoon, and Vancouver (via Medicine Hat) dealt their first-round draft picks in the 2020 bantam draft and took the risk of missing out on a very good player to improve their clubs in the now.
Losers
A lot of trades done this season were a good fit for both clubs, mostly this side of the list is related to teams that didn’t make moves or made moves that didn’t make sense
Kelowna Rockets – I don’t want to dogpile on the Memorial Cup hosts here but they did not make any significant moves to bolster their roster ahead of the deadline. Their main focus is getting healthy, they have had Kyle Topping, Sean Comrie, Liam Kindree, Nolan Foote, and Trevor Wong out for various lengths of time over the course of the season and just need some time to gel as a team. They were able to spend very little to bring Jonas Peterek in from the Hitmen and he collected a goal in his Rockets debut.
Brandon Wheat Kings – In their first season under Dave Lowry, the Wheat Kings struggled to find their footing but have since turned it on and are in third in the East Division. Although there were rumors that the team was going to make some moves at the deadline, nothing significant was done to improve the team now or in the future. This might be a misstep for the team.
Calgary Hitmen – The team was expecting to do big things this season in the Central Division but there are some teams that have leaped ahead of them in short order. The team was then saddled with the loss of Egor Zamula for the remainder of the season and then did not upgrade in areas that had deficiencies. The team then sent their only other import to the Kelowna Rockets for only a fifth-round pick in 2021 and brought in some depth players. The addition of Kyle Olson is now puzzling as he is week-to-week with an injury suffered while a member of the Tri-City Americans.
Martin Fasko-Rudas – The former Everett Silvertip was dealt twice in one day, seeing him dealt from Everett to Swift Current and then in another deal, he was sent to join the Saskatoon Blades. The 19-year-old import has missed a lot of time this season which has hurt his development.
Winners
Winnipeg ICE – The team went after one of the biggest assets available at the deadline and did not need to give up a first-round draft pick in any year to do it. They also did not have to give up a roster player. Dawson Barteaux has already had an impact, scoring once and adding two assists in two games as a member of the ICE. Kudos to general manager Matt Cockell for waiting out the prices and getting the guy he wanted. The team itself has been playing really well in the east division and is currently the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
Red Deer Rebels – General manager Brent Sutter is nobody’s fool. He saw what he had this season and had to make a move when it came to the most sought after asset in the WHL this season in Dawson Barteaux. The collection of draft picks received from the ICE is good if not great compensation for the stud defenseman. He was also able to move 20-year-old Brett Davis for a future fourth-round pick. Davis had been playing on the team’s third line most of the season. Sutter likes to make his moves earlier in the season and that was evident in the package sent to Swift Current for 17-year-old forward Ben King.
Tri-City Americans – Eight trades in the final two weeks before the deadline hit. General manager Bob Tory recognized his assets and his deficiencies and did what he could to improve his team for the future while still allowing them to be competitive. He did have a minor blip with James Malm not reporting to the team but that issue seems to have worked itself out with “additional compensation” being sent the Americans way.
Victoria Royals – The team has been patient all season with the injuries they have and have slowly but surely climbed the standings. The team might play a boring style to many but they are methodical and have bought into what Dan Price is selling. Then general manager Cam Hope went after a big fish and landed him in the blockbuster trade of the deadline. Brought in were Brayden Tracey and capable backup Adam Evanoff. Hope brought those two players in for a lot less than what many had expected. Only one first-round pick traded hands in the deal and it was for 2021, not the coveted 2020 draft.
The details on all the trades done at the deadline can be found on our trade tracker.
