Westman teams load up for MJHL playoff push

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This article was published 11/01/2022 (1533 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As Doug Hedley surveyed the landscape in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s West Division following Monday’s trade deadline, the Dauphin Kings head coach and general manager was quick to note that the road to the 2022 post-season just got a lot tougher.

“This division was tight already and every team added to their roster over the last few days,” Hedley said.

“Us and Waywayseecappo brought in some big pieces, Virden brought in some skilled guys and Neepawa, OCN and Swan Valley all got a little better with the moves they made. It’s going to make things a lot more interesting over the next couple of months.”

The Kings made a big splash Monday as they landed Portage Terriers leading scorer and captain Logan Calder in exchange for rookie defenceman Hayden Lacquette and first-year forward Slade Stanick.

“In talking with (Terriers head coach and GM Blake) Spiller, the last couple of years in Portage have been really positive for Logan in terms of his development,” Hedley said.

“To bring in a guy like him was a no-brainer for us. Obviously it stings to give up a couple of young guys, but it was important for us to add depth down the middle and the leadership qualities that Logan brings are outstanding.”

The Kings also strengthened their forward depth by welcoming back 20-year-old Nakodan Greyeyes, who had 74 points for the team in the 2019-20 season.

Greyeyes, who is from Winnipeg, had three points in 14 games this year for the Austin Bruins of the North American Hockey League.

“We expect Nakodan to come back in here with the intensity and work ethic that made him one of the best forwards in the league when was with us previously,” Hedley said.

“One of our goals at the deadline was to try and strengthen our top six to help out (leading scorer) Kaden Bryant. I think we did that by bringing Nakodan and Logan in.”

Roblin’s Aidan Brook has also joined the Kings lineup as the 18-year-old blue-liner was reassigned by the Western Hockey League’s Prince George Cougars.

“Aidan played for us a little bit at the start of last year and we as a glimpse of what he can do,” Hedley said.

“In talking to Prince George, they haven’t given up on Aidan yet and they want him to get as much ice time as possible here. We’re going to do that to help him get to the next level.”

The Kings also dealt overage forward Parker Fofonoff to the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s La Ronge Ice Wolves on Monday.

 

WAYWAYSEECAPPO WOLVERINES

Over in Waywayseecappo, the Wolverines’ big deadline-day moves came in between the pipes.

The club welcomed former Moose Jaw Warriors netminder Brett Mirwald to the squad and dealt Tresor Wotton to the Yorkton Terriers.

“I think Brett just needed a restart,” Wolverines head coach and GM Taylor Harnett said of the Saskatoon product, whose rights were acquired from the British Columbia Hockey League’s Nanaimo Clippers. “We had some pretty good conversations with Brett leading up to the move and we liked what he had to say. He has a goal in mind of playing at the highest level possible and he wanted to be somewhere where he has an opportunity to showcase himself and win a championship.

“It’s not ideal for a coaching staff to have three goaltenders but that’s what we were willing to do as we’re so high on both Tresor and (starter) Liam (Tereposky). Then we got an offer from Yorkton for Tresor and it’s an opportunity that he’s excited about taking.”

The Wolverines made their big splashes last week as they acquired Selkirk Steelers blue-liner and team captain Eric Krywy last Tuesday and picked up former Terriers star forward Joey Moffatt from the NAHL’s Anchorage Wolverines three days later.

Moffatt is the second member of the Terriers 2019 championship side to join the Wolverines this season as they acquired forward Kolton Shindle from the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Lloydminster Bobcats in November.

“We had Joey’s brother Brody with us a couple of years ago as well so we knew that we were getting a quality individual joining our team,” Harnett said. “Joey’s been a point-per-game player in the league but he also has great vision and plays smart away from the puck. To have the elements he and Kolton bring from being on the playoff run a few years ago is huge, as there are not too many of those guys left in the league.

“Eric plays with an edge but he skates exceptionally and he has a great first pass. He’s still getting comfortable to his surroundings with us but we’re excited to see what he can do with us, especially as we get a chance to work on special teams play with him.”

The Wolverines also added forward Max Mazur from the SJHL’s Weyburn Red Wings in exchange for forward Mi-Kwan Tallman and dealt defenceman Max McNeil to the Kam River Fighting Walleye of the Superior International Junior Hockey League.

“One of the things that we wanted to add to our lineup was some toughness and Max certainly does that up front,” Harnett said of Mazur, who started this season with the OCN Blizzard. “It’s important to have those guys that can wear down opponents and we’ve seen that from teams who have had long playoff runs in the past.

“On the flip side, Max is also someone that can score goals and defend well. He’s made a strong first impression with us already, especially in the locker room.”

 

VIRDEN OIL CAPITALS

Meanwhile, the Virden Oil Capitals saved their big move for the very end of deadline day as they added Nathan Driver from the Winnipeg Freeze.

In exchange for the MJHL’s leading goal scorer – who has lit the lamp 22 times in 32 games – parted ways with the rights to prospects Brayden Stevenson, Tootoo Fotheringham and Nathan Lenoski.

“As Nathan became available over the last couple of days, it’s pretty tough to turn down a chance to acquire a guy with that kind of skill,” Oil Capitals general manager and head coach Tyson Ramsey said. “He wants a chance to play in the playoffs and he’s super excited to come and join us.”

The Oil Capitals also welcomed 19-year-old netminder Bailey Monteith from the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters on Monday and released 18-year-old goaltender Ethan Kadatz, who had been splitting time with fellow rookie Eric Reid.

“As we’re looking to get into the playoffs and make some noise, we knew that we probably needed to have an older goalie,” Ramsey said.

“That’s not a fault of Eric and Ethan as they’ve both come a long way since the start of the season, but it’s tough when you’re a younger goalie who had the previous year cancelled. It took us some time to find the right guy but we think Bailey is going to be a great fit for us.”

Prior to the deadline, the Oil Capitals added to their forward core by picking up Beau Larson from Weyburn and acquiring Brody Wilson from the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks in exchange for Bryden Kiesman.

“We thought some extra experience up front would be a good place to start in improving our team,” Ramsey said. “Beau’s a character guy that can play in all situations. We really liked what we saw from him last weekend against Portage and he’s going to be a real spark plug for us.

“When Bryden asked to be traded, we did some searching around to make a deal. When Brody became available, it was a slam dunk for us. He’s a local guy (from Birtle) that has a great relationship with a lot of our players already and he’s immediately become a key voice on the bench.”

 

NEEPAWA TITANS

While it was a quiet Monday in Neepawa, the Titans made their big move prior to the deadline as they picked up 20-year-old forward Tristan Thompson from the Steelers on Jan. 5.

“One of the big things for us was to add a little bit of scoring up front and especially on the power play as we all know how important special teams play is when you get to the playoffs,” Titans head coach and GM Ken Pearson said. “That’s something we’ve noticed from Tristan whenever we’ve played him and I think he’s already fit in really well for us, especially during his first game last weekend against his old team.

“There were a couple of other deals that we weren’t able to close for whatever reason on Monday, but we are welcoming (defenceman) Austin Clyne back into the lineup here again after he missed a couple of months due to an injury, so that’s almost like another addition to our roster in a sense.”

 

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