The Boston Banshees and South Side Renegades have swung a deal ahead of the mid-season trade deadline, with Boston acquiring centre Mika Zibanejad and Parry Sound’s 3rd round pick. In return, the rebuilding Renegades get Boston’s first round rookie pick in 2019 as well as young winger Valeri Nichushkin.
Archive for the ‘Transactions’ Category
Boston Acquires Zibanejad from South Side
In BOS, SSR, Transactions on December 30, 2018 at 10:56 amChiasson Headlines Mid-Season Free Agent Claims
In Transactions on December 27, 2018 at 9:23 amThe 2018-19 Mid-Season Free Agent Draft is underway, and with the first pick, the Great Lakes Pilots have claimed winger Alex Chiasson. The annual draft is a chance for teams to pick up unwanted veterans, longshots, and other diamonds in the rough. The top 3 also saw netminder Jimmy Howard going to the San Jose Hosers and the South Side Renegades taking a chance on defenseman Erik Gustafsson.
The draft is underway now. See all the results as they happen here.
Parry Sound Continues Spending Spree, Acquires Daniel Sedin
In BOS, HAM, PAR, Transactions on December 27, 2018 at 9:20 amThree days after picking up a top defender in Oliver Ekman-Larsson, the Parry Sound Orrsmen filled the top-9 void left by Anthony Mantha by acquiring veteran left-winger Daniel Sedin from the Hamilton Ti-Cats. Heading the other way is rough-and-tumble winger Milan Lucic.
Now in his 18th season and just two seasons removed from a 107-point season, Sedin has 5 goals and 11 assists in 25 games and has made it known that this is his last season in the GWMHL. Lucic has no points in 20.
In a separate move, the Orrsmen sent third-string goalie Aaron Dell to Boston for a 2019 free agent pick.
Salem Loads Up to Defend Title, Acquires Kopitar
In CHA, SAL, Transactions on September 30, 2018 at 9:34 amDefending Gump Cup champions, the Salem Sabercats, went into the offseason as a team likely in decline. But the offseason acquisition of Marc-Andre Fleury was a statement that they wouldn’t be fading quietly. That was underscored today when the Sabercats acquired veteran two-way centre Anze Kopitar from the Charleston Chiefs, along with a second round pick in 2019, for young wingers Brendan Perlini and Ondrej Kase.
The Chiefs still have a healthy Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point down the middle. Nevertheless, it’s a clear signal of a rebuild in progress. In 11 GWMHL seasons with Kenora/Baltimore and then Charleston, Kopitar has 665 points in 837 games, good for 12th all time for the Charleston franchise.
Trade Roundup: Getzlaf, Oshie, Howard on the Move
In BAL, BOS, GLP, PAR, Transactions, WVR on September 20, 2018 at 12:41 pmThe Great Lakes Pilots‘ rebuild continues. After parting ways with Sidney Crosby on draft day, the Pilots have shipped out pivot Ryan Getzlaf to the Boston Banshees for a 2nd round pick in 2019.
But that was just one of a flurry of post-draft roster moves as teams solidify their lineups. The West Virginia River Rats picked up winger T.J. Oshie from Parry Sound in exchange for defenseman John Moore and a third round pick. And the Orrsmen followed that with a pair of trades with Boston, first acquiring Brandon Dubinsky for a third, then sending goaltender Jimmy Howard to the Banshees for a trio of Free Agent Draft picks. Finally, Boston shipped steady blueliner Kevan Miller to Baltimore for a 4th round pick in 2019.
Sidney Crosby a Pilot No More
In BAL, GLP, Transactions on September 17, 2018 at 10:22 amAs previously reported, the Great Lakes Pilots ended their Sidney Crosby experiment once and for all, sending the superstar centre to cup contending Baltimore for Jonathan Drouin and a trio of draft picks.
With 937 career points, Crosby is the 23rd all-time scorer in the GWMHL and 8th among active skaters. He’s poised to join the exclusive 1000-point club as early as this coming season.
It was a bold move by the Crab and a needed one by Great Lakes. The Pilots paid a pretty penny to acquire Crosby from West Virginia on Draft Day 2016, namely two first rounders (who would become Pavel Zacha and Sebastian Aho). And Crosby performed as advertised, putting up two straight 40-goal seasons for the Pilots. But his new team struggled to surround him with enough talent to win. In Drouin, they get a proven 23-year-old forward they hope to build around. Add to that the two 2018 picks, which they parlayed into winger Ryan Donato and defenseman Noah Juulsen.
With the Crab, Crosby will have talented linemates to spare, potentially including Vladimir Tarasenko, Filip Forsberg, and Jaden Schwartz. Barring more trades, he’ll combine with Mark Scheifele and Tyler Johnson to make a formidable 1-2-3 down the middle. Despite some question marks in goal, the Crab seem ready to try to recapture the Gump Cup.
Crosby, Sidney Year Name GP G A PTS 06-07 West Virginia River Rats 81 17 62 79 07-08 West Virginia River Rats 79 25 71 96 08-09 West Virginia River Rats 47 15 30 45 09-10 West Virginia River Rats 77 28 62 90 10-11 West Virginia River Rats 81 52 84 136 11-12 West Virginia River Rats 41 28 47 75 12-13 West Virginia River Rats 18 6 15 21 13-14 West Virginia River Rats 36 17 24 41 14-15 West Virginia River Rats 77 35 65 100 15-16 West Virginia River Rats 73 33 61 94 16-17 Great Lakes Pilots 80 44 35 79 17-18 Great Lakes Pilots 75 40 41 81 Totals 765 340 597 937
Draft Day Trades: Crosby, Toews, Chara, Ferland on the Move
In Transactions on September 16, 2018 at 3:28 pmThe 2018 GWMHL Rookie Draft wasn’t just a chance for teams to stock the cupboards with young talent — it also sparked a series of trades, including several blockbusters.
The action began before the draft with the official completion of a slew of moves involving 2019 picks that were pending league approval.
The Baltimore Crab acquired superstar Sidney Crosby from Great Lakes for Jonathan Drouin, its first and second round picks in 2018 and a 3rd in 2019. More on this blockbuster to come.
Not to be outdone, the Delta Sturgeon continued their drive for a Gump Cup with a pair of impact moves. First, the Sturgeon acquired Jonathan Toews from Vancouver for a first in 2019, a third in 2018, and forward Denis Malgin. Toews’ defensive acumen and faceoff ability add a dimension that the skilled Sturgeon sorely lacked. Then, the Sturgeon sent a 2nd in 2019 to Boston for towering veteran defender Zdeno Chara. Though both players’ heydays are probably now long past, they’re the kinds of players with whom you win playoff series.
Just ahead of the draft, Adirondack and Boston swapped veterans, with goalie Cam Ward headed to the Banshees in exchange for winger Justin Williams.
Later, Boston made another move, reacquiring Micheal Ferland from the South Side Renegades for centre Artem Anisimov, Delta’s 2nd in 2019, and its own 4th in 2019.
And finally, some pick-for-pick trades: Delta flipped a 3rd in 2019 for Parry Sound’s 3rd and 4th in 2018, Ice Harbor dealt a 4th in this draft for a 4th next year, and Denver traded its 2019 4th rounder for West Virginia’s 2018 4th.
Hischier, Dubois, McAvoy Headline 2018 Rookie Draft
In GLP, IHS, PWH, SJH, SSR, Transactions on September 16, 2018 at 2:30 pmThe 2018 GWMHL Rookie Draft is over, and 20 Gump franchises are returning to headquarters to count their winnings.
The draft got off to a stunning start with the announcement of several big trades (more on that to come), and then teams got down to business. South Side, owners of 4 first round picks after a dramatic sell-off extending through last season, picked Swiss phenom Nico Hischier first overall, while Portland also went for a future impact forward in Pierre-Luc Dubois. Charlie McAvoy was the first defenseman taken, by San Jose at #3, while Nolan Patrick (Great Lakes) and Alex DeBrincat (Ice Harbor) rounded out the top 5.
A goalie wouldn’t be taken until 24th overall, when the Pilots nabbed Thatcher Demko.
Along with Hischier, the Renegades scooped up forwards Anthony Cirelli at #9, Filip Chytil at #16, and Alex Formenton at #20.
Here are the full round-by-round results:
Round 1 # Overall # Orig. Team Curr. Team Pick 1 1 SSR SSR F Nico Hischier 2 2 PWH PWH F Pierre-Luc Dubois 3 3 SJH SJH D Charlie McAvoy 4 4 GLP GLP F Nolan Patrick 5 5 IHS IHS F Alex DeBrincat 6 6 CHA CHA F Casey Mittelstadt 7 7 PIT PIT F Eeli Tolvanen 8 8 FFS FFS F Henrik Borgstrom 9 9 EDH SSR F Anthony Cirelli 10 10 DEL WVR F Owen Tippett 11 11 WVR SJH F Kailer Yamamoto 12 12 WPG WPG D Will Butcher 13 13 ADI ADI F Jake DeBrusk 14 14 HAM HAM F Lias Andersson 15 15 VAN VAN F Martin Necas 16 16 DEN SSR F Filip Chytil 17 17 BAL GLP F Ryan Donato 18 18 SAL SAL D Samuel Girard 19 19 BOS BOS F Jordan Greenway 20 20 PAR SSR F Alex Formenton
Check out rounds 2 through 4 after the jump!
Brock Nelson Bound for West Virginia
In SJH, Transactions, WVR on September 15, 2018 at 8:44 pmForward Brock Nelson is joining the River Rats, as West Virginia swung a deal with the San Jose Hosers on the eve of draft day. In exchange for Nelson, the Rats give up its own 3rd rounder (51st) as well as Delta’s 3rd rounder (50th).
Nelson is coming off a down year, with just 13 goals in 69 games, but he flirted with 30 goals as recently as ’16-’17. The Rats will hope he finds his game in a lineup studded with young talent.
Draft Day is Almost Here
In SSR, Transactions on September 15, 2018 at 11:18 amThe 2018 GWMHL Rookie Draft is set to take place Sunday, September 16. While not boasting quite as deep a pool as 2017, 2018 still promises plenty of intrigue.
Who Goes First?
This year’s draft class is headlined by young blue-chip talent like Nico Hischier, Nolan Patrick, Charlie McAvoy, Alex DeBrincat, and Pierre-Luc Dubois, plus a host of interesting wild-card prospects. Unlike the previous two years, which saw Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews go first overall, 2018 is much tougher to predict.
Big Names on the Move?
Rumours are swirling that some teams have already agreed to deals involving all-star calibre players. Deals involving 2019 picks can’t be made official until the draft begins, so expect a flurry of transactions Sunday morning. Plus, there’s always jockeying in the later rounds as GMs vie for hidden gems.
4 High Picks for South Side
Barring trades, the rebuilding South Side Renegades are poised to make the most noise at the draft table: they have 4 first round picks, including #1 (their own), #9, #16, and #20. That kind of stockpile gives the Renegades the freedom to take a couple of safe picks, then swing for the fences on longshots. They’ll almost certainly walk away with a new-look roster.