Blazers can't find trading partner

From The Daily News of Friday, Jan. 11, 2008. . . .

There were eight trades made in the WHL on Thursday as the deadline came and
went.
None involved the Kamloops Blazers although general manager Brian Fortin
said it wasn’t for a lack of effort.
“We had 20-year old spots open . . . and we were prepared to go out and try
to fill those,” said Fortin, who took his first phone call at 5 a.m. and his
last just before the deadline at 2 p.m. “We had our priority 20s that we
wanted; we were prepared to give up draft picks for them. But pretty much
everyone we talked to wanted our younger players off our roster.”
It isn’t as though the Blazers didn’t make any moves, however, as they
earlier traded away their three most-experienced players.
Defencemen Ryan Bender, 20, and Victor Bartley, 19, went to the Regina Pats
for defencemen Spencer Fraipont, 19, and Nick Ross, 18, and a 2008
fourth-round bantam draft pick.
The Blazers also dealt centre Brock Nixon, 20, and a 2008 sixth-round pick
to the Calgary Hitmen for centre Devon Kalinski, 17, and a 2008 second-round
selection.
It was the trading of Bender and Nixon that opened the two 20-year-old spots
on the roster. But the Blazers weren’t able to fill those vacancies
yesterday, which leaves defenceman Mike Gauthier as the only 20-year-old on
the roster.
Since those deals, the Blazers have lost three straight games in which they
have been outscored 20-4. They will attempt to get back on track tonight
when they meet the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash. The Blazers return
home immediately after the game and will take on the Chilliwack Bruins on
Saturday, 7 p.m., at Interior Savings Centre.
Fortin said the lack of movement at the deadline should be interpreted as
management liking the roster as it now is constituted.
“This should be taken as a vote of confidence to the hockey club that we are
satisfied with what we’ve got,” said Fortin, the longtime Blazers scout who
was named interim director of hockey operations Nov. 15 and general manager
Jan. 2. “This is our hockey team so let’s get on with it and make the best
of what we’ve got.”
Majority owner Tom Gaglardi, on a family vacation in Mexico, told The Daily
News via e-mail that the Blazers “really wanted” a “high-end” 20-year-old
defenceman.
“But in all cases,” he wrote, “we couldn’t get one without having to give up
one of our better (17-year-old) players” or centre Jimmy Bubnick, 16, “and a
pick. We couldn’t secure anyone we coveted with picks alone.
“We knew bringing in a (20-year-old) at any position would result in ice
time being lost by some of our younger guys, who of course we are relying on
in the future.
“So this balance resulted in no deal being done.”
By not bringing in any 20-year-olds, it also means more ice time for some of
the younger players on the Kamloops roster.
“We’re pretty happy with those young guys and we want to develop them so
they can contribute as much as they can as early as they can,” Fortin said.
“We don’t want to give up on our youth.
“We got a lot younger and we think that’s not a bad thing for this
franchise. We’re starting afresh and we’re excited about the prospects of
our young guys and also the character guys we got this season in trades.”
That would include the earlier acquisitions of right-winger Brady Calla,19,
and centre Scott Wasden, 19.
Calla was acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors for defenceman Keaton
Ellerby, 19, in a deal that also included the swapping of conditional draft
picks — should either player return as a 20-year-old, a fourth-round pick
will change hands.
The Blazers got Wasden and a 2008 seventh-round pick from the Medicine Hat
Tigers for left-winger Travis Dunstall, 18.
“We’re happy with the character on our hockey team,”Fortin said. “We just
want to turn the page and get on with things and see what we can accomplish
the rest of the season.”
BLAZERS BUZZ: LW Ivan Rohac was scheduled to arrive back in Kamloops last
night after playing for Slovakia at the World Junior Championship in Czech
Republic. RW Juuso Puustinen, who played for Finland, is due back this
morning. Both will return to the lineup Saturday against Chilliwack. . . .
Tri-City C Taylor Procyshen (concussion), who has been out since Nov. 24,
skated yesterday for the first time since he was injured. But he won’t play
tonight. C Shaun Vey and D Brett Plouffe, both of whom had concussions,
skated with Procyshen then practised. They will be game-time decisions
tonight. . . . The Americans go into tonight’s game having lost four in a
row, the first a 3-2 setback at the hands of the host Blazers on Jan. 4. . .
. Former Blazers assistant coach Andrew Milne has confirmed to The Daily
News that he has reached a contract settlement with the team.