WHL trade deadline: Thursday, 3 p.m. Calgary time
The rumours that were so rampant during Friday night’s WHL games proved to be true as the Kamloops Blazers purged their roster of three veteran players Saturday morning, unloading D Ryan Bender, 20, D Victor Bartley, 19, and C Brock Nixon, 20.
Bender, the team captain who was in his fifth season, and Bartley, a fourth-year player, were dealt to the Regina Pats for D Nick Ross, 18, D Spencer Fraipoint, 19, and a 2008 fourth-round bantam pick.
Nixon, also in his fifth season and the team’s leading scorer, goes to the Calgary Hitmen along with a sixth-round pick in the 2008 draft. In return, the Blazers get F Devon Kalinski, 17, and a 2008 second-round pick.
Regina has also acquired D Dallas Jackson, 18, from the Red Deer Rebels for LW Troy Ofukany, 20, and D Juraj Valach, 18. As part of this deal, Regina gets back a 2009 third-round bantam pick acquired New Year's Day from Red Deer,while Red Deer gets back a 2009 fourth-round pick.
It is obvious that the Blazers’ new ownership group – Vancouver businessman Tom Gaglardi is the majority owner and is running the team, while the minority owners are ex-Blazers Shane Doan, Jarome Iginla, Mark Recchi and Darryl Sydor – is intent on erasing the recent past. At some point in time they will begin talking about redoing the culture.
Right now it is obvious that they are working at moving out those people in the organization who were closest to Dean Clark, who was fired as general manager and head coach on Nov. 7. To date, assistant coach Andrew Milne is gone (he hasn’t been replaced), as is goaltending coach Larry Robinson (who was replaced by Steve Passmore). And now the three most senior players, all of whom were Clark loyalists, are gone.
And there are a lot of people – players, front-office types and others – wondering if they are next.
Ross, Fraipoint and Kalinski are expected to be in the Blazers’ lineup tonight in Kelowna.
Ross, taken 30th overall by the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2007 NHL draft, has 28 points in 41 games with Regina this season. Fraipoint has two points in 24 games. Kalinski, with the Hitmen, has seven points in 35 games.
Nixon led the Blazers in goals (14), assists (25) and points (39). Bartley, who is out for up to 10 days with a groin injury suffered in practice Wednesday, has 18 points in 36 games. Bender, a hard-nosed type, has two points and 114 penalty minutes in 39 games.
The Pats, who acquired RW J.D. Watt, 20, and RW Scott Doucet, 19, from the Red Deer Rebels on New Year’s Day, certainly have let other teams know that they’re in this for keeps. Watt, Doucet and Bender had a whole lot of sandpaper to Regina’s game and Bartley gives the Pats a solid No. 2 defenceman behind Logan Pyett.
It will be interesting to see how other Eastern Conference contenders react.
------Ofukany, meanwhile, had been acquired last season in a six-player swap with the Kelowna Rockets. Moving him clears room for Bender as the team's third 20-year-old. Ofukany has 16 points with Regina this season. Because he is from Kamloops, there had been speculation he would be part of a deal with the Blazers.
Valach, from Slovakia, was acquired this season from the Vancouver Giants who had gotten him from the Tri-City Americans. A 6-foot-6, 210-pounder, he has 21 points.
Jackson has 13 points in 41 games with the Rebels. He was named the top defenceman in the Alberta Midget Hockey League last season.
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