Swapping on draft day . . .

If you want coverage of Thursday’s WHL bantam draft, you’ve come to the wrong place. For that, you want to be over at Small Thoughts At Large where Alan Caldwell has the whole package, including an incredible display of statistics.
What I have here is a compilation of whatever trades I was able to track down . . .

2009 BANTAM DRAFT TRADES:
The Chillwack Bruins dealt D Matt Strong, 19, to the Vancouver Giants for a 2010 eighth-round draft pick. Strong, 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, was injured for most of this season. The Giants, whose season ended Monday in Kelowna, are already at work, rebuilding a defence that will lose Mike Berube and Craig Schira, likely Jon Blum and Nick Ross, and perhaps Brent Regner. Strong also has played with the Everett Silvertips and Red Deer Rebels. . . .

Vancouver continued to work on its defensive corps by acquiring D Ryan Funk, 20, from the Saskatoon Blades for a fifth-round pick in Thursday’s bantam draft. That pick, 90th overall, originally was acquired by Vancouver from the Portland Winter Hawks. . . . In 215 games over four seasons with the Blades, Funk, who was their longest-serving player, had 46 points and 334 penalty minutes. . . . Saskatoon used that pick on RW Brett Stovin of Stony Mountain, Man.

The Edmonton Oil Kings acquired the third pick in the 2009 bantam draft from the Chilliwack Bruins, in exchange for the ninth pick. Edmonton also got Chilliwack’s first-round pick in the 2010 import draft. Chilliwack also acquired a 2009 first-round import draft pick, a 2009 third-round bantam draft pick, a 2010 fifth-round bantam draft pick and F Shayne Neigum, 19. Neigum played the last two seasons with Edmonton, picking up 28 points and 188 penalty minutes in 127 games. . . . Edmonton used that third overall pick on D Griffin Reinhart, the son of former NHL D Paul Reinhart and the brother of Kootenay Ice F Max Reinhart. . . . With the ninth pick, Chilliwack took Stephen Hodges, a centre from South Delta, B.C. . . . Chilliwack used the third-round pick, 48th overall, to take D Brett Cote of Oakbank, Man. . . .

The Tri-City Americans traded up in the first round, dealing the 19th overall selection and a 2009 third-round pick to the Prince George Cougars for the seventh overall pick. The Americans took C Connor Rankin of North Vancouver with the seventh pick. Rankin won’t turn 15 until Nov. 30. The Cougars took D Joshua Smith of Rimbey, Alta., with the 19th selection. . . . Prince George used the third-round pick, 46th overall, to take D Dane Phaneuf of Edmonton. He is the younger brother of Calgary Flames D Dion Phaneuf. . . . That third-round pick originally belonged to the Portland Winter Hawks but was dealt to Tri-City for D Brock Cornish. . . .

The Prince George Cougars dealt D Matt Cumming, 18, to the Kamloops Blazers for a conditional 2010 seventh-round bantam draft pick. The Cougars had told Cumming, who is from Kamloops, that he wouldn’t be back with them next season. Cumming has five assists in 86 games over two seasons with the Cougars. . . .

The Regina Pats sent F Neal Prokop, 19, to the Tri-City Americans for F Jason Gardiner, 18. Both players are former first-round bantam draft picks, Prokop going to the Moose Jaw Warriors with the fifth pick in 2005; the Americans taking Gardiner eighth overall in 2006. . . . Prokop has 48 points and 122 penalty minutes in 179 games. Grdiner, who was hurt for much of this season, has nine points in 51 games over two seasons. . . . Regina acquired Prokop from Moose Jaw earlier this season for G Jeff Bosch. . . .

The Tri-City Americans dealt D Mitch McColm, 20, to the Chilliwack Bruins for a 2011 fourth-round bantam draft pick. McColm played 114 games with the Americans over the last two seasons, earning 21 points and 225 penalty minutes.