Wheaties send Papirny to Broncos, add two defencemen . . . Tracking Regina first-rounders . . . Revel to Portland

WHL trades since Dec. 27:

Trades: 35.

Players: 62.

Bantam draft picks: 45.

Conditional bantam draft picks: 11.

(WHL trade deadline passed on Jan. 10 at 3 p.m. MT).

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The WHL hung the “CLOSED” sign on its meat market on Tuesday afternoon, but not before 62 players had changed addresses. That’s just  since Dec. 27.

Since Nov. 8, which was the date of the season’s first major deal — the Lethbridge Hurricanes sent F Brayden Burke to the Moose Jaw Warriors for F Ryan Bowen, a second-round bantam draft pick and a conditional third-rounder — the WHL office has cleared 53 trades involving 89 players, 59 bantam draft picks and 17 conditional draft picks.

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No one keeps track of the movement of WHL bantam draft picks like Alan Caldwell over at Small Thoughts At Large.

On Tuesday afternoon, he posted a couple of tweets point out the following involving the Regina Pats and some of their first-round bantam draft picks, starting with 2015.

D Dawson Barteaux, Regina’s first-round pick in 2015, was traded to the Red Deer Rebels on Tuesday.

The Pats’ 2016 first-rounder was dealt to Red Deer last season in a trade that brought back F Jake Leschyshyn.

Regina’s 2017 first-round pick was part of a deal involving Red Deer on Tuesday.

The Pats still own their 2018 first-rounder but it will go to the Everett Silvertips if F Tyson Jost reports to them. Jost is a freshman with the U of North Dakota Fighting Hawks.

Regina’s 2019 first-round pick will go to Everett if Jost reports or to Red Deer as part of Tuesday’s deal.

Got that? If not, check out Caldwell’s site. There’s a link over there on the right.

Jost spent two seasons with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees before heading to North Dakota. The Colorado Avalanche selected him with the 10th overall pick in the NHL’s 2016 draft.

For the latest on the Pats and Jost, check out this story right here by Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post.

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An OHL GM once told me why the league in his view doesnt allowing trading of 1st rounders. "They are protecting stupid GMs from themselves."

— Steve Fitzsimmons (@playbyplayguy) January 10, 2017

“More than 150 players and almost 200 draft picks have been exchanged in (major) junior hockey leading up to the trade deadline, including picks far, far into the future,” writes Ken Campbell of The Hockey News.

In one trade involving the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires and Hamilton Bulldogs, a second-round selection in the OHL’s 2026 draft changed hands. Yes, 2026!

Campbell’s piece is right here.

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The Brandon Wheat Kings, the WHL’s defending champions, shook up things a bit just before the WHL trade deadline arrived by sending G Jordan Papirny, 20, to the Swift Current Broncos.

Papirny, who was in his fourth season in Brandon, was the go-to goaltender as Brandon won the Ed Chynoweth Cup last season.

From Edmonton, Papirny and a fourth-round pick in the 2018 bantam draft were sent to the Swift Current Broncos for G Travis Child, 19, D Kade Jensen, 19, and two draft picks — a second-rounder pick in the 2019 draft and a fifth-rounder in 2019.

The Wheat Kings then traded that second-round pick and D Jordan Wharrie, 19, to the Vancouver Giants for Russian D Dmitry Osipov, 20. Wharrie will be joining his third team this season, having started with the Victoria Royals.

Papirny, who was a first-round pick by Brandon in the 2011 bantam draft, is the Wheat Kings’ franchise career leader in games played (188), minutes played (10,967) and victories (111). He and Tyler Plante share the record for shutouts (12).

This season, Papirny was 13-11-1, 3.24, .906 in 26 games. In his career, he is 111-53-20, 2.90, .907. He also holds the franchise record for playoff appearances by a goaltender (49) during which he went 33-15-1, 2.87, .910.

Jensen, from Calgary, is in his fourth WHL season, having also played with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2012 bantam draft. In 41 games this season, the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder has three goals and six assists. In 220 career games, he has 14 goals 32 assists.

Child goes to Brandon where he will share the net with Logan Thompson, who also is 19. Child, from Killam, Alta., was a second-round pick by Swift Current in the 2012 bantam draft.

This season, in 24 games, Child was 13-3-3, 3.03, .902 with the Broncos. In 75 career games, he is 23-23-6, 3.20 and .902.

Osipov, 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, has one goal and 10 assists in 42 games with the Giants this season. In 239 career games with Vancouver, he has seven goals and 31 assists. With Brandon, Osipov joins Czech D Daniel Bukac, 17, as the import players and F Tyler Coulter and F Reid Duke as the 20-year-olds. 

Wharrie, from Port Moody, B.C., had three goals and seven assists in 34 games with the Wheat Kings, who acquired him in September from the Victoria Royals.

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Having added F Ryley Lindgren, 20, from the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Monday and G Jordan Papirny, 20, from the Brandon Wheat Kings on Tuesday, the Swift Current Broncos found themselves with too many 20-year-olds.

In order to get down to the maximum of three, the Broncos traded F Calvin Spencer to the Vancouver Giants for a conditional ninth-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft.

The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Spencer, from Brooklyn Park, Minn., had 10 goals and six assists in 36 games with the Broncos this season. In 200 career games, the first 99 of them with the Seattle Thunderbirds, he has 26 goals and 27 assists.

The Giants now have two 20-year-olds on their roster, with Spencer joining D Jeff Rayman.

The Broncos now have F Ryan Graham, Papirny and Spencer as their 20s.

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The Portland Winterhawks made two moves on Tuesday, one a trade and the other a waiver claim.

Portland dealt D Jake Hobson, 17, to the Swift Current Broncos for a fifth-round pick in the 2018 bantam draft.

Hobson, from Christopher Lake, Sask., is the son of former WHL D Doug Hobson and played the previous four seasons with teams in Prince Albert. He was a third-round pick by the Winterhawks in the 2014 bantam draft.

This season, as a freshman, he had one assist in 18 games with Portland.

Meanwhile, the Winterhawks also claimed F Matt Revel, 20, off waivers from the Kamloops Blazers. Revel was in his fourth season with Kamloops when he suffered a collarbone injury during a game against the host Edmonton Oil Kings on Dec. 10. He isn’t expected to be able to play until some time in February.

Revel, from Abbotsford, had seven goals and 11 assists in 31 games with Kamloops this season. Last season, the 5-foot-11, 190-pounder finished with 53 points, including 23 goals, in 66 games. In 303 career games, including 104 with the Saskatoon Blades, he has 169 points, 69 of them goals.

In Portland, Revel joins D Shaun Dosanjh, who was on the Blazers’ roster earlier in the season, and F Keegan Iverson as the 20-year-olds.

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Big signing day in WHL, especially for Pats . . . Wheaties, Royals swing deal . . . Victoria signs assistant coach

F Marcel Hossa (Portland, 1998-2001) had signed a one-year contract with Dukla Trenčín (Slovakia, Extraliga). Last season, with with Plzeň (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had eight goals and eight assists in 20 games. He also had one assist in two games with Třinec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). . . . Hossa's contract with Trenčín includes an out clause should he get an offer from outside Slovakia.

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The Regina Pats enjoyed quite a day on Thursday as they signed F Bryan Lockner and F Nick Henry, both of whom were believed to be leaning towards taking the NCAA route. . . . The 6-foot-0, 190-

Nick Henry is welcomed to the Regina Pats by John Paddock,
the WHL teams' general manager and head coach.
(Regina Pats photo)

pound Henry, from Portage la Prairie, Man., was the MJHL’s rookie of the year with his hometown Portage Terriers last season. He put up 61 points, including 26 goals, in 50 games, then added 18 points, 10 of them goals, in 17 playoff games. . . . Henry, 17, was acquired from the Everett Silvertips, who took him in the third round of the 2014 bantam draft. With his having signed, Everett will get a second-round pick in the 2017 draft and a 2016 sixth-round selection. . . . Henry had verbally committed to attend Western Michigan U. . . . Henry, who scored Regina’s lone goal in a 6-1 loss to the visiting Swift Current Broncons on Thursday, told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post that being closer to home was definitely a factor. “I’m extremely excited about it,” Henry said. “That was a big factor in this decision. Hockey-wise, I think this is my best place to be right now, with the players I’m going to play with and the coaching here in Regina. I talked to lots and lots of people who have played in the Western League, played NCAA. Really, I didn’t have a wrong way to go but for the time being this is the right place for me.” . . . Lockner, a 6-foot-1, 210-pounder from Windsor, Colo., was a third-round pick by the Pats in the 2015 bantam draft. A shoulder injury limited him to four games last season with the Colorado Thunderbirds of the Tier One Elite League. Lockner, 16, had two assists in four playoff games. . . . “I’m excited with my decision,” Lockner told Harder. “I’ve been thinking about it pretty much this whole summer — either go here or go to college. I feel like this is the best route for me. Obviously the coaching staff is one of the best coaching staffs around. They have great ownership and Regina is a good city. They’re an older team this year so they’re going to try to make it to the finals. That’s a plus for me, playing with older guys and learning from them.”

The Pats also signed F Braydon Buziak, 18, and D Owen Williams, who will turn 16 on Sept. 26. . . . Buziak, 6-foot-0 and 205 pounds, is from North Battleford, Sask. He had 19 points, including six goals, with the SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars last season. He is a listed player. . . . Williams, from Delta, B.C., put up 17 points, 15 of them assists, in 42 games with the midget AAA Notre Dame Hounds last season. He was a ninth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft.

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Grant Armstrong, who is in his first days as the general manager of the Brandon Wheat Kings, spent the past four seasons in the Victoria Royals’ front office. So perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the teams swapped five players and some bantam draft picks on Thursday. . . . The Wheat Kings acquired D Jordan Wharrie and two brothers — F Tyler and F Baron Thompson — a 10th-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft and a third-rounder in 2018. . . . The Royals acquired two unsigned prospects — F Jeremy Klessens and G Brendan Benoit — along with a third-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft, a seventh-rounder in 2018 and a conditional pick in 2019. . . . Wharrie, 19, is from Port Moody, B.C. The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder was a fifth-round pick by the Everett Silvertips in the 2012 bantam draft. Last season, in 34 games with the Royals, he had one goal and one assist. In 91 career games, he has three goals and three assists. . . . The Thompsons are from Lakeville, Minn. The 19-yet-old Tyler, 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds, had two goals and an assist in eight games with the Royals last season. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Baron, 17, had two goals and two assists in 26 games with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints last season. The Royals selected him in the third round of the 2014 bantam draft, but has committed to attend the U of Maine. . . . According to the Wheat Kings, all three players are expected in Brandon this weekend. . . . The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Klessens, from Red Deer, had eight goals and 13 assists in 49 games with the AJHL’s Olds Grizzlys last season. The 17-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Wheat Kings in the 2014 bantam draft. The 5-foot-10 145-pound Benoit, a 16-year-old from Winnipeg, was 23-0-1, 2.03, .910 with the midget AAA Eastman Selects last season. Brandon picked him in the 10th round of the 2015 bantam draft. 

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The Saskatoon Blades have signed F Michael Farren, a 16-year-old list player who is from Richmond, B.C. Last season, the 5-foot-10 160-pounder had 48 points, including 15 goals, in 40 games with the Valley West Hawks of the B.C. Major Midget League.

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The Lethbridge Hurricanes signed four players — D Alex Cotton, F Shawn Harke, F Evan Ladouceur and G Adam Swan. . . . Cotton, 15, was a fifth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. From Langley, the 5-foot-11, 150-pounder played last season at the Yale Hockey Academy, putting up three goals and five assists in 25 games with the bantam prep team. . . . Harke, 16, is from Leduc, Alta. Harke, 6-foot-0 and 190 pounds, was a seventh-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. Last season, he played for the OHA-Edmonton prep team in the Canadian Sports School Hockey League, scoring six goals and adding 13 assists in 30 games. . . . Ladouceur, 15, was a sixth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. The 6-foot-1, 160-pounder had 13 goals and 12 assists in 32 games with the bantam AAA Fort Saskatchewan Rangers last season. . . . Swan, 16, was an 11th-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder is from Ashern, Man. He was 5-14-0, 5.45, .873 with the Interlake Lightning, a midget AAA team.

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The Tri-City Americans have signed D Colten Gerlib, 17, to a WHL contract. Gerlib, from Kamloops, played last season for the Valley West Hawks of the B.C. Major Midget League. He had 25 points, including seven goals, in 45 games. . . . The Americans listed him in January after the Mac’s tournament in Calgary.

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The Vancouver Giants have signed F Hunor Torzsok, 16, to a WHL contract. From Cloverdale, B.C., Torzsok played last season with the Delta Hockey Academy Elite 15s. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder is a listed player. He had 30 points, including 10 goals, in 33 games. 

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The Kamloops Blazers have signed D Tylor Ludwar and F Scott Mahovlich. . . . Ludwar, from Regina, had 16 points, including seven goals, in 40 games with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians last season. The Blazers placed him on their list in November 2014. . . . Mahovlich, from Abbotsford, B.C., had nine points, three of them goals, in 33 games with the Yale Hockey Academy’s midget prep team. The Blazers listed him in January 2015.

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The Kootenay Ice has signed D Bobby Russell, 16, who was a sixth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. From Langley, B.C., the 5-foot-10, 155-pounder had 15 points, 13 of them assists, in 29 games with the B.C. Major Midget League’s Valley West Hawks last season.

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The Edmonton Oil Kings have signed F Scott Atkinson, a fifth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft, and Belarusian F Artyom Baltruk, who was picked in the CHL’s 2016 import draft. . . . Atkinson, a 16-year-old from Vancouver, had 14 points, including five goals, with the Greater Vancouver Canadians of the B.C. Major Midget League last season. . . . Baltruk, 17, had 12 points, including five goals, in 28 games with Dinamo-Raubichi of the Belarus2 league last season.

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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

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The Victoria Royals have signed Dan Price, 41, as an assistant coach. Price, from St. Albert, Alta., has spent the past two seasons with the U of Toronto Varsity Blues. He was the team’s assistant coach in 2014-15, and was assistant coach and manager of athletic recruitment last season. . . . Price has WHL experience, having coached with the Tir-City Americans (2012-14) and Chilliwack Bruins (2006-09). . . . The Royals needed an assistant coach after moving Enio Sacilotto from behind the bench into the position of director of prospect development and scout. That came about after Grant Armstrong, their assistant GM, player personnel.

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THURSDAY’S GAMES:

The Saskatoon Blades scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Moose Jaw Warriors 4-3 in a game played in Regina. F Ryan Bowen and F Brett Howden each had a goal and an assist for Moose Jaw. Saskatoon F Josh Paterson also had a goal and an assist, the goal breaking a 3-3 tie at 19:19 of the third period. F Matthew Mosher also had a goal and an assist for the Blades. . . . In the other game in Regina, F Glenn Gawdin scored the game’s first two goals and the Swift Current Broncos went on to a 6-1 victory over the Pats. Gawdin finished with three goals, while D Artyom Minulin drew three assists, and F Aleksi Heponiemi had two goals and two assists.

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