The price is right for dealing across CHL

Steve Mason won the gold medal for Team Canada in the World Junior Championship.

The OHL’s trade deadline officially passed Jan. 10, and after all the dust settled it appeared as if the league’s top team prior to the deadline would remain at the top coming out of it. The Kitchener Rangers, Memorial Cup hosts for 2008, remained the team to beat in the CHL after acquiring Columbus Blue Jackets’ goaltender prospect and gold-medal winning Team Canada netminder Steve Mason.

While Mason is the biggest name to switch teams, there were more than enough deals to go around as some teams made up some solid ground on the CHL’s top squad.

The Belleville Bulls, who made trade headlines earlier this season by acquiring Slovenian sniper Jan Mursak (DET) from the Saginaw Spirit, made another move to shore up their offense this week by grabbing 20-year-old winger Adam Perry from the London Knights for three draft picks.

Perry, a top-50 OHL scorer with 43 points in 42 games, should be a big asset on an offense that now boasts Mursak, Shawn Matthias (FLA), Eric Tangradi (2008) and offensive-minded defenseman P.K. Subban (MON).

The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds completed their trading in 2008 with a deal in which they sent highly touted forward Chris Dunham of the OPJHL’s Pickering Panthers to the London Knights for a fifth-round draft choice and goaltender Stephane Cesar.

Cesar will likely serve as a backup to the more experienced Kyle Gajewski, but the move gives the Greyhounds nice depth at the most important position.

The move capped off a season of deals for the Greyhounds that has seen them acquire forwards Wayne Simmonds from the Owen Sound Attack, Anthony Peluso from the Erie Otters and, most recently, hometown boy Matt Caria from the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors. Caria, acquired on New Year’s Day, has an assist in two games thus far with his hometown Greyhounds, during which he and his teammates have won one and lost one.

The Oshawa Generals made a trio of deals, acquiring forwards Kevin Baker, defenseman Jonathan Sciacca and Czech-born goaltender Michal Neuvirth in exchange for three draft picks and four prospects, including their own Czech goaltender, Jakub Kovar.

Kovar (PHI) and Neuvirth (WSH), traded for one another in a deal between Oshawa and Windsor, recently competed for the Czech Republic at the 2008 WJC, and took fifth place, defeating the Finns in its final game.

Baker will make a solid addition to the Generals’ top-six forwards, as the over-age forward was almost on a point-a-game pace with the Sudbury Wolves before moving to the Generals. He has scored a goal and put up three points in three games -- all wins -- with the Generals thus far.

For their part, the Niagara IceDogs looked at their goaltending and saw room for improvement, so the second-place team in the Central Division made a play for Danish goaltender Sebastian Dahm. Seldom has a draft-day deal paid such immediate dividends, as Dahm posted a shutout in his first game with the IceDogs, a 1-0 defeat of the Greyhounds. He followed that win up with a 5-2 defeat of the Sudbury Wolves, giving him a 1.00 GAA and a .964 save percentage with his new team.

A final deal of note -- though it occurred two weeks ago on the final day of 2007 -- saw the Sarnia Sting look to shore up their offensive attack and give some help to highly touted forward Steven Stamkos. The Sting, who compete in the highly competitive West Division, acquired high-scoring right wing Vladimir Nikiforov and goalie Andrew Perugini from the Barrie Colts on Dec. 31 in exchange for six assets, including four draft picks.

Nikiforov is currently the eighth-leading scorer in the OHL with 60 points in 41 games, and the 20-year-old Russian has helped his new team to a 4-1 record as he has put up seven points in five games since coming over in the trade.

Belleville, Oshawa, Sarnia, Sault Ste. Marie and Niagara; the top teams in the OHL went out to tinker with their rosters and address their needs, and only time will tell which managers made the right decisions.

Mason is still the most talked-about move of the season, and whether the rest of these deals will equal the impact of the Mason to Kitchener deal will play itself out during the 2008 OHL playoffs, a tournament which should prove to be a very highly contested affair.

John Tavares has been the OHL Player of the Week three times so far, this season.

Around the OHL -- For the third time this season, John Tavares (2009) has taken the Boston Pizza OHL Player of the Week. The 17-year-old forward scored four goals and added five assists for nine points in three games, all wins, capped off by a five-point outing Sunday in a 10-8 defeat of the Kingston Frontenacs. It was his fourth five-point night of the 2007-08 season. … Steven Stamkos (2008) of the Sarnia Sting had four points on the week’s games, two goals, as the Sting defeated the Plymouth Whalers and London Knights on Friday and Sunday night, respectively. … Niagara IceDogs forward Luca Caputi (PIT) stretched his points streak to four games with a two- goal, two-assist performance in Saturday night’s 5-1 defeat of Sudbury. With the four points, he now has scored five goals and 10 points during the four-game stretch, and the IceDogs have won all four of the games. In addition, IceDogs forward Michael Swift scored a goal and added two assists in the victory, stretching his own season-best points streak to 10 games, during which he has scored six goals and 16 points.

Western Hockey League

In the Western League, it was a deadline day that will be remembered as the culmination of weeks of defensive trading, as teams attempted to shore up their back ends for a run at the WHL championship.

The crown jewel of this trading season, the WHL’s leading defensive scorer and a 2006 NHL first-round draft pick, Ty Wishart (SJS), joined another NHL first-rounder in Keaton Ellerby (FLA) when he was traded from the Prince George Cougars to the Moose Jaw Warriors early last week. Ellerby himself was also traded, from Kamloops to Moose Jaw earlier this season, and the two now anchor one of the most feared d-corps in the entire league.

The Regina Pats, who sit second in the Eastern Conference, seven points behind the Calgary Hitmen, were by far the most active of WHL teams at the deadline, picking up a number of experienced players in forwards J.D. Watt, Scott Doucet and defenseman Dallas Jackson from the Red Deer Rebels, forward Ryan DePape from Prince Albert and defenseman Ryan Bender from Kamloops.

To get older, more experienced (19 combined WHL seasons) and far tougher (net gain: 166 PIMs), the Pats were forced to part with part of their stable of young, talented skaters, including 2007 NHL first-round draft pick, defenseman Nick Ross (PHO). As always, the verdict on whether mortgaging the future for the present was a good idea will be based on how far the Pats are able to advance in the WHL playoffs.

Making headlines on deadline day for adding big-time defensive pieces were both the Swift Current Broncos, mired in a battle for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot, and the Spokane Chiefs, arguably the WHL’s top team with a record of 31-8-1-3, and a league-leading 66 points through 43 games.

The Broncos added Jesse Dudas (CBJ) and forward Catlin Foley from Prince George for 2008 NHL Entry Draft prospect, goaltender Ian Curtis, while the Chiefs made a similar splash in landing defenseman Trevor Glass from the Medicine Hat Tigers in return for two draft picks.

In addition, the Eastern Division-leading Calgary Hitmen went out to acquire forward Brock Nixon from the Kamloops Blazers for a prospect and a draft pick. The move has paid dividends already as Nixon has put up five points in his first three games with his new team. He had scored 14 goals and 39 points in 40 games to that point this season.

Big winners on the selling front were, first and foremost, the Prince George Cougars, who moved all but four players over the age of 18, and who pulled more than their fair share of draft picks in return.

The Prince Albert Raiders also looked to the future, making four trades in the final two days before the deadline and piling up two prospects and four draft picks, including 2008 second- and third-round selections. Perhaps their biggest deal involved sending 20-year-old forward Jeff May (DET) to the Lethbridge Hurricanes for two prospects and a 2008 second-round pick.

The Red Deer Rebels also looked to build toward next season, making two separate trades with the Regina Pats for picks and prospects and pulling the trigger on a one-for-one trade with the Everett Silvertips that sent defenseman Matt Strong out and brought forwardColby Kulhanek in. The Rebels’ 31 points in 46 games this season is worst in the East, leaving them currently 18 points out of the eighth and final playoff spot.

In the year of the deadline-day defensemen dealing, only the playoffs will tell who made the right moves.

Around the WHL -- The Kelowna Rockets continued to pile on the wins this week, going 3-0, with wins coming against Everett and Prince George (twice), outscoring their opponents 19-4 along the way. The week was highlighted by an 11-1 defeat of Prince George that saw all but three Kelowna skaters record at least one point. … It may have taken 91 career WHL games to get it done, but Winnipeg-born forward Neal Prokop (2008) of the Moose Jaw Warriors has recorded a hat trick. The big center scored three times in a 6-3 defeat of the Medicine Hat Tigers on Saturday night, helping his team keep pace with the Tigers as they jockey for position in the league standings. The Warriors sit with 52 points in 43 games, two behind the Tigers’ 54 in 45 games. … Forward Justin McCrae, acquired by the league-leading Spokane Chiefs from the Saskatoon Blades at the deadline, has made a seamless transition to his new team, scoring two goals and three points in his first three games as a Chief, helping his new team to go 2-0-1 along the way. … Goaltenders recording shutouts this week were Alex Archibald of the Edmonton Oil Kings, Garrett Zemlak of the Saskatoon Blades, James Riemer of the Red Deer Rebels, Michael Maniago of the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Leland Irving of the Everett Silvertips.

United States Hockey League

USHL-leading scorer Andy Miele has played his final game in a Chicago Steel uniform.

The next time Miele dons a hockey jersey, it will be the red and white of the University of Miami Redhawks. Miele is joining one of the finest college hockey teams in the country after playing to a record-setting pace in the 2007-08 USHL season.

With 30 goals through 29 games, Miele was on pace for a 69-goal season, which would have just edged out former Sioux City Musketeer forward Rod Taylor, who had 67 goals in 48 games during the 1986-87 season.

The 5-foot-8 Michigan native had put up 41 points through 29 games, in helping push the Chicago Steel to a 15-12-4 record, good for fourth in the USHL East Division Standings.

Recently, the Chicago Steel added to their roster dynamic forward Luca Cunti, who joined the Steel after leaving his college program, St. Cloud State. Cunti has now scored two goals and four points through seven games, but both he and his Steel teammates will be looked upon to raise their games in the absence of their leading scorer.

Around the USHL -- Ohio Junior Blue Jackets forward Tim Hall scored four goals – including a hat trick in a 5-2 win Saturday night – and added an assist for five points in two weekend games. The second-year forward now has scored eight goals and 19 points in 26 games this season. … The Green Bay Gamblers are likely getting sick of Cedar Rapids RoughRiders forward Casey Wellman, who had his second two-goal game in less than 10 days against the Gamblers, and the RoughRiders have won three consecutive games against the Gamblers in an odd twist to the schedule. What’s more, Wellman scored the game-winner in two of those games. For the season, Wellman has now scored 13 goals and 25 points through 28 games. … The Omaha Lancers took each of their weekend set of games, three in three nights, by scores of 7-1, 4-3 and 2-1 against Des Moines (2) and Tri-City, respectively. Lancers leading scorer Barry Almeida set the tone by recording two points in each game. He scored one goal and assisted on five others during the three Lancers wins.

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League

The trading deadline action in the QMJHL was highlighted by the fact that two top-15 point-getters changed hands, joining league powers for the stretch run to the playoffs.

The first of the two to move, forward Keven Veilleux, was traded from the Victoriaville Tigres, along with a fourth-round pick, to the Rimouski Oceanic for Maxime Tanguay (CHI), brother of Calgary Flames forward Alex Tanguay, Keven Dupont and two draft choices; a first-round selection and a second.

Since being traded to the Oceanic, Veilleux has been on a tear, scoring 11 points in five games, while the Oceanic have played to a 3-2 record, their only two losses coming at the hands of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.

In the second instance of a top-15 point-getter chancing hands, the PEI Rocket sent over-age forward Brett Morrison, then sixth-overall scorer in the QMJHL, to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies for a second-round pick, Dylan Quaile and Benjamin Casavant.

In all, the PEI Rocket were the league’s biggest sellers, acquiring many prospects and draft choices for their older, experienced forwards.

Around the QMJHL --Rimouski Oceanic forward Keven Veilleux was awarded the Telus Offensive Player of the Week award for the period ending Jan. 13, as Veilleux scored two goals and eight points in three Oceanic wins. … The Telus Defensive Player of the Week was awarded to Rouyn-Noranda Huskies rearguard Marc-Andre Bourdon for the same period, as the veteran defenseman scored two goals and four points in three Huskies wins. The Huskies have now won six consecutive games and sit tied with Baie-Comeau atop the league standings with 65 points in 47 games played. … Jakub Voracek scored three goals and eight points in three games on the week, helping to push the Halifax Mooseheads to a 2-1 record. … Goaltender Marco Cousineau of Baie-Comeau played to a 2-1 record on the week, with a 1.95 goals against and a .938 save percentage in the three games.