2024 Canucks Draft Picks Become Teammates in OHL Following Trade Deadline

It is trade season in the CHL, and two Vancouver Canucks’ 2024 draft picks have linked up in the OHL with the Barrie Colts. The two Canucks’ prospects now have their eyes set on capturing a championship and working their way into the Memorial Cup.

Riley Patterson was selected in the fourth round of the 2024 draft after leading the OHL in goals from a rookie during the 2023-24 season. Patterson scored 29 goals and added 33 assists in his first year with the Barrie.

Anthony Romani was an overage selection in the draft after he led the OHL with 58 goals and finished second in the league with 111 points.

The two teenagers roomed together at Canucks’ development camp this past summer and built a friendship that they carried over into their OHL season and now they get a chance to grow that relationship as teammates.

“My excitement level was high,” said Patterson when asked about how he felt when he heard about the trade. “He's a talented player and he did some awesome things last year over there with North Bay and getting the confirmation that he's coming here to Barrie is pure excitement. I texted him pretty quickly and was just excited to have him here. He is going to help our team a lot. He's an unreal player out there, the team is just super pumped.”

During their week as roommates, the two players bonded over their experiences in the OHL, some tasty recipes for clean eating, and equal love for early morning workouts.

“His focus on the details of his everyday life, like what he eats and focuses on sleep and all that, he's very dialed in and is a person who cares about growing his game,” said Patterson of Romani. “He wants to do everything to get better and develop. I think I'm a person like that as well. So, we just meshed well together.”

“It was very easy to room with Riley,” said Romani with a laugh.

Though this is the first time that Romani has been traded, he felt the situation played out well and that he was excited when he heard Barrie was an option.

Romani has plenty of playoff experience in the OHL. The 19-year-old has gone to the Eastern Conference finals in all three of his OHL seasons but is looking to breakthrough to the championship series for the first time in his junior career.

“Your goal going into each season is winning a championship,” said Romani. “The past three years, I've been pretty close with three conference finals. I want to go at it again. The season goal is always about winning an OHL championship. So, I’m just trying to bring my experiences from the past two years and win a championship with Barrie this year.”

Romani is close to returning from an upper-body injury that has kept him out of action since October 11th.

“Obviously, it's something different, but it's part of the game and I’m just adapting to it and trying to keep my confidence the same as when I was playing. I’m keeping a good mindset, the same work ethic, and just keeping confidence in what my game is,” said Romani.

“[Canucks development coaches] Mike Komisarek and Mikael Samuelsson have been great to me. They talk to me all the time, and even when I was injured, they'd take me out for lunch sometimes if they're in town. Those two have been nothing but great to me. They are both incredibly supportive with everything.”

The Barrie Colts sit atop the Eastern Conference standings with a 24-12-1-1 record. They have the best penalty kill in the league and adding an offensive weapon like Romani is going to be a big boost to the group as they tread forward into postseason play.

“We expect a lot more of what we've been doing in the first half of the season. We're a confident group that played well in the first half. There have been times when we haven't had a full lineup for a while, and we've still been able to grind it out, battle it out, and just stick to what our coaches preach and bring to us,” said Patterson.

“When we get a fully healthy lineup, we'll be a great team that can beat any team in the league. We're confident in that area and believe we can accomplish our goals. We’ve set ambitious goals as a team in our organization this year and we are all believing every day and working every day so that we can accomplish those goals.”

Patterson has found his scoring touch in recent weeks, picking up six goals and four assists over his previous seven games.

“I’ve just been capitalizing on my chances lately,” Patterson said. “I'm playing the right way and focusing on intricate details; forechecking hard and focusing on playing the right way in the defensive zone. When you do all that, you get your offensive opportunities. Lately, they've been going in for me, I've been bearing down on those chances, and it is always nice to see them go in.”

The two friends are excited about the future and what this Colts team can accomplish. For Patterson, it is about completing the goals he and his Colts’ teammates set out at the start of the season. As for Romani, after three consecutive series losses in the OHL’s Eastern Conference finals, he is hungry to get back on the ice and give the playoffs another run.

“I'm pumped. This is what I live for, playing hockey games,” said Romani. “It feels weird not playing games for so long, and I've been itching to get back on the ice and play – I'm super pumped about that. Also, just with the new team and just how good we are, I am extremely excited for the push that we can make.”

The two point-producers are ready for the final stretch of the OHL season and are excited to see what they can do when the intensity ramps up for the playoffs.

Insider Extra

Romani was not the only Canucks prospect traded in the CHL this season – there were three Canucks’ draft picks moved in the past month.

Sawyer Mynio was dealt from the Seattle Thunderbirds to the Calgary Hitmen in a massive WHL trade.

The 2023 third-round pick has played in 196 WHL games through his four seasons with Seattle and got into one AHL game with the Abbotsford Canucks last season.

Mynio is fresh off representing Canada at the World Junior Championships and joins a Hitmen team that sits third in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a 22-11-3-1 record.

Vilmer Alriksson was also selected by the Canucks in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, and he was dealt to the Brampton Steelheads in mid-December.

The 6’6” winger, who Tyler Myers claims has 20 pounds on him, has scored a goal and added four assists in his first four games with the Steelheads.

Alriksson has 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points through 30 games in his second OHL season.

Brampton currently sits seventh in the Eastern Conference with a 17-15-5-0 record.