January 9th, 2025

WHL trade market continues to heat up ahead of Thursday’s deadline


By Lethbridge Herald on January 7, 2025.

James Tubb 

Southern Alberta Newspapers 

 

WHL teams were firing on all cylinders two days ahead of the trade deadline.

A total of 10 trades were completed in the Western Hockey League by press time Tuesday, with a total of 17 players on the move.

The day started with a goalie swap between the Moose Jaw Warriors and Vancouver Giants.

The Giants acquired 19-year-old net minder Brady Smith in exchange for 18-year-old Matthew Hutchison, a 2025 fourth-round pick and a 2028 seventh-round pick.

Smith has a 10-9-1-1 record with a 3.52 goals against average and a .890 save percentage in 23 appearances between the Warriors and Lethbridge Hurricanes this season.

Hutchison is 10-8-1-0 with the Giants the year, sporting a 3.92 GAA and a .875 SV%.

The Prince Albert Raiders acquired 20-year old forward Rilen Kovacevic from the Warriors, sending fellow overage forward Krzysztof Macias, 17-year-old forward Luke Moroz and a 2027 fourth-round pick.

Kovacevic is in the midst of a career-best season, with 21 goals and 40 points in 33 games. He had four goals and 15 points in 20 playoff games en route to the Warriors championship last season.

Macias, also filling an import slot in Prince Albert, has eight goals and 22 points in 22 games. Moroz has four gaols and 15 points in 34 games.

The B.C. division-leading Prince George Cougars acquired defenceman Aleksey Chichkin from the Regina Pats for a 2027 fourth-round pick. The 6-foot-5, 19-year-old Chichkin has three goals and 10 points in 32 games this season.

Swift Current acquired 19-year-old defenceman Marek Rocak from the Kelowna Rockets, with the Broncos sending 18-year-old forward Dawson Gerwin and a 2025 fourth-rounder.

Rocak had a goal and 16 points in 27 games this season with Kelowna. Gerwing has six goals and 10 points in 27 games.

The Giants spun a second move, acquiring 20-year-old forward Maxim Muranov from the Wenatchee Wild, sending overager Tyson Zimmer the other way. Muranov, who was traded from Calgary on Jan. 2, has eight goals and 25 points this season. Zimmer has 10 goals and 25 points in 35 games this year.

The Pats stayed busy, spinning a pair of deals mid-day Tuesday. They sent 19-year-old forward Anthony Wilson to the Lethbridge Hurricanes in exchange for a 2026 fourth-rounder (originally Victoria’s) and a 2027 sixth-round pick. Wilson, who is currently under a to-be-determined suspension for goaltender interference on Jan. 4, has seven goals and 11 points in 27 games this season.

The Pats then acquired 17-year-old forward Ashton Brown from Wenatchee in exchange for the 2027 sixth-rounder acquired in the Wilson trade. Brown has a goal and six points in 32 games this season.

Thirty minutes past noon in Alberta, the Brandon Wheat Kings and Tri-City Americans swung a blockbuster of a trade.

The Wheat Kings sent 18-year-old Columbus Blue Jackets defence prospect Charlie Elick and a 2026 third-round pick to the Americans for a pair of 2006-born skaters, forward Jordan Gavin and defenceman Merrek Arpin.

Elick, the 2024 26th overall pick by Columbus, has seven assists with Brandon this season.

Going the other way, Gavin has 14 goals and 30 points in 35 games, touted as a ‘C’ prospect by NHL Central Scouting ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft. Arpin has three assists in 31 games.

The Kamloops Blazers acquired 20-year-old forward Beau Courtney from the Everett Silvertips in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round pick. Courtney has five goals and nine points in 31 games. The move gives the WHL-leading Silvertips an open overage slot ahead of the trade deadline Thursday at 6 p.m. MST.

The Blazers completed a second trade on the day, acquiring 19-year-old blue liner Rhett Ravndahl from the Wheat Kings for a 2026 firth-round pick. Ravndahl has two goals and four points in 29 games this season.

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