The Estevan Bruins only made one trade on trade deadline day in the SJHL on Thursday, but they made a splash.
The team's biggest and most surprising move was to bring back last year's leading scorer Dylan Smith, who had left the team in the off-season.
Smith, 20, had 13 goals and 28 points in 25 games with the Eastern Junior Hockey League's Connecticut Oilers this year.
The right winger led the Bruins with 37 goals and 74 points last year.
Smith was travelling when reached Monday and was not able to speak about his return.
The parting between the Bruins and Smith in August was not completely amicable, but head coach and general manager Keith Cassidy said that's all in the past now.
"It wasn't the perfect situation, but from my point of view, I think what (the move has) done for Dylan is great things. He got a chance to experience hockey and life outside Saskatchewan. I think that's done wonders for him.
"Just talking to him, he seems like a completely different individual now and it's done nothing but good things for him. From negative situations there can be some positive, and that's what we've gotta take from it," Cassidy said.
Cassidy said Smith had talked to some local players about the possibility of coming back, then approached the team about it on Thursday. The deal was completed less than two hours before the league's midnight deadline.
Smith played in the team's road games against Kindersley and Battlefords on the weekend, scoring his first goal of the season against the Klippers.
Cassidy said that Smith's ability to slide right into the lineup with no adjustment period, unlike the other players the team has acquired to provide some offence this year, is a big bonus.
"His familiarity with the league is huge and he's got a proven track record. What I can say after watching him the first two games is that this'll be a different Dylan Smith than what fans are used to. Being in your 20-year-old season does some different things to you his work ethic and determination, along with a pretty positive attitude, is something we can welcome to this hockey club."
Aside from repatriating Smith, the Bruins acquired defenceman Nick Egan at the deadline and said goodbye to forward Nick Weiss and defenceman Tyler Poskus.
Egan, 19, comes to Saskatchewan from the Philadelphia Revolution of the EJHL, the same league Smith had been playing in.
The Trenton, N.J., native is expected to play a shutdown role on the Bruins' back end. He had a goal and four points in 31 games with the Revolution.
"From all accounts he is a very rugged stay-at-home defenceman who has a little bit of offensive upside," said Cassidy. "He brings some toughness and some grit. I don't think he's one to back down from anybody.
"His general manager said, 'You'll not find a nicer kid, a more mature kid and one that's more dedicated to his teammates.'"
The team hopes Egan can slot in fourth or fifth on the team's depth chart.
The Bruins parted ways with Weiss just prior to the trade deadline and the split did not come on ideal terms.
Weiss, 20, had 12 goals and 21 points in 35 games this season.
"The short version of it is he came to us a couple of days ago and indicated that he didn't feel that this group could succeed and he wanted to be moved. We found him five offers and presented them to him and ultimately he didn't like any of those," Cassidy explained.
One of those teams was the Notre Dame Hounds, and two others were division leaders in their respective leagues.
"He didn't feel that any of that was good enough and he decided he was going to go home," Cassidy said.
Poskus, meanwhile, had asked for a trade closer to his hometown of Red Deer, but wanted to stay with the Bruins if no deal could be found.
A handful of teams were interested in adding Poskus, but didn't want to give something up, so he was released with the possibility of signing with one of those teams.
"Tyler did a tremendous job for us coming in last year as part of the (Tyler) Paslawski trade. I was hoping for a little more this year out of Tyler and we just weren't seeing that. For us, having (Zach) Douglas and (David) Robertson get some more minutes was obviously a part of that decision," said Cassidy.
The Bruins still have one player card open and may sign a free agent from any level of junior hockey until Feb. 10.
