The Estevan Bruins and La Ronge Ice Wolves made arguably the biggest splash at the SJHL's Dec. 1 cutdown deadline, swinging a five-player trade on Sunday.
The deal sees the Bruins ship away a pair of veterans, one struggling and one having just been acquired a month earlier, in exchange for two very promising youngsters.
Bruins head coach and general manager Chris Lewgood indicated on Monday that Hudson Morrison was going to be moved either way.
In a story all too familiar for the Bruins in recent years, Morrison had a stellar rookie season last year, posting 21 goals and 36 points and bringing a physical edge to the rink. He was one of the only players who excelled in a tough year.
Morrison got off to a very slow start this year, and while he was starting to turn it around recently, wasn't able to produce at the same level he did as a rookie.
The 19-year-old has all kinds of skill and can certainly be a top player in this league, but his attitude didn't always match that.
Tanner Clark, meanwhile, joined the Bruins in early November after a long battle to obtain his rights from the OCN Blizzard. The 20-year-old rearguard took some undisciplined penalties, with 24 minutes in eight games, and didn't seem to make the impact expected of a player with his history in the SJHL.
In Jason and Ryan Duret, the Bruins receive two forwards who have torn up the minor hockey ranks and excelled at every level they've played at.
Jason, 18, will join the team immediately and slot in at second line centre, while Ryan, 17, will likely stay in midget with the Prince Albert Mintos for the rest of the year.
These are the kind of players you build your offence around, so it will be interesting to see what they're capable of at the Junior A level once they get older.
We'll also have to wait and see what kind of an impact Jason will make this year. Lewgood said he doesn't expect any drop-off from Morrison's play to what Duret will provide, and he feels he could score at a 30-point pace over the rest of the year, which would be a nice rookie season to build on.
Duret is joining his third team already this season, as he started out with the Camrose Kodiaks, where he had three assists in 11 games. He also had three points in nine games with the Ice Wolves.
The trade is a gamble, but if the Duret brothers play to their potential over the next few years, it will pay off in spades.
Contact Josh Lewis at 306-634-2654 or sports@estevanmercury.ca. Can anyone explain why Canada wouldn't want a bruising 6-foot-5 point-per-game defenceman like Darnell Nurse on the World Junior team?
