Sask. WHL teams make major moves ahead of upcoming trade deadline
The Moose Jaw Warriors and Swift Current Broncos both made significant splashes in the Western Hockey League (WHL) Thursday with the trade deadline set for Jan. 10.
On Thursday the Broncos announced they were acquiring forward Conor Geekie in a trade with the Wenatchee Wild. The cost to acquire the Arizona Coyotes draft pick was steep. The Broncos sent defencemen Josh Fluker and Sam Ward along with forward Maddix McCaghtery and four draft picks the other way (1st rounder in 2025 and 2026, 2nd rounder in 2025 and a 7th round pick in 2027).
“His (Geekie) combination of size, skill, hockey sense and compete make him one of the most impactful players in the WHL,” said Broncos General Manger Chad Leslie in a release.
Geekie, 19, has scored 20 goals and 29 assists in 26 games this season with the Wild. Geekie helped lead the then Winnipeg Ice to a WHL Championship in 2022 and is fresh off a one goal, one assist performance for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Geekie was selected 11th overall in the 2022 NHL entry draft by the Coyotes and signed his entry-level contract this week.
The Broncos begin a three-game home stand on Friday, Jan. 5th against the Spokane Chiefs. It’s not yet known when he will be in the line-up.
Meanwhile the Moose Jaw Warriors traded seven draft picks to the Wenatchee Wild on Thursday to acquire one of junior hockey’s best skaters, Matthew Savoie.
The Warriors get Savoie in exchange for a first round picks in 2024 and 2027, a second round pick in 2026, a third round pick in 2024, a fourth round pick in 2027, a sixth round pick in 2026, and an eighth round pick in 2025.
Savoie was a first round WHL draft pick by the then Winnipeg Ice in 2019 and a first round NHL draft pick (9th overall) by the Buffalo Sabres. Since entering the WHL, he’s shown to be an offensive force, scoring 84 goals and 216 points in 160 regular season games. Savoie is also fresh off an appearance for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship in Gothenberg, Sweden.
“He’s going to bring a lot of character and grit for us and obviously put the puck in the net,” Warriors general manger Jason Ripplinger said.
Savoie is expected to join the Warriors next week.
The Warriors are riding a four game win streak and are second in the WHL’s East Division.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.