The Halifax Mooseheads have emerged from the holidays in a slightly better position for the future.
General manager Marcel Patenaude made a couple of minor moves yesterday as the final trade period of the QMJHL season came to a close, and emerges with a younger team for the second half and more draft picks to build with.
The Mooseheads picked up 17-year-old forward Andrew Smith in a trade with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens and reassigned second-year blue-liner Richard Greer to a U.S. team.
Most of the bigger moves had already been completed, with the trade of star forward Logan MacMillan and the acquisitions of forwards Jan Stransky and Guillaume Pelletier and defencemen Pascal Amyot and George Dunn.
“Our goal was to solidify our depth, pick-wise and player-wise,” Patenaude said. “We’ve added Pelletier, Stransky, Amyot, Smith and Dunn to our roster — five (younger) players, and we’ve added a lot of picks, so we’re happy.”
It hasn’t been decided yet whether the 6-foot-5, 210-pound Smith will play for Halifax this season, as it depends on the health of Pelletier (knee) and Justin Pender (hip).
But Patenaude called him a “big boy” and a “good skater” who had been “on our radar” for a while.
Greer, 17, was reassigned to the New England Huskies of the Eastern Junior Hockey League.
There wasn’t enough roster space to keep him, but he remains in the team’s plans.
Patenaude had already cut 19-year-old forwards Chad Earle and Matt Snow to give younger players more ice time.
Patenaude said he listened to offers for veterans such as Pender, Eric Louis-Seize, Ben MacAskill and Linden Bahm, but decided it wasn’t worthwhile to move any of them.
“If we could have made more trades, we would have made more trades,” he said.
“But the market wasn’t there for some of our players. We’re happy they’re still with us and now we’re focused on trying to make the playoffs.”
The Herd plays on the road Friday at 8:30 p.m. against Baie-Comeau and Sunday at 5 p.m. against Chicoutimi.
In other trade news, Halifax’s Bradley MacDonald was moved along with a second-round pick from Gatineau to Victoriaville for John Esposito and Dave Nolin. Glace Bay’s Jarrad Struthers was moved from the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies to the P.E.I. Rocket for second- and third-round picks.
Mooseheads’ recent moves
INCOMING
•F Jan Stransky (18)
•D Pascal Amyot (18)
•D George Dunn (18)
•F Guillaume Pelletier (17)
•F Andrew Smith (17)
•Rimouski Round 4
(2009 draft)
•Rimouski Round 2
(2010 draft)
•Rimouski Round 2
(2011 draft)
•Rimouski Round 3
(2011 draft)
•Saint John Round 1
(2009 European draft)
OUTGOING
•Logan MacMillan (19)
•F Chad Earle (19)
•F Matt Snow (19)
•D Richard Greer (17)
•Halifax Round 1
(2009 European draft)
•Halifax Round 8
(2009 draft)
•Halifax Round 4
(2010 draft)
•Chicoutimi Round 5
(2010 draft)
