It appears the Halifax Mooseheads will sacrifice forward Alexis Piette to land Lewiston’s Garrett Clarke on Friday.
Sources have told Metro Halifax the Mooseheads have acquired Clarke, a 17-year-old blue-liner, for a package that is believed to be Piette and a seventh-round draft pick.
They’re expected to further bolster their paper-thin defence corps with the acquisition of 20-year-old Alexandre Brunet from the Rimouski Oceanic for a draft pick to complete last December’s Logan MacMillan trade.
Both deals are expected to be announced when the QMJHL trading period opens on Friday morning in Moncton.
The six-foot-three, 203-pound Piette recorded 35 points as a rookie and had a strong finish last season, regularly one of the team’s top forwards in the final two months. Although he could post big numbers, he is also entering his 19-year-old season and won’t be in the league when Halifax is a contender.
Clarke comes with an impressive resume. The six-foot, 180-pound Moncton native was selected sixth overall last June and had six goals and three assists in 46 games as a rookie.
International Scouting Service described him as a “highly-skilled offensive defenceman” and a “tough player to play against” with “a mean streak.” He served a 15-game suspension for cross-checking and projects as an impact player.
“He’s talented with very good skills,” said a league source. “He’s going to have a very good career in the Q.”
Brunet is a steady albeit unspectacular defenceman who would bring much-needed experience to Halifax. The five-foot-10 191-pounder had 14 points and was a plus-9 in 63 games last season and played in the Memorial Cup.
Clarke and Brunet would join 19-year-olds Gabriel O’Connor and Pascal Amyot as well as 17-year-old Alex MacDonald to form the basis for Halifax’s defence corps next season.
