GM keeps young Kings’ core intact
Hansch makes one move, trading Koch to Vancouver for two more young players
Despite their struggles this season, the Edmonton Oil Kings were not expected to be very active prior to the WHL trade deadline Wednesday.
With a strong crop of players age 16 to 18 on the roster, general manager Randy Hansch was content to continue letting his youth develop.
Yet Hansch did make one deal Wednesday, acquiescing on a trade request from 19-year-old forward Davis Koch, who wanted to play for a contender in likely his final season in the league.
Koch was traded to the Vancouver Giants in exchange for forward Brendan Semchuk, 18, goaltender Todd Scott, 17, and a conditional third-round pick in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft.
The two will likely join the Oil Kings after their Saskatchewan leg of a five-game road trip, which continued with Wednesday’s 4-3 overtime win over the Regina Pats. Trey Fix-Wolansky scored a goal and assisted on Brett Kemp’s game-winner, while Colton Kehler scored twice to push Edmonton’s record to 12-24-4-2.
“I think our approach, for the most part, was to stay with our group,” Hansch said. “Like any deadline, you’re going to have feelers out there on certain things and everyone is going to be reaching out to you, too. But for the most part, it was try to stay the course with our group.”
Unlike last season when the Oil Kings had two highly sought overage players in defenceman Aaron Irving and centre Lane Bauer, this year, outside of Koch, the club did not have much to offer in regards to expendable veterans.
The team’s most coveted assets still have two or three years of eligibility and the Oil Kings were not about to part with any of their core.
“There are a lot of guys that out of respect, people won’t ask for,” Hansch said. “Some of them won’t even come up in conversation. That’s just more a respect thing, where certain guys come up and others don’t.”
In regards to Koch, the fourthyear Oil Kings forward had approached Hansch earlier in the season requesting a trade to a contender, if possible.
While the veteran never presented the GM with an ultimatum, Hansch felt it was better for everyone if his trade request could be granted. It was just a matter of finding the right trading partner and getting proper value for the point-per-game player.
“He reached out a while ago, and obviously, there were some challenges in that,” Hansch said.
“With the situation the contenders were in and we were in, you weren’t sure how that was going to fall into place, because at that point, you don’t know who the contenders are.
“Things kind of just changed on the weekend, but leading up to (Tuesday) it didn’t look like things were going to get done. But fortunately for Davis, things were able to get done. If not, it probably would have been a tough second half for him.”
In Semchuk and Scott, Hansch was able to add to his young core. Trying to get things heading in the right direction as quickly as possible, he was not interested in acquiring more draft picks, who would still be years away from making an impact on the team.
“Brandon Semchuk plays a highenergy game, he has good speed
Like any deadline, you’re going to have feelers out there on certain things and everyone is going to be reaching out to you, too.
and he gets after the play,” Hansch said. “He can really shoot the puck and I think he could be a nice complement to our ’99 group (18-yearolds) and that’s the age group that we’re trying to build around.”
A six-foot, 187-pound right winger, Semchuk had eight goals and 19 points in 33 games for the Giants. The Kamloops, B.C., product was the 10th overall selection in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft.
Scott, an Albertville, MN., product, had an 8-7-3-1 record with the Giants this season with a 4.11 goals-against average and .869 save percentage.
“He’s a goaltender who is just coming into the league and he continues to develop,” Hansch said. “I really like his battle level in the net, he competes, he challenges, he doesn’t give up on pucks. He’s athletic and I think his game is just starting to develop.
“Combine that with our depth in goal, we feel now we’re dealing from an area of strength, which is important, especially with the goaltending.”
The Oil Kings began their trip with a 3-2 overtime win against the Brandon Wheat Kings on Tuesday, which gave Edmonton 10 points in their first eight games following the Christmas break. They continue to build on the momentum, distancing themselves from the 18 points they earned in 33 games going into the break.
“It was great to see them recharged and re-energized and I like that they’re playing with some confidence and some belief,” Hansch said.
“We’re getting better every day and that’s what we are concerned with.”