Vees trade for veteran centre
With the injury bug taking an early bite out of his Penticton Vees forward ranks, GM and head coach Fred Harbinson swung a deal for a veteran centre.
In a three-way trade, Penticton acquired 20year-old centre Dakota Boutin from the Saskatchewan league’s Melfort Mustangs.
The Vees sent the rights to 19-year-old blueliner James Miller to Melfort and 18-year-old defenceman Garrett Ewert was dealt to the West Kelowna Warriors.
Harbinson said Boutin is a strong two-way player and a right-hander centre. The other centres on the roster are left-handed.
“We played against him at the 2015 Western Canada Cup and RBC Cup,” said Harbinson. “He’s another proven 20-year-old guy with a winning pedigree, having won a Telus Cup (national midget championship) and two straight league titles with Melfort (in 2015 and 2016).”
Boutin, a native of Moosomin, Sask., spent the last three seasons with the Mustangs, logging 57 goals and 141 points while racking up 454 penalty minutes in 150 games.
He had another 15 points and 94 penalty minutes in 34 post-season contests.
Ewert played a game for the Vees as an affiliated player in 2016-17 and played in two pre-season games this season.
Miller, from Spruce Grove, Alta., had six goals and 18 points in 37 games after joining the Vees in a trade from the Olds Grizzlys part way through last season. He was expected to attend University of New Hampshire this fall.
Harbinson noted the Vees had some depth on defence and the trade still leaves them with seven quality blueliners.
Up front, however, the Vees have been a bit banged up.
Top-six forwards Grant Cruikshank and Massimo Rizzo are already out with upperbody injuries, with Rizzo hopeful of returning for the second regular season game Sept. 15 in Salmon Arm. Cruikshank likely won’t be back until the Vees home opener on Sept. 29.
Recently acquired veteran Shane Allan and rookie standout Jack Barnes were also injured last week. Allan, who missed much of last season due to injury, has been placed on injured reserve with a lower-body ailment.
The 17-year-old Barnes was hurt during the first of two pre-season road games against Brooks on the weekend. Harbinson said Barnes could be out for “a week or two” with the lower-body injury.
It essentially leaves Penticton with just 10 forwards for the season-opener Friday in Merritt.
The Vees do have one open roster spot and Harbinson said he has a few things in the works. However, he ruled out the option of calling on affiliated players for Friday’s tilt.
“I don’t want to put an AP in the situation of playing their first BCHL game (on the small ice surface) in Merritt,” said Harbinson. “Boutin will be here (today) for practice and we’ll be fine to go with what we have. We played with nine forwards in Brooks, and we do have the one extra defenceman we can dress.”
Harbinson said the Vees have survived despite being riddled by injuries the past two seasons.
“No point dwelling on it,” the coach said. “Nobody is going to cry for us. It just means other guys have to step up. We showed in the pre-season we’ve got a pretty good-looking squad here. We’ll be raring to go on Friday.”