Defenceman gets traded to Tigres
Andrew Smith, who was drafted in second round, gets caught in numbers game in Charlottetown
Andrew Smith knew a trade was a possibility when he saw the Charlottetown Islanders acquire three veteran defencemen during the off-season.
The possibility became a reality on Friday when the Isles traded the six-foot-seven, 211pound blue-liner to the Victoriaville Tigres.
“I wanted to come here and show I can play,” said Smith, a second-round pick by the Islanders in 2014. “I liked it here, but if I get a chance to play (somewhere else) that’s what I want to do.”
Smith was on the ice this morning before being told he had been traded. He said his goodbyes to his teammates and waited to see what happens next.
In 42 games last season, Smith had an assist and 21 penalty minutes.
The Tigres sent an eighthround pick in 2018 to Charlottetown for Smith.
During the off-season the Islanders traded for 19-yearold defencemen Guillaume Brisebois and Jake Barter as well as overage blue-liner Cody Donaghey. It also drafted Saku Vesterinen from Finland and Marc-Olivier Alain to go with returnees Will Thompson and Pierre-Olivier Joseph.
“Smitty didn’t fit in our topfive, top-six right now,” Islanders general manager and head coach Jim Hulton said. “Smitty put a year in with us and deserved an opportunity to be an everyday player in the Q and I didn’t think it was going to happen here.”
It was one of four deals the Islanders made before Friday’s Quebec Major Junior Hockey League trade deadline. Only overage players can be traded now until the trade window opens again in December.
Charlottetown acquired forward Pascal Aquin from Shawinigan for a ninth-round pick in 2017 and forward Cody Grant from Saint John for a conditional 10th-round pick in 2017.
Aquin, 19, is a six-foot-two, 193-pound left-winger.
“Pascal played very well against us in the playoffs last year,” Hulton said. “He’s an energy player, good speed and adds some size to us.”
It also provides the team with more depth up front as the team starts the season without Keith Getson, who has to serve a six-game suspension to begin the year.
Charlottetown also swapped Sebastien Paquette for Sam King in a deal with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. King, an 18-year-old Saint John, N.B., native, provides the team with a depth forward from the Maritimes that would be able to be recalled easier during the season.
Grant is an 18-year-old Halifax native who has been with the Islanders during training camp. The six-foot-two, 210pound right-winger played two games with the Sea Dogs last season.
The day kicks off with the under-19 girls first division final at 9:30 a.m. between Summerside United and RC United. Summerside and RC tied for first place and will have an opportunity to break the deadlock in the championship game.
Summerside advanced to the final with a 4-1 victory over Stratford S.C.
Hope DesRoche scored twice while Kelsey MacKinnon and Brianna Gunning added singles for Summerside. Kate Doiron replied for Stratford.
RC United defeated Kensington and Area S.C. 2-1 in the semifinal with Carmelita Roberts scoring the winner in overtime.
Bailey Dover had tied the game in the 81st minute to send it to extra time. Lindsay Ramsay had opened the scoring for Kensington in the first half.
The under-14 boys first division final goes at 10 a.m. with the Sherwood-Parkdale Rangers, the regular season champions, taking on runners-up West Prince Storm.
The Rangers advanced to the final with a 1-0 victory over Stratford with Jose Crisostomo scoring the lone goal and Nolan Barry recording the shutout.
The Storm eased their way into the final with a 7-0 win over Summerside United. Dominic Arsenault recorded the hat trick, Chris Ramsay added two while Walker Harper and Dawson Silliker rounded out the scoring.
Summerside United One faces the Morell and Area Strikers in the under-17 girls first division final.
United edged the field to win the regular season championship ahead of Morell and two other teams tied for second.
In semifinal action, United received shut-out goaltending from Kierstyn Palmer and the winning goal from Jenna LeClair in their 1-0 victory over Central Queens Clippers.
The Strikers Emily Dingwell scored in the first minute only to see Sherwood-Parkdale Ranger’s Rachel MacAuley tie it up three minutes later. The winner would come late in the game from Reegan Sweeney.