It was a dark time in the club’s history and things were about to get rockier. Forwards Jaimen Yakubowski and Sam McKechnie, a couple of skilled players, were sent home to wait for a trade and they got exactly that almost six years ago now.
They were sent to Seattle for 17-year-old Carter Folk, 19-year-old Riley Sheen and a third-round pick in 2015.
Now, we did kind of allude to this deal in a trade tree we did over two years ago in our “Roadmap to Ryan Bowen” blog. But we didn’t really go into it headfirst, because the ramifications of this deal are actually still being felt to this day.
Let’s start with Folk. As an overager in September 2016, he was sent to Victoria for a fourth-round pick in the 2017 draft. The Hurricanes used that pick to nab forward Drew Englot, who didn’t play a game for the team before he was sent to Regina, where he is playing this season. The ‘Canes acquired a fourth-round pick in 2022 for Englot. So we might have to revisit this blog in a few years.
Moving on to Sheen. He was later traded with a conditional pick to Red Deer for forward Brayden Burke and Devan Fafard. Burke was sent to Moose Jaw for the aforementioned Ryan Bowen as well as two draft picks: a second-rounder in 2017 and a conditional pick in 2019. That second-rounder turned into netminder Bryan Thomson, while I’m not totally certain on the conditional pick, but the Hurricanes did pick in Moose Jaw’s spot in the third round and nabbed defenseman Logan McCutcheon.
To finish the loop on Bowen, he was sent to Kelowna for an eighth-round pick in the 2019 draft. The Hurricanes used it to select defenseman Kaden Dyck.
Last but certainly not least, we go to that third-rounder in 2015 picked up from Seattle. The Hurricanes selected Tyler Strath with that pick. He was later moved to Kootenay with a conditional draft pick for Austin Wong, the little brother of former captain Tyler Wong. Austin didn’t play in the WHL as he had his eyes set on the NCAA and this year marks his first at Harvard.
So if you’re a Lethbridge Hurricanes fan, the long story short on this trade tree is that it’s almost too early still, weirdly enough, to think of the original deal with Seattle as the “worst in league history” as some thought it might be, given the trickle down effect we still haven’t seen yet.
Junior hockey insiders have turned their attention to Calgary for the WHL Cup which starts today at the Markin MacPhail Centre.
Formerly known as the Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup, it is a showcase of the best young talent coming up to the Western Hockey League. 80 players will suit up for four provincial teams: BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
It's also a chance for Hockey Canada scouts to take a look at what's coming up for future international events. And a few current NHLers have graced the ice in this tournament, including Matt Dumba, Jake Virtanen, Mathew Barzal, Brayden Point and Nolan Patrick.
A few current Lethbridge Hurricanes have starred in the tournament, including Logan Barlage in 2016 and Bryan Thomson and Noah Boyko in 2017.
This year, a trio of Hurricanes prospects will be suiting up.
We start with forward Reid Mackay, who will play for Team Alberta. The 6'0", 155-pound product of Irma has been a point-generating machine for the Northern Alberta Extreme Elite-15 club, potting three goals and eight assists in six games. Mackay was a third round pick of the Hurricanes, 65th overall in this summer's WHL Bantam Draft.
Fellow third rounder Logan McCutcheon will man the blueline for Team Saskatchewan. Hurricanes fans got a sneak peek of the 5'7", 125-pound defenseman in the season opener against Medicine Hat as they awaited the return of Calen Addison. McCutcheon was compared to Addison when he was drafted, and has four assists in nine games with the Saskatoon Blazers.
Also dressing for Team Saskatchewan will be Hurricanes sixth round pick Jakin Lawrence. The 5'11", 150-pound forward is another big body with a knack for scoring. He has three goals in eleven games for the Swift Current Legionnaires this season. He was over a point-per-game with the West Central Bantam AA Wheat Kings during the previous two seasons.
Will any of those three make an impact for their teams? Will the Hurricanes start eyeing up potential deals to get a hold of players who turn heads over the next few days? We shall see.
It is always fun to catch up with former Lethbridge Hurricanes players.
They are scattered all over the globe. Some are still involved in the game while others are not. So as part of Joe's Blog, we're introducing you to a brand new feature called "Where In The World Is."
It's our chance to catch up with some of the players who once stepped foot on Enmax Centre ice and ask them ten random questions, ranging from their time in Lethbridge to their favourite foods and warm-up tunes.
We start things off with former captain Jamal Watson. He played in four seasons with the 'Canes, scoring 69 goals and 79 assists before he finished his career with the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Here are his answers to the questions posed:
#1. Where in the world is Jamal Watson?
Currently in Calgary, attending Mount Royal University in my
fourth year of an accounting degree and playing on the men’s hockey team. I
think the biggest thing I’ve noticed over the last couple of years compared to
junior hockey is just how much more busy I am with just school. I didn’t
realize how hard school was until I got here.
#2. Favourite memory of Lethbridge?
I have a couple. Number one being 15-years-old and scoring
my first goal in the Western Hockey League. I remember the pass out front and
putting it away in front of the net. I think a close second was being the
captain of the team in my 19-year-old season. It was really just an honour to
be a part of such a group of people you’ve seen wear the ‘C’ on the chest and
be a part of the team.
#3. Best teammate you had while in Lethbridge?
I think, personally, my favourite teammate I had was Graham
Hood. He was 20 when I was 17 and he was the captain of our team. Me and him
are still really good friends today. We always interact with each other and I
know he’s in Vancouver right now and I always get a chance to see him when I’m
out there and whenever he’s in town, we always connect and hook up. We always
just check in on each other and things like that.
#4. Best meal made by a billet?
We had a Taco Tuesday group at one of the billet houses we
had and to get at the Taco Tuesday table was a big deal. Unfortunately, when
someone got traded, there would be a spot at the table and an argument to see
who we’d let in. There would be an initiation where they would do a hot sauce
shot and they also had to eat as many tacos as they could on their first
attempt to see if we would let them in on our elite table of taco eaters.
#5. Favourite arena in the WHL?
Obviously the Enmax Centre was such a dream because when I
got there, they just renovated it and that turned it into an unbelievably nice
arena. But my favourite place to play in was actually Portland because of the
energy down in the US. I remember it being electric in the Rose Garden. And I’m
a big NBA fan and with that being the Trailblazers arena, it’s kind of cool to
share that and to see how big it was. I remember playing in there and it being
absolutely packed and one of the best atmospheres I’ve ever played in.
#6. Weirdest pre-game ritual you've ever seen in your
travels?
I think the weirdest ones I see are when guys are particular
about passing and who touches the sock tape first and it has to go in a certain
order. I know that was a big one. I remember first coming in, sitting there going
“I just need the sock tape, is there any way to get it” and there was a certain
order to it. So you had to sit there and wait your turn, figure it out if you
don’t have your own roll. But as a rookie, you had to wait your turn after the
veteran players.
#7. Favourite song to warm up to?
I’m a big rap guy, so I think my favourite song to listen to
is “Walk It Like I Talk It” from Migos featuring Drake. We had that at Mount
Royal and that was one of my favourite ones on the playlist. But we’re changing
it up this year so we’ll see if I’ll add a new one to the list.
#8. When you're in the stands, what is the one food you
gotta have?
Oh, for sure I’m a nachos guy. Any time I go to an arena or
whatever, I’m always trying the nachos. The Saddledome nachos are one of the
best foods in the world. I’m also a big fan of a nice hot dog. Ketchup,
mustard, the whole nine on it. Don’t skip on the toppings at all.
#9. What are you binge-watching right now?
I started watching Top Boy on Netflix. It’s a British show
about the drug life in the UK. It has Jamaican roots in it which is part of my
family heritage so it’s kind of cool to see because part of my family is also
part of England. So it’s kind of interesting to watch a show to get a feel for
it and see the different sides of life.
#10. Who has had the biggest influence on your hockey
career?
The biggest influence on my career is for sure my dad. The
thing that really separated me and helped me on my journey to the WHL and what
I’m doing now was always putting me in power-skating camp. I know skating is
definitely my strength. As a kid, you don’t understand why your dad keeps
putting you in power-skating while everyone else is going to regular hockey
camp and stickhandling pucks and things like that. But he always had me going
to those camps two or three weeks of the summer to work on my stride to build
that up because he realized that skating is the most important thing. It’s what
you do on the ice the most. At the time, I obviously wasn’t too happy about it
but looking back, it was actually a blessing that he said I should work on it
now, I won’t have to work on it later.
— Lethbridge Hurricanes (@WHLHurricanes) May 30, 2017
No stranger to Lethbridge with both the Hurricanes and Pronghorns, I thought I'd put a different spin on our traditional trade trees. Instead of giving you the six degrees of separation on how one trade can have a ripple effect years down the road, we thought we'd bring you the trades involving Lanny McDonald's nephew.
A fifth-round pick of the Chilliwack Bruins in 2009, the Olds, Alberta native's first change of scenery happened in 2012, where Jones and a conditional sixth round pick were sent from Victoria to Calgary for forward Alex Gogolev and a fourth-round pick.
The speculation comes true. @WHLHitmen send LW Alex Gogolev & a 6th round bantam pick to Victoria for LW Zane Jones & 4th rounder. #WHL
Now, it appears that conditional pick didn't end up getting used, as the Royals later traded that pick to Portland. Going the other way, Gogolev spent the following season with the Royals while the pick was used on forward Ethen Frank, who went the NCAA route and is playing now with Western Michigan University.
From Calgary, Jones was traded to Everett for defenseman Michael Zipp in January 2014. He finished out his junior career with the Hitmen, even donning the captain's 'C' in his final year and is now playing at Acadia.
In the fall of 2014, Jones was again on the move, this time to Lethbridge. The Hurricanes sent a fourth round pick in the 2015 draft to get the veteran. The Silvertips kept that pick and drafted American Ryan Savage. He, too, went the NCAA route and is now with the Miami University of Ohio.
WHL Trade: The @WHLHurricanes acquire overage (F) Zane Jones from Everett for a 4th round Bantam pick in 2015.
At the WHL trade deadline in 2015, Jones packed his bags one more time, this time heading to Vancouver. The Hurricanes picked up forward Johnny Wesley from the Giants. The two teams would make another trade that December, where Wesley was shipped back to the west coast for an eighth round pick in the 2018 bantam draft. The Hurricanes used that pick to nab forward Ashton Romaniuk, who is playing Midget AAA with the Winnipeg Bruins.
Did you think we were going to stop at 8 players announced this week? Here's two more before the weekend. Help us welcome newcomers Zane Jones and Adam Dauda to Kalamazoo!
As for Jones, he went on to play a season with the U of L Pronghorns, a few games with the Innisfail Eagles before going across the pond to play in Britain and Sweden. Most recently, the now 25-year-old had a tryout with the Kalamazoo Wings of the East Coast Hockey League.
