A trade that the Kelowna Rockets say they’ve been pursuing for six weeks finally materialized this week.
And it turned out to be one of two deals that the team announced Thursday night.
The first trade involved wrangling high-scoring Matthew Wedman from the Seattle Thunderbirds for a number of draft picks, while the second saw forward Leif Mattson getting shipped to the Spokane Chiefs.
The moves are the latest following an earlier promise by Rockets president and GM Bruce Hamilton to review his club after the 20-game mark.
Two weeks ago, Kelowna acquired 20-year-old centre Jadon Joseph from the Moose Jaw Warriors.
“We feel that we’ve really strengthened our hockey club with Matthew Wedman and Jadon Joseph down the middle,” said Hamilton, whose team will host the 2020 Memorial Cup in May.
In WHL standings, Kelowna (14-8-1-2) is second in B.C. Division standings with 31 points, four behind the front-running Kamloops Blazers, who have played two more games than the Rockets.
In Western Conference standings, Kelowna is fourth, with Portland (18-6-1-2) first with 39 points. The Edmonton Oil Kings (18-6-4-2) are first in the East with 42 points, with Prince Albert (18-5-3-1) second with 40.
“We’ve been pursuing Wedman for six weeks,” continued Hamilton. “It’s been a long grind of negotiations and we knew it was going to cost picks. He’s going to elevate our team in leadership and scoring. He’s the captain of the Thunderbirds, he brings leadership and a big physical presence.
“He scored 40 goals last season, we’re looking for him to add some offence to our team and help him pursue his career to become a pro player.”
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Wedman is a 6-foot-3 and 209-pound centre from Edmonton. Last season, he tallied 40 goals and 77 points plus 110 penalty minutes – all career highs — in 67 games for Seattle, his fourth campaign with the Thunderbirds.
In 275 regular-season games, Wedman has 175 points. This season, he had 6 goals and 11 assists for 17 points in 19 regular-season games. He also had 41 penalty minutes.
Last season, Wedman was named to the WHL’s Western Conference second all-star team.
Wedman was selected in the NHL’s 2019 draft by Florida in the seventh round at 199th overall. It’s expected he’ll join the team in time for Friday night’s road game in Prince Albert.
In making the deal, Kelowna surrendered a first-round pick in the WHL’s 2023 bantam draft, a second-round pick in the 2022 draft and a fifth-round pick in the 2020 draft.
With Wedman being 20, that forced Kelowna to move one of its over-age players, with Mattson, 20, being dealt to Spokane for a third-round pick in the 2020 bantam draft.
“Anytime you make a move with over-ages, unfortunately, someone is moving,” said Hamilton. “Leif has been a great player for us, he competed hard and is a solid person.
“We’ve made a move that I think will be good for him; he’ll fit in well in Spokane. I think if there’s a place to go, this is a great place. He’s going to slot right into their top-six. We want to thank Leif for everything he has done for the Rockets and wish him well in the future.”
Hamilton noted that Spokane’s draft pick is an early third-round selection, adding it “will help us significantly.”
Rockets trade defenceman
Also this week, the Rockets traded defenceman Cayde Augustine to the Moose Jaw Warriors on Tuesday for a sixth-round pick in the 2023 bantam draft.
A 6-foot-2 and 205-pound player, Augustine, from Airdrie, Alta., appeared in just six games this season, registering 2 goals and 6 assists. Last season, he played in 43 games, tallying 2 goals and 4 assists for 6 points.
Foote named to Team Canada’s world junior selection camp
Team captain Nolan Foote was named to Hockey Canada’s selection camp on Monday for the upcoming 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship.
The camp will run in Oakville, Ont., next week and will feature 30 players from across the nation, along with two games against university all-stars on Dec. 11-12.
A Tampa Bay Lightning prospect, Foote leads Kelowna in scoring with 13 goals and 17 assists for 30 points in 23 games played.
Memorial Cup tickets now on sale
In related news, the team announced that tickets for the 2020 Memorial Cup are now on sale.
The four-team, national championship tournament will run May 21-31 at Prospera Place in Kelowna. Ticket packages are $624.75 each, and include tickets to all six round-robin games, the possible tiebreaker game, plus the semi-final and championship games.
Below is the tournament schedule:
- Friday, May 22 – Game 1 – OHL at Kelowna Rockets
- Saturday, May 23 – Game 2 – WHL at QMJHL
- Sunday, May 24 – Game 3 – Kelowna Rockets at QMJHL
- Monday, May 25 – Game 4 – WHL at OHL
- Tuesday, May 26 – Game 5 – QMJHL at OHL
- Wednesday, May 27 – Game 6 – Kelowna Rockets at WHL
- Thursday, May 28 – Game 7 (Tie Breaker Game if necessary)
- Friday, May 29 – Game 8 (Semi-Final)
- Sunday, May 31 – Game 9 (Final)
The maximum purchase per person is four packages.