Who won the Blockbuster COL - ANA - DET - REG trade?
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While doing some research for what is to be the biggest piece of media in my whole SHL career, (end foreshadowing) I stumbled upon this blockbuster trade, which occurred exactly 3 years, 3 months and 15 days ago. To this day the trade still blows my mind and I don't even want to think about how it was coordinated. With SMJHL careers lasting a max of around 8-10 months (at least back in the day), and with most of the players that are going be mentioned having already retired or non-SMJHL involved, I think now is a great time to look back and see who really won this trade. In recent memory, or as long as I've been in the SHL for, this is the largest SMJHL trade that I've seen, with 4 teams being involved and 13 assets being moved. (Not counting the 12 team trade unfortunately.) For the uninitiated, link here to look at the COL - ANA - DET - REG trade in all its glory. GM's involved were @Jumbo @Ruggsy @Talls @Vik @G2019 @Vaxlare @JURT @Thunder39 if you GMs have any additional insights to add to anything I'm about to say that'd be cool! This little recap will serve as a predecessor for what's to come for my big media. A little sneak peek before the whole thing I'd say. If you are lazy and do not feel like reading, I'll summarize the trade quickly here. Try not to get confused. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() *originally a S65 3rd that slid to next Reddit draft ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Player with one of the names of all time** *originally a S65 4th that slid to next Reddit draft **will refer to this player as "Junior" throughout Annnnd TIL that the Anaheim Outlaws and Regina Elk site emoji still works! Been quite a while since this trade occurred, so much so that the fact that the Yukon Malamutes used to be the Anaheim Outlaws, and the Thunder Bay Walleye used to be the Regina Elk completely skipped by me. For this recap, I'll of course consider them to be one franchise. Primarily I'll be referring to ANA/YUM as Anaheim or the Outlaws, but for the one pick later made Yukon, I'll refer to them as that. Since the Walleye aren't involved here Regina will still be Regina. Hopefully I won't confuse you too much and you can keep up. Hopefully I don't confuse myself that much either. For purposes of simplicity, since I still cannot visualize this trade in my head all these years later by looking at the thread, I'll start off with looking at what each draft pick turned out to be, give a brief recap of their SMJHL career, mention any additional trades that occurred as a result of that pick, grade it, then spell out what each team received and gave up, and see who won. We'll start with off the closest picks made on that day, and then make our way through the seasons to whenever the last player was involved. COLORADO ![]() Colorado selects RD Binko Koivu Lots of pieces were moved around during in the 4-way, and Colorado came out with the least in quantity. To make up for it though they now owned the crown jewel that was Regina’s S63 1st rounder, 2nd overall. Colorado managed to acquire it after the hustle and bustle, and selected right defenseman Binko Koivu. His combination of size, strength and defensive prowess made him an easy selection for the Raptors as a future stalwart on the backend. With sound defense and all the raw skills in place, Koivu just needed to sharpen his offensive edge to become successful. With the right coaching and consistent development, he could become a franchise cornerstone piece. This proved to be true in his first two seasons, where despite not scoring at a high clip, Koivu was steady defensive. During his third season he was tasked with the #1 D position as older Raptors graduated. He quickly found his stride and scored more than 50 points for the first time in the J. Koivu’s reliable presence on the backend provided the trust in teammates to always direct the play back to him, and once receiving, his vision allowed him to distribute the puck well. His wrapped up final season in S66 beautifully (with a bowtie). Scoring more than 10 goals for the first time, he also set career highs in points (54), power play points (17), blocks (100) and hits (122), as well as taking away an insane 106 pucks over the course of 66 games. Slick passes on offense, size, strength and bravery on defense. A workhorse in all situations, playing a league-high 24 minutes every game, with 2:30 on the PP and 1:40 on the PK. His brilliance on both ends of the blue line was recognized with an Agante award nomination (top D), a Metzler (defensive D) win, and being named to the 2nd All-SMJHL team. Overall, Colorado saw a hulking defenseman blossom into a talented, two-way player that soaked up huge minutes every game. What more could you ask from a defenseman. Well worthy of 2OA, Colorado got great value here, getting a franchise defenseman. Grade: A ![]() Colorado selects C Godwin Lupercal The other pick acquired by Colorado, Regina’s 3rd rounder, was used on center Godwin Lupercal. Lupercal was a playmaking center that had good vision in the offensive zone to make creative plays. He leveraged his quick hands to force the puck through some seemingly impossible gaps. Defensively he was a strong checker and always stuck closely to gliding opponents on the attack. Coming out of camp the Raptors felt confident enough to slot him straight into crucial situations, including first power play unit time. He held up his end by putting up solid rookie numbers, with 19 goals and 45 points, which would be good enough for an All-Rookie team nomination. S64 and S65 would be where Lupercal would really elevate his game though. Seeing an exodus of players in this seasons, Lupercal slotted in as the first line center and hit the ground running after. He put up back-to-back 70 plus point seasons and was an effective wing on the power play. Lupercal was nominated for the Alex Light award, and also named to the All-SMJHL 2nd team. Coaches noticed that his offensive instincts and hockey skills really took a step up in that season. He was fast and creative with the puck, but also kept it simple when needed and always had it under control. Most notable was his stellar ability to sling the puck to spots where opponents weren’t. His teammates had the confidence to roam around the ice, knowing that Lupercal would find them with his pass. However, in his last season his development stalled. Younger forwards were progressing at a faster pace, which forced the Raptors’ hands into giving them more playing time (he went IA). Colorado to move Lupercal off the power play as a result. The once promising center would still be an effective contributor in supporting minutes, putting up 48 points. Honestly, getting 2 star seasons and 2 other serviceable ones out of a player for a 3rd rounder in a pretty weak draft is way more than what I think most Raptors fans and management expected. Grade: A ANAHEIM ![]() Anaheim selects RD Robert Bergen Anaheim landed the Grizzlies 6th overall pick from Regina and used it on the towering and lanky right defenseman Robert Bergen. Coming out of the draft, scouts noted his above-average offensive talent and saw a player that could become a future quarterback on the backend. His defense was also well polished for a rookie, though his size did mean he was a bit slower on his feet. Bergen’s first season saw him net little playing time in mostly sheltered minutes. He wasn’t utilized on the power play but got some time shorthanded. Bergen was a bit prone to the occasional slip-up and giving the puck away, but added hits and blocks, using his imposing presence on ice. The offensive upside that was previously touted wasn’t there, with only 22 and 26 points in his next seasons. Unfortunately, the rest of his career would be a similar story. He couldn’t build on his potential offensively but was serviceable as a depth defenseman for Anaheim. Playing 17-19 minutes a game near the end, Bergen managed a career-high 29 points in his final season, along with tightening up his defense to cut down on the gaffes, getting a 1.91 TA/GA, leaps and bounds better than his first season. He did chip in on the penalty kill as well and used his physical talents to make an impact without the pick. I don’t think Bergen panned out the way Anaheim expected him to as he only managed to make his up to the second pairing, but not a total miss either, as he did play out a whole J career. Grade: D+ ![]() Anaheim selects LD Michael Charles The Outlaws were rumored to be looking to load up on defense this draft, and ended up doing so with their 17th overall pick from Regina. Taking left defenseman Michael Charles, they had initially hoped to one day see a Bergen - Charles defense pair roam the blueline. Charles was seen as a defensive-minded blueliner who had solid instincts, which allowed him to close gaps in on attackers with a few easy strides. This paired well with his nifty stick that could knock pucks off opposing sticks quickly, once they had rushed into the zone. Shortly into his first season he flamed out and struggled to adjust to their higher level of competition. He was sheltered even more than fellow drafted Bergen, only playing 14 minutes a night. With minimal progress he did get another chance to prove himself next season, but ultimately it was not good enough for the Outlaws. They opted not to re-sign him and released him onto the open market. The Kelowna Knights decided to offer a minimum contract to see if they could extract any of talent pre-draft potential, but it proved to be fruitless as he regressed from an already underwhelming sophomore season. 19 points and 81 shots from the point despite getting significant minutes was concerningly low, and his defense also took a tumble. Fumbling the puck in the defensive zone and sending blind passes became a common occurrence for Charles, as a recorded a putrid 0.37 TA/GA. That was the end of the line for Charles, as he called it a career after S65. This was a draft miss for the Outlaws, especially going into a draft where they needed to shore up their defense. Grade: F ![]() *slides to the next Reddit draft The final asset the Outlaws would receive would be a S65 Regina 3rd, that would continue to slide until a Reddit draft happened. This pick would need to be a hit, to ensure that they would not strike out entirely for this trade. (The 3rd would finally be transferred during the S67 draft, but by this time the Outlaws, under new ownership, had already relocated to Yukon, rebranding as the Malamutes, so from here on out I’ll be referring to ANA/YUM as YUM) ![]() ![]() ![]() During S65, the Malamutes inaugural season, they (at least in my humble opinion) sought to erase all remnants of their Outlaw past. Yukon was looking for a goalie to take over their starting position, so they traded away the sliding S65 Reddit 3rd from Regina, initially acquired by the Outlaws, for goaltender Isabella Bouchard. Now for the purposes of this discussion, technically, yes, the original pick was traded away but as part of this convoluted trade tree I was interested to see if this trade at all panned out for solely Anaheim now Yukon. Bouchard made up for her small frame in net with precise movements, quick reflexes and the ability to track pucks, even if she was being screened. She quickly earned the role of Malamutes starters, and played over 50 games in her two seasons there. Bouchard put up strong goalie ratings, at 71 and 70, and maintained a save percentage above .900. In S66 she stepped up her game, shutting out opponents 4 times and recording a 2.54 GAA. After S66 Bouchard would be once again traded to the Maine Timber, for a S70 Timber 3rd rounder. ![]() ![]() ![]() Yukon selects LW Jordan Tanner The condition on this would be the Timber’s highest 3rd, which turned out to be the 29th pick on draft night. Again, for the purposes of the discussion we will be extending this trade tree again even with the trade occurring over a real life year ago this point. The Malamutes would select Jordan Tanner, a left winger with a rounded offensive game with some good skating and edgework too. There was a lot to like about Tanner’s scoring, but he looked to have above average IQ, a precise shot, as well as a confident puckhandler. Combined with an even higher defensive IQ, he would position himself on the ice in ways that best leveraged his strong checking skills. Tanner had a solid rookie season where he scored 42 points in mostly depth minutes, and continued to built on that effort with a 53 point sophomore year. In S72 Tanner was afforded the opportunity to play big minutes on the first line and top unit power play, which he took advantage of, to the max. He shattered his previous career-highs with a 85 point season, eclipsing the coveted 30 goal mark. He was utilizing his precise shot more often (244), and was not afraid to lay the body on opponents. His 138 hits rounded out his power forward game, and in this aspect he became one of the most formidable in the league. High flying offense, combined with rough around the edges physicality. Now in his final season, everything came tumbling back down to earth. He was still a positive contributor to the team, with 53 points but saw a decrease in usage on the power play. Tanner retired shortly after aging out of the league. And finally, that marks the conclusion of this branch of the trade. If not for this extended branch I’d genuinely be looking at giving the Outlaws/Malamutes an F/D-/D. Their top premier picks didn’t pan out, and one of them did not even improve beyond their pre-draft state. However, it was this third asset, the sliding Reddit 3rd the funny enough, provided the most value for the Malamutes. They got two strong seasons of a starting goaltender in Isabella Bouchard, and a full career of Jordan Tanner, a physically active power forward who could also dial up the offense when needed, albeit in two different timelines of the franchise. Grade: A- DETROIT ![]() Detroit selects RD Holden Steady Now, onto Detroit, they ended up with the 4th overall after these trade shenanigans. They elected to take right defenseman Holden Steady, a player with a mature and developed defense end of his game. He was strong on his feet, and used to speed to pair it with good puckhandling skills. On the offense, his skillset was a bit raw but he could project to be a useful contributor in the future with some work there. Steady's rookie season was just as advertised: he had a limited showing when it came to scoring, only 8 goals and 22 points. Entrusted with penalty killing duties right away, Steady's defense was something Detroit could always bank on. Even with a modest frame, Steady was skilled at shot blocking, with 114, and also crushed opponents who were along the boards with his 79 well-timed hits. He built upon his rookie year with another decent performance in S64, adding 2 more points than the last. He got better at hitting the net, now getting 159 attempts on goalies. But it was his third season, where he took off. 24 goals, 32 assists and 56 points. Steady showed up with a faster shot, honed-in instincts, as well as quicker footwork. Mixing together speed and IQ was a match made in heaven, as Steady popped off offensively. He got career-highs in almost every stat, and was an integral piece to the Falcons Four Star Cup Win in S65. Following their championship, Detroit elected to trade Steady. ![]() ![]() ![]() *if S67 3rd is a Reddit draft, then the pick slides to S69 For one season of Holden Steady the Elk paid up a 3rd round pick that would transfer if S67 was a Reddit draft. It turned out to be, so the pick was transferred to S69 shortly after. Now, things get slightly confusing as one of the "picks" traded in the megadeal now get traded around to another team that was involved, Regina. Hopefully you keep up if you are still reading. During the S68 SMJHL draft, the Falcons elected to trade the Elk pick and another future, to acquire another 3rd round selection. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Detroit selects RW Billy Herrington So, Detroit traded out Holden Steady's last season for the Kraken's 3rd, which they took right winger Billy Herrington with. A 32nd overall pick, Herrington may have fallen under the radar of most scouts and GMs. He was talented offensively and had a knack for being able to find open ice while evading defenders. Coming out of the draft he had also developed a lethal shot that would synergize super well with his offensive IQ. Get to open ice, receive the pass, fire away. His defense wasn't spectacular, which might have concerned some, but with the skills he had on the attack, it was more than worth it there for the Falcons. And Herrington would go on and absolutely crush the competition as a rookie. One of the only players to achieve above a point-per-game season, Herrington quickly adapted to the J competition and rose above the rest. He potted 42 goals and 72 points in that season, and even more impressive, his production came pretty much from only even strength. 41 goals, 26 assists and 67 points at 5v5. This sudden breakout was a key factor in the Falcons' second Four Star Cup in recent memory, as they won in S68. Herrington led the way, winning the Anrikkanen for best rookie, the Ronan O' Keefe for playoff points leader and the Brodie Witzel for playoffs MVP. To no surprise he also was named to the All-Rookie SMJHL team. For sure this has to be one of the most dominant seasons in recent memory. Herrington would cement himself as an elite SMJHL player, with 3 consecutive 80+ point seasons to follow shortly after his standout rookie effort. He rounded out his offense too, developing a quick pass as well as an extended shooting range. Now, he was absolutely electric in the O-zone. Shoot, pass, get open, move the puck, everything. And I didn't even mention his 725 career hits, or an average of 180 per season. Otherworldly offense aside, he was an intimidating physical power forward. Fair to call this one of the bigger steals of this draft. Detroit got a player who fit beautifully day 1, and never looked back after. The Falcons got two Four Star Cups from this, and each player they drafted played an crucially important role on both championship squads. One of them even being a steal in the 3rd. Masterclass from the Falcons here. Grade: A+ ![]() Detroit selects LD Johhny Patey Now, returning back to the S63 timeline again. Looks like Detroit would elect to run the Anaheim route by taking another defenseman, this time at left with Johhny Patey. Perhaps they too were looking to find their next dynamic duo for their blueline, one that could eat up huge minutes on a championship team one day (foreshadowing). Eerily, Patey had a very similar build to defense partner Holden Steady. Reliable and trustworthy on defense, leveraging his defensive IQ to put himself in crucial spots on the ice, and then hammering opponents with his relentless checking. His offensive game was a bit behind, but he could turn out to be a two-way talent if development went well. His first two seasons appeared to be that way. Again a bit muted on the scoring, with 20-30 points and less than 10 goals to start. Patey routinely chipped in 50+ hits and blocks, and his defensive metrics rated him to be good. Probably not a coincidence, but Patey had his breakout season during the Falcons S65 championship run. Management, coaches and players clicked and unlocked a new level in their game, and Patey was no different. Like his Steady partner, Patey munched up big minutes and put up a 58 point season, highlighted by heavy even strength and powerplay usage. He'd be the other half of the elite defense pairing that Detroit likely had hoped they'd grow into, when he was drafted. No doubt about it, the two-way defender was a key component to the Falcons' success. Patey was also very prolific at getting pucks onto the net, with 233 shots made on net in S65. And his story would be closely intertwined with Steady, as Patey would be traded following the Falcons' spectacular Four Star run. ![]() ![]() ![]() Detroit selects LD Nathan Meagher Again, things get really confusing here as Colorado now gets back a piece they "traded" away in the mega-deal for another 3rd rounder. Detroit swoops in, and three seasons later take left defenseman Nathan Meagher with the pick. Now, this draft was one right before the Falcon's impressive second run to the come, so with another later pick they elect to stock up on defenseman. Meagher was physically developed and was absolutely stingy on defense. He would be adept in shutting down opponent rushes with his above-average checking and game senses, as well as be physically punishing for any opponents who got too close. He was a good puck distributor but had a limited impact on the offensive end of the ice. Meagher would best be paired with a more offensive-minded defenseman. Looking at his career, he really fit the bill for the Falcons as a stay-at-home defenseman. Other than a 34 point season in S70, Meagher averaged around 20 points each season. However, he'd be a warrior in his own end of the ice. Meagher recorded over 780 blocks in his four seasons, and laid nearly 100 hits per season as well. He had a calming presence on the backend and would be good insurance for his teammates that would rush up the ice. Meagher would earn one Metzler (defensive D) nomination in S68, and of course would be a Four Star Cup winner as well. Although defensive defenseman don't necessarily put up the flashiest of stats, they do underappreciated work, especially in the playoffs too. And as they say, the best offense is defense. The left defenseman would go and average over 22 minutes for Detroit over his career, acting as the anchor in his own zone. Detroit got a nice add here, especially later in the 3rd round. Now paired with three seasons of Johhny Patey, and a full career of Nathan Meagher, this is another slam dunk for the Falcons. Both were important pieces in two separate Four Star Cup wins. Hard to give the Falcons anything but an A. Grade: A ![]() The Falcons made plenty of dealings to propel them to a Four Star Cup, and they would be sending this 3rd packing shortly. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Okay now things get somehow even, even, more confusing, now that the Falcons once again trade an asset that was moved around to another team that was involved, which happens to be the Elk again. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Detroit selects RW JoJo Larkin And once again, during the S64 SMJHL draft the Falcons move their previously acquired 2nd for one they could use right away. Reminder that we are still in S64 now so we are still one season before the Falcons first Four Star Cup win. As the clock counted down in the 2nd round of the draft the Falcons spotted someone they liked and traded a future 2nd to grab them. That player was right winger JoJo Larkin, a well-rounded two-way forward that was happy to get in front of the net and stir up some trouble for opposing goalies. He'd quickly develop a burst of skating that would also help him get in those dirty areas and put pucks home. He was serviceable defensively, and used his taller and bulky frame to box opponents out of nets and knock pucks away on the transition too. Larkin would only get limited minutes in his first taste of J play, with 7 minutes on average per game. And in those games he still put up respectable numbers. Giving the puck away became a bit of a common occurrence in those minutes for Larkin though. However, he'd go and put in some work over the offseason. Refreshed for his second season, the Falcons upped his minutes to 13 a game. Larkin showed some improvement, now scoring 33 points. A good depth piece for a Falcons championship roster, Larkin would go on and step into a staple on the power play in his final two seasons. He continued adding onto his game, laying in more hits, with over 160 in S66 and S67. JoJo would also surpass the point-per-game mark in S67, tallying 55 assists and 67 points. He turned out to be a crafty playmaker, and despite some struggles in progression, still was a contributor to the Falcons across his time there. Maybe less than what you'd expect for a 2nd that the Falcons went out and traded for though. Larkin would retire shortly after that. Grade: B- REGINA ![]() Regina selects LW Ashley Stubbs Finally, we move onto the last quarter of the trade, the assets received by Regina. Now out of all the teams involved they received the most "stuff", but would quantity be enough to cover perhaps the loss in quality? With the 8th overall pick, the Regina Elk selected left winger Ashley Stubbs. Stubbs was your typical, high-flying offensive winger, that was defensively responsible at the same time. They'd be strong on their feet, and could use that strength to get close to the front of net. Stubbs had a good shot as well, which made him a promising goal-scorer. In a reduced role with depth minutes in S63, Stubbs also had a respectable statline of 19 points across the season. Not much else particularly stood out for Stubbs, but with some more experience, they'd bound to be a scoring threat for Regina in seasons to come. However, in the offseason, Stubbs "Stubbed His Toe, Retires." Now, due to some unfortunate circumstances, and perhaps some GM shenanigans here and there (sorry don't really remember the context here 3 years later), Stubbs retired with just a rookie season under his belt. If this hadn't happened though I think it'd be fair to say that Regina would have gotten a great player. However, with that being just a hypothetical, we'll never know what Stubbs could have been. I'll be kind here and give an incomplete grade. Grade: I ![]() Regina selects RW Dan King With the 20th overall pick, Regina selected right winger Dan King. King's offensive talents stood out to scouts at the draft, and Regina likely wanted to pair him up with a reliable two-way winger in Stubbs who they drafted earlier on. His defense was nothing to write home about but he would likely not be a liability either. His rookie season also consisted of getting similar depth minutes to Stubbs, but King performed quite a bit better in them. 17 goals, 17 assists, perfectly balanced as all things should be, for 34 points was a good start. King could turn out to be an effective producer at even strength. Regina liked what they saw, and for his second season he was elevated to the first power play unit. From the ice he was able to snipe home 5 power play goals and add on 10 power play assists, while also using that man advantage time to up his shot volume. He also added on some muscle and managed throw 85 hits as well. The third season saw King slow down in his development. His game was not progressing in the way that the Elk probably would have preferred, so with that he was moved off the power play as well as returned to a secondary role on the team. However in those lesser minutes he became an effectively secondary scorer and chipped in with 38 points. But with a surplus of players on the roster in S66, King became the odd man out, and was moved to Nevada during the offseason. He'd finish out his J career there and moved to defense because of Nevada's roster needs. Funny enough that turned out to be the move, as he scored a career-high in goals (19) and points (43) there, and would win a Four Star Cup with them. Retirement followed after. ![]() ![]() Regina selects LW Matthew McShane With one of the last picks in the S68 SMJHL draft, Regina decided to take a flyer on left wing Matthew McShane. McShane had some offensive upside, with a quick shot and calm puckhandling ability. Scouts were concerned with his defense, which was quite lacking, and his work ethic, which was most paramount to successful development in the J. However, shortly after training camp, Regina cut McShane from the team. They weren't able to get to him, and with such defensive deficiencies, he'd be a liability to play on the ice. McShane would never sign with another J team again. Regina got three useful seasons out of Dan King, and tried to parlay him into a flyer for the future S68 draft. It didn't pan out, and for a 2nd round you'd ideally hope for some better results. Grade: C ![]() Regina selects G Inda Bagg Regina was looking for a future netminder to anchor down G for seasons to come, and were hoping to find that in goaltender Inda Bagg. Bagg was rated as a goaltender with good positioning, recoveries and reflexes. Any flicks of the wrist by opposing shooters was no problem for Bagg, as he was a sharp tracker. Any wild pucks that he did manage to stop would quickly be absorbed up, which prevented any pesky net front cherry pickers from getting easy tap-ins. His stamina was slightly lacking, but, that could be trained, especially as Bagg would slide in as the backup to start. In 21 rookie games, Bagg posted a 3.40 GAA and .904 save percentage, all good numbers for his first taste of the league. Goalie rating also rated him well at 67. He'd continue putting work in as the backup for S64, getting an expanded workload of now 31 games. A 2.93 GAA, .904 save percentage and a 66 goalie rating indicated a similar performance and solidified him as a backup the Elk could count on. But now, in S65, the Elk were looking at him as their next starter. Bagg would be asked to play in 51 games, and he really stepped up to the task. Despite a higher 3.47 GAA, he improved his save percentage to .907, and goalie rating saw an improvement as well to 71. He'd record one shutout too. For his final season, he took a small step back, with a 2.72 GAA and .889 save percentage, but this definitely could be attributed to the fact that Regina was the 2nd best team in the league. Tighter shutdown D, more possession, less shots allowed on net, so a few were bound to probably slip by Bagg. With the help of team D, Bagg also shut out opponents 4 times. Bagg fulfilled his role as a consistent goaltender, and stepped up to become a starter as he gained more experience. A good 2nd rounder for Regina here. Grade: B+ ![]() Regina selects (? idk the position) Andre Santiago *previously a S65 Reddit 3rd that slid until a Reddit draft With their final pick acquired in the trade, it was officially converted into a 4th as S67 was a Reddit draft. Again, nearing the end of the draft, with few players remaining, Regina took another flyer in Andre Santiago. He was perhaps a late registrant into the SMJHL Draft, as I couldn't even find his player page here. Clearly it didn't pan out as the Elk elected to not sign him after the draft, likely cause he never even showed up for training camp or contacted management after. But for one of the last picks in a draft, with a minimal amount of players available, don't think Regina will lose sleep over this 4th. Grade: C Junior Now, with all the picks and their respective trade trees out of the way, we have one last piece to talk about. He was the only player that was moved in this trade, and had a rather interesting name shall we say. Now, we have to temporarily jump back in time as Junior was picked in the S60 SMJHL draft by the Colorado Raptors, 3rd round, 32nd overall. The bulky right winger had the size and feistiness needed to become a dominant power forward, and just needed to refine his shooting and passing in the O-zone to really fit the bill of a power forward. With limited minutes in S60 he put up 14 points, but after a season, got more important minutes and produced at a 30-40 point clip. He consistently had at least 100 hits every season, and looked like he could become a powerful power forward, that hunted opponents down on the wing. At the same time, he was a good goal scorer and trained to work on his pass. But with an opportunity to move up to a high spot in the draft, that Colorado couldn't miss out on, Junior became a piece that Colorado put forward to trade. Regina used him in a similar manner and paired him with an offensive center who could move and play the puck well, but Junior took a step back. His offense dried up but at least he was still making himself known on the ice with 5 fight wins and more hits to boot. Back in the day we still had 5th season eligibility in the SMJHL to as an overager he stayed for one more season to see if he could take a crack at the SHL. Unfortunately he was just moved to defense to fill out the Elk roster, and had an unremarkable season there. Guess he couldn't learn from Dan King. Junior played two seasons with the Elk, and as a warm body, he was alright but nothing more. Grade: C- PHEW. Finally, this concludes the analysis of the original trade. Now, let's update the trade to include all branches of the tree. To make it easier to understand, I'll list what each team acquired and what they gave up for it. Original assets that moved hands will be underlined. COLORADO In: RD Binko Koivu, C Godwin Lupercal Out: LW Ashley Stubbs, G Inda Bagg, ? Andre Santiago, S65 COL 3rd (traded by DET) ANAHEIM/YUKON In: RD Robert Bergen (ANA), LD Michael Charles (ANA), S65 REG 3rd, 2 seasons of G Isabella Bouchard (YUM, via REG 3rd trade), LW Jordan Tanner (YUM, via Bouchard trade) Out: RD Holden Steady, RW Dan King, S65 REG 3rd DETROIT In: 3 seasons of RD Holden Steady, 3 seasons of LD Johhny Patey, S65 COL 3rd, RW JoJo Larkin, RW Billy Herrington (via Steady trade), RD Nathan Meagher (via Patey trade) Out: RD Binko Koivu, LD Michael Charles, 1 season of RD Holden Steady, 1 season of LD Johhny Patey, S65 COL 3rd, Monsieur Pingy Pingu Lunga Gumba, Esq. REGINA In: LW Ashley Stubbs, 3 seasons of RW Dan King, G Inda Bagg, rights to ? Andre Santiago, Junior, rights to LW Matthew McShane (via King trade) Out: RD Robert Bergen, RD Johhny Patey, 1 season of Dan King And if this looks confusing, here's a quick "trade tree" I whipped up: ![]() So, who won then? Colorado The Raptors scored two A's for their picks. They got a cornerstone defenseman and a solid center, who both played their full careers with Colorado. They didn't move either Koivu or Lupercal after so the tree ends there. I think Colorado should be happy with result in the end, getting two useful players who contributed to winning seasons. Anaheim/Yukon The Outlaws initial picks did not pan out for them at all. Although Bergen did fill a roster spot, Charles was a bust that was released after two seasons of play. The lone saving grace was the trades that unfolded off the S65 Elk Reddit 3rd, where they got a starter in Bouchard and after flipping her, getting a full career out of Tanner, as a Malamute. Detroit The Falcons got the most pieces out of this trade after everything unfolded, and in my opinion, got the best player that was involved here in Herrington. He was a franchise winger that had a scoring touch from day one. Now that only happened through first drafting the 1-2 blueline punch that was Steady and Patey on the blueline, and getting their first S65 Cup win on the backs of those two. Both Steady and Patey were traded for pieces (Herrington and Meagher) that led to a separate S68 Four Star win only three seasons after their first. Regina The Elk received the most assets from the others but out of the five they received I'd argue only one made a significant impact. Stubbs had the potential, but other circumstances necessitated an early retirement. King and Junior were players who played depth minutes, and the rights of McShane and Santiago did not materialize into any games. Safe to say, Detroit (A+/A/B-) was the clear winner here. The won two Four Star Cups in separate "occasions" in the SMJHL, with almost completely different rosters. They acquired mainstay defenders in their S63 draft and managed to flip them into a franchise winger and a solid stay-at-home blueliner for another win three seasons later. Kudos to the Detroit Falcons, some fabulous management here. Not to discredit Colorado (A/A), who got two great players, but Detroit managing to win it all, twice, just makes them undoubtedly the clear all in all winner. Regina had the quantity (I/C/B+/C/C-) but wasn't able to find any incredible value like Detroit did in any of their picks, and the trades that followed. Finally, Anaheim really struggled with their notable picks (D+/F/A-), but nifty work by the future iteration of the Outlaws in the Malamutes managed to salvage this from being a total disaster for them. To conclude, the Detroit Falcons, by and large, won the blockbuster trade that saw 13 assets directly changing hands between 4 teams, and 23 assets being moved around 7, which occurred on January 7th, 2022, 3 years, 3 months and 15 days ago. And once again if any you GMs were initially involved the trade, and are still reading to here, feel free to add any insights! ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() SHL GM SHL GM
binko
Character Page RD- Quarterback ![]() Retired players: -Toki Wartooth -Nathan Explosion btw -Angus McFife XVIII ![]() ![]() Registered S36 Challenge Cup Champion
Definitely need more trade-tree articles
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We went wild that draft, trading for value and nailing our picks. 3 DET draft picks ended up going 1, 2, 3 in the SHL draft (Patey, Seider, Steady...can't recall the order).
Thanks for the throwback! ![]() ![]() SMJHL GM Head Banker
This was a fun trade to be a part of
![]() All-Star Committee Posting Freak ![]() Winnipeg Aurora Jack of All Trades
How could Detroit have won the trade if they ended up with Pingy Pingu?
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Credit to enigmatic, Merica, tweedledunn, and jaypc8237 for sigs ![]() SHL GM Not a Commissioner. Shh!
Boooo talk about the 12 team trade (jk this is a great article, that trade was just one of the most chaotic things I’ve been a part of)
Alex Winters (retired) Matej Winters (retired) Dominik Winters S45 Jesster Trophy Winner Challenge Cup Winning Goal Club: S52 ![]() Registered fAnCy User Title
This got me so hyped. @Jayba1t good stuff. The GMs for all the J teams were so great to compete against during this time and open to having fun with trading. In hindsight the "reset" trading away Steady and Patey proved to be huge. We were almost bare on offense with only rookies and IAs and needed assets in the next season to make another window for a run.
@G2019 maybe we are due for a reunion tour ![]()
[WIP]
![]() All-Star Committee siMp Quote:However, in the offseason, Stubbs "Stubbed His Toe, Retires." Now, due to some unfortunate circumstances, and perhaps some GM shenanigans here and there The jackass pants incident... ![]() ![]() ![]() Registered Senior Member ![]() Registered Am a peasant 04-23-2025, 09:06 AMVaxlare Wrote: This got me so hyped. @Jayba1t good stuff. The GMs for all the J teams were so great to compete against during this time and open to having fun with trading. In hindsight the "reset" trading away Steady and Patey proved to be huge. We were almost bare on offense with only rookies and IAs and needed assets in the next season to make another window for a run.VAX, MY GOAT! Most fun I've had GMing in any league. Would definitely be down to reunite in the future...maybe for an SHL team?? ![]() ![]() ![]() Registered EBEBEB, Monke and the Almighty Cod
Really great write up! I took over ANA in S64, and it's kinda cool seeing what I managed to do with that third and how it panned out. Easy to forget with all the moving parts and seasons going by!
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