Today’s trade deadline passed with Everett making a deal that involved a non-roster player, and it may result in the Tips getting nothing in return. But while the deal seems insignificant on the surface, it’s still a notable one as Everett pulled the parachute on former first-round bantam pick Ty Mappin.
Mappin, a 17-year-old center, was the seventh-overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft. However, his rights only warranted a conditional bantam pick in 2015. Everett receives a seventh-round pick from Saskatoon if Mappin reports to the Blades. Then, if Mappin is still with the Blades at an unspecified date next season, the pick upgrades to a fifth rounder.
I honestly can’t say what happened with Mappin. He was considered a consensus top-10 pick in the 2011 bantam draft. As a 15-year-old he looked fantastic at training camp, and he had a great season playing midget hockey. Last season he spent the entire campaign with the Tips, tallying five goals and 12 assists in 63 games as a 16-year-old rookie.
However, he never appeared to gain confidence in Everett. Last season he showed the occasional flash of his offensive skills, but his skating was an issue and he often looked overmatched. Then in preseason, while the Tips were rolling over the competition, Mappin went pointless and was a minus-4 in four games, essentially playing his way off the team. He was reassigned to the Olds Grizzlies of the AJHL, where he has a modest three goals and 13 assists in 30 games.
Everett general manager Garry Davidson said he didn’t know whether Mappin would join the Blades or remain in the AJHL. But maybe the change in scenery is what Mappin needs to restart his WHL career.
So the trade season ends with Everett making three deals, acquiring forwards Remi Laurencelle and Zane Jones and a conditional pick, while sending out Mappin, defenseman Micheal Zipp and two picks. Davidson said he was still in on a couple forwards this morning who could have helped offensively, but that nothing panned out. Nevertheless, the deals Davidson did complete should aid the Tips offensively the remainder of this season. Whether they make Everett a contender remains to be seen.
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