Everett made a significant deal this morning, sending 17-year-old defenseman Jeff Regier to Prince George in exchange for 18-year-old forward Dale Hunt and a seventh-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft. Hunt was the third-overall pick in the 2005 bantam draft, but hasn’t yet produced in the WHL and was sent home earlier this season for disciplinary purposes. Regier was the only 16-year-old on Everett’s roster last season and was a regular so far this season.
My initial reaction to this trade is that it’s a curious one. I suppose I can understand the appeal of adding Hunt. He’s a player with potential, and peering into the future the Tips can probably use another 1990-born forward, considering Matt Ius left the team and Kyle Beach is a possible NHLer next season. Then again, Hunt hasn’t yet fulfilled his promise, and getting sent home is cause for concern.
On the other end, I’m not certain about trading away Regier. Everett’s defense has been struggling, and now the Tips have dealt away perhaps their most promising young d-man. Regier may not have progressed the way he hinted when a 15-year-old, but he’s still a tough customer who can get better.
I’ll have more insight on this one after I talk to people this afternoon.
Everett now has a logjam up front again with 15 forwards, and they also head into their road trip with just six healthy defensemen (with Shayne Brown still out). I wonder if we’ll be seeing Brenden Stephen back with the team.
—- UPDATE 6:30 p.m.
OK, here’s a quick rundown of the Hunt-Regier trade after speaking with Everett general manager Doug Soetaert.
– The Tips decided to take a chance on Hunt, hoping he turns out to be a player who just needed a change of scenery. They don’t expect him to come in and immediately be a major contributor, but they hope at some point over the next couple years he develops into a top-six forward.
– Hunt is expected to arrive in town tomorrow, but it might be a week or so before he gets in the lineup. He’s been away from hockey for about 2 1/2 weeks and the Tips want to make sure he’s in game shape before throwing him into action.
– The trade was not made in reaction to the departure of Matt Ius. In fact, the Tips have been tracking Hunt for a while and nearly pulled the trigger on a deal for him last week.
– Regier is the player going the other way because the team had to give something up in order to get Hunt. Also, Everett intends on working fellow 17-year-old defensemen Drew McDermott and Paul Sohor into the lineup more. This frees up ice time for them, while keeping Regier in a situation where he isn’t seeing his playing time cut back.
– Oh, one last thing. The Tips are not calling up a defenseman to fill Regier’s spot. They won’t make a move until it’s necessary.
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