The Canmore Eagles gave up grit and offence in order to get younger and faster at the AJHL trade deadline.
Gone are 20-year-old Riley Reinbolt and 19-year-old Zack Rassell – two of the team’s leading goal scorers. In return, the Eagles get 18-year-old forwards Wyat Haustein and Paul Lamoureux, and 17-year-old midget player Hayden Dawes.
On paper, the trades are lopsided, as the Eagles give up 27 goals from their lineup for guys who have scored a grand total of six, however, the players acquired have lots of upside.
“We feel we can replace that scoring by committee. We’re bringing in three bodies, big kids who can skate. The youth we’ve obtained can help our long-term game,” said head coach Andrew Milne. “We didn’t trade any of our younger players because they are all playing well and have gained a lot of valuable experience this year.
“By adding these three new players, we have added some much needed size and strength to our lineup. These moves should really solidify our club for many years to come.”
Reinbolt was shipped to the AJHL’s first-place Spruce Grove Saints for Dawes and he now has a legitimate shot to win a league championship. He’s considered one of the toughest players in the league and was picked up by the Eagles late last season from the WHL to help with their playoff run. This year, he added more offence to his game and led the Eagles with 18 goals at the time of the trade.
“The guys respected Riley. The way he worked, he never took a shift off. We know we put him in a good spot and wanted to help him win a championship,” Milne said.
Rassell was counted on to be the Eagles’ No. 1 centre this season, but struggled early on in the role. He had 28 points in 38 games for the Eagles and was in his fourth year with the team. He was sent to Prince George for future considerations.
Teams were also inquiring about captain Davis Claffey, but the Eagles decided to hold onto their hard-hitting defender for the remainder of the season.
In return, the Eagles get a collection of big prospects. Dawes has 16 goals and nine assists in 24 games for the first place Leduc AAA Midget Oil Kings.
From Fort McMurray, Haustein is a 6-foot-1, 205-pound winger with edge. He had two goals and eight assists in 27 games with the Oil Barons, and asked for a trade so he could get more ice time.
Lamoureux was acquired from the Bonnyville Pontiacs, where he had four goals and six assists in 25 games this year. He started the season on the top line, but suffered a concussion and wasn’t able to get back to his previous position.
“The concussion set me back for four weeks and I couldn’t get back,” Lamoureux said.
Bonnyville didn’t want to risk another injury with Lamoureux for the playoffs, and shipped him to Canmore.
So far, he’s loving the change, even though he knew nothing about Canmore before the trade.
“It’s great – better than Bonnyville. The mountains are too much to handle. This is the best place to play hockey. It’s a different game in the southern division. It’s more free flowing, so I can use my speed and move the puck more,” Lamoureux said.
