Darren Steinke
Stanks On Sports
The Prince Albert Raiders have landed the Moose Jaw Warriors’ top gun.
In a significant trade on Tuesday, the Raiders sent import 20-year-old left-winger Krzysztof Macias, 17-centre Luke Moroz and fourth round selection in the 2027 WHL Prospects Draft to the Moose Jaw Warriors for 20-year-old right-winger Rilen Kovacevic. At the time of the trade, Kovacevic, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 182 pounds, topped the Warriors in goals (21) and points (40).
Kovacevic brings sizable post-season experience to a Raiders team that still carries a number of younger players. In helping the Warriors win their first WHL championship last season, Kovacevic played a sizable role appearing in all of the club’s 20 games in the WHL Playoffs recording four goals, 11 assists and a plus-seven rating in the plus-minus department.
With the WHL’s Eastern Conference being wide open, the Raiders have the potential to make some noise in the post-season. Kovacevic can help the Raiders younger players navigate the highs and lows of the post-season, while appreciating the passionate support teams located in small Saskatchewan cities receive from their fans.
Rilen Kovacevic has been acquired by the Prince Albert Raiders
Going into action on Tuesday, the Raiders sit seventh overall in the Eastern Conference with a 19-13-3 mark and were six standings points away from topping the conference. The Warriors sat in the basement of the WHL entering action on Tuesday with a 10-22-3-2 mark.
To get a player like Kovacevic, you do have to give up some value. Macias, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 196 pounds, had been one of the Raiders most popular players since coming to Prince Albert for the start of the 2023-24 campaign. In 22 games this season for the Raiders, Macias had eight goals and 14 assists for 22 points.
The product of Nowy Targ, Poland, had been out of the Raiders lineup since suffering a lower body injury in an 8-5 loss to the Hitmen in Calgary on December 18, 2024.
Moroz, who stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 152 pounds, appeared in 34 games with the Raiders recording four goals, 11 assists and plus-two rating. The Raiders selected Moroz in the first round and 15th overall in the 2022 Prospects Draft.
It was tough to see Moroz go, because he was improving. He could one day end up being one of the high-end forwards in the WHL and that could happen as early as next season or even in the rest of the current campaign. With his family living in Grand Coulee which is about a 40-minute drive east of Moose Jaw, you can expect he will have a large contingent of supporters at all of his home games with the Warriors.
The Raiders also made a move on Sunday acquiring 18-year-old rookie defenceman Linden Burrett from the Seattle Thunderbirds in exchange for a sixth round selection in the 2025 Prospects Draft. Burrett actually never got to play a game with the Thunderbirds. On Saturday, he was part of a package of six assets the Hitmen sent to the Thunderbirds for star 19-year-old defenceman Sawyer Mynio.
Burrett, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 170 pounds, appeared in nine regular season games with the Hitmen recording an assist and a plus-three rating. He started the 2024-25 campaign with the Cowichan Valley Capitals of the independent junior A British Columbia Hockey League recording three goals and six assists in 15 regular season games.
Leading up to the WHL’s trade deadline set for Thursday at 7 p.m. Saskatchewan time, the Raiders have helped their current roster with their recent moves. Still, it was tough to see Macias and Moroz go, because Macias was popular and could score while Moroz’s best years in the WHL are still to come.
Rockets deal away Price and Rocak, other notes
After going quiet on the trade front since late November of 2024, the Kelowna Rockets got going on Tuesday working on their roster to be strong for next season, when they host the CHL championship tournament – the Memorial Cup.
Early in the day Tuesday, they sent star 19-year-old defenceman Caden Price to the Lethbridge Hurricanes in exchange for 17-year-old defenceman Will Sharpe, the rights to 17-year-old netminder Harrison Boettiger, a conditional fourth round selection in the 2025 Prospects Draft, a sixth round pick in the 2025 Prospects Draft, a first and fourth round selections in the 2026 Prospects Draft and a fifth round pick in the 2027 Prospects Draft.
Price, who has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Seattle Kraken, has appeared in 27 regular season games with the Rockets in 2024-25 and has recorded six goals, 26 assists and a plus-11 rating. The Saskatoon product, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 190 pounds, just finished playing for Canada at world juniors.
Sharpe, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 194 pounds, is having a breakout season with the Hurricanes recording three goals and 24 assists in 35 regular season games in Lethbridge leading to the trade. Boettiger, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 174 pounds, is playing for the U.S. National U17 Team.
“It’s not an easy situation with Caden (Price),” said Rockets president and general manager Bruce Hamilton in a release. “The opportunity for us to host the Memorial Cup forced our hand in moving one of our top players on our team and a member of the world junior team.
“I think he not only has been a great player for us, but a wonderful person in our organization, one that many players look up to. It’s a tough thing to do, but I think from our perspective as we try to build this team for the Memorial Cup next year, we had to do some things that we normally wouldn’t do. Right now, we’re in a situation where we get an opportunity to get a really good player back in return and a number of draft picks that will give us the opportunity to trade for more players this summer.
“We would like to thank Caden for his commitment both on and off the ice during his time with the Kelowna Rockets.”
Later in the day on Tuesday, the Rockets dealt 19-year-old import defenceman Marek Rocak to the Swift Current Broncos for 18-year-old left-winger Dawson Gerwing and fourth round pick in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft. Rocak, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 183 pounds, recently helped Czechia win bronze at world juniors and appeared in 27 regular season games with the Rockets in 2024-25 recording one goal, 15 assists and a plus-four rating.
Gerwing, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 227 pounds, has appeared in 27 games in the current campaign with the Broncos recording six goals, four assists and a plus-four rating.
Before those moves, the last trade the Rockets made came back on November 21, 2024, when they acquired 19-year-old netminder Rhett Stoesser from the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for a fourth round selections in each the 2025 and 2027 Prospects Drafts.
The Rockets are currently ninth in the Western Conference with a 14-18-2-1 mark and sit three standings points back of the 15-18-3-1 Wenatchee Wild for eighth place and the conference’s final playoff berth. Kelowna has two games in hand on Wenatchee.
- The WHL’s trade deadline is set for Thursday at 7 p.m. Saskatchewan time. Usually, the WHL’s trade deadline is set for January 10, which is Friday, but will all of the league’s 22 teams in action on January 10 of this year, the trade deadline was moved up by a day.
- On Monday, the Saskatoon Blades dealt 19-year-old star defenceman Tanner Molendyk and 19-year-old centre Misha Volotovskii to the Medicine Hat Tigers for 17-year-old centre Hayden Harsanyi, 17-year-old defenceman Jack Kachkowski, first and second round selections in the 2025 Prospects Draft, third and fourth round picks in the 2026 Prospects Draft and a fifth round selection in the 2028 Prospects Draft.
- On Tuesday, Raiders 20-year-old right-winger Niall Crocker committed to joining the Ohio State University Buckeyes Men’s Hockey Team in the NCAA Division I ranks. Entering play on Tuesday, Crocker has appeared in all of the Raiders 35 games in 2024-25 recording 14 goals, 26 assists and a plus two rating. In 256 career regular season games with the Raiders, Crocker has recorded 57 goals and 81 assists for 138 points.
Darren Steinke is a Saskatoon-based freelance sportswriter and photographer with more than 20 years of experience covering the WHL. He blogs frequently at stankssermon.blogspot.com.
