The Prince Albert Raiders shook up their roster on Tuesday, acquiring 18-year-old forward Sloan Stanick in exchange for defenceman Adam McNutt.
Stanick has two goals and two assists through five games with the Pats this season. Raiders GM Curtis Hunt said they like Rapid City, Man. product’s versatility, and expect him to jump right in and contribute.
“He’s a good complimentary player,” Hunt said. “He can play on any of our top three lines and in any situation. He’s been off to a good start, so I’m hoping he comes in confident. He’s a good young player and he should help us.”
With Nolan Allan and Kaiden Guhle both coming back from their NHL camps, the Raiders had a glut of options on the back end. The Chicago Blackhawks returned Allan on Oct. 8, while the Montreal Canadians announced Guhle was headed back to Prince Albert on Monday.
Hunt said that left little room for the 18-year-old McNutt, who had no points through four games this season, but established himself with his defensively solid, and physical play.
“They (Guhle and Allan) are going to be big minute players for us,” Hunt said. “With Adam, I just thought for him to develop he’s got to play, and his ice time is going to drop significantly. I think it was a good hockey trade for us.”
The Raiders have struggled so far this year, with four straight losses to open the season, but Hunt isn’t panicking. He said fans will need to be patient as the club’s top players re-acclimatize themselves with life in the WHL after returning from their NHL camps.
However, he also expects Allan and Guhle to be stabilizing factors on a team still looking for its first win.
“The most important thing is, I think, that calming edge,” Hunt said. “(Guhle and Allan) have experience and they’ve played in every situation, but the first thing is really getting our room where it needs to be in terms of the inclusiveness, the trust between player to player (and) line to line.”
The Raiders-Pats trade was on of two deals in the WHL on Tuesday. The Moose Jaw Warriors acquired 20-year-old blueliner Majid Kaddoura from the Prince George Cougars in exchange for a seventh round pick.
Kaddoura suited up for two of the Cougars’ three games so far this season, posting no points, and four penalty minutes.
The Prince Albert Raiders are back in action on Wednesday when they take on the Moose Jaw Warriors in the first game of a home-and-home series. Puck drop is 7 p.m.
The rematch takes place on Friday in Prince Albert. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.