Troops acquire Brian Finley at trade deadline

BRAMPTON, Ont. – Just before the trade deadline expired at 6 p.m. on Wednesday night, Battalion Head Coach and General Manager Stan Butler acquired veteran netminder Brian Finley from the Barrie Colts for goaltender David Chant, defenceman Tyler Hanchuck and centre Matt Grennier. Barrie also included Mississauga´s seventh round pick in the 2001 OHL Priority Selection and the Kitchener Rangers´ fourth round selection in 2002 in the deal.
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Finley, a 19-year-old native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., has been sidelined since early December with a groin injury. Finley is expected to join the Battalion on Thursday.
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Finley was selected by Barrie in the second round (29th overall) of the 1997 OHL Priority Selection and was a first round pick (6th overall) of the Nashville Predators in the 1999 NHL Draft. Finley was the CHL All-Rookie team netminder in 1997-98 and was named OHL Goaltender of the Year after recording 36 victories in 1998-99. Finley won the Wayne Gretzky 99 Trophy last season as the OHL´s Playoff MVP as he led the Colts to the Memorial Cup final. Finley, who was named to three OHL All-Scholastic teams, was a two-time member of the Canadian Junior team and was invited to this year´s selection camp but was unable to attend due to injury.
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Finley has appeared in 16 games with the Colts this season, posting a 5-8 record with a 3.08 goals-against-average. In his first three seasons in Barrie, Finley compiled a record of 83-36-11 with eight shutouts and a goals-against-average of 2.87.
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"We felt like we needed to imrove our goaltending," Stan Butler said Wednesday night, "and we went out to try and get someone established."
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The Battalion selected David Chant in the fifth round (87th overall) of the team´s inaugural draft in 1998. The 19-year-old Whitby native appeared in 125 games with the Battalion, compiling a 38-60-11 record with two shutouts and a goals-against-average of 3.55. Chant, who notched the first shutout in Brampton history, was named OHL Goaltender of the Month in October, 1999.
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Tyler Hanchuck was another member of the inaugural Battalion team. Selected in the second round (21st overall) of the 1998 OHL Priority Selection, the rugged blueliner from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. was a third round (79th overall) draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2000 NHL Draft. Hanchuck appeared in 155 Battalion games, scoring 17 points. He earned his only OHL goal against the Erie Otters on December 1, 2000.
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Matt Grennier came to Brampton after being picked in the second round (22nd overall) of the 1999 OHL Priority Selection. A speedy centre from Dryden, Ont., Grennier compiled 20 points (11 goals, 9 assists) in 90 games with the Battalion. Grennier is eligible for the 2001 NHL Draft and is ranked 217th among North American skaters in the latest Central Scouting Service ratings.
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Chant, Hanchuck and Grennier are expected to join the Colts in time for their game against the Sudbury Wolves on Friday night.
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"It was tough to let all three players go," said Butler. "Tyler and David had been with us from day one and Matt came in in the second year. They are all talented players who have done a very, very good job wearing a Brampton Battalion uniform."
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