Hurricanes Making Moves

Canes Trade for Reddington and Oslanski; sign top prospect Maxwell
rLethbridge, AB – The Lethbridge Hurricanes continue their preparations for  a pair of weekend games and the team will have a distinctively new look. Lethbridge Hurricanes General Manager/Head Coach, Rich Preston, announced this afternoon the Canes have acquired 19 year old defenseman Mike Reddington and 17 year old defenseman Landon Oslanski from the Spokane Chiefs in exchange for 90-born forward Kyle Beach. This follows the Hurricanes trade from Tuesday, which saw them acquire 20 year old Czech forward Radim Valchar (RAD-em WAL-char). Preston was also very proud to announce the signing of 90-born forward and highly touted AJHL prospect Mitch Maxwell.
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rReddington, a native of Port Coquitlam, BC was selected by the Chiefs in the 2nd round (25th overall) in the 2005 WHL Bantam Draft. In 07-08, his sophomore season, Reddington came into his own and the bruising 6’0”, 200 pound defenseman led the Chiefs with 105 PIMs in 71 games and finished the season with 10 points (2G, 8A) and an impressive plus 22 plus/minus rating. Ironically, that season was capped with Spokane’s 4-0 sweep of the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the 2008 WHL Championship and the Chief’s capture of the 2008 Memorial Cup. Last year, Reddington had another solid season, posting 17 points (2G, 15A) 71 PIMs and a plus 17 +/- rating in 50 games.
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rOslanski, an Alberta product, is a 17 year old defenseman who hails from Camrose, AB. Drafted by Spokane in the third round (56th overall) in the 2007 WHL Bantam Draft, Oslanski spent last season with the Sherwood Park Midget AAA Kings of the AMHL. The 5’10”, 190 pound d-man had 16 points (6G, 10A) in 33 games with 34 PIMs and would help Sherwood Park advance to the finals of the Alberta AAA Midget Hockey League. However, the Kings would fall in a fifth and deciding game of the finals to the Calgary Buffaloes, a team led by Hurricanes prospects Ryon Moser and Phil Tot.   
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r“Both these players help to address a need we had in improving our depth at the position.” said Preston “Mike brings with him a lot of toughness, experience, Leadership and has won a Memorial Cup, while we see Landon as a very promising prospect with a real future in this league.”
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rBeach, a 90-born forward joined the Canes last season at the WHL trade deadline from the Everett Silver Tips. . Beach was drafted in the 1st round (11th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. In 06-07, he was named the WHL Rookie of the Year; totaling 61 points (29G, 32A) in 65 games, while leading the Silvertips with 196 penalty minutes. He then continued his solid play in the 07-08 season with 60 points (27G, 33A) in 60 games and a team leading 222 penalty minutes. Beach ended the 08-09 regular season with 63 points (24G, 39A) and 106 PIMs (33 points on 15G, 18A came in just 24 games with the Hurricanes).
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r“Kyle is a talented individual who is going to continue to develop as a player at the WHL and professional level.” said Preston adding “We feel this will be an excellent opportunity for him and wish him luck in his future development.”
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rMaxwell, a native of Magrath, AB already has ties to the Lethbridge area. His father Greg is a Crown Prosecutor in Lethbridge, while his uncle Brian is a former General Manager and coach with the Hurricanes. Maxwell was a star this past season in his first year of Junior A with the Olds Grizzlys of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. He tallied an impressive 55 points (13G, 42A) in his rookie AJHL season and was selected as a South division all star. He was second in AJHL Rookie of the Year Balloting to former Hurricanes prospect Corban Knight who signed a letter of intent with the University of North Dakota this past year.
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r“Mitch is a real good player who already has ties to Lethbridge hockey and is familiar with our program.” said Preston “We look forward to seeing him in a Lethbridge Hurricanes sweater.”
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rAll of these players are expected to join the Canes this week prior to the team’s Friday night matchup with the Red Deer Rebels. Canes 16 year old defensemen, Brandyn Hulit and Drew Graham have both been reassigned. The Canes faceoff in a pair of games this weekend, Friday night in Red Deer and Saturday Night in Swift Current. Due to renovations to the City of Lethbridge ENMAX Centre; the Canes will not hold their home opener until an October 9th matchup against Edmonton Oil Kings.