Oil Kings obtain Florida Panthers prospect Gracyn Sawchyn, two prospects in trade with Thunderbirds
Edmonton, Alta.- Florida Panthers prospect Gracyn Sawchyn is flying north for winter in a big trade between the Seattle Thunderbirds and Edmonton Oil Kings.
The move sees Seattle swap Sawchyn, the rights to his younger brother, 2007-born forward Lukas Sawchyn and 2008-born defenceman Tracen Ashley for 2004-born forward Nathan Pilling, five draft picks and two conditional draft picks.
Sawchyn is currently third in scoring for the Thunderbirds, posting six goals and 15 assists in 17 outings for Seattle. His 1.24 points-per-game average is second amongst Seattle players.
The natural centreman has racked up 24 goals and 55 assists for 79 points in 75 career WHL games over two seasons in the league, adding three goals and eight assists in 17 playoff games en route to capturing the 2023 WHL Championship.
The 18-year-old Grande Prairie product, who also boasts dual citizenship, was selected first overall by the Red Deer Rebels in the inaugural 2020 WHL U.S. Priority Draft before being traded to Seattle in May 2021.
Sawchyn was selected by the Florida Panthers in the second round, 63rd overall at the 2023 NHL Draft.
“We are extremely excited to be adding a player and person of Gracyn’s caliber to our organization,” Oil Kings President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kirt Hill said. “He brings a very driven approach to the game and will add speed, skill, and competitiveness to our lineup.
“We look forward to integrating Gracyn into our dressing room and look forward to his contributions with our Club moving forward.”
Lukas Sawchyn currently plays for the Chicago Steel of the USHL, where he has four goals and six assists in 26 games. The 16-year-old forward was drafted sixth overall by Seattle in the 2022 WHL U.S. Priority Draft.
“We look forward to having further conversations with Lukas and his family about the development opportunities that are available to him at the WHL level here in Edmonton,” Hill added. “Lukas is someone we are very familiar with having scouted him intricately before the 2022 WHL U.S. Priority Draft, and he is a player who would be an impact forward in our league, having the skill set and speed he plays the game at.”
Calgary, Alta. product Tracen Ashley has a goal and five assists in 20 games with Calgary International Hockey Academy’s U17 Prep team.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound blueliner was scooped up by the Thunderbirds in the fifth round, 89th overall in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft.
“Having the ability to continue to add depth to our defensive prospect pool was attractive to our staff,” Hill said. “Tracen is a right-shot defenceman that plays a physical game and is continuing his development at the U17 level in Calgary. We look forward to tracking his development and seeing him at our development camp in the spring.”
Going the other way, 19-year-old Nathan Pilling was in the midst of his second campaign with the Oil Kings.
The Calgary, Alta. forward tallied eight goals and four assists through 30 career games with Edmonton.
Seattle has also acquired seven draft picks from Edmonton in the trade:
- 2024 2nd round (via Kamloops)
- 2024 7th round
- 2025 3rd round (via Moose Jaw)
- 2025 5th round
- 2026 1st round (via Seattle)
- Conditional 2027 2nd round
- Conditional 2027 3rd round
Edmonton (9-20-0-1) returns to action against the league-leading Prince George Cougars on December 27 at the CN Centre. Seattle (12-15-2-0) ends its holiday break on December 28 against the U.S. Division rival Portland Winterhawks.
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