2024 WHL Trade Deadline: Live Blog
Wednesday, January 10
4:45 p.m. MT – The Calgary Hitmen closed out its deadline day by picking up defender Pasha Bocharov from the Tri City Americans.
The 19-year-old Escondido, Calif. product is a veteran of 184 WHL games with the Americans, Medicine Hat Tigers and Saskatoon Blades, putting up 13 goals and seven assists.
The Americans will receive a fifth-round pick in the 2027 WHL Prospects Draft.
4:00 p.m. MT – The Portland Winterhawks are adding a powerful weapon to the flock.
Wheat Kings Captain Nate Danielson is heading west to join the U.S. Division-leading Portland Winterhawks.
The Detroit Red Wings prospect has 12 goals and 14 assists in 26 contests this season and added a goal and two assists in five games for Team Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Danielson had donned the black and gold for 176 WHL games, wracking up 71 goals and 105 assists.
Going the other way is a pair of 2005-born players, defenceman Rhett Ravndahl and forward Nick Johnson.
Ravndahl has two assists in 27 games in his second season with the Winterhawks after being drafted in the fourth round, 83rd overall in the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft.
Johnson has tallied five goals and 13 assists in 29 games but has been sidelined with a lower-body injury.
Brandon also receives a first-round pick in 2025, a first-round pick in 2027 and a fifth-round pick in 2026.
In a subsequent move, the Wheat Kings have traded the rights to 18-year-forward Evan Groening to Prince George in exchange for a 2027 10th-round pick.
3:00 p.m. MT – The Lethbridge Hurricanes have added veteran presence and consistency with the addition of 19-year-old Hayden Pakkala.
The Okotoks, Alta. product has six goals, 12 assists and a plus-five rating in 38 games played with the Prince Albert Raiders this season.
Pakkala has suited up for 166 WHL games in a Raiders uniform, lighting the lamp 23 times and adding 36 helpers.
In exchange, Prince Albert will receive Lethbridge’s 2027 third-round pick.
3:00 p.m. MT – The Vancouver Giants are taking a swing at some young talent with the addition of defenceman Kolby Gapter.
The 17-year-old Arvada, Col. product has four goals and six assists in 17 games with South Alberta Hockey Academy of the CSSHL.
Gapter was selected by the Medicine Hat Tigers in the second round, 25th overall in the 2021 WHL U.S. Prospect Draft and signed a Standard WHL Player Agreement in September of 2022.
The Tigers will receive an eighth-round pick in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft.
2:30 p.m. MT – A key figure in Wenatchee Wild lore is on the move in a U.S. Division swap.
Rookie Oscar Lovsin is headed to Seattle in exchange for forward Cru Hanas.
Lovsin scored the first goal in Wild franchise history on September 22, 2023 and earned WHL Rookie of the Week Honours with two goals and two assists in his first two regular season contests.
Hanas had four assists in 20 games with Seattle after being acquired from the Medicine Hat Tigers earlier this season.
2:00 p.m. MT – The Moose Jaw Warriors have bolstered their goaltending with the addition of Evan May.
May went 9-7-2-0 with the Medicine Hat Tigers this season, sporting two shutouts, a 3.36 goals-against average and .884 save percentage in his first full season as a WHL starter.
The Nanaimo, B.C. netminder was named WHL Goaltender of the Week back in November.
May joins Jackson Unger and Dimitri Fortin on the Warriors’ goaltending roster.
Unger is currently the busiest goaltender in the WHL, leading all goalies in minutes played (1942), shots faced (1166) and shots saved (1068).
The Tigers will receive a 2027 third-round pick (from Seattle) in the deal.
1:45 p.m. MT – The Lethbridge Hurricanes have picked up 6-foot-1 defender Braeden Wynne from the Seattle Thunderbirds in return for a seventh-round pick (from Moose Jaw) in 2024.
Wynne was previously a member of of the 2021-22 WHL Champion Edmonton Oil Kings. The 19-year-old Coquitlam, B.C. product has eight assists and a plus-16 rating through 43 regular-season games and suited up for seven postseason contests.
1:30 p.m. MT – The Calgary Hitmen have picked up rookie Justin Ivanusec from the Vancouver Giants in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round pick.
The Delta, B.C. forward recorded his first WHL goal on October 29 against the Kamloops Blazers, and added a pair of goals and assists since then.
Ivanusec was selected by Vancouver in the fourth round, 79th overall in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.
1:00 p.m. MT – We have a (three-team) trade to announce!
The Saskatoon Blades have beefed up the blueline by adding John Babcock from the Kelowna Rockets.
Babcock has three goals, seven assists and a plus-13 rating in 35 contests in 2023-24.
The move also sees Rockets defenceman Ismail Abougouche head to Edmonton, along with a 2026 second round pick from Saskatoon.
Finally, Kelowna will receive 18-year-old defenceman Carter Kowalyk from the Oil Kings along with a 2025 fourth-round pick (from Edmonton), 2024 second-round pick (from Medicine Hat) and 2026 third-round pick (from Seattle).
As a rookie, Kowalyk appeared in three games at the 2022 Memorial Cup, finishing with a plus-one rating.
10:30 a.m. MT- The Vancouver Giants have added skill and hockey IQ with the addition of Winnipeg Jets prospect Connor Levis.
The former Blazers alternate captain was third in scoring for Kamloops with 10 goals and 18 assists in 37 contests this season.
The Vancouver, B.C. product tallied a goal and three assists in four games at the 2023 Memorial Cup.
Levi was selected by the Winnipeg Jets in the seventh round, 210th overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
In return, Kamloops continues to stock the draft cupboards with a 2025 lottery-protected first-round pick, a 2024 second-round pick (from Seattle), and a 2026 fourth-round pick.
10:00 a.m. MT- Calgary Hitmen Captain Tyson Galloway is on the move as the team continues to tinker with its roster.
Galloway is being traded to the Swift Current Broncos for second and third-round picks in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft.
The Kamloops, B.C. product had played all 216 games of his WHL career with the Hitmen, putting up 15 goals and 62 assists.
Galloway was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the fifth round, 145th overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
The move comes two days after the Hitmen dished alternate captain Sean Tschigerl to the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
10:00 a.m. MT- The Swift Current Broncos kicked off deadline day with a pair of deals involving 20-year-old players.
Swift Current is sending productive veteran Tyson Laventure to Victoria in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft.
Laventure has 15 goals and 21 assists for 36 points in 39 games and is on pace for a career-best season.
Tuesday, January 9
10:00 p.m. MT – The Spokane Chiefs gained some championship pedigree up front, snagging 2004-born forward Shea Van Olm from the Kamloops Blazers.
Van Olm won a WHL Championship with the Edmonton Oil Kings in 2022, before being moved to the Blazers to assist with their 2023 WHL Playoff and Memorial Cup aspirations.
Cole Wadsworth, a Penticton, BC-born forward, has suited up in 71 WHL games in his young career, putting up 11 points.
1:00 p.m. MT – The Tri-City Americans acquired 2004-born forward Mason Finley from the Edmonton Oil Kings Tuesday morning.
Finley, 6-foot-2, has appeared in 141 games in his Western Hockey League career, suiting up for the Oil Kings and Calgary Hitmen.
Monday, January 8
5:30 p.m. MT – The Vancouver Giants added a veteran forward from the Lethbridge Hurricanes, acquiring 19-year-old Tyson Zimmer.
A sixth-overall pick in the 2019 WHL Prospects Draft to the Brandon Wheat Kings, Zimmer has accrued 96 points over 183 career games with the Wheat Kings and Hurricanes.
In return, the Vancouver Giants added Scottsdale, AZ forward Colton Langkow, the rights to 2008-born prospect Kai Anderson, and a second (2024) and third-round pick (2025).
Langkow, son of 1,090-game NHLer and Tri-City Americans’ alumni Daymond Langkow, collected 128 games with the Giants.
Anderson, a North Vancouver product, currently plays for Burnaby Winter Club U17 Prep, amassing 15 points in 14 games.
4:00 p.m. MT – The Lethbridge Hurricanes continued their string of adding fresh overage forwards, this time bringing in Kamloops, BC’s Dylan Sydor from the Blazers.
Sydor wore the Blue and Orange 180 times in the regular season, as well as hitting the ice for 18 games during the Blazers’s 2023 Playoff and Memorial Cup run.
20-year-old forward Blake Swetlikoff, who the Hurricanes had acquired from the Spokane Chiefs before the 2023 WHL Trade Deadline, was on the other side of the trade, heading to Kamloops along with a second-round pick (2025 from Wenatchee) and a third-round pick (2024 from Prince George).
1:30 p.m. MT – The Lethbridge Hurricanes kick-started trade deadline week with a splash, acquiring 20-year-old forward Sean Tschigerl from the Calgary Hitmen.
Tschigerl suited up for 246 games with the Hitmen, collecting 87 goals and 106 assists. His 193 points put him tied for 14th in Hitmen franchise history.
In return for the former fourth-overall pick in 2018, Calgary received a second and third-round pick in 2025 from the Hurricanes.
Saturday, January 6
1:00 p.m. MT – Jaren Brinson is Vancouver Island bound. The Royals have acquired the 2004-born defenceman from the Regina Pats in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round pick and a 2027 ninth-round pick.
The Airdrie, Alta. product has played 173 WHL games over four seasons with Prince George, Winnipeg, Spokane, and Regina.
The 6-foot-2 blueliner was originally selected in the second round, 36th overall by the Prince George Cougars in the 2019 WHL Prospects Draft.
Thursday, January 4
1:00 p.m. MT – Arizona Coyotes prospect Conor Geekie is heading east to join the Swift Current Broncos in a blockbuster deal that sees the Wenatchee Wild gain forward Maddix McCagherty, defencemen Josh Fluker and Sam Ward, and four selections in the WHL Prospects Draft.
“We’re very excited to add a player like Connor Geekie to our group,” Broncos General Manager Chad Leslie said. “His combination of size, skill, hockey sense, and compete make him one of the most impactful players in the WHL. His experience in the post-season, paired with his experience at the World Juniors will be beneficial for our group as we push to the playoffs.”
Geekie scored a team-leading 20 goals while adding 29 assists for 49 points in 26 games this season.
The Strathclair, Man. product was selected by the then-Winnipeg ICE second overall in the 2019 WHL Prospects Draft. He suited up for 186 games for Winnipeg/Wenatchee, tallying 88 goals and 131 assists.
The 6-foot-4, 197-pound forward led the ICE to the 2022-23 WHL Championship, rattling off six goals and adding 11 assists in 19 contests. He represented Canada for the first time at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship in Gothenburg, Sweden, where he put up a pair of goals and an assist.
Geekie was selected by the Arizona Coyotes 11th overall at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and signed his Entry-Level Contract just weeks later.
“We sincerely thank Conor for the work that he put in and the success that he brought to both the Winnipeg ICE and to the Wenatchee Wild,” said Wenatchee general manager Bliss Littler. “Conor was instrumental in giving our fans an exciting introduction to the Western Hockey League this season, and we look forward to seeing him take his skills to the National Hockey League soon.”
“We wish we could have added some pieces to make a run at a championship this season,” said Littler. “However, this was a move we needed to make for a sustainable future for our organization.”
Going the other way, the Wild gain some experience on the blueline with the addition of 18-year-old Josh Fluker. The Boissevain, Man. has played more than 100 games since being selected seventh overall by the Broncos in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.
17-year-old Maddix McCagherty is in the midst of his first full WHL season, tallying five goals and six assists in 21 games with Swift Current this season.
The Kelowna, B.C. product was selected by Swift Current in the second round, 25th overall at the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.
Kamloops, B.C.-born defenceman Sam Ward has five assists to his name in the 2022-23 campaign.
In addition to McCagherty, Fluker and Ward, the Wild receive first and second-round picks in 2025 WHL Prospects Draft, a first-round pick in 2026 and a seventh-round selection in 2027.
1:00 p.m. MT – The Moose Jaw Warriors have added to an already impressive fleet of offensive weapons with the acquisition of 19-year-old Matthew Savoie.
In exchange, the Warriors will send seven WHL Prospects Draft picks to the Wenatchee Wild, including first-round selections in 2024 and 2027.
“It’s an exciting day for the organization and the City of Moose Jaw to bring a player of his caliber to come in and try to help us win a championship this year,” Warriors general manager Jason Ripplinger said.
Originally picked first overall by the then-Winnipeg ICE in the 2019 WHL Prospects Draft, Savoie has dominated the junior ranks with 84 goals and 216 points in 160 regular season WHL games.
Despite only playing 11 games so far this campaign, the St. Albert, Alta. centreman has a blistering 11 goals and 24 points. His 2.18 points-per-game average leads the league and Wenatchee went 8-1-2-0 over that stretch.
Savoie was selected by the Buffalo Sabres with the ninth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and made his NHL debut on November 10, 2023. The 5-foot-10 forward also tallied two goals and five points in six games with the AHL’s Rochester Americans before re-joining Wenatchee.
Savoie most recently represented Canada as an alternate captain at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship along with Warriors captain Denton Mateychuk, Brayden Yager and Jagger Firkus. He finished the tournament with one assist in four games.
“He’s going to bring a lot of character and grit for us and obviously put the puck in the net,” Ripplinger said.
In return, Wenatchee will receive a conditional first-round pick in either the 2024 or 2025 WHL Prospects Draft, third and sixth-round picks in 2024, an eighth-round pick in 2025, a second-round pick in 2026, and first and fourth-round picks in 2027.
“Though Matthew’s time with the Wild was brief, he made major contributions for our team on and off the ice, and gave our fans an exciting introduction to the Western Hockey League product,” said Wenatchee general manager Bliss Littler. “He was an important member of the organization both in Winnipeg and Wenatchee, and we look forward to seeing his contributions in the National Hockey League very soon.”