By any reasonable definition of the word, the trade between the Brandon Wheat Kings and Tri-City Americans on Tuesday, January 7, was a blockbuster.
All three players involved were regular parts of their respective team’s lineup. Jordan Gavin and Charlie Elick were the second and third overall pick respectively in the 2021 WHL prospects draft. Elick was a second-round pick in the NHL Entry Draft last summer by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Gavin is a highly-rated prospect for the coming NHL draft, a second-round pick at the latest on most lists.
The full trade reads Elick and a third-round pick from the Wheat Kings for Gavin and defenseman Merrek Arpin (both born in 2006) from the Americans. It’s the first player-for-player trade the Wheat Kings have swung this season.
It’s a rare trade where, in their own way, both sides could win both now and in the future. That makes it unusual among the deluge of trades the WHL has seen in the past 48 hours, and should generate excitement with both teams and their fanbases.
“There’s a lot that goes into it, this doesn’t happen in a split second,” said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. “We’d been talking to multiple teams and sometimes you feel like you’re gaining traction only for things to go sideways. It’s been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, but we’re thrilled about this trade. It’s something that could be good for everybody. It’s a hockey trade.”
As the highest-scoring player in the deal, Gavin will garner a great deal of attention. He posted 68 points in 68 games last season, and his 30 points in 35 games this season would instantly make him the Wheat Kings’ third-leading scorer behind only 20-year-olds Marcus Nguyen and Nolan Flamand.
“He’s an offensive player for sure,” said Murray. “He had close to a point per game his first year and a point per game last year. I think there’s still another level for him to get to. We’re looking forward to getting him in here and helping our team keep getting better every day. I know he’s a special player.”
As far as having another level to get to, the Wheat Kings believed something similar about Nguyen when they acquired him in the offseason, and that pickup has panned out spectacularly as Nguyen now leads the team in goals and points. Gavin, meanwhile, joins the team at the same time as forward Dominik Petr returns from the World Juniors, giving the Wheat Kings an immediate shot in the arm up front.
Arpin, meanwhile, is not only 6-foot-4 and over 200 pounds but has Manitoba roots as he lived in East St. Paul for much of his childhood and played at RHA Winnipeg during his developmental years. He’s a right-shot defenseman, and was himself a third-round pick in 2021. Like Gavin, he’s a 2006-born player and so has multiple years of eligibility left.
“He’s a big body who skates well, a defense-first type of guy,” Murray said. “Obviously, losing Charlie leaves a big hole in our back end with minutes needing to be eaten up. Merrek, we hope, can come in and play those minutes, be hard to play against, and defend well.”
While Elick obviously leaves a big vacancy to fill on the Wheat Kings’ back end, they were comfortable moving him in this deal for a number of reasons. The first is Arpin himself, whose no-nonsense style they feel will be an asset. The second is the emergence of rookies like Dylan Ronald, Nigel Boehm, and Giorgos Pantelas, all of whom are playing beyond their experience levels.
“Ronald’s obviously an 18-year-old, but in saying that it’s his first season of junior and he missed an entire season of hockey,” said Murray. “He’s really come along here in the last couple of months. Our young 16-year-olds have really developed, to the point now where you’re comfortable putting them on the ice against any opposition.”
As happy as the Wheat Kings are with their return on this trade, it didn’t come easily or without emotion. Elick had played his entire 163-game career as a Wheat King, was drafted to the NHL as a Wheat King, and had represented the Wheat Kings and Canada on the international stage multiple times. Brandon had been the only junior hockey home he had known until today.
“It’s such a tough day, the human side takes precedence,” Murray said. “Charlie was a guy that was drafted highly as a 15-year-old and was a great kid and a great player as well. These decision are always very difficult, but we wanted to make sure Charlie knew we were rooting for him on his way to Tri-City. One good thing about trades is when somebody really wants you on either side and he’s going to go to a good team and fit in really well.”
Of note, the Wheat Kings still hold not only their own first and second-round picks in the coming WHL draft, but an extra of each (belonging to the Portland Winterhawks and Saskatoon Blades respectively). Murray said he was pleased the team didn’t need to move either of those in this deal, but also said the team hadn’t yet decided whether they would keep those picks or use them as ammunition in future trades.
The Wheat Kings host the Portland Winterhawks on Friday, January 10, one day after the WHL trade deadline.
