Toronto, ON). Today Toronto made a bold move in the HBMHL acquiring tough guy and general pest Scott Hartnell and premier checking forward and combatant Ian Laperierre from the Alberta Rams. The move included sending scoring forward Sergei Samsonov and checker Dan Hinote to the Alberta Rams with a number draft choice in next year's draft.
GM Thom Welch said, " We like the way our team was playing for the most part although we have had some poor defensive presence at times. We think the added toughness and Scott's net presence and scoring acumen will benefit our squad significantly. Ian is one the best checking forward's in the game and he should help our overall defensive game and PK. Giving up a first round pick was tough, but we think the risk is worth the reward in this case."
This trade makes Toronto the toughest team in the league. Hartnell said, " We plan to beat the crap out of anyone that does not cough up the puck on a regular basis." With this deal and the presence of Shane O'Brien and Sean Avery Toronto may spend a little too much time in the box if they are not careful. Coach O'Reilly said, " Hey this is a man's game, we had our scorer's in place, now we have our toughness and checking in place." Vancouver Jackals tough guy Rob Blake and Notre Dame's Steve Ott should mind their manners when playing Toronto, there will be no free rides playing the Wolfpack from here on out.
This move does look like a potential negative for newcomer Steve Sullivan and Patrick O'Sullivan. There are only so many spots open and with this deal both of these forwards could be spending more time on the pine. Could a deal be in the making? Possibly but these players offer the Pack great depth in case of injury.
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