Biggest moves from 2024 CHL Trade Deadline

With the 2024 CHL Trade Deadline officially coming to a close recently, some big moves were made by teams looking to make a late postseason run to the Memorial Cup. A lot of moves were made, especially some well known players off Canada's recent world junior team, which allowed an influx of talent to be moved around the three leagues.

In this case scenario, since so many trades went on, what I'll do is briefly evaluate the 3 biggest moves per league that happened.

WHL

To Swift Current from Wenatchee: Conor Geekie - Arizona Coyotes 1st rounder

Wenatchee scored big time in return for Geekie, as they snagged multiple future assets in exchange for Conor Geekie, who will be turning pro next season as he'll age out of junior hockey. All the roster players Wenatchee got for Geekie will be able to play for them in future seasons, and the future draft picks were key in this deal as well. Swift Current is able to snag more offensive firepower in the short-run, as they'll look to up their place in the standings with Geekie in the near future now. This should continue to push Swift Current towards playoff contention, and allow them to make a decent run.

To Moose Jaw from Wenatchee: Matt Savoie - Buffalo Sabres 1st rounder

Another key player off the Canadian world junior squad was Geekie's now former teammate, Matt Savoie, as he was moved to Moose Jaw as part of the deadline as well. This was major move, as Moose Jaw looks as though they're a potential lock in the east division at either the 2nd or 3rd spot. Adding the uber offensive dynamo with high octane speed in Savoie fits this group really well. Brayden Yager is already there looking to make one final run, Jagger Firkus is lighting up the league in scoring, Denton Mateychuk is a viable two-way scoring threat from the backend, and they have good secondary depth up front.

Savoie already has made his mark with Moose Jaw, putting up 5 points in his debut to add to their depth of scoring.

To Portland from Brandon: Nate Danielson - Detroit Red Wings 1st rounder

Nate Danielson is an intriguing, viable scoring option for a Portland team looking to make a deep run this postseason. They already have multiple talented 03s leading their team in scoring, along with NHL draft picks Josh Davies and Luca Cagnoni being effective scoring options as well. Danielson's value comes in as a unique two-way center with shutdown abillity, as he has tenacity at both ends of the rink as a natural center. He's become increasingly better not only as a shutdown player, but man-on-man defensively with his tracking and staying above pucks consistently as well.

Danielson does a great job using his playmaking as he can make his linemates better, and any wingers that play on his line are able to improve with his play. Danielson makes the game easy for teammates, since he already does everything so well, and has a refined tactical game.

OHL

To Kitchener from Barrie: Eduard Sale - Seattle Kraken 1st rounder

Eduard Sale is a player that came into Barrie to start the season with high expectations. As a player that came into their camp with a lot of skill, being a Seattle 1st round pick, and also playing in the Czechia tier 1 pro league, there were thoughts that he could dominate the OHL right away. That hasn't happened, but Barrie's ineffectiveness as a team and their lack of scoring hasn't created a sustained offensive environment for Sale.

Now that he gets a move to Kitchener, a system based on activation from Ds and highly skilled, offensive possessive Fs, things might change quickly for him. Kitchener uses analytics, nuance in their style of play, and involvement from all 5 players on the ice to generate offense (Think Colorado, Toronto, Carolina esque). Sale is a highly skilled passer, whose playmaking adds tremendous value for this Kitchener group up front. He can also score, as his one-touch releases and wrist shot can be nifty, but his distribution ability should help Kitchener at 5v5 in-zone sequences and on the power play.

With more opportunity, more special teams play, and improved linemates, I would not be surprised to see Sale thrive the 2nd half of the year, especially coming off an effective world junior outing with Czechia.

To Saginaw from Peterborough: Owen Beck - Montreal Canadiens 2nd rounder

Owen Beck has been talked about for a little while now as a player that could get traded, and he is now on the move and playing with Saginaw. He's been thriving so far, with 9 points in only 3 games with his new team, surrounding the likes of other offensive stars already there. There's a lot of talent that Saginaw has in place, such as exceptional status player Michael Misa, Hunter Haight, Matyas Sapovaliv, Joey Willis, and projected top-10 prospect in 2024, defenseman Zayne Parekh, who leads the team in scoring.

Beck is a viable scoring option, not being afraid to drive the inside lane from the outside using speed and skill, and can offensively attack in so many different ways. He brings relentless tenacity on pucks and getting to 50/50s first, as he has advantages with straight-line speed at this age over other prospects. Saginaw is already hosting this year's Memorial Cup, and adding depth to a high octane offensive roster should make this team an intriguing one to watch down the stretch.

To Soo from Flint: Gavin Hayes - Chicago Blackhawks 3rd rounder

Gavin Hayes came off gold at the world juniors with Team USA, and is coming off a hot start with his new Soo Greyhounds team after being traded from Flint. With Flint being an under 500 team mid season, it only makes sense that they would move Hayes, with the Soo primed to make a deep playoff run this year in the OHL. Hayes will fit in tremendously with the group the Soo has up front, as he brings some nuance with his power forward game that allows him to dictate play all over the ice.

Hayes uses his power forward style to his leverage, as he can get body position on pucks with ease, use his frame to drive the net and drive inside the house offensively, and he has a small forward style skill that blossoms in all situations. His Soo debut ended up with him scoring twice, so it should be interesting to see how his game continues to fare down the stretch as well.

QMJHL

To Rouyn-Noranda from Gatineau: Samuel Savoie - Chicago Blackhawks 3rd rounder

Samuel Savoie was by far one of the biggest trades closest to the deadline, as he brings a high octane, high energy style that should translate well as a potential bottom-9 winger in the NHL. By acquiring a premier player in the QMJHL for a team already rich in talent, Rouyn-Noranda did an excellent job as one of the best teams in the league.

Savoie's forechecking is relentless, as he brings a relentless tenacity that allows him to outwork other opponents effectively. His unwavering energy, grit to score and retrieve pucks in areas that others won't, his willingness to put his energy in all on-ice situations, and his dual-threat scoring ability have already blossomed at a high level in the QMJHL. This is an excellent get for the Huskies.

To Victoriaville from Gatineau: Tristan Luneau - Anaheim Ducks 2nd rounder

Luneau was acquired from Gatineau for a series of draft picks, as now the option for him is to play in his hometown. It's unknown what could happen with him in the near future, but I'm thinking a move similar to Brandt Clarke could be best for Luneau in terms of long-term development. He's been listed to play in San Diego (Anaheim Ducks AHL affiliate), but the ice time has been inconsistent and it doesn't seem to fit him the best as of now. I'd imagine it's a similar situation to Brandt Clarke last year, where he was up and down between Los Angeles and Ontario in the AHL before he got moved back to Barrie. There, Clarke dominated.

I'd imagine that could be a similar thought process, and it's a slightly longer trajectory for Luneau based on him being a 2nd round pick. If he were to play in Victoriaville, he would be intrigued since it's a hometown fit, and they have a great shot of making a deep run into the QMJHL playoffs.

The offensive ability of Luneau and innate two-way play that has continued to improve in the QMJHL would provide immediate impact for Victoriaville.

To Saint John from Drummondville: Tyler Peddle - Columbus Blue Jackets 7th rounder

Now this isn't the most exciting of trades, as normally a 7th round pick wouldn't be mentioned as often. However, with Peddle, he has potential in the long-term. Peddle brings a unique amount of skill for a 7th round pick playing in junior, as his scoring ability, puck skill, and shot make him an intriguing new potential breakout player in Saint John. They are committing to a rebuild in Saint John, but Peddle could be a bright spot for the rest of the season on this team that finished unloading players and overagers (Such as Peter Reynolds to Halifax).

Peddle could also blossom heading into next year for Saint John since he's eligible to return, which I'd imagine was one of their thoughts behind this trade. With the Sea Dogs developing marquee names in year's past, and continuously doing a great job of developing players in recent years as well, Peddle has layers to his game that the Sea Dogs can look to expand. His goal-scoring ability could be vital, but his playmaking game and ice time can also continue to blossom as well.

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