Greyhounds deal veteran forward to Colts

It was an aggressive push in recent days that led to it coming together.

With interest increasing, the Soo Greyhounds dealt veteran forward Tyler Savard to the Barrie Colts on Tuesday in exchange for draft picks as the Ontario Hockey League trade deadline inches closer.

Savard was a player that had drawn increased interest around the league in recent weeks.

“Tyler had a great playoff last year for us and it translated there into a great season for us at this point and he started getting a lot more attention from teams around the league,” Greyhounds general manager Kyle Raftis said. “It was a situation where we weren’t actively looking at moving him.”

Raftis added that the Colts became more aggressive in potentially acquiring the veteran forward “in the last day or so.”

“It’s kind of two-fold,” Raftis added. “It’s good for Tyler to continue on with Barrie and have a run with them and at the same time, it opens up some flexibility with us, whether it’s adding next year or a younger player to step into that role and take the ball and run with it.”

In return for the 19-year-old, the Greyhounds receive a second round pick in 2024 (originally Flint’s), third round picks in 2025 (originally Saginaw’s) and 2026 (originally (Kingston’s), and a fourth round pick in 2024 (originally London’s).

With the trade deadline a week away, Raftis said the team isn’t actively looking to make a deal “but if there’s something that makes sense for us, it’s definitely (something) we have to look at.”

Raftis also said the team is in a position where deals won’t necessarily be just adding picks if the opportunity comes up to at an impact 18-year-old as well.

“If we can improve the group this year with a player that’s going to be returning next year, I’d be all ears,” Raftis said.

Since Sunday, trade talk around the league has increased and a handful of major deals complete over the past three days.

Among the deals were the Guelph Storm sending forward Danny Zhilkin and an eighth round draft pick to the Kitchener Rangers in exchange for forward Jesse Fishman and six draft picks, the Hamilton Bulldogs sending veteran forward Ryan Winterton and Ryan Humphrey to the London Knights for Carson Lloyd, Luca Testa, and a second round draft pick, and the Niagara IceDogs dealing forward Pano Fimis to the Erie Otters for five draft picks.

Raftis said talk has definitely picked up recently, some of it a byproduct of many teams being represented at the Toronto Marlies Holiday Classic Tournament, which brings in a lot of OHL teams scouting for the draft in the spring.

“It brings a lot more people together,” Raftis said. “It started on the 27th (of December) and you start to see some action there.”