Guelph Storm coach/general manager George Burnett got down to the business of shaking up the roster Tuesday, trading away three players and bringing in two new ones.
First was overage defenceman Kyle Rhodes, traded to the Sudbury Wolves in exchange for a fourth round draft pick.
Then veteran forward Luke Burghardt, 19, and second-year winger Luke Moncada, 17, were traded to the North Bay Battalion in exchange for overage defenceman Mark Shoemaker and winger Zach Poirier, 19.
Guelph also received a conditional third round pick they get if Shoemaker does not play as an overager this season.
"There were lots of different things to consider. We have a large number of players that we have commitments to and managing numbers and honouring commitments is part of it," Burnett said.
"We certainly need to create some opportunity for some kids."
"It's easy to say we will wait until training camp, but the fact is it's difficult to make changes at that time of year because teams are focused on their own team," Burnett said.
Rhodes, a native of
"None of the players asked to leave," Burnett said. "I'm sure it was a shock to all three boys."
Burghardt played 173 games over three seasons for
Moncada played his first season in
Poirier was a former first round draft pick of the Battalion in 2014. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound right winger had back-to-back 15 goal seasons with the Battalion.
The six-foot-2, 210-pound Shoemaker was an 11th round pick of the Battalion and a sixth round pick of the NHL's San Jose Sharks in 2016. He is a right shot and had 16 assists last season.
“In the case of Burghardt, we’re giving a player a chance to play who had 17 goals as a 17-year-old, and we hope he can get back there,” Battalion coach/GM Stan Butler told www.baytoday.ca.
“In Moncada’s case, he’s a player we were after in the Priority Selection, so we’ve got another good young player.”
