Guelph Storm general manager George Burnett has been in the junior game a long time, but he said telling defenceman Zack Sandhu he was being traded was one of the hardest things he's ever had to do.
Sending Sandhu to Oshawa for a trio of draft picks was one of five deals the Storm made over the past couple of days leading up to the OHL trade deadline Wednesday at noon.
"If it wasn't the toughest, it was certainly one of the toughest conversations I have had to have," Burnett said of telling Sandhu.
Burnett said he got to know Sandhu well during drives to Ayr where Sandhu played with the junior B Ayr Centennials most of his first year with the Storm.
"Zack was a wonderful teammate and I think the world of him. We used to spend quite a bit of time in the car chatting in his first year. He and I spent a lot of time together.
"As it moves forward, Zack will understand that we gave him an opportunity. He's in his draft year and he deserves to play every night. It was a real difficult conversation and a really difficult choice to make."
Guelph had nine defencemen on its roster before the trade.
The Storm GM said he achieved what he set out to do at the trade deadline, which was address the need to add some scoring to the lineup without compromising the future.
"We were trying to add some experience and strengthen our team up front, which I think we have with Brody (Crane) and Zander (Veccia)," Burnett said of the pair of 19-year-old forwards the team acquired. "We've strengthened our group."
"The 'buying' and 'selling' thing are unfortunate terms. We were trying to strengthen our group. That's the message that was sent so we did it the best we could," he said.
Burnett didn't have much taste for the speculation about moving a player that likely won't be returning next year.
"There's lots of discussions and lots of nonsense and speculation out there, but at the end of the day our plan was to keep our group together and if we could strengthen it as well then to do that."
"We're in a very strong conference and division and we feel we've added a couple of guys who will help create some offence and play the game a little better on the road."
He said both Crane and Veccia "both play with pace and grit."
As for Sandhu, it was a case of numbers and of Oshawa wanting him. The Storm had nine defencemen on the roster and a couple who have been out injured are expected to return in the coming weeks.
Burnett said Quinn Beauchesne (broken wrist) is still likely two or three weeks away from returning. Cam Allen (shoulder surgery) is getting reevaluated and tested later this week to see about returning to full contact practice, the next step in his recovery.
The team was dealt a blow this year when Matt Poitras stuck with the Boston Bruins. The team had anticipated his return. But there was no notion of ever trying to replace that level of player via a trade.
"We weren't going to replace (Poitras) at all ... selfishly it was a tough blow, but that's why we're here. He proved his opportunity to stay and he's playing well in the National Hockey League and that's awesome."
Guelph's five deals saw them acquire two 19-year-old forwards, move out a defenceman and shuffle some draft picks:
- Sent Zack Sandhu to Oshawa for three draft picks (a third, a fifth and a ninth)
- Traded a second round pick in 2025 and a fourth in 2024 to Brantford for a second round pick in 2024
- Traded forward Justin DeZoete to Sault Ste. Marie for a 10th round draft pick
- Traded four draft picks (a second, a third, a conditional fourth and a fifth) to Mississauga for winger Zander Veccia
- Traded a sixth round pick to Niagara for winger Brody Crade
The Storm is on the road this weekend for games in Sault Ste. Marie on Friday and Saginaw on Saturday. Next home game is Jan. 17 versus Kitchener.
