WHL trade deadline winners, and others who weren’t so lucky

The week leading up to the WHL’s 2015 trade deadline entailed its fair share of roster moves. It included a wide range of different trades involving high-end rental players, disgruntled NHL draft prospects and first-round bantam picks.

All in all, 47 players were traded between New Year’s day and the Jan. 10 trade deadline. The rich got richer as the Kelowna Rockets, Brandon Wheat Kings and Medicine Hat Tigers improved their rosters with key additions. Meanwhile, a trio of clubs in the East Division, the Regina Pats, Saskatoon Blades and Prince Albert Raiders, took significant steps forward in rebuilding for the future.

Here is a look at the teams who were heavily involved in the trade deadline. The winners are those who clearly improved their teams while not completely emptying their cupboard. The jury is still out on those who possibly didn’t do enough or made long-term moves.

Winners

Kelowna Rockets – The Kelowna Raiders, oh wait, the Kelowna Rockets loaded up for a playoff run while not selling the farm in two major trades with the Prince Albert Raiders. GM Bruce Hamilton acquired Edmonton Oilers prized pick Leon Draisaitl and Winnipeg Jets first-rounder Josh Morrissey for a 2015 first-rounder, 2016 second-rounder, 2017 third-rounder, a pair of fourth-rounders and four depth roster players. In addition, they brought in former Raider Chance Braid, a 20-year-old power-forward, from the Prince George Cougars for prospect Brogan O’Brien.

With a 33-6-3-0 record, the Rockets were ultimately the favourites before these moves, so the additions of two NHL first-rounders heighten their odds of winning it all even more. Everything points to them breezing through the first three rounds in the Western Conference, but anything can happen in the playoffs. The two things that could sink them is how their No. 1 goalie, Jackson Whistle, has appeared in only one playoff game and the Portland Winterhawks have had their number as they’ve knocked them out of the second season in three out of the last four years.

Red Deer Rebels – GM-head coach Brent Sutter took major steps forward in building a contender for next year, when Red Deer hosts the 2016 Memorial Cup. He acquired Jets pick Nelson Nogier from the Saskatoon Blades for a 2016 first-rounder and a 2015 second-rounder and later recouped a 2016 first-rounder and a 2015 second-rounder along with 19-year-old sniper Connor Gay from the Regina Pats for Jake Leschyshyn, the sixth overall pick of the 2013 draft.

The 6-foot-2, 193-pound Nogier was a key blueline pickup as he’s known for his defensive stability. Gay, who has 20 goals and 44 points in 39 games, adds a lot of offensive skill and will be a key overager for the Rebels next season. In addition, the draft picks acquired from the Pats gives Sutter options to parlay them for roster help. The Regina deal did come at the great cost of a premier prospect, but the package offered was understandably too good for Sutter to pass up.

Medicine Hat Tigers – The Tigers solidified themselves as clearly the top team in the Central Division by acquiring New York Islanders pick Kyle Burroughs and 19-year-old sniper Dryden Hunt from the Pats. Burroughs, Regina’s former captain, strengthens their back end and adds leadership in the room while Hunt will take some pressure off the shoulders of Trevor Cox and Cole Sanford in the scoring department. The best part of the deal was that GM-head coach Shaun Clouston never gave up a roster player or a first-round pick. He sent Connor Hobbs, who left the team earlier in the year following asking for a trade, a 2016 second-rounder and a 2015 third-rounder to the Queen City.

Brandon Wheat Kings – Kelly McCrimmon improved his first-place club without selling the farm. It was the smart decision because the Wheaties are built for next year and may have the talent to be a contender in 2016-17 as well. McCrimmon made the best out of a tough situation with NHL draft prospect Jesse Gabrielle, who wasn’t happy in Brandon and was having some off-ice issues. He shipped the 17-year-old wing to the Pats for Calgary Flames first-rounder Morgan Klimchuk. He also acquired the rights to overage rearguard Reid Gow from the Spokane Chiefs. Gow, who scored six goals and 62 points in 65 games last year, chose to opt out of his 20-year-old season in Spokane to play for the University of Manitoba Bisons. He, however, decided midway through the year that he would head back to the WHL if he could remain living in Manitoba, his home province.

The jury is out on the ...

Portland Winterhawks – The Winterhawks weren’t overly heavily involved in wheeling and dealing, but they did make a pair of notable trades. GM-head coach Jamie Kompon addressed his thin back end by acquiring overage defenceman Adam Henry from the Blades for a 2017 second-rounder and cut ties with 19-year-old goalie Brendan Burke by shipping him to the Calgary Hitmen for 18-year-old netminder Evan Johnson and a 2016 fourth-rounder. The moves improve Portland’s roster, but it seems they will be hard-pressed to make a fifth straight appearance in the league finals because they remain a step and a half behind the Rockets in the Western Conference. It may have been smarter for the Winterhawks to start a rebuild by trading all-star forwards Nicolas Petan and Oliver Bjorkstrand, especially since they don’t hold a first-round pick in the next two drafts.

Saskatoon Blades – GM-head coach Bob Woods continued to clean house in an effort to fill the Blades’ cupboard that former architect Lorne Molleken completely emptied in two botched runs at a championship. He acquired first and second-round bantam picks in 2017 by sending Alex Forsberg, along with a 2015 third-rounder and a 2016 fourth-rounder, to the Victoria Royals and Henry to the Winterhawks. He later flipped the 2016 first-round pick that he acquired from the Rebels along with Jordan Thomson to the Swift Current Broncos for Buffalo Sabres defensive prospect Brycen Martin. It is believed that Saskatoon will try to recoup that pick by dealing Martin, 18, at next year’s trade deadline.

Regina Pats – Despite sitting in second place in the East Division, GM-head coach John Paddock traded away four of his top 19-year-olds, Klimchuk, Burroughs, Hunt and Gay, in an effort to build a contender around prized 2013 bantam pick Sam Steel in the future. It was the tough decision, but ultimately the smart one. The Queen City Kids would have been in tough against the Wheat Kings and Tigers in the post-season and likely would have been nothing more than a playoff team the following two seasons. The additions of Gabrielle, Hobbs and Leschyshyn give the Pats the outline of a team that should be one of the favourites to win it all in 2016-17.

Prince Albert Raiders – In Bruno Campese’s eighth year as Prince Albert’s architect, the organization embarked on a rebuild. The draft choices and some roster players such as 18-year-old wing Austin Glover they added are valuable additions for the future, but until the team brings in a new captain for the ship, it’s unwise to assume there is a light at the end of this tunnel. Look no further than how the Raiders haven’t won a playoff series since 2005 for proof of that.

Kelly Friesen is a Buzzing the Net columnist for Yahoo! Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KellyFriesen