Winterhawks, Rockets and Hitmen boost rosters with trade deadline moves

The rich got richer as the Western Hockey League's trade flurry came to a close on the Jan. 10 deadline.

Although there wasn't as big of a deal as when the Saskatoon Blades sold the farm for Brayden Schenn in 2011, there were several swaps that entailed top-notch talent. All in all, over 25 trades happened in the last 10 days before the trade freeze took place.

It seems the Portland Winterhawks took the biggest step forward with their roster moves. They landed Minnesota Wild first-round pick Matt Dumba from the Red Deer Rebels and 20-year-old goalie Corbin Boes from the Lethbridge Hurricanes. It goes without saying that Dumba greatly improves their back end as he brings NHL experience, an edge and offensive talent to the team. The blueline quartet of Dumba, Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Derrick Pouliot, Vancouver Canucks prospect Anton Cederholm and overage Garrett Haar is as good as there is in the league. Boes, meanwhile, will battle Phoenix Coyotes prospect Brendan Burke, who's currently out with a short-term injury, for the No. 1 job. It's uncommon for an overage netminder to sit on the bench, but it seems the starting job will be Burke's to lose.

Kelowna Rockets general manager Bruce Hamilton didn't make as much noise as Winterhawks architect Mike Johnston. He didn't need to with his club sitting on top of the league with a 33-5-0-2 record, though. Why, after all, shake-up a winning recipe? Hamilton's lone significant move happened in the overage department by bringing in Detroit Red Wings prospect Marek Tvrdon from the Vancouver Giants. In doing so, the Rockets shipped Zach Franko to the Kootenay Ice. This move involves both risk and reward. Based on what Tvrdon did in 2011-12 – scoring 31 goals and 74 points in 60 games – he should be an upgrade over Franko. But since he has had some injury problems and hasn't exactly knocked anyone's socks off in the ECHL (13 points in 22 games with the Toledo Walleye) this year, the Rockets don't know exactly what they're getting. While they knew exactly what they had in Franko, who notched a respectable 12 goals and 35 points in 39 games.

It's safe to say the 29-8-2-3 Calgary Hitmen solidified themselves as the Eastern Conference's top dog. They boosted their offense by acquiring 19-year-old winger Connor Rankin from the Tri-City Americans, Dallas Stars second-round pick Mike Winther from the Prince Albert Raiders and the rights to New York Rangers prospect Adam Tambellini, who left the University of North Dakota, from the Winterhawks. In addition, they landed 17-year-old blueliner Michael Zipp for Zane Jones from the Everett Silvertips as a replacement for Josh Thrower, whom they dealt to Tri-City for Rankin. Prior to these moves Calgary appeared a step behind Portland and Kelowna, but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. Moreover, they now seem to have a clear-cut edge on the Edmonton Oil Kings and Swift Current Broncos in their own conference.

Past odds-on favourites

The Broncos played it safe. They didn't make a huge move, but did add a strong top-six forward in Nathan Burns from the Blades. In doing so they held onto most of their future assets by only giving up a second-round bantam pick. This is ultimately the smart play because they appear to have a strong enough core to make another playoff run next year.

The Oil Kings, who sit third overall in the Eastern Conference, surprisingly didn't make any moves. This decision to not add a piece or two seems to put them behind Calgary and Swift Current on paper. It's a puzzling play because with New York Islanders first-round pick Griffin Reinhart, Phoenix Coyotes first-round pick Henrik Samuelsson and Edmonton Oilers prospect Mitchell Moroz poised to move onto the pros next year, this year is somewhat their last hurrah with this group.

The Victoria Royals made their big trade on Jan. 6 by landing Chicago Blackhawks defensive prospect Travis Brown from the Moose Jaw Warriors. Brown, who has nine goals and 38 points in 43 games, brings offensive vision and poise to Victoria's back end. This move should cement the Royals, who sit third overall in the Western Conference, into the second round of the playoffs.

By adding 20-year-old veterans Graeme Craig and Collin Valcourt from the Blades, it should ensure a playoff berth for the eighth-place Raiders. They, however, remain a long shot to win a series.

Sellers

In the first year of their rebuild, the Blades unloaded all three of their original 20-year-olds: Burns, Valcourt and Craig. In addition, they made a huge deal with the Kamloops Blazers by acquiring Jordan Thomson, Mitch Lipon and a 2015 first-round pick for Matt Revel, a 2016 third round pick and a conditional second-round pick. At first glance it appears the Blades won the trade; however, the move entails a lot of risk for Saskatoon because Thomson, who walked out on Kamloops in November, might not report. Apparently, the 17-year-old blueliner told the Blazers he wanted a trade to the Brandon Wheat Kings to be closer to his family and loved ones. Therefore, the Blades have a lot of recruiting to do.

Update: BTN has learned Thomson won't report to the Blades. Instead, he will suit up for the MJHL's Dauphin Kings.

The Blazers, like the Blades, are in the first year of their rebuild. They made two huge deals earlier in the year by sending overage goalie Cole Cheveldave to the Raiders and Montreal Canadiens prospect Tim Bozon to the Kootenay Ice. Thomson essentially forced their last deal by leaving the club. But they still did alright taking into account they landed Revel, who seems to be the top talent involved in the trade. They also shipped out 19-year-old goalie Taran Kozun to the Seattle Thunderbirds for 17-year-old puck-stopper Justin Myles, Austin Douglas and a 2015 fourth-round bantam pick.

The Hurricanes were ultimately forced into being a seller this year. The club had at least five players ask for trades. It's tough to say where they go from here as they are poised to miss the post-season for the fifth straight year. One thing is certain - they need to send a stern message next year by sending players home instead of giving into trade requests. This should make players think twice about putting one foot out the door as soon as things don't go their way.

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