Raiders acquire Cole Cheveldave from Blazers

The Prince Albert Raiders took another step forward to becoming one of the Eastern Conference’s contenders for the upcoming season and the Kamloops Blazers are on their way to a rebuild after making one of the biggest trades of the summer.

The Raiders acquired 20-year-old goaltender Cole Cheveldave and a 2015 fourth-round bantam pick in exchange for 15-year-old Jake Kryski, who was the 13^th overall pick in the 2013 WHL draft, and a 2014 seventh-round bantam pick.

Short term, the Raiders clearly win this deal. But long term, it would seem as though the Blazers will get the better end of the trade. One, however, has to remember only a handful of first-round bantam picks pan out every year. At this point, all signs point to Kryski, who was a offensive star for the Burnaby Winter Club last year, being one of those few, but he has a lot of hurdles to overcome before that’s a reality.

There is a bit of a twist to this deal, though. Raiders general manager Bruno Campese told Drew Wilson of PaNow.com that Kryski's hesitation to move to Saskatchewan from British Columbia played a part in this trade.

With Luke Siemens, who turns 21 in November, moving on from the junior ranks and no up-and-coming goaltenders ready to take on the No. 1 job, the Raiders desperately needed to acquire a veteran goaltender. Cheveldave not only fills that void, but he also improves Prince Alberta’s puck-stopping situation from last year as he has clearly proven he’s a step ahead of Siemens. The Calgary, Alta., native maintained a .908 save percentage throughout his 111 games in Kamloops and was excellent for the Blazers in the playoffs, especially in their four-game sweep over the Kelowna Rockets this past year.

“Cole is a proven winner and leader,” says Campese. “His experience will generate a positive impact on our goaltending situation for this season and he will be a mentor for our young, talented goaltenders in our system.”

Cheveldave along with Dallas Stars prospect Mike Winther, Winnipeg Jets first-rounder Josh Morrissey and German scoring sensation Leon Draisaitl gives Raiders new head coach Cory Clouston enough star power to make some noise in the second season, despite losing Chicago Blackhawks first-rounder Mark McNeill and Pittsburgh Penguins defensive prospect Harrison Ruopp to the pros. Even though Winther, Morrissey, and Draisaitl clearly have more long-term potential in The Show, Cheveldave might be the most important player of the quarter to Clouston because of the coach's defensive-minded focus.

The deal for the Blazers, meanwhile, was almost a no-brainer. They aren’t in a position to take a run at the Ed Chynoweth Cup next year, so trading Cheveldave for Kryski speeds up their rebuild to put them in contention for a championship two-three years down the road. In addition, Taran Kozun, who turns 19 in August, appears to be ready to take on the No. 1 role between the pipes. The Nipawin, Sk., native shinned in his 20-game stint last year, posting a .914 save percentage and a 2.36 average.

“With two veteran goaltenders on our roster in Cole and Taran, we had to move one out at some point,” says Blazers general manager Craig Bonner. “Jake is an exceptional player that we are thrilled to add to our young core. He has tremendous skills and is an elite level skater. He will be a fun player to watch.”

The Blazers’ overage situation is now narrowed down to Colorado Avalanche prospect Colin Smith, Jets prospect JC Lipon, defenceman Sam Grist and centre Joe Kornelsen. It seems Smith and Lipon are ready for the AHL, but it will depend on their respective team’s depth in the minors.

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