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WHL: Eighth-place Wheat Kings land Kevin Sundher
Typically, a top scorer such Kevin Sundher does not land on a team holding down the final spot in its conference.
However, the WHL's Eastern Conference is fairly wide open this season, so Brandon Wheat Kings GM and owner Kelly McCrimmon, still flush with younger players and bantam draft selections from the Brayden Schenn trade last season, went out and added Sundher from the Victoria Royals late Monday night. It's a unique move not only due to the Wheat Kings' spot in the standings but for the fact the team is already third in the WHL in goal scoring, while having allowed more goals (153) than all but one other team that holds a playoff spot. Why add the seventh-leading scorer in the league instead of more defence?
As McCrimmon explained it:
"We've talked about the fact that we haven't been at the level that we've needed to be at for the last six weeks ... as we move into the stretch drive and into the playoffs, we think adding Kevin Sundher to our team is really going to make a difference.
" ... When you're looking to improve your team, adding good players at any position to your team is going to make a difference. One of the things we talked about all year is the importance of the centre-ice position. What this does is gives us someone who complents our talented group and will strengthen all four lines." (Luber's Lounge)
Sundher, a Buffalo Sabres prospect, has 22 goals and 64 points in 40 games this season, which shows what a potent scorer and playmaker he's matured into during his final junior season.
He was unstoppable early on in the season; now he'll be going to a team where he won't be the primary focus of opponents' game plans, since that will be Mark Stone. Ironically, Sundher was traded just before the Royals headed out an eastern swing. He's just going a little farther:
"It's been a crazy day, the team was just heading out for the prairies and I was pulled off the bus and told about the trade. I play to win and I'm looking forward to joining a team that has a chance to go far." (Voice of the Victoria Royals)
Meantime, barring another deal by the WHL deadline of 5 p.m. ET, McCrimmon and coach Cory Clouston seem set to lean on their core of young defencemen, 17-year-olds Ryan Pulock, Eric Roy and Dylan Kuczek and 16-year-old Ayrton Nikkel. That's a very young group for a team hoping to get back into contention, but they're also not taking short-term gain at the expense of developing a group that could be devastating in two years' time.
Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet (photo: The Canadian Press).
