OHL Notebook: Trading places

It’s getting to that time of year again.

The Ontario Hockey League trade deadline is under a month away and the wants and needs of teams looking to buy and sell are being magnified.

One player that may no longer be on the market is overage goaltender Jake Paterson of the Saginaw Spirit.

The possibility of moving Paterson had been looked into by the Spirit.

“We’re definitely committed to a rebuild and we’re going to stick to it,” Spirit General Manager Jim Paliafito told Yahoo Sports in October. “When the right situation comes to us and one that makes sense for Jake – to get on a team that can go the distance – then we need to do it and move on.”

Things may have changed since then as the Spirit released import goaltender Nikita Serebryakov in late November, leaving the organization with Paterson and rookie David Ovsjanikov.

The overage player scenario in Saginaw has also changed. When Paterson was sent back to the Spirit by the Detroit Red Wings, the Spirit had four overage players in Paterson, Sean Callaghan, forward Luke Cairns and defenceman Jacob Ringuette.

Callaghan and Cairns have since been dealt.

Whether Paterson will still be moved remains to be seen.

Another overage forward who may draw interest is Erie forward Joel Wigle. Wigle was injured in September and missed a good portion of November before getting back into the Otters lineup on Nov. 19.

Wigle has played in just eight games this season and has not played in a game for the Otters since Dec. 3.

Potential trades have a few restrictions this time of year as well, hindering the announcement of possible deals until closer to the deadline.

Players at the World Junior Hockey Championships are not eligible to de dealt until Jan. 5, once the tournament is completed. This was developed recently as players who were away at the tournament found themselves dealt during the tournament with news breaking while they were competing for their country.

One player the World Juniors trade freeze affects is Peterborough Petes forward Nick Ritchie. With the team sitting six games under .500 and having given up the most goals in the OHL at 132, the Petes could very well make a move involving the Anaheim Ducks prospect and considering the going price for high-end forwards (read Nick Baptiste), the Petes could put themselves in a good spot to move their rebuild along.

A trade freeze for all players not at the World Juniors begins on Dec. 20 and opens back up on Dec. 27.

The deadline for trades is Jan. 8 at noon for all overage players and Jan. 9 at noon for all non-overage players.