Greyhounds done loading up as deadline approaches

The Soo Greyhounds don't expect to make any more deals ahead of Friday's noon deadline for trades in the Ontario Hockey League.

On Thursday the team acquired defenceman Anthony DeAngelo from the Sarnia Sting in exchange for rookie Anthony Salinitri and draft picks.

The team also made another deal late in the day that saw them trade forward Charley Graaskamp to the Sudbury Wolves in exchange for a pair of draft picks.

Greyhounds General Manager Kyle Raftis expected those to be the final two moves the team made prior to the deadline.

The deals ended a busy three-day stretch for the team. The Greyhounds acquired Justin Bailey from Kitchener on Tuesday and then completed a deal with the Peterborough Petes that brought in Nick Ritchie and Connor Boland.

“Anytime you can improve your speed and skill and add the size and the experience is huge,” said Greyhounds General Manager Kyle Raftis. “We (Raftis and the coaching staff) went over different scenarios. Not necessarily names but just what we thought would be a good fit. There are things that you look for that make you a good team and then what makes it a great team. Where does that player fit?”

Raftis also said the deals aren’t made to change the culture of the team.

“You’re not trying to change anything,” Raftis said. “We’re not trying to reinvent our team identity. It’s about seeing where we’re at, adding a few things and seeing where it goes from there.”

Following the deal for Bailey, Raftis said the team was looking to add some size while not taking away from the skill of the team.

“We were looking at getting a little bit bigger up front but with saying that, we weren’t just looking at adding a big body that couldn’t play the way we like to play,” Raftis also said. “Our team plays with a lot of speed and a lot of skill and the way we got a little bit of size and still kept with that model was very important to us.”

Bailey (6-foot-3, 202 pounds) and Ritchie (6-foot-3, 229 pounds) add a pair of skilled forwards with size while Boland (6-foot-3, 194 pounds) adds a steady presence on the blueline. In DeAngelo (5-foot-11, 177 pounds), the Greyhounds add a skilled defenceman that can help the power play.

The deals saw the Greyhounds move David Miller, Kyle Jenkins and Anthony Salinitri as well as 11 draft picks.

“You’re always giving up good players,” Raftis said of the trio of players dealt. “That’s the way trades are made. It’s a tough situation. (The players traded away) are players that put you in this situation so it’s always hard. They’re great kids off the ice, they’re good students. It’s tough to say goodbye to those guys. They were integral parts of us getting into this situation and make these moves.”

“Having to say goodbye to those guys and tell them we’re moving them is not a fun part of the job,” Raftis added. “I got a real taste of that recently.”

Ritchie and Boland were expected to land in Sault Ste. Marie on Thursday evening and accompany the team on their road trip to Saginaw and Plymouth this weekend. DeAngelo will meet the team in Saginaw for Friday’s game.

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Some thoughts from Greyhounds General Manager Kyle Raftis on the Greyhounds four new members:

On DeAngelo: “There’s not a player that wasn’t on our roster other than Anthony DeAngelo that you could put on the back end to play on the power play that fits in perfectly,” Raftis said of Thursday’s major trade of the day. “When you look at the way he plays, the way he moves the puck and his vision and compete level, it’s going to be a good fit.”

On Boland: “In Connor Boland, you’re getting a player that competes every night,” Raftis said. “He’s hard to play against. He’s tough in his own zone. He’s in his fifth year in the league and he’s really excited about an opportunity to win (in Sault Ste. Marie).”

On Ritchie: “He’s a player that can obviously score goals,” Raftis said. “He has the size and the way he moves around the rink, he can be a real force.”

On Bailey: “For me, what stuck out was how excited he was to come (to Sault Ste. Marie),” Raftis said. “He understands what we’re trying to do here. I think he likes the way we play and it fits his mold.”