With a couple of blue-liners out for a lengthy period of time, defence was priority No. 1, St. Marys Lincolns’ general manager Warren Nye said.
Acquiring a couple of top-end veteran players were at the top of his list leading up to the Jan. 10 OHA roster freeze.
Nye was able to complete a couple of deals, obtaining defenceman/forward Brendon Merritt from Lambton Shores Predators and defenceman Blake Thompson from Listowel Cyclones of the Midwestern Conference.
Both played in Lincs’ two games this past weekend.
“The boiling point came (Jan. 7) in Forest when we had to use Sean Consitt, probably our best forward, on defence the whole game,” Nye said. “We realized then, that we had to get something done and something done quickly.
“Our first goal was to get Merritt because he can play both the front and back end. If we didn’t get anybody else, we still would have been pleased, but we were able to get Thompson as well.
“The two players give us veteran leadership. Blake went deep into the playoffs last year with Listowel, and Brendon hasn’t been in the playoffs before and he’s pretty eager and pumped about that.”
Brings size, experience, versatility
Merritt, who is 6 ft., 3 inches and 225 lbs., brings size, experience and versatility to the Lincolns. Originally a defenceman, the 20-year-old Brantford native had been playing right wing for the Preds this season, and was second in team scoring with 14 goals and 44 points in 36 games. He also had 41 penalty minutes.
Merritt was in his second full season with Lambton Shores. Going to Predators in the transaction was right winger Cale Duberry, of London, plus cash.
“It’s great to be on a winning team finally,” Merritt said at Lincs’ practice last week. “Hopefully I fit in well, and we can make a good run in the playoffs. I just want to help out the team as much as I can.”
Merritt says he’d rather play forward than defence. “Forward is my preference,” he said. “I like to score goals, get the job done and win hockey games.”
Merritt scored a shootout goal in last Friday’s 6-5 loss to Leamington Flyers.
Duberry was in his rookie season with St. Marys, and was sometimes a healthy scratch. The 17-year-old right winger had two goals, nine points and 49 penalty minutes in 29 games.
Duberry scored for Lambton Shores in a 3-2 loss in Chatham Sunday night.
Named a Midwest
all-star
Bringing in Thompson may allow the Lincolns’ coaches to keep Merritt on the forward lines. The 6 ft., 1 inch, 180 lb. Thompson was in his second full season with the Cyclones, and was recently named to the Midwest all-star team.
“He solidifies our back end pretty well,” Nye said.
The GM had to give up rookie right winger Colton Pickett, cash and future considerations to land the 19-year-old Listowel native.
In 34 games with the Cycs this season, Thompson had six goals, 20 points and 109 penalty minutes. Four of his goals came on powerplays, and he was Listowel’s leading point-getter among defencemen when the trade was made.
Thompson scored a first-period goal in his St. Marys debut last Friday.
Pickett was also a rookie with the Lincs. The 17-year-old winger from Clinton had three goals, eight points and 30 penalty minutes in 33 games. He scored twice in his first game with the Cyclones last Friday.
Coach excited about new players
At practice last Tuesday, Lincolns’ coach Jamie Baker was very excited to have the two new veteran players on the ice.
“Warren pulled off a couple of huge deals there,” Baker said. “We feel we have a really good team. With playoffs coming at the end of next month, everybody is trying to make their teams a little better, and I think we’ve done that with these two pick-ups.
“It gives us two more guys who have lots of Jr. B experience; they definitely give us that veteran presence. Two great pick-ups, and everybody is pretty excited.
“We had to give up a couple of young guys, unfortunately, to get Merritt and Thompson. But you have to give up something to get good players. With what we have right now, we feel we can compete this year.”
Forward Shayne Rhyno, 19, who has spent most of his time with the Lincs on defence, will stay on the blue line for now, Baker noted.
With the acquisition of Thompson, GM Nye has put defenceman Brady Murray’s name on a Lucan card. The Irish are Lincolns’ Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League affiliate.
“But Brady will be with us for the majority of the time, and it allows us to free up an extra card in case somebody else comes available,” Nye explained.
Goalie Devin Golets, who played in five games while Greg Dodds was injured, will continue to practice with the Lincs. Golets, 19, remains on a Lucan card, and will play for the Irish as well as St. Marys when called upon, the GM said.
“We have 22 players signed, with one card open,” Nye added. “We have almost a month to fill that last card, if he’s an import.”
Back before end of regular schedule?
St. Marys defencemen Tyler Bryson and Marcus Gverzdys, meanwhile, remain sidelined with injuries, but both could be back before the end of the regular schedule, GM Nye said last week.
Bryson, a four-year veteran, has been out since Dec. 4 with a shoulder injury. The 19-year-old from Exeter has resumed skating, and could be back in the line-up by the end of this month.
Gverzdys, a first-year blue-liner, broke a bone in his wrist in Leamington on Dec. 1. The 18-year-old Londoner, who had three pins and a plate inserted in his forearm, could possibly return by the second week of February.