Just because the trade deadline is still months away, doesn’t mean big trades can’t happen in late November.
On Nov. 30, the Minnesota Wild acquired right-shot defenceman David Jiříček from the Columbus Blue Jackets for Daemon Hunt, a 2025 first-round pick, a 2027 second-round pick, a 2026 third-round pick, and a third-round pick. That’s a whole lot of picks!
Jiříček was selected sixth overall in the 2022 draft by the Blue Jackets and played 53 games with the Metropolitan Division team, scoring one goal and 11 points. His career-high in all three totals came in 2023-24, where he scored a goal and 10 points in 43 games.
Hunt was selected in the third round of the 2020 draft by the Wild and has an assist in 13 National Hockey League games. The left-shot defenceman, who played his junior years with the Moose Jaw Warriors, scored three goals and 29 points in 51 games with the Wild’s American Hockey League team last season and picked up an assist in one of his 12 NHL games last season.
So far in 2024-25, he’s played one NHL game and nine AHL games, picking up four assists for the Iowa Wild.
Top prospect Brayden Yager traded in the WHL
Speaking of trades regarding Moose Jaw Warriors players, the Western Hockey League team made a trade Monday afternoon, as they sent Winnipeg Jets prospect Brayden Yager to the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Also going to the Hurricanes was netminder Jackson Unger, while the Warriors received Brady Smith, Landen Ward, Colt Carter, and a whole lot of picks in the coming years.
This is the second trade Yager has been involved in this season, as the Pittsburgh Penguins sent him to the Jets in exchange for Rutger McGroarty. Ironically, both players were picked 14th overall, with Yager being selected in the 2023 draft while McGroarty was selected the year before.
With the Warriors, Yager scored 11 goals and 30 points in 21 games, below the pace of his 35 goals and 95 points in 57 games last season. However, the defending Ed Chynoweth Trophy champions have a 6-15-4 record, tied for dead last in the WHL. What a wild year it has been for the Warriors.
Macklin Celebrini was named the first star of the week
Sticking with young players, the first overall selection in the 2024 draft, Macklin Celebrini, was named the National Hockey League’s first star.
This past week, Celebrini scored four goals and seven points in four games as the Sharks went 3-1-0 since last Monday. So far this season, Celebrini has eight goals and 14 points, tied for third in points for rookies. However, his 0.93 point-per-game pace is first for all rookies, edging out Matvei Michkov’s 0.83 point-per-game pace (nine goals, 19 points in 23 games).
After a disastrous start where the Sharks started 0-7-2, they are 9-6-3 and are just five points out of a postseason spot, albeit with a league-leading 27 games played.
As for the other two Stars of the Week, Vancouver Canucks defenceman Quinn Hughes is the second star thanks to a one-goal, nine-point performance in four games. The third star of the week was Jakob Chychrun, who scored three goals and seven points in four games for the Washington Capitals.
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