Following last week’s trade deadline, the Selkirk Steelers clearly feel they have the pieces they need to make the playoffs and make a run.
At Friday’s deadline, the Steelers were one of only two teams that made a single acquisition while the rest addressed their team needs by selling off and/or adding a multitude of players.
The Steelers’ lone move was a trade with the Swan Valley Stampeders, in which they acquired 2005-born forward Carter Zalischuk in exchange for future considerations.
In his third full season in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, Zalischuk has two goals, five assists, and 41 penalty minutes in 27 games.
On Sunday, Zalischuk suited up on the Steelers fourth line in their 4-3 win over the Winnipeg Freeze.
“We’re really excited to bring Carter in. He’s a player that we’ve really liked over the extent of his career in the league,” said head coach/director of hockey operations Hudson Friesen. “He’s a veteran player now, has played a few years in the league, been to the playoffs, been in some deep series’, has that experience, and those were all things we were looking to add to our group. Obviously being a bit on the younger side we felt we could add a player or two that brings that veteran presence to our room, that could add depth up front, and we felt that was the piece we were looking to add.”
Friesen said that they had briefly considered other potential trade targets but didn’t feel there were options that would be suitable for their team.
Following the deadline, the Steelers picked up three of four points in Saturday and Sunday’s games.
On Saturday, they lost 4-3 in overtime to the Winkler Flyers, with goals coming from Dawson Dear, Landon Jamieson, and Rohan Guevarra, while Noel Olsonawski made 55 saves.
Then, on Sunday, they reversed the result with a 4-3 regulation win over the Winnipeg Freeze with a pair from Guevarra and one from Jamieson and Owen Johnston.
Ethan Sawyer didn’t face much action but still made 15 saves in the victory.
The Steelers now enter the new week still fifth in the MGEU East Division with a 20-13-1-1 record for 42 points.
They trail the Niverville Nighthawks by five points for the final playoff spot in the division but hold three games in hand.
This week they take on a trio of MGEU West opponents in the Virden Oil Capitals, Northern Manitoba Blizzard, and Swan Valley Stampeders starting Tuesday night against the Capitals in Selkirk.
In their two previous meetings, the Steelers have beat the Capitals both times and have outscored them 13-2.
“We’ve had success against them so far this year and they made a bunch of changes at the deadline so they’re obviously making a playoff push to,” said Friesen. “For us we had a really strong game in Winkler and we wanted to embody that Saturday and every night. Playing with emotion and structure and good will follow. Those will be the keys for us.”
Upcoming Games:
Tuesday, Jan. 14 vs Virden Oil Capitals, 7:30 p.m. at Selkirk Recreation Complex
Friday, Jan. 17 at Northern Manitoba Blizzard, 7 p.m. at Roy H. Johnston Arena
Saturday, Jan. 18 at Swan Valley Stampeders, 7 p.m. at Swan River Centennial Arena
