July may not be hockey time, but the calendar has not stopped the Yorkton Terriers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League from pulling off a trade.
The Terriers send 20-year-old goaltender Warren Shymko to the Swan Valley Stampeders of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League for 19-year-old forward Derek Falloon.
Shymko was the Terrier's number one goaltender last season going 18-11-2, with a 2.46 goals against average, .912 save percentage and two shutouts.
However Shymko was also one of three goaltenders eligible to return this season, along with Kale Thomson and Dawson MacAuley.
Terrier head coach said while the team carried three netminders last season it was not an option for the upcoming season. He said even at the league's trade deadline in January he told the three goaltenders "going into next season that wouldn't be a scenario."
Cassan said a summer trade in Junior hockey is rather rare, admitting it's the first in his time with the team, but in this case the pieces simply fell into place.
"Swan River was very interested in Warren and offered a player we were interested in as well.
Falloon, from Russell, MB, had 35 points in 53 games with Dauphin and Swan Valley last season, his second full season in the MJHL.
Cassan said they like Falloon having two years of Junior experience to draw on, with two seasons of eligibility remaining.
"The guy's a skilled player, with some good speed," he said, adding as a veteran he expects Falloon to add both experience and offence to the roster this fall.
Cassan said while MacAuley is likely to get a long look in Medicine Hat with the Western Hockey League Tigers, Thomson looks ready to step into a bigger role with the Terriers.
"Kale played very well every opportunity he got last year," said the Terrier coach, adding he handled sitting well too, continuing to work hard until called upon again. "He's going to get a good opportunity to play some good minutes here."
Cassan added he expects some other goaltenders at fall camp ready to push both Thomson and MacAuley.
