The Estevan Bruins were not busy at the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League trade deadline on Saturday, making one deal.
The Bruins sent 18-year-old defenceman Cody Durdle to the Virden Oil Capitals of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League in exchange for 18-year-old forward Lindsay MacLellan.
Bruins head coach and general manager Chris Lewgood said Durdle, a rookie from Portage la Prairie, Man., wasn't happy with his playing time.
"It was driven by Cody Durdle. He had requested a trade just before the deadline, saying he wasn't happy with his role on our team and he deserved more opportunity, and as a result we were able to come up with a deal that made our team better," said Lewgood.
"This has been an ongoing discussion with Cody. He expressed a desire to play more and we were unable to accommodate him. We thought he was playing to the level of his role and not beyond."
Lewgood added that the timing of the trade request "caught us a little off-guard," noting that otherwise the team probably would have been able to add a defenceman to replace Durdle.
MacLellan, a native of Penticton, B.C., stands 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds. He has five goals and 16 points in 41 games with Virden this year.
"He's got 16 points, which puts him in the top third of our team in scoring. Big body, physical player. We liked him in the pre-season tournament here. He adds a bit of grit and character to our team.
During the pre-season tournament that brought Virden, Weyburn and Minot to town, MacLellan won a fight against Estevan's Richard Yusa in a blow-for-blow slugfest.
Down to six rearguards, the club will use R.T. Rice on the blue line as needed. Lewgood noted there are also five affiliate player defencemen who can be called up.
Meanwhile, the Bruins also added 20-year-old forwards Dylan Herzberg and Brandon Halbgewachs to their main protected list in the event their services are needed down the stretch. Both have played with the Bruins in the past and are currently with the Junior B Pilot Butte Storm.
"They're 20-year-old guys that we know can play and step in should we, down the stretch, have some roster trouble and our AAA guys are unavailable."
There were many other trades around the SJHL at the deadline. Among them, the Yorkton Terriers dealt veteran defenceman Dylan Baer to the Kindersley Klippers for rearguard Connor Veroba and futures, then flipped Veroba to the Flin Flon Bombers for more futures.
The Battlefords North Stars dealt 20-year-old forward Ryne Keller to the MJHL's Winkler Flyers for futures.
The Weyburn Red Wings traded the rights to 20-year-old defenceman Cody Pettapiece, along with a fourth round pick in the 2015 bantam draft, to the Bombers for a third round pick in 2015.
