Monday, January 10, 2011

Blades Pick Up 2011 IIHF World Junior Tournament MVP, Brayden Schenn

Press Release

Saskatoon, SK – Head Coach and General Manager, Lorne Molleken announced today that The Saskatoon Blades Hockey Club have made a trade with the Brandon Wheat Kings to acquire centre, Brayden Schenn and a 2012 3rd Round Draft Pick. In exchange the Blades have given up four draft picks: 1st Round in 2011, 2nd Round in 2011, 1st Round in 2012 and 1st Round in 2012 Import Draft. The Blades also included in the trade two prospects: Ayrton Nikkel (Pursuit of Excellence M-AAA) and Tim McGauley (Regina M-AAA).

19-year-old Brayden Schenn is a first round draft pick for the Los Angeles Kings, where he spent the first two months of the hockey season. With the NHL’s Kings, Schenn picked up two assists. He also spent time on a two week conditioning assignment in the AHL, for the Manchester Monarchs, where he collected 3 goals, 7 points and 4 PIM in 7 games.

Brayden Schenn was sent back to his club team, the Brandon Wheat Kings, on December 2, 2010. He played two games with the Wheat Kings, in which he collected 1 goal and 3 assists. Schenn recently competed, for his second year in a row, at the IIHF World Junior Championship on Team Canada and was titled Top Forward and MVP of the 2011 tournament. Assistant Captain, Shenn, collected 8 goals, 10 assists and a +10 rating in 7 games of the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championships and his 18th tournament point has tied Dale McCourt for the Canadian record for most points by a Canadian in the tournament.

“The Saskatoon Blades are extremely pleased to be able to acquire a player of Brayden Schenn’s caliber. It has been a long process. When you are making a deal of this magnitude there is a lot of time and deliberation put into it. We feel that Brayden Schenn is a player that can help us achieve our goal which is to become WHL League Champions and ultimately Memorial Cup Champions.” Head Coach and GM Lorne Molleken continued, “Over the last number of years we’ve been building toward this, ultimately we want to win a championship and we feel we have the team for it this year. Acquiring a Saskatoon-native who is the Top Forward and MVP of the World Juniors, gives us a chance to achieve our goal. What we have given up is a piece of our future, but we want to accomplish something special here in the present. We have an opportunity to bring a young man back home to finish his WHL career, which we are extremely excited about as an organization.”

(Nathan can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

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