NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN
Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman Dylan Plouffe and Everett Silvertips blueliner Jake Christensen exchange a few words after the first period of a Western Hockey League game at the Canalta Centre on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken
Tyler Preziuso and Trevor Longo are heading back to their home province after being traded from the Medicine Hat Tigers to the Vancouver Giants in a blockbuster deal Saturday.
Medicine Hat also parted ways with a first-round bantam draft pick in 2020 and a conditional fifth-rounder in 2021, but acquired some serious stock on defence and added depth up front in the form of overage blueliner Dylan Plouffe and 18-year-old forward Lukas Svejkovsky.
“That’s a tough trade for us. It’s a good trade but it’s a tough trade,” said Tigers head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins, who also obtained a third-round pick in the upcoming draft and a conditional fifth-rounder next year. “I think when you look at our ownership, it’s always hard, people don’t understand. They feel a lot of times that these guys are like kids to them and they hate to see when they have to go – especially a guy like Preziuso that’s been around for that long. He’s just really part of the culture. I think Plouffe’s a good player. If we were going to bring a 20-year-old in, we needed to bring him in. The fact that Prez is going to go back out to B.C., where he’s from, was pretty important to us as well. Longo’s out that way as well.”
Preziuso spent the first 293 games of his WHL career in Medicine Hat, and quickly became a fixture with his speed down the wing. Over four-plus seasons in the Gas City, the 5-foot-11, 184-pound Victoria product racked up 55 goals with 83 assists and is on pace for a career year with 22 points in his first 28 games. He added two more goals in his debut with the Giants Sunday.
“It’s really heartbreaking seeing Tyler and Trevor go. Being with Tyler so long, it’s especially hard, but I think we got some great guys and we’re looking to go forward,” said Tigers captain James Hamblin, who spent the first four seasons of his career with Preziuso. “It’s kind of a goodbye-but-not-forever kind of thing. We’ll still keep in touch and I’m sure we’ll find time to see each other down the road.”
Longo joins his hometown Giants on pace to shatter last year’s offensive numbers with four goals and six assists over his first 27 games – three shy of last season’s point total. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound North Vancouver product finished with 27 points over 110 games with the Tabbies.
While their departure opened the door for a significant haul in Medicine Hat, Desjardins says both Preziuso and Longo will be sorely missed both on the ice and in the dressing room.
“We traded away two great people,” said Desjardins. “Their parents should be proud, certainly, for the way they raised those guys because they gave us everything they had and we’ll certainly miss that from them.”
Both Plouffe and Svejkovsky made their debut in Saturday’s 5-0 loss to the Everett Silvertips – capping off a wild day of packing, flights and of course hockey.
“I had a quick turnaround,” said Plouffe, now Medicine Hat’s second overage blueliner alongside Parker Gavlas. “Packed my stuff up and then I left with Lukas at 9 a.m. and had a long day, a couple flights. It was tough, I’ve never done it before, but personally I probably should try my best and elevate my game a little more than I did tonight.”
Plouffe entered the Tigers dressing room with 272 Western Hockey League games under his belt. In that time, the 6-foot, 201-pound Sherwood Park product collected 28 goals and 95 assists, including five goals and 17 helpers in 28 games with Vancouver this season.
Hailing from Northern Alberta, Plouffe already has a few familiar faces in Medicine Hat’s dressing room.
“I’ve played Team Alberta with James, grew up in Sherwood Park for a few years with Elijah and I actually played with Cyle McNabb in Vancouver,” said Plouffe, adding it was comforting to have Svejkovsky along for the ride this weekend as well. “It’s nice. Knowing a few guys on the team here for me is good, but going through it with him, it’s just something I want to help him out with. Back in Vancouver I tried to help him out as much as I could and that’s what I’m going to continue to do. It’s really nice to go through it with someone else.”
Svejkovsky broke into the WHL last season and has been steadily increasing in offensive production ever since. While he was held off Vancouver’s roster for his final four games with the team, Svejkovsky managed five goals and five assists in 18 contests this season before getting shipped to Medicine Hat.
“The biggest thing is that they believe in me,” said Svejkovsky, who had nine goals and 17 assists over 67 games last season. “Now all I’ve got to do is go to work and prove them right.”
Given Svejkovsky’s absence from the Giants lineup, Desjardins says it was important to finalize the trade as soon as possible with plenty of teams clamouring to make moves ahead of the Jan. 10 deadline.
“I think any time when the deal is there, you’ve got to make the move. I think Lukas was at home, he wasn’t playing, so Vancouver had to make something happen,” said Desjardins. “It wasn’t that we needed to get rid of those two guys, because we like both guys, but they’re guys that (Vancouver) liked, and obviously if we want to get good players we’re going to have to give up good players. It won’t happen otherwise.”
Svejkovsky and Plouffe also bring a wealth of playoff experience to the Tigers, as Vancouver went all the way to Game 7 of the final last season before the Prince Albert Raiders sealed the deal.
Svejkovsky had four goals and nine assists in the post-season while Plouffe racked up six goals and 10 assists over the course of the 22-game run.
“The biggest thing is realizing how hard it is, but in the end it’s the funnest time,” said Plouffe. “It was the best year of hockey I’ve ever had in my life and if I can do that here and bring these guys along the way, it’ll be another amazing year.”
Plouffe started Saturday’s debut on a pairing with Eric Van Impe, while Svejkovsky laced up his skates alongside captain Hamblin and childhood friend Corson Hopwo.
“They’re both really skilled, fast forwards,” said Svejkovsky. “I’ve known Corson for a long time, I played with him growing up, so it was really fun. Obviously we didn’t get the bounces we wanted and didn’t get the result we wanted but those are two really good players and it’s really fun to play with them.”
Medicine Hat kicks off a three-game road trip Tuesday in Saskatoon against the Blades. They return home Saturday to host the Edmonton Oil Kings in their final game before the holiday break.
