Wenatchee sends Savoie to Moose Jaw, deals Geekie to Swift Current
By JAMES TUBB on January 5, 2024.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb The Wenatchee Wild restocked some of their shelves left barren by the Winnipeg Ice. The Wild made two blockbuster trades Thursday, six days ahead of the WHL trade deadline, sending Buffalo Sabres prospect forward Matthew Savoie to the Moose Jaw Warriors and Arizona Coyotes prospect forward Conor Geekie to the Swift Current Broncos. Wenatchee received seven draft picks from the Warriors, a conditional first-round pick in either the 2024 or 2025 WHL draft, third and sixth-round picks in 2024, an eighth-round pick in 2025, a second-round pick in 2026 and first and fourth-round picks in 2027. “It’s an exciting day for the organization and the City of Moose Jaw to bring a player of his caliber to come in and try to help us win a championship this year,” Warriors general manager Jason Ripplinger said in a release. “He’s going to bring a lot of character and grit for us and obviously put the puck in the net.” Originally picked first overall by the then-Winnipeg Ice in the 2019 WHL draft, Savoie has 84 goals and 216 points in 160 regular season games, potting 11 goals and 24 points in 11 games this season. “Though Matthew’s time with the Wild was brief, he made major contributions for our team on and off the ice, and gave our fans an exciting introduction to the Western Hockey League product,” said Wenatchee general manager Bliss Littler. “He was an important member of the organization both in Winnipeg and Wenatchee, and we look forward to seeing his contributions in the National Hockey League very soon.” From Swift Current, the Wild received 17-year-old forward Maddix McCagherty, 17-year-old defenceman Josh Fluker, 18-year-old D-man Sam Ward and four selections in the WHL draft. Those four picks are first and second-round selections in 2025, a first-round pick in 2026 and a seventh-round selection in 2027. “We’re very excited to add a player like Conor Geekie to our group,” Broncos general manager Chad Leslie said. “His combination of size, skill, hockey sense and compete make him one of the most impactful players in the WHL. His experience in the post-season, paired with his experience at the World Juniors will be beneficial for our group as we push to the playoffs.” Geekie, also a former Ice product having been picked second overall after Savoie, has tallied 88 goals and 219 points in 186 games for the franchise. “We sincerely thank Conor for the work that he put in and the success that he brought to both the Winnipeg Ice and to the Wenatchee Wild,” said Littler. “Conor was instrumental in giving our fans an exciting introduction to the Western Hockey League this season, and we look forward to seeing him take his skills to the National Hockey League soon.” Both Savoie and Geekie represented Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, Savoie had one assist and Geekie added two goals and a helper as well. Savoie’s trade marks the third year in a row that a first overall pick in the WHL draft has been traded. Dylan Guenther, selected first in 2018, was traded from the Edmonton Oil Kings to the Seattle Thunderbirds in 2022-23. Defenceman Kaiden Guhle, selected first in 2017, was sent to Edmonton from the Prince Albert Raiders in 2021-22. These two moves come off the heels of the Saskatoon Blades adding import forward Alexander Suzdalev in a trade with the Regina Pats. Regina received 17-year-old forward Zach Moore, import defenceman Samuel Barcik, 18, rookie defenceman Dayton Deschamps, a 2025 fourth-round pick, a first-round pick in 2026 and a 2026 third-rounder. With teams around the WHL making large, multi-pick and multi-asset deals to build up for the playoffs, Medicine Hat Tigers associate coach Joe Frazer says they aren’t paying attention to the outside noise. He says they’ll just focus on what they can control and the players in their lineup. “We want to be the hardest working, fastest team in the league, so whether other teams add or subtract that’s out of our hands, we can only control what we have and who we are,” Frazer said. “We’re really excited about our team, we’ve told them all the time we have two goals here, that’s to win a championship and sign a pro contract. So whatever teams in our division or conference do, that doesn’t change our goals or how we’re going to approach each day. If you ask the players, they will tell you the same thing. We have goals set for this year and we’re going to continue to work every day to go after them.” 18-17
