The Soo Greyhounds jumped to an early start on the deadline trading frenzy by completing a four-player trade with the Sarnia Sting on Tuesday evening.
The Greyhound shipped out overage enforcer Colt King and 19 year-old defenseman Matt Manias to the Sting in exchange for overage defenseman Travis Chapman and 19 year-old left winger Reg Thomas.
The Ontario Hockey League trading deadline is Friday at 6 p.m.
In Chapman, the Greyhounds get an experienced fourth-year defenseman with some offensive upside. In 31 games this season, Chapman has scored three goals and eight assists for 11 points to go with 18 penalty minutes.
The Greyhounds are Chapman's fourth team in the OHL having played previously for Sudbury and Kitchener, which drafted the 5-foot-9 defenseman in the second round. Last year, Chapman scored seven times and added 32 assists in Sudbury.
Chapman should fit nicely on the Greyhound power play while Thomas is known for his physical style of play which will replace, for the most part, the presence of King on the left side of the ice.
Both will make their debut on Friday when the Greyhounds entertain the Plymouth Whalers at 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Gardens.
Thomas, standing at 6-foot-2 and 176 pounds, has scored once and added seven assists in 26 games this season with 65 penalty minutes. Last year, Thomas put up eight goals, 24 points and 81 penalty minutes in 66 games.
Thomas has not played since December 15th after being suspended for a slashing incident.
For King, the trade will mark the fourth time in his career that the rugged forward has been moved. King began his career in Guelph and followed with stops in North Bay/Saginaw, Oshawa and the Soo.
Manias, acquired in the off season from Kitchener, became expendable with the overload on the defense corps as the team is currently carrying eight defenseman on the roster.
*** FRITSCHE RETURNS: The Sarnia Sting also received a huge boost on Tuesday as the National Hockey League's Columbus Blue Jackets returned 18 year-old sniper Dan Fritsche to the team.
Fritsche, who scored 32 goals and 71 points last year, began the season in Columbus and was then sent to Team USA where he helped his club defeat Canada in the gold medal game on Monday at the World Junior Hockey Championships.
*** OTHER DEALS:
In other OHL trades on Tuesday, the Owen Sound Attack acquired centre Todd Griffith from the Belleville Bulls for a fifth round Draft pick in the 2005 OHL draft.
Saginaw sent sniper Geoff Platt to the Erie Otters for former Greyhound Mike Melinko, grinder and scorer Sean Courtney and a fourth round pick in 2005.