CORNWALL, P.E.I. — The Charlottetown Islanders made a pair of deals Monday morning before the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League trade freeze went into effect.
The Isles sent forward Nathan Kelly to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies for a 10th-round pick in 2021 and defenceman Connor McCluskey to the Saint John Sea Dogs for forward Luke Wilson.
Only overage players can be traded outside of the trade freeze, which began at 11 a.m. Atlantic Monday and remains in place until December.
Kelly will be reunited with his midget coach Brad Yetman, a former P.E.I. Rocket who is now an assistant with the Huskies. Kelly was the captain of the East Coast Blizzard a year ago.
The 17-year-old Paradise, N.L., native had 14 goals and 24 assists for 38 points in 32 games for the Blizzard in 2018-19. He is listed as five-foot-10 and 167 pounds.
“It allows Nathan an opportunity,” Islanders head coach Jim Hulton said. “This guy wasn’t far off making it, so hopefully it works out for him.”
He noted Kelly and Keiran Gallant were in a position battle that Gallant won during the rookie camp. Gallant has moved on to the main camp after Saturday’s last round of cuts.
“Same age, same position, same style of play and we just decided Keiran was a little bit further ahead,” Hulton said.
The Islanders drafted Kelly in the ninth round (154th overall) at the 2018 draft.
McCluskey, who turns 18 in September, is a Grand Bay, N.B., native who attended the Isles’ camp last year. He was on loan to the Sea Dogs for camp.
Wilson, an 18-year-old Bedford, N.S., native, was on loan to the Sherbrooke Phoenix during camp. He had five points in 52 games last season for the Sea Dogs, who drafted him in the ninth-round of the 2017 draft.
“We’re in pretty good shape on our back end depth-wise in the system, so we thought it was another opportunity to add another body up front,” Hulton said.
The six-foot, 183-pound forward will join the Islanders for training camp and see where he fits in. Grand Falls owns his junior A rights.
There were a few other deals made before the freeze with local interest.
Stratford goalie Erik MacInnis was traded by Victoriaville to Moncton. The Charlottetown Bulk Carriers Pride graduate attended the Wildcats camp and played against the Isles in pre-season play in Cornwall.
Former Isles’ goalie Dakota Lund-Cornish was traded by Sherbrooke to Baie-Comeau for a fifth-round pick in 2022 and a 12th-round pick in 2020. Antoine LeBlanc, a former Islanders’ draft pick, was sent to Rimouski by Acadie-Bathurst for a 13th-round pick in 2020.
