The Charlottetown Islanders couldn’t find a dance partner on the final day of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League trade period.
The Isles explored adding and subtracting from the roster but stood pat when the 1 p.m. deadline arrived.
General manager and head coach Jim Hulton said the message to his players is simple.
“We believe in you,” he said. “We have a lot of the pieces here and let’s go prove people wrong.”
The Islanders (22-14-5-0) are third in the Eastern Conference, but Chicoutimi, Moncton, Cape Breton and Rimouski all made big additions during the trade period.
“Everybody is kind of underestimating this group, which is what we like,” Hulton said of his squad. “We're going to come in under the radar in terms of high-profile (additions), but it comes down to what’s done on the ice.”
The Islanders did make five deals in December, acquiring defenceman Chris McQuaid, forwards Ethan Crossman and Drew Elliott plus draft picks for defenceman Xavier Bernard, forwards Kevin Gursoy and Xavier Fortin as well as picks.
Hulton said it accomplished the team’s goal of being tougher to play against.
The big additions for the Islanders could come from the return of Nikita Alexandrov from the world junior championship, where he was Russia’s player of the game in Sunday’s final, and Lukas Cormier rounding into shape from a foot injury sustained in the first half.
“This team hasn't had a full roster in a long time. We’re excited to see what we're all about when we get everybody here,” Hulton said.
The Islanders did look at adding a piece for the second half on Monday but found the prices were extremely high. The Islanders looked at trading players too, but Hulton said the return would be like getting a dime for a dollar.
“There were lots of chances to subtract if you want to completely throw the towel in, but we don't believe in that.”
Hulton said he did receive calls on Alexandrov as well as 19-year-olds like Cedric Desruisseaux and Thomas Casey.
The Islanders made back-to-back trips to the league semifinal in 2017 and 2018. The first time around, they loaded up at the deadline while the second trip was boosted by a tweaking of the roster.
“We’ve been on both sides of this coin in the past. Sometimes the load-up works and sometimes they don't,” Hulton said. “We believe that our chemistry, our makeup and our commitment will make up for any of the marquee names that might not be here and went elsewhere.”
Hulton said the team isn’t shy on pushing key assets in to improve the squad, but the deal has to make sense for the present and future.
“We think our window is open here for a couple of years,” he said.
Charlottetown Trades
- A look at the Charlottetown Islanders trade period acquisitions.
- Dec. 15
- Charlottetown trades F Xavier Fortin to Baie-Comeau for F Drew Elliott.
- Charlottetown trades a fourth- and a seventh-round picks in 2021 draft to Chicoutimi for F Ethan Crossman.
- Charlottetown trades a sixth-round pick in 2021 to Gatineau for D Chris McQuaid.
- Charlottetown trades D Xavier Bernard to Sherbrook for third- and seventh-round picks in 2020 plus Quebec’s second-round pick in 2021.
- Charlottetown trades F Kevin Gursoy to Halifax for a sixth-round pick in 2021.
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Around the league
A look at the deals completed on the final day of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League trade period.
• Drummondville trades F Dawson Mercer to Chicoutimi for first round picks in 2020, 2021 and 2022, second-round picks in 2020 and 2021, plus a fourth-round pick in 2022.
• Halifax trades F Raphael Lavoie to Chicoutimi for first- and second-round picks in 2020, plus a second- and third-round picks in 2021.
• Chicoutimi trades two fourth-round picks in 2020 to Shawinigan for a second-round pick in 2020.
• Chicoutimi trades a second-round pick in 2020 to Acadie-Bathurst for a second in 2021.
• Val-d’Or trades D Karl Boudrias to Chicoutimi for second-, third- and fifth-round picks in 2022, a fourth in 2021 and a fifth in 2020.
• Halifax trades D Jared McIsaac to Moncton for first- and third-round picks in 2022, a fifth in 2021 and a third in 2020.
• Rouyn-Noranda trades D Ryan MacLellan to Moncton for a seventh-round pick in 2020.
• Rouyn-Noranda trades D Justin Bergeron to Rimouski for F Alexis Brisson, a first-round pick in 2020, second-round picks in 2020 and 2022, a fourth in 2021 and a third in 2022.
• Gatineau trades G Creed Jones to Rimouski for a second-round pick in 2021.
• Sherbrooke trades F Samuel Fortier, a fourth- and eighth-round picks in 2020 plus a first-rounder in 2022 to Gatineau for F Charles-Antoine Roy.
• Rouyn-Noranda trades Fs Tyler Hinam and F Alexis Bolduc to Cape Breton for F Shaun Miller and two third-round picks (2020 and 2021).
• Rouyn-Noranda trades a fourth-round pick in 2022 to Drummondville for C Charles-Edouard Drouin
• Halifax trades F Cole Stewart and a fifth-round pick in 2021 to Acadie-Bathurst for F Alexandre David.
• Acadie-Bathurst trades F Evan MacKinnon to Gatineau for a sixth-round pick in 2021.
• Val-d’Or trades F Alexandre Couture to Blainville-Boisbriand for a third-round pick in 2020.
• Victoriaville trades F Olivier Mathieu to Val-d’Or for a fourth-round pick in 2020.
• Acadie-Bathurst trades G Tyriq Outen to Chicoutimi for a 10th-round pick in 2022.
• Saint John trades F Alexis Belisle to Victoriaville for a sixth-round pick in 2021 and a 10th-round pick in 2022.
• Saint John trades G Tommy DaSilva to Gatineau for a 10th-round pick in 2022.
