CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — The Charlottetown Islanders turned a player selected in the fourth round in June into a second-round selection before he attended a practice with them.
The Isles traded 16-year-old defenceman Angus Booth to the Shawinigan Cataractes on Thursday for a second-round pick in the 2022 draft.
Booth, the younger brother of former Quebec and Saint John goalie Callum Booth, was one of the two defencemen the Isles selected in the fourth round of the 2020 draft.
“Anytime you can add those top two round picks they become valuable, whether you ever make the selection or whether they’re part of a trade package for a bigger fish,” Islanders’ head coach and general manager Jim Hulton said. “We think we have a really legitimate two-year window when you look at some of our pieces.
“The second-round pick becomes valuable in allowing us to pursue perhaps a goal-scorer or whatever it might be at the deadline.”
The Islanders return five defenceman from last year’s squad and added veteran Felix Tremblay in a deal earlier this month for Max-Antoine Melançon.
“It was also a situation where it maybe gives Angus a chance to play in the league this year, which he wouldn't have got with us,” Hulton said. “Because of the COVID situation, he wasn't even coming into camp.”
The Islanders liked Booth, didn’t shop him and no trade demand was made.
“This kind of came right out of left field,” Hulton said.
Shawinigan general manager Martin Mondou called Hulton about two weeks ago and made a proposal that the Isles declined.
“Then he came back even more aggressive,” Hulton said.
Shawinigan selected Michael Mastrodomenico ninth overall at the 2020 draft. He and Booth were defence partners with the Laval-Montreal Rousseau Royal last season. Mastrodomenico was rated No. 3 heading into the draft but slid because of NCAA concerns. He verbally committed to the University of Notre Dame earlier this month.
The Islanders traded their second-round pick in 2022 for defenceman Oscar Plandowski a year ago. They now have picks in each of the first five rounds in 2022. In the 2021 draft, they own Drummondville’s first, Quebec’s second, Halifax and their own third, plus Halifax’s fourth.
The traded a first-, second- and third-round picks to get overage goalie Colten Ellis at the draft to solidify the back end.
Training camp begins Aug. 30 at MacLauchlan Arena.
