By Jeff D'Andrea

POLL: Raiders deal captain Morrissey to Rockets in blockbuster

Dec 10, 2014 | 11:24 PM

Josh Morrissey will leave for Team Canada’s World Junior Selection Camp to Toronto on Thursday. When he returns, it won’t be with the Prince Albert Raiders.

Raiders general manager Bruno Campese traded his captain for the last two seasons, along with 19-year-old forward Gage Quinney to the Kelowna Rockets late on Wednesday in exchange for 19-year-old defenceman Jesse Lees, 18-year-old forward Austin Glover, a second round pick in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft and a third round pick in 2017.

Morrissey played 229 career games with the Raiders, dating back to the 2010-2011 season as a 15-year-old. Morrissey had 60 goals, which tied the Raiders career record among defencemen with Emanuel Viveiros, as well as scoring 179 career points with P.A.. 

Upon hearing the news Wednesday after a 3-0 loss to the Vancouver Giants in Vancouver, Morrissey was stricken with conflicting emotions. He was excited to join the top-ranked team in the WHL Western Conference in the Rockets, but was also quite emotional in leaving the team he battled for his entire major junior career.

“It’s really exciting for me to go to a contender in Kelowna. I’m very happy and thankful to Bruno for giving me an opportunity like that,” said Morrissey, a Winnipeg Jets 1st rounder in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. “At the same time I’ve been with the Raiders for four years and kind of grew up with the team, grew up in P.A. and my billets are close friends of mine. It’s the end of an old chapter and kind of sad at the same time.

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“I guess you think the day will never come that you have skated in your last game with the Raiders, I’m fighting back the tears right now, but I’m really excited about the opportunity in Kelowna.”

In making the move to Kelowna, Morrissey will also reunite with younger brother Jake, a 17-year-old goaltender with the Rockets.

“It’s pretty cool, it really hasn’t had enough time to sink in yet,” said Morrissey. “It’s not something many people get a chance to do, it’s pretty amazing. It should be fun and I’m really looking forward to it but it’s going to be tough leaving P.A. and it’s a range of emotions right now, for sure.”  

Although Campese was the one who pulled the trigger on the deal with Rockets general manager Bruce Hamilton, the P.A. GM felt ‘a range of emotions’ as well.

“He has been such an integral part of the franchise. He’s so good, not just at the rink, but in the community, everything about him so it was very, very difficult,” said Campese. “So when you go through these things it’s very gut wrenching, but sometimes you’ve got to take the emotion out of it and do what is best for the team.”

Campese said that with Hunter Warner’s season ending injury, Sawyer Lange’s recent upper-body injury that will sideline him indefinitely and Morrissey’s World Juniors trip, this deal could help their team both in the present and in the future. 

“With Josh going away here for a good month and missing up to ten games we thought, ‘let’s get it done,’” said Campese. “When the ball got rolling the deal got consummated very quickly. The pieces obviously we have been talking about for a very long time, you don’t put something like this together in a short period of time.” 

Lees, 19-year-old defenceman, is a former ninth overall pick by the Rockets in 2010. Like Morrissey, Lees is from Calgary, around the same size at 5’11, 185 pounds and has 20 points in 26 games this season. 

Glover is a second round pick in 2011 and 18-year-old from Clavet. He has 16 points in 18 games this season. Before participating in Wednesday’s 4-3 Rockets shootout win over the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Glover missed the previous 12 games to an upper body injury. In his Midget AAA days, Glover was part of the Saskatoon Contacts provincial championship team, along with current Raiders Reid Gardiner and Rylan Parenteau, and current Rockets Rourke Chartier and Rodney Southam.

“With the progress we have been making, we did not sell out on the season. The players we have coming back are very good players,” said Campese. “We do know they are not only going to help us this year, but next year too. Jesse Lees is an automatic to come back as a 20 year old. Austin Glover is only 18 so he is going to be with us for several years. The picks can be used to trade for more players or draft players.

“We had multiple offers for Josh, we wanted to make sure we were looking ahead, future based, while we were taking care of our own business right now.”   

With files from Drew Wilson, paNOW Staff.

jdandrea@panow.com

On Twitter: @jeff_dandrea