Former Rockets rockin’ it with the Raiders

A collective sigh of relief went through the Raider bus at 1 p.m. Saturday on its way to Regina when no one was called up to the front to be told they were traded. However, it was a month of significant change in the Raider dressing room leading to the Jan. 10 trade deadline.

There are six new name plates in the Raider dressing room, four have been installed in their new homes and the team has landed four additional draft choices, one in each of the first four rounds.

The two blockbuster trades with Kelowna have garnered the most attention and rightfully so. While other league general managers praised Raider GM Bruno Campese for the Josh Morrissey trade, many fans, armchair and otherwise were critical of its lack of a first round draft choice. The timing of the trade was dictated by Morrissey’s pending unavailability because of the World Junior Championships and the recent long term injuries to top four defensemen Sawyer Lange and Hunter Warner.

The addition of Jessie Lees and Austin Glover (as well as 2nd and 3rd round draft choices) have helped. Lees has produced 7 points in 11 games and has quarterbacked an improving first power play unit. Glover’s game is rounding into shape as he looks fully recovered from an injury. The 18-year-old winger been named third star in consecutive games while scoring in each. He also made a win saving shot-block in the dying seconds Saturday night in Regina.

Anonymous on-line critics who panned the Leon Draisaitl deal calling Kris Schmidli and Dalton Yorke castoff fringe players who couldn’t cut it in Kelowna will continue to hide in cybersace as opposed to those who have the courage to put their real names next to their comments. Anyone who has seen them play have witnessed an immediate impact. Yorke plays a physical stay-at-home game on the backline and doesn’t hesitate to defend team mates.

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As for Schmidli..Holy Hannah this kid can play! Schmidli’s flu-ridden debut Wednesday against Moose Jaw was pretty good. The two games since? A pair of performances primed by dirty dangles at high speed that netted three goals and three assists, including an unassisted shorthanded goal and the setup of Glover’s shorty in Regina. Schmidli who paid tribute to the former Raider logo by gripping his stick in his teeth after his first goal in a Prince Albert uniform, is also a star in front of the microphone with a quick wit behind a huge smile.

Colton Heffley started the Kelowna exodus to the Raiders with his acquisition during the B.C. road trip.  The overage defenseman has added stability and grit to the Raider blue line.

Considering he is the only former Rocket ineligible to return next season you can safely say the deals involving Draisaitl (who wasn’t coming back), Morrissey (who will be a pro next season), and Quinney (who could return to Kelowna as an overager) has enhanced the near future of the Raiders, because if you look at the lineup that could come back, you can see the potential for a pretty good hockey team. The longer term will be depend on the performances of the General Manager and scouring staff at the draft table.

It will take several seasons to fully examine the work of Bruno Campese leading up to the trade deadline, but you can safely say, based on what we have seen on the ice …so far…so good. However those looking to find fault will find a way. They always do            

dwilson@panow.com

On Twitter: @RaidersVoice.