Defenceman Zack Hayes battles with Blades forward Kirby Dach at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon. (Jeff D'Andrea/paNOW Staff)

By Trevor Redden

Making moves

Hayes returns, Martin on the move as Raiders settle on overagers

Oct 4, 2019 | 2:11 PM

The Prince Albert Raiders have solved their overage riddle after a flurry of roster activity on Friday morning.

First, the team announced that defenceman Zack Hayes had returned from the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League, creating a temporary logjam of four 20-year-old players on the roster with the league-mandated cutdown to a maximum of three looming next week.

Hours later, a blockbuster trade was completed, which sent defenceman Max Martin to the Kamloops Blazers in exchange for a 2^nd and 4^th-round pick in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft.

“The key was I wanted picks in this year’s draft, so that’s how that came together. But in the end, we give Marty a great opportunity,” General Manager Curtis Hunt said.

“Kamloops has made a couple deals for overage players that could be impact guys. It’s a good opportunity for Marty to take the lessons from our trip [to the Memorial Cup] and hopefully have a good year over there.”

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Martin is a veteran of 214 WHL regular season games, with 185 of them being played in a Raider uniform. Acquired from Prince George in Nov. 2016 as part of a package for defenceman Brendan Guhle, Martin became a mainstay on the Raider blueline. Last season, he produced 41 points in the regular season and another eight in the postseason, playing a key role for the Raiders in their run to the Memorial Cup.

“When I think about the three-year process to build this team, Max was really the key guy. Hayes was in place, we had [Ian Scott], and then it was starting from the back end out. Marty was the first guy in the Guhle deal, he was with us through the lumps of that 17-year-old year,” Hunt said.

“Him and [Sergei] Sapego played huge minutes last year for us when it was really important, and this year coming back he really stepped up in a leadership position, started all the drills, great communication throughout practice, and played lead minutes in the games. Those things made it difficult but we’re grateful for his time here and we wish him the best of luck,” Hunt added.

The move was necessitated by the return of Hayes, who served as alternate captain last year, and spent much of the season paired with Brayden Pachal on one of the most formidable defensive duos in the league. Hayes will be expected to play big minutes for the club in his overage campaign.

“We have a 20-minute player right away in Zack and his ability to play with poise. Beyond him and Jeremy [Masella] we’ve got a young group of defencemen, so we’re really going to lean on those two guys in a leadership and mentorship role,” Hunt said.

“Zack is poised to take the leadership of our team and make sure there’s accountability, make sure we’ve got great communication in our locker room, and really continue that Raider way as we’ve seen it build slowly over the last two years.”

The other two overage spots on the team are filled by Masella and forward Brayden Watts. Watts was acquired from the Vancouver Giants last week, adding a veteran presence to the Raider forward group and making an immediate impact with four points in his first two games over the weekend.

Masella is in his third season with the team after being acquired from Victoria in Jan. 2017. The native of Phoenix, AZ has established himself as a premier penalty killer in the WHL, and a reliable defensive presence for the Raiders. He has also showed some offensive flashes, including scoring the overtime winner on Saturday night against Winnipeg.

The Raiders are back on home ice this weekend as they welcome the Saskatoon Blades tonight, and Regina on Saturday.

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trevor.redden@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Trevor_Redden