By Jeff D'Andrea

Raiders deal Rhinehart to Cougars, receive scoring centre in McDonald

Jan 6, 2018 | 9:40 AM

In the first round of the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft, the Prince Albert Raiders thought they had selected a game-changing defenceman to be on their blueline for years to come. Rhett Rhinehart may still be that player, but not for the Green and Gold.  

The Raiders announced Saturday morning they traded away Rhinehart, along with 18-year-old defenceman Austin Crossley and their first-round pick of the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft to the Prince George Cougars for 19-year-old centreman Kody McDonald and a conditional third or fourth-round pick in 2018.

Rhinehart had one assist in 31 games for the Raiders in his 16-year-old season. He was not only scratched for Friday’s 7-3 Raiders victory over the Kootenay ICE, but Raiders general manager Curtis Hunt said Rhinehart returned home Thursday and was reassigned to the Lloydminster Bobcats of the Alberta Junior Hockey League before the deal was made.

Although there has been some speculation among Raider fans behind Rhinehart’s departure, Hunt said it was ultimately the team’s decision.

“We had some frank discussions about development and in the end, I think it was best for all the parties that he moved and we took a different direction,” Hunt said.

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Rhinehart was the Raiders’ first pick in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft. The Lloydminster, Alta. product has the distinction of being the first player Hunt and director of player personnel Ron Gunville drafted in their Raiders tenure.

“Rhett’s a good hockey player, he’s a good kid. For Ronny and I, it’s our first ever pick period as part of the organization,” Hunt said. “Really, our tenure begins with his draft. He’s a really good young player and he’s going to be a great player in our league.”

In adding McDonald, the Raiders dealt away two defencemen, leaving them thin in numbers on the backend.

They currently six healthy defencemen, including 15-year-old Kaiden Guhle who has already played six games with the Raiders, and Vojtech Budik who is returning after playing in the World Juniors with the Czech Republic. Sergei Sapego is still out with an upper-body injury.

Although Hunt acknowledged the team has just six D-men, he doesn’t necessarily feel he has to make another deal for a blueliner as Adam Herold, Tyler Lowe and Lane Kirk all have previous WHL experience and can be called up if needed.

What the Raiders received in the trade was a boost to their attack.

With the 19 goals and 36 points he has scored this season in 35 games with the Cougars, McDonald is now the third highest scorer on the Raiders behind only Jordy Stallard (27 goals, 51 points) and the draft-eligible Cole Fonstad (12 goals, 44 points). Hunt believes McDonald also adds a lot more to the lineup than just point production.

“From our perspective, we’re looking at a 19-year-old centreman that I think amplifies Raider hockey—gritty, skates, competes, can score, can play a 200-foot game and can play all situations,” Hunt said. “He plays meaningful minutes… provides leadership and accountability in our room and can possibly be a 20-year-old for us.”

Along with the recent addition of the over-ager from Ogema in Regan Nagy, who scored twice in his Raider debut Friday, Hunt is pleased with how his roster is shaping up and believes these moves could get the Raiders back in a playoff position.

“With Kody and Nagy, they legitimately give us a 1-2 punch in all situations and I really believe our D are good,” Hunt said. “This will give some confidence to move forward and get us over the hump in those [close] games.”

The Raiders will take on the Red Deer Rebels on Saturday at the Art Hauser Centre. Hunt expects to see both McDonald and Budik in the lineup for the game.

The last big trade the Raiders struck with the Cougars was on Nov. 18, 2016. The Raiders sent Brendan Guhle to P.G. for Max Martin, Kolby Johnson, a first-round pick in 2018 and a third in 2019.

Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW