THUNDER BAY, ON- In an effort to light a fire under the butts of his players while keeping an eye on the future, Blake Wendt made several roster moves in the past 24 hours.
>>>None no bigger than that with the River Cities Renegades.
>>>To Thunder Bay: Marc Savard, Nick Schultz, Jonas Hiller and Nick Petrecki
>>>To River Cities: Tim Thomas, David Backes and Roman Polak
>>>The biggest names on both sides in this deal are of course centre, Marc Savard and goaltender, Tim Thomas. Thomas being far an away the Timberwolves best player before being dealt.
>>>"This was not an easy trade to make by any stretch of the imagination," said Wendt. "Tim Thomas was the cornerstone of our club so far this season. Without him, we were winless. With him, we were in every game. To move a guy like him while also selling to your players and your fans that you are not packing it in, is a hard sell. Jonas Hiller is a very good goalie. We are confident that we have not taken a step back him."
>>>Wendt continued on with the rest of the deal with the Renegades.
>>>"What we gained in this deal was a world-class centre with an uncanny ability to setup his linemates. Marc Savard is the real deal. He will immediately show our fans what he brings to the table on a line with Gaborik and next season possibly with guys like John Tavares and or Matt Duchene."
>>>"The dark horses in this deal are the defensemen. Nick Schultz was here last season for a short time. We're very high on him. Very responsible in this own end and is excellent with the puck and providing an offensive push from the backend. Nick Petrecki is a bruiser. He's been on our radar since the USHL with the Omaha Lancers. He continued from a solid program there to a national champion at Boston College. He's still a little raw and will not be rushed out of Duluth (minor-league affiliate). But when he gets up here, he's going to be a force.
>>>Within the same hour as the announcement of the previous trade, Wendt sent Samuel Pahlsson to Beverly Hills for Rhett Rakhshani.
>>>Pahlsson seen intermitten games and was often a healthy scratch. Rakhshani is a senior captain at the University of Denver. The Orange, California native the first player from the Golden State ever for the Timberwolves.
>>>"With having Patrick Wiercioch in Denver, we've seen alot of Rakhshani," said Wendt. "Plays bigger than he is (5'10 170), and has great leadership qualities. Like alot of kids coming out of California, he plays a solid all around game and skates like the wind. We're very excited to have him in our organization."
>>>After lunch, it was back to business. Discussions with the Reykjavik Puffin had been ongoing since Wendt sent Kyle Brodziak to Iceland for defenseman, Niclas Wallin. By mid-day, another trade was in place.
>>>The Timberwolves sent Scottie Upshall to the Puffin for Brett Hextall and North Dakota's 4th Round Pick.
>>>"Scottie's an excellent hockey player," said Wendt. "This season, with the depth we have on the wings, he just wasn't able to crack the lineup on a regular basis."
>>>"Brett Hextall obviously has the pedigree (Ron Hextall's son). But more than that, he's mastering his craft with the North Dakota Fighting Sioux. With other guys like Danny Kristo, David Toews and Ben Blood of ours there. We're more than confident in his development. Hextall is a go-go-go guy on every shift. Solid skater, very good set-up guy, digs in the corners and backchecks with the best of them."
>>>While Blake Wendt was in Thunder Bay making these moves, the Timberwolves were in Quebec readying for the defending champion, Remparts.
>>>"There's no good time to move guys out and bring guys in. I didn't wake up this morning thinking I was going to alter this roster the way it was. Moves needed to be made though, and I am hopeful that this is eye opening to these guys that things need to change and that we are not bowing down to anything but the best every night."
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