Panthers make pair of deals as 2020/21 season inches closer to reality

September 14th, 2020
North Saanich, British Columbia

The Peninsula Panthers pride themselves in not making many deals each year.  The Club works at identifying young talented and mostly Greater Victoria players and giving them a chance at the Junior "B" level.  But 2020 has brought challenges to their doorstep and the Panthers felt that they had to be proactive and think somewhat out of the box.  And with that in mind, the squad pulled off a pair of deals, one that saw 19-year-old veteran Jonah Ragsdale changing postal codes.

Head Coach Brad Tippett and GM Pete Zubersky had a myriad of conversations about the roster and what effect the current situation would have on the Panthers.  Teams are allowed to carry up to 25 on their rosters however the Cats have usually chosen to go with 21-23 players and bring up affiliate players when and if the need presented itself.  But this season BC Hockey has advised that no affiliate players will be allowed thus keeping at a minimum the opportunity of the Covid19 virus to spread.  The two discussed what impact this decision would have on the Goaltender position and felt that they needed to add a 3rd target to the roster to avoid disaster should a goaltender be suspended, hurt or miss games and/or practices for any reason.

Tippett began conversations with the Saanich squad and they indicated that they would make 19-year-old goaltender Connor Svienson available in a potential transaction between the two Clubs.  Svienson played his Minor Hockey out on the Peninsula and was friends with most of the current roster of players.  There was little homework to do in terms of the character of the player and both Tippett and Zubersky felt that he would fit seemlessly into the dressing room.  Jonah Ragsdale was the player of interest from the Saanich point of view and after a day of discussion the trade was consumated. 

Tippett discussed the transaction:  "For a team that makes few transactions (Panthers) we have already made two deals before the season has started.  It looks like the teams will be divided into cohorts and so we wanted to get any changes done early so as not to force the players involved down the road to have to isolate for 14 days. The change in the roster size and with no access to affiliate players had us contemplating carrying three goalies. There are still players with schedule conflicts juggling work/school/hockey that need to be worked out. Saying that, the acquisition of goaltender Connor Svienson made sense for both Saanich, the Panthers and the player. To obtain a veteran 19-year-old goaltender we were forced to give up a 19-year-old forward. The Panthers want to thank Jonah for his two years with the Club and wish him all the best in the future."
 
The Panthers were not done.  Last Thursday, Tippett received a call from the Victoria Cougars to indicate that 17-year-old defenceman Evan Crawford might be available.  The Panthers had shown a lot of interest in the physical and skilled right-handed rear guard for the past two seasons but were never able to close the deal.  But discussions with the Cougars escalated quickly and on Friday the Panthers were able to obtain Crawford for cash.

"Evan Crawford is a player we have been very high on for a couple of years," said the Panthers Bench Boss.  "He AP'd with the Cougars last year and we had concluded this was one who got away. I got a call from Brody Coulter late Thursday afternoon and he indicated that the Cougars' practice schedule and Evans' schedule were not lining up.  It was a short, very positive conversation. I have to tip my hat to Brody who made sure he investigated all of Evan’s options and allowed Evans to have input into the outcome. We are elated to have a big-framed right-handed defenseman added to our lineup."

The Panthers will hit the ice tonight at 6:45 pm for practice as Tippett prepares his squad for the opening Regular Season games in less than three weeks.