Flin Flon Bombers head coach and general manager Mike Reagan was pleased with the roster moves that were made at the Dec. 1 roster cutdown deadline.
Junior A squads must be down to 25 players by that date. Among the moves the Bombers made were acquiring defenceman Alex Lindstrom, goalie Colten Lancaster, and forward Jordan Funk. Lindstrom was picked up in exchange for Kurtis Rutledge, who had requested a trade and left the team about a month ago.
“I like what we were able to accomplish at the deadline,” Reagan said. “We were able to take care of a few holes. Solving the Rutledge deal was a huge relief. Our goaltending has been an area of concern with (Brenden) Newton being injured so bringing in an experienced guy was important. We also needed to bring in a top six forward with some size and grit and we did that with Funk.”
Heading into the deadline, Reagan said he was looking to make moves to improve the team and then see where that puts the Bombers leading up to the Jan. 10 trade deadline. Including a tilt on Tuesday after The Reminder deadline, the Bombers have 12 games before the trade deadline. Seven of those games are on the road. Assistant coach Garry Childerhose said that the Bombers are focused on team defence.
“Just with this young team of highly offensive players, everyone buying into team defence is huge for us…We know what we need to do to be successful. We just need to do it every night,” said Childerhose, who, along with assistant coach Chris Bortis, is leading the Bombers while Reagan is coaching Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge.
Three players joined the Bombers around the roster cutdown date and threee other departed. Goalie Reese Jones and defender Rylan Tkachuk were released. The team now has three goalies: Newton, Lancaster, and rookie Niklas Anderson.
The Bombers also traded second-year forward Connor Beebe to Winkler of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League for a player development fee. The 19-year-old had three points in 19 games for Flin Flon.
“The Beebe move was hard, because I respect how hard he played and he is a great kid,” Reagan said. “I enjoyed coaching Beebe and wish him all the best. This is going to be a good opportunity for him to get more ice time. With guys coming back from injury it would be hard to assure he was going to play every night.”
Lindstrom and a player development fee were picked up from the Grande Prairie Storm of the Alberta Junior Hockey League for Rutledge. The 6-foot-2, 198-pound Boise, Idaho product had eight assists in 20 games this season. Reagan saw Lindstrom when he scouted the AJHL Showcase. He also watched a lot of video on him.
“Lindstrom skates well, likes to jump up in the play, is mobile, and is solid one-on-one because of his lateral movement,” Reagan said.
Funk was acquired from the Kindersley Klippers for a player development fee and a 2019 sixth round draft pick. The 20-year-old, 6-foot-1, 190-pounder had six goals and 13 points in 23 games for the Klippers. The Surrey, BC product has played junior for six teams in four leagues.
The Bombers will send future considerations to the BC Hockey League’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs for Lancaster. The 19-year-old is 6-foot-3, 210-pounds. He had spent the last two seasons with the Merritt Centennials. This season the Charlie Lake, BC product was 1-8-2 with a goals against average of 3.87.
