The Sudbury Wolves have traded their captain for Dallas Stars defensive prospect Jacob Holmes, left-winger Marc Boudreau and the Hamilton Bulldogs’ 2nd round 2022 draft selection.
Jack Thompson has been a “tremendous” captain for the club, said Wolves VP and general manager Rob Papineau in a news release.
“Jack has been one of the top players that I have had the privilege of drafting and getting to know,” said Papineau. “He is first-class and comes from an incredible family. We are proud of his development and wish him the very best. We have a great young group here that looks to finish strong and push towards the playoffs.”
Holmes, 6-2 ane 195lbs, was selected by the Greyhounds in the first round of the 2019 OHL Priority Selection from the York Simcoe Express. In 30 games this season with the Greyhounds, the Alliston native had 14 assists, 12 penalty minutes and was a plus one. He was selected by the Dallas Stars in the fifth round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, 143rd overall.
Boudreau is a native of Toronto and was selected by the Greyhounds in the third round of the 2019 OHL Priority Selection from the Toronto Marlboros. The 6-2, 180lbs forward has notched three goals and seven assists through 32 games this season. Boudreau was also an invite to the 2021 Boston Bruins rookie camp this past summer.
“Jacob and Marc are two players we really have liked since their minor midget years,” said Papineau. “We like that they are both 18 and will be with our group for at least the next couple seasons.
“Marc is a high compete character player with a strong hockey sense and will play in the tough areas. He is fully committed on both sides of the puck.
“Jacob is a smart player who has the ability to play in all situations. He makes a strong first pass and good decisions. Both Marc and Jacob are high-character players and are excited and want to be here to help us push towards a playoff spot.”
Wolves fans will get to see both players in action this Thursday night when the Wolves visit the Peterborough Petes at 7:05 p.m. by tuning into the live play-by-play on CKLU 96.7 and mixlr.com/sudburywolves. Fans can also watch on CHL TV at https://watch.chl.ca/ohl, as well as on Eastlink Channel 10.
The Wolves also announced this week the team has acquired former Hamilton Bulldogs 2021 first-round OHL draft pick and Sudbury native Alex Pharand from the Peterborough Petes.
The Wolves have also acquired Sarnia’s second-round draft pick in 2022, Niagara’s second-round pick in 2024, Kitchener’s third-round pick in 2023, Owen Sound’s third round pick in 2023 and Hamilton’s third round pick in 2024.
In exchange, the Petes receive New Jersey Devil’s prospect Chase Stillman.
“Alex Pharand is a player we have highly coveted for the last couple of years,” said Sudbury Wolves VP and general manager Rob Papineau. “He is a big skilled power forward with a very high ceiling. He is someone that we were really hoping to be able to acquire through the priority selection draft and when the opportunity to be able to bring Alex home became available, we couldn’t ignore it.
“He is one of the highest-character young men that I have had the pleasure of getting to know. Alex comes from an outstanding family, and he will be an exceptional Sudbury Wolf. He will represent our team and our city extremely well, just as he always has. We are super excited to bring in Alex to our organization.”
Pharand played the 2019-20 season for the Nickel City Sons U15 AAA team where he scored 22 goals and added 18 assists for 40 points through 27 games. In 23 games for the Bulldogs this season, the 6’2”, 187lbs right-shot forward, has one goal and three assists.
“We would like to thank Chase Stillman for all of his contributions to the Sudbury Wolves and wish him success as he moves home to Peterborough,” said Papineau
