Wolves get bigger as trade deadline looms

BY SCOTT HADDOW

Sudbury Wolves head coach and GM Mike Foligno is thinking big.

After some recent uninspired play, the Wolves bench boss made a series of weekend moves to not only bolster his club, but make it a lot bigger in the process.

In his first move, Foligno swapped rookie Keaton Turkiewicz, prospect Jordan Cheechoo and a second round pick in 2007 to Windsor for rookie Akim Aliu.

In obtaining Aliu, the Wolves nab the sixth pick overall from the 2005 OHL Draft. Aliu was part of the hazing incident in Windsor at the start of the 2005-06 season which saw him and Steve Downie engaged in a fight on ice during a practice. Downie was eventually traded to Peterborough, while Aliu played a few more games, but then went home in November to await a trade.

Aliu, 16, brings incredible size and skill as he stands six-foot-three, weighs 210 pounds and had three goals and seven points, along with 25 penalty minutes in 18 games.

Foligno has no reservations about picking up the talented teen.

"The number one thing with Akim is he's a very good hockey player," said Foligno. "There's few times you can get a player of this caliber. He was in a situation...that may have clouded his picture with a few teams, but you work through that and you see what you have as a product and as a person. He's a great right winger that can dominate a game and can be here for a long time. It was too good an opportunity to pass on. I have no concerns about what happened in Windsor...There's three sides to every story. What happened has passed...Kids need an opportunity for a second chance. We have opened our arms to a player, I feel, deserves a second opportunity just like Downie did with Peterborough."

"He's very physical and has a really good shot," said Foligno. "He will have to work on his conditioning. I had him on the top line with Ben Pouliot and Nick Foligno (against Brampton) and he didn't look out of place. He's really happy to be playing again...And to be in Sudbury."

To get something, you have to give up something and the Wolves gave up promising forward Turkiewicz as part of the package to land Aliu, who despite a poor plus/minus rating of -11, had seven goals and 18 points in 39 games.

The Wolves then shipped 2005 first round draft pick Brett Parnham, who had just four goals in 31 games to Oshawa for grinder Gary Friesen, a six-foot, 200-pound centre who has a knack for winning face off draws and playing hard every night.

"There's nothing we like more than guys who play hard and put their bodies on the line...And that's what you get in Gary," said Foligno. "When we played against him...We noticed him because he was always out there trying to shut down our best lines. He takes pride in being one of the best workers on the ice. He's fast and takes the body well. We used him in a lot of defensive face off draws and he won them all. It's hard to get a player like that who's reliable at both ends of the ice and you need players who can play both ends of the rink in the playoffs."

Size does matter to Sudbury. Parnham is five-foot-nine and 165-pounds, while Turkiewicz is five-foot-eleven and 185-pounds. Friesen and Aliu, together, are over twelve feet and tip the scales at 410-pounds.

"It's best for the kind of hockey Sudbury is accustomed to," said Foligno. "Not only that, they are both hard working. These guys will do well under pressure.

In a seven-game series, it's going to be physical and in-your-face hockey...There's a lot of wear and tear that goes on in those series. We recognize in our division and conference...There's some big, strong teams and these players give us a better chance to come out."

In December, Foligno added six-foot-one, 210-pound scrapper Justin Allen and six-foot-five, 225-pound checker Ryan Donally in seperate transactions.

The OHL trade deadline was 6 pm Tuesday. Check northernlife.ca on Wednesday for any updates or other moves the Wolves have done.

The OHL trade deadline will pass Tuesday at 6 pm. Here are some of the more significant moves made:

The Barrie Colts beefed up by acquiring defenceman David Pszenyczny, Jordan Grant and Jeremy Whelan from Mississauga for Nathan Martine and Brett Oliphant.

Ottawa shipped six-foot-four forward Bryan Bickell to Windsor for Brett Liscomb and a second-round draft pick.

In Belleville, the Bulls sent Ryan Berard and a draft pick to Saginaw for Steve Whitely and a draft pick.

Sudbury's J. F. Houle was traded from Brampton to Kingston for a fourth-round pick.