Trading a signed NHL first round pick along with the starting goaltender was Moose Jaw's 13th top sports story of 2020. 

The Moose Jaw Warriors had pulled off a pair of blockbuster trades on the eve of the WHL trade deadline.

They sent 18-year-old forward Brayden Tracey and 19-year-old goaltender Adam Evanoff, a fourth round pick in 2020 and a fifth round pick in 2023 to the Victoria Royals in exchange for a trio of 18 year-olds in goaltender Brock Gould, forward Logan Doust and defenceman Nolan Jones – who is from Moose Jaw – as well as a third round pick in 2020, Saskatoon’s first round pick in 2021 and second and fourth round picks in 2022.

The Warriors drafted goaltender Jackson Under with the Victoria third-rounder from this trade. 

The Warriors also dealt 19-year-old defenceman Libor Zabransky to the Kamloops Blazers for 18-year-old forward Martin Lang. Zabransky was the captain of the Czech team at the World Junior Hockey Championships in the Czech Republic.

Tracey was a first round pick of the Anaheim Ducks last summer and was signed by the team to a three-year entry level contract in the fall. He was named WHL rookie of the year last year. In 99 regular-season games with the Warriors, he scored 51 goals and 70 assists for 121 points.

Evanoff has been with the Warriors for three seasons and has played 78 games. He has 39 wins and two shutouts, going along with a 2.96 goals against average and .908 save percentage.

Warriors general manager Alan Millar addressed media after the event.

“I can’t say enough about Adam Evanoff and Brayden Tracey and thank them for everything they’ve done for our hockey club over the years,” Millar said. “In saying that, we know where we’re at as a team. We know where we want to be and where we want to go here next year and beyond. And we felt that this deal fit really well for us in terms of adding younger players, solidifying our goaltending now and in the future, adding very good assets in terms of three high draft picks.”

Doust has two goals and seven assists this season, for nine points, in 36 games. He had eight points last year as a 17-year-old rookie with the Royals after originally being drafted by Saskatoon in 2016.

Gould is from Colorado Springs, Colorado and had played 48 games in his WHL career, winning 13. He has a career 3.42 goals against average and .882 save percentage.

Jones was a graduate of the Moose Jaw Midget AAA Generals a couple of seasons ago and originally started his WHL career with Lethbridge. He has 91 WHL games under his belt and has scored three goals and 16 assists in his career.