Chiefs trade McCue

The Spokane Chiefs found a taker for disgruntled defenseman Matt McCue.

Spokane general manager Tim Speltz sent McCue to the Chilliwack Bruins on Wednesday for 20-year-old defenseman Stephane Lenoski and a sixth-round draft pick in the 2007 Bantam Draft. Lenoski is expected to play this weekend against Tri-City.

McCue, an 18-year-old defenseman, left the team in early October and demanded a trade. This one emerged.

Chilliwack was looking to get younger and Spokane felt it needed to shore up its back end with an experienced defenseman. Lenoski has played in 33 playoff games over three seasons.

“There were a few things we liked about him,” Speltz said. “He’s a solid individual. He’s a good player that’s proven, and he brings every dimension.

“He’s a good skater, he’s good offensively with the puck, but he’s a good defenseman and he’s got some good experience.”

The acquisition of Lenoski gave Spokane four overage players, one more than the maximum allowed by the league. Forward-defenseman Corey Courchene became the odd man out. He was released by the team Thursday.

Lenoski, a 6-foot, 199-pounder, played three seasons with Brandon before being picked up by Chilliwack in the expansion draft earlier this year. In 35 games this season, he has already achieved a career high in points (20). Lenoski has also been used by the Bruins on their power play.

“He can log some minutes for us,” said Chris Moulton, Chiefs director of player personnel. “He’s an experienced guy, one of those guys who plays in the top four and plays a lot of minutes. He’s a really good puck guy, a smart guy who moves the puck. It’s a good fit for us.”

McCue left bitter, telling the Abbotsford (British Columbia) News, “They (the Chiefs) basically gave me a garbage bag and told me to leave.”

Speltz’s reply was brief: “We told Matt we needed him to be patient. We asked him to be patient, and he decided he wanted a trade.”