Chiefs trade rights to goalie Verhelst for younger goalie

The Spokane Chiefs on Wednesday traded the rights to a goalie, who wasn’t playing, for a younger goalie who they expect to compete for a job now or help in the future.

The Chiefs traded the rights to 19-year-old Tyson Verhelst, who reportedly quit the game, and a third-round pick in the 2017 WHL Bantam draft to the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for 17-year-old goalie Dawson Weatherill and a conditional fifth round pick in the 2018.

The move follows an opening 8-3 loss to the Tri-City Americans in which 20-year-old starting goalie Jayden Sittler, who was acquired over the summer from Lethbridge, gave up seven scores in 28 shots-on goal.

“We were in a situation where we had a goalie who was on the suspended list in Verhelst and we wanted to clear that up,” Chiefs’ general manager Scott Carter said in a release. “The best option for us involved taking another goalie in return, as we feel that this is an important position for us. We want competition and players pushing each other. Dawson has some big upside moving forward.”

Weatherill, from Red Deer, Alberta, was a second-round pick by the Rebels in 2014. The 6-foot-4, 190-pounder mostly played last year for the Red Deer Optimist Chiefs of the Alberta Midget Hockey League where he played 20 games and had a saves percentage of .932 including one shutout.