The Surrey Eagles mortgaged a good chunk of their future to take a run at the Royal Bank Cup.
On Thursday – just five days after their season-ending overtime loss to the Summerside Western Capitals in the RBC Cup – the Eagles announced they'd dealt 17-year-old forward Demico Hannoun and rookie defenceman Jordan Klimek, also 17, to the Vernon Vipers as the "future considerations" in the January trade that saw Adam Tambellini head to Surrey in exchange for Mason Blacklock.
Also coming to Surrey as part of deal is 18-year-old Vernon native Michael Roberts, who had four goals and 10 points in 53 games with the Vipers last week.
As well, Eagles rookie forward Kevan Kilistoff, 18, was sent to the Langley Rivermen to complete a three-team that, earlier this season, saw the Eagles pick up 20-year-old defeneceman Troy Paterson from the Cowichan Valley Capitals.
Paterson played just two games for Surrey before suffering a season-ending injury. He did not play for the team during the RBC Cup run.
"It is a tough day as a coach and GM when you have to part with three quality young men that all have bright futures in the game of hockey," said Eagles coach and general manager Matt Erhart, whose team will also lose a handful of key players to NCAA scholarships next season.
"In order for the Eagles to push through and capture the Fred Page and Western Canada Cups, we felt that the moves were necessary at the time the trades were made."
Hannoun, a Delta native, played two seasons with the Eagles, tallying 59 points in 91 regular-season games. This past season, he had 14 goals and 33 points in 42 games, and was a key contributor during the team's playoff run.
Klimek, meanwhile, played just one season in Surrey, compiling six goals and 23 points in 52 games. He had a knack for scoring clutch goals, too – four of his six goals were game-winners, and he also scored a key goal in the team's Western Canada Cup championship win over the Brooks Bandits.
Both Klimek and Hannoun will get a second crack at the RBC Cup next season, as Vernon is set to host the tournament.
"Any time you have the opportunity to acquire players of this calibre you have to entertain it," said Vernon Vipers head coach/GM Jason Williamson in a press release.
"Moving Adam and Michael were not easy decisions… however, we believed it gave us an opportunity to add some depth and some very good talent to our lineup during a very important season for us.
"The experience gained by both Jordan and Demico during Surrey's recent and successful playoff run will be very valuable to our group moving forward."
Kilistoff, who like Klimek is a Langley native, will suit up for his hometown team next year. He had 17 points in 52 BCHL games this season, and scored one of Surrey's biggest goals in the playoffs – the overtime winner in Game 5 of the BCHL Fred Page Cup finals against Penticton, which gave Surrey a 3-2 series lead.