Defenceman Zach Ziegler (No. 21) was traded to the Kindersley Klippers as part of the Nipawin Hawks' pair of trades to reshape their blue line. (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff)

By Aaron Schulze

Hawks Trades

Hawks revamp defence with a pair of trades

Jul 31, 2019 | 5:11 PM

Pre-season hockey is nearly a month away in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) and the Nipawin Hawks have made a pair of trades involving defencemen.

The Hawks acquired 2001-born defenceman Dylan DiTomaso from the St. Michael’s Buzzers from the Ontario Junior Hockey League in exchange for a player development fee (PDF) on July 24. On Wednesday, July 31 that they traded 1999-born defenceman Zach Ziegler to the Kindersley Klippers in exchange for a PDF and third round pick in the 2020 SJHL draft.

Doug Johnson, Hawks head coach, said he wanted to revamp the defence following the Hawks’ first round playoff exit to the eighth-seeded Yorkton Terriers. The Hawks allowed 19 goals in seven games (2.71 goals against average) against the Terriers after they allowed 115 goals in 58 regular season games (1.98 average).

“We’ve been trying to find a ‘01 defenceman who’s a right shot and has some experience,” Johnson told northeastNOW. “We got a call from Dylan’s advisor. He was looking for a change and wanted to come out West, and it was a good fit for us. All reports on him are that he’s a great kid and skates incredibly well for a big guy, so those are things we were looking at.”

DiTomaso is listed as 6-4 and nearly 200 pounds. He scored three assists in 27 games played with the Buzzers as a 17-year-old.

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“I think there’s more offence than you’re going to see just by stats, especially with a big guy who can move like that,” Johnson said. “The big thing for us is we want to take away time and space a bit better, get a little bit better righty-lefty mixture on the backend, and just be tougher to play against all in all.

“What he is from day one isn’t what we’re going to see at day 200 just because he is so young. His learning curve is ahead of some of the other 2001 defencemen, but he still has a lot of growing to do. I don’t want to say he’s going to be a shutdown guy or a powerplay guy, we just want him to develop and get better every day.”

Ziegler scored one goal and four assists in 16 regular season games and two assists in seven playoff games after the Hawks acquired him from the Lloydminster Bobcats from the Alberta Junior Hockey League at the trade deadline in January 2019. Johnson said he requested a change of scenery.

With training camp around the corner, Johnson said the Hawks are looking at trading one more defenceman and potentially bringing another one in. However, he said he’s happy with where the Hawks are at ahead of the 2019-20 SJHL season, after an offseason which saw them acquire a new starting goaltender in Cody Levesque from the Weyburn Red Wings and hire a new assistant coach in Mark Chase.

The Hawks open their pre-season schedule on Sept. 1 against the Flin Flon Bombers before they kick off their regular season against their rival Melfort Mustangs on Sept. 13.

Both games will take place at Centennial Arena.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow