Staff
The Fort Frances Lakers tried out a new dance on Friday—the Five-Man Shuffle.
In their continuing efforts to build a roster that’s ready for the Dudley Hewitt Cup here this spring, the local squad shipped out three players in two separate trades while bringing two others into the fold.
Forward Alex Rezansoff and defenceman Max Kaercher were dealt to the Minnesota Iron Rangers while blueliner George Roblin is heading to the English River Miners.
The Lakers received player development fees in both transactions.
Rezansoff, a 19-year-old native of Red Wing, Mn., led the Lakers in pre-season scoring with six goals in five games after playing with the now-defunct Wisconsin Wilderness last season.
But that offensive flourish never carried over to the regular season, where Rezansoff scored only once in 20 games while adding eight assists.
The 20-year-old Kaercher, who hails from Anchorage, Alaska, missed almost three weeks with a shoulder injury while notching seven assists in nine games.
Roblin, an 18-year-old from Winnipeg, had one assist in 13 games.
Returning to the Lakers is Fort Frances native Donovan Cousineau, who played a key role in the squad’s run to the SIJHL crown last season.
The 20-year-old forward, one of the team’s top penalty-killers and face-off specialists last season, had six goals and 17 assists in 26 regular-season games, then added two goals and five assists in 13 playoff games.
Cousineau will make his debut tomorrow night against the visiting Dryden GM Ice Dogs, along with new Lakers’ forward Marco Romano.
The 20-year-old from Burnaby, B.C. was added to the roster almost a month ago, but had been recovering from a fractured hand sustained in a car accident.
Romano played last season with three teams, ending the year with the Grandview Steelers of the Pacific Junior Hockey League.
“Both will bring speed and skill to our lineup, and most likely will start off playing alongside one another,” said Lakers’ head coach and general manager Wayne Strachan.
“Donovan has experience with helping us in the playoffs last year and at the Dudley Hewitt,” he noted.
“And Marco has [British Columbia Hockey League] experience and knows what it takes to compete at a high level.”
