Spits Acquire World Class Talent in Nattinen
June 26, 2016 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Windsor Spitfires News Release
(Windsor, ON) - Spitfires General Manager Warren Rychel is pleased to announce the club has acquired 1997-born Julius Nattinen from the Barrie Colts.
The Spitfires also get Barrie's 12th round pick in 2017 in a deal that sees defenceman Kyle
Auger, Guelph's 2nd Round pick in 2017 and Flint's 4th Round pick in 2017 go the other way.
"We're excited to get a very talented 19-year-old player with Julius's skill set," Rychel said. "He's a smart, 200-foot player with good size and strength that will really bolster of our forward group. With our club hosting the MasterCard Memorial Cup this year, we have a responsibility to our fans to put the best product on the ice we can. Acquiring a world-class player like Julius is a big step in that direction."
Rychel says it was tough to part with Auger.
"This is the way it goes when you make a deal like this, you have to give up a good player," Rychel said. "Kyle is going to do very well in our league and we wish him all the best going forward in Barrie."
Nattinen was Barrie's 1st choice, #51 overall, in the 2015 CHL Import Draft. The Anaheim
Ducks took the Jyvaskyla, Finland native in the 2nd Round (#59) of the 2015 NHL Draft.
In 52 games played last season, the 6'2, 192-pound centre scored 22 goals and added 49 assists for 71 points (an average of 1.4 points per game) to go along with a solid +32 rating.
He won a gold medal with Team Finland at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships in Helsinki, scoring a goal and adding two assists in seven games.
Images from this story
Julius Nattinen with the Barrie Colts (Aaron Bell/OHL Images) |
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Ontario Hockey League Stories from June 26, 2016
- Colts Trade Nattinen to Windsor - Barrie Colts
- Spits Acquire World Class Talent in Nattinen - Windsor Spitfires
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