The Sarnia Sting have completed a major trade with the North Bay Battalion, the hockey club announced, Saturday.
The Sting acquire forward Carter Kostuch and defenceman Alex Cajkovic, along with six future draft picks, in exchange for Sandis Villains, and twin brothers Andrew and Jacob LeBlanc.
“Today we’ve made a significant step towards building to our already strong young core,” general manager Dylan Seca said in a news release. “The players and draft picks acquired will help the hockey club climb back to a contending team in the very near future.
“We still also believe in our group's ability to be a playoff-bound team.”
Kostuch was North Bay's first-round pick, 21st overall, in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection; the left-winger joins the club with two goals and four assists so far this season.
“Carter Kostuch is a player we really liked in his draft year; he’s a first round pick for a reason,” He’s skilled, quick and very competitive. His work ethic and character match our core values. We’re thrilled to welcome Carter and the Kostuch family to Sarnia.”
Cajkovic was drafted by the Battalion in the second round (115th overall) of the 2023 CHL Import Draft. The Slovakian native has currently tallied 12 assists and sits at a +9.
“Alex is a very reliable puck moving defender who has been an important player in North Bay,” Seca added. “We like his age, his good decision making and his international experience.”
The draft picks in future OHL Priority Selections acquired by the Sting include: a 2nd round pick (NB) in 2027, 3rd round pick (PBO) in 2024, 4th round pick (SAG) in 2024, 4th round pick (NB) in 2025, 5th round pick (WSR) in 2025 and 5th round pick (BAR) in 2026.
Vilmanis and the Leblanc brothers arrive to North Bay with a combined season total of 26 goals and 62 assists.
Vilmanis joined the Sting in the 1st round (14th overall) of the 2022 CHL Import Draft. Andrew and Jacob LeBlanc were acquired in a trade with the Niagara IceDogs last June heading into the 2023-2024 season.
“We thank the contributions of Sandis Vilmanis, who has been a valuable player for our club,” Seca said. “We’ve seen his game evolve here at the Sting. We also have seen Andrew and Jacob resurrect their OHL careers under the guidance of our coaches. Both met the challenge of having a great off season and trusting our process.
“Their strong start created significant interest around our league, so much so it became apparent the return would be too valuable to turn down. We thank all for their trust and wish them well as they chase an OHL Championship.”