There aren't necessarily losers at the Ontario Hockey League trade deadline, yet there are clear winners.

Some 40 players changed addresses and 60 priority selection picks changed hands between New Year's Day and Friday's 12 noon ET deadline, as teams rushed to fill the void created by the London Knights being in a building season. Western Conference-leading Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds nabbed three of the biggest names. The Eastern Conference, which hasn't produced a league champ in nine seasons, saw Central Division clubs Barrie and North Bay throw down a gauntlet to league-leading Oshawa.



The winners are teams that clearly got better. The jury is out on those that anted up but might not have done enough. Or the sellers who might have sold too soon. The proof is in how the season plays out.

Winners

Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds — What Kyle Raftis did required allcaps. The first-year GM has some nice pairs. The league's best shutdown defenceman in Darnell Nurse is now complemented by best offensive D-man, Anthony DeAngelo (one would expect they would anchor separate pairs). Meantime, the 'Hounds got the best available right-shot forward, Justin Bailey, from Kitchener and the best left shot, Nick Ritchie, from Peterborough for something of a bargain price.

The 'Hounds (.744 point pct., first in the Western Conference) should be deep enough to play coach Sheldon Keefe's desired four-line game. Bailey and Ritchie will also draw a high quality of competition, which might free up Vancouver Canucks first-rounder Jared McCann (21 points in 13 games since Dec. 1) and fellow centre Gabe Guertler to run wild.

New York Rangers second-round pick Brandon Halverson is an X factor, what with being an 18-year-old first-year starter. His stint with Team USA could be a springboard into steadier second half.

North Bay Battalion — The gang green is a line deeper after sliding the new guys, New Jersey Devils third Ryan Kujawinski and Columbus Blue Jackets fourth-rounder and ex-Saginaw captain Nick Moutrey, on to a line flanking centre Mike Amadio, a Los Angeles Kings third.

Kujawinski and Moutrey are each strong two-way forwards who can dictate the pace of play, not unlike their new teammate, Ottawa Senators prospect and world junior gold medallist Nick Paul. North Bay is clearly setting up to try to repeat the first five months of 2014, when it built up through the early winter and peaked in the playoffs by outskating and outworking teams all the way to the league final. The goal preventers such as Jake Smith, Brenden Miller and Kyle Wood are each older and wiser.

Mowing through the East will be more difficult to pull off since the Oshawa Generals are much stronger than they proved to be last April. At least North Bay and Barrie are taking the gamble.

Kitchener Rangers — The Rangers' net return, while off-loading of Bailey and Brent Pedersen and adding of overage goalie Jake Paterson, was a good 18-year-old centre (David Miller) and a mininum of four second- and third-round selections. Miller joins a cohort of 1996-birthdate forwards such as centre Ryan MacInnis, wing Nick Magyar and Swedish yearling Gustav Franzen, whose progress would be enhanced by a mini-playoff run.

Paterson is capable of stretching out a series against a more offensively loaded team. Kitchener's coach and GM tandem, Troy Smith and Murray Hiebert, need that to inspire confidence and optimism for next season. It's a much stronger possibility than one would have concluded when they dealt Justin Bailey.

The jury is really out on the ...

Erie Otters — It's easy to conclude that Erie did not address its top need. Goaltending was a bugaboo last season and 19-year-old Devin Williams currently has a .893 save percentage, 21st among the league's 28 regulars. The Connor McDavid show reduces the pressure on the last two lines of defence and Erie's loaded up with three drafted 19-year-old forwards by adding Nick Baptiste, Remi Elie and Jake Marchment, but it's counting on Williams to make the Round 3 saves it didn't get in 2014. A lot can change in 2-3 months, of course.

Barrie Colts — Barrie, 12-2-0-0 since Dec. 1, added three members of Guelph's championship team in separate trades: first-pairing defenceman Ben Harpur as well as depth forwards Chadd Bauman and Stephen Nosad.

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