Tuesday, January 08, 2013

Whalers deal Aleardi to Spits for Lorentz

The Plymouth Whalers on Monday announced the acquisition of 19-year-old left winger Zach Lorentz from the Windsor Spitfires in exchange for 20-year-old right wing Alex Aleardi.

Ontario Hockey League teams have until noon on Wednesday to cut down to three overage players (1992 birthdays) on their respective rosters. Monday’s transaction allows Plymouth to keep defensemen Colin MacDonald and Austin Levi and center Mitchell Heard as the team’s overage players.

Windsor has an overage slot available, so the deal was made for Aleardi, who was acquired by the Whalers on. Sept. 20, 2010, from Belleville for a pair second-round draft choices.

Aleardi scored 71 goals and 62 assists for 113 points in 164 career games with the Whalers.

 Lorentz is no stranger to the Western Conference.

 Originally selected in 12th round (223rd overall) by the Kitchener Rangers in the 2009 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection, Lorentz played two seasons in Kitchener, enjoying his best overall season with the Rangers last year when he scored 19 goals and 14 assists for 33 points and was +11 in 66 games. He played against the Whalers in the Western Conference semi-finals last year.

In all, Lorentz has scored 31 goals with 28 assists for 59 points in 156 career games.

Lorentz scored against the Whalers on Dec. 31 in a 5-2 Plymouth victory at Windsor Family Credit Union Centre.

 Lorentz was traded to Peterborough last summer and moved to Windsor on Nov. 22 in a deal with defenseman Trevor Murphy in exchange for right wing Derek Schoenmakers and defenseman Brandon Devlin. Draft choices went both ways.

Lorentz is expected to report to Plymouth for practice on Tuesday and will be in the lineup on Wednesday when the Whalers play in Saginaw against the Spirit. He’ll make his Whalers’ home debut at Compuware Arena Friday against Brampton and Saturday against Erie.

The OHL’s final trade deadline is set for Thursday at noon.

Photo courtesy Tim Cornett/Windsor Spitfires

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