CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — A pair of trade period additions will make their Charlottetown Islanders’ debut tonight.
Forward Pat Guay and defenceman Braeden Virtue completed their 14 days of self-isolation and practised with their new teammates Tuesday at the Eastlink Centre. They will both dress tonight when the Isles host the Halifax Mooseheads in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Eastlink Centre.
“I’m pretty excited to finally get back on the ice and have fun with my new teammates,” Guay said Monday night. “It’s been long, but I think I’ve found a way to make it go by faster.”
The Magog, Que., native, who turns 19 on April 29, said he trained while in self-isolation and completed more of his schoolwork as he finishes up Grade 12 online.
Virtue, the recently turned 20-year-old who lives in Shrewsbury, Mass., in the summer, said he worked out with weights and a stationary bike to help pass the time in self-isolation.
“It went by fast,” he said. “I hit the bike every day and kept getting after it, (I’m) just getting excited to get out of here and back on the ice with the team.”
Both were acquired in separate deals on Jan. 17. The Islanders acquired Guay and a fifth-round pick from the Sherbrooke Phoenix for Justin Gill and the Isles’ first-round picks in 2022 and 2023. The Isles then flipped the fifth-round pick to the Gatineau Olympiques for Virtue.
“We really looked at the two of them as a package deal,” head coach and general manager Jim Hulton said. “We essentially used the assets from the Guay-Gill trade to go get Braeden.”
Guay was the headline acquisition of the trade period for Charlottetown, having been selected fifth overall by Sherbrooke in 2018 and having the potential to play here for 2 ½ seasons. He will play on a line tonight with Bailey Peach, who was acquired in December from the Phoenix, giving Charlottetown some established chemistry.
But don’t sleep on Virtue’s addition.
“These guys aren’t throw-ins,” Hulton said. “Both he and Sean Stewart are really, really good defenceman that are going to add to the depth and quality of our back end.”
Hulton said he is looking for the two new additions to enjoy tonight.
“You just hope that the adrenaline and enthusiasm take over. They’re both experienced guys that have been in the league for couple of years,” he said. “They just have to go out and trust their instincts. Their conditioning and timing are going to be off a little bit, but the only way to get back at it is to jump into the fire.”
In their own words
Here’s how the Charlottetown Islanders’ two new additions described themselves.
• Centre Pat Guay: “I think (I’m) a smart player who loves to win and goes out to compete every night. I work hard every game, every practice just to come out and have success. I am also very competitive – I don't like to lose. I want to win, that’s my main goal, that’s why I am here.”
• Defenceman Braeden Virtue: “I am a two-way D man and I’m really mobile. I like to skate and get in guys’ faces.”
The bench boss is excited to see his team grow now that it is all together.
“You’re always excited to get to the next part of the process after the trade deadline, and that is to formulate the chemistry and the cohesion that you’re going to need moving forward and to integrate the new guys.”
Both Guay and Virtue have played with guys who know the Islanders organization or are from Prince Edward Island. Guay was teammates in Sherbrooke with former Isles’ blue-liner Xavier Bernard, who reached out after the trade.
“He texted me and said, ‘You’re going to love it there. The coaches are fun, the team is fun and the whole city is fun, too’.”
Virtue played with UPEI’s Carson MacKinnon and Chris McQuaid, now with the Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capitals, in Gatineau.
“I’ve only heard good things about the Island, and everyone tells me I am going to love it, so I am excited,” said Virtue, who has dual citizenship in Canada and the United States and stayed with his girlfriend in the Gatineau area during the Christmas break.
Guay is bilingual and the youngest of five, including Nicolas, a former QMJHL star who is now at UNB, and Alexie, a defenceman in her sophomore season at Boston College. They have two older sisters as well. He said his whole family has been very supportive of him.
The Islanders (14-2-0-0) are atop the league standings with an .875 winning percentage and are looking to make some noise in the second half.
“It’s a really good opportunity,” Virtue said of joining Charlottetown. “I watched the games on the weekend and I think team is really good, so hopefully I can come in and offer a little more help.”
Goalie Jacob Goobie gets his first start since Nov. 18. He is 3-2 with a 3.20 goals-against average.
“Jacob has looked really good in practice since we came back,” Hulton said. “It’s after Christmas in his 17-year-old season, it’s time to step to another level, and I think he’s definitely ready.”
Nova Scotia refs needed for game
Some officials from Nova Scotia are coming to Charlottetown to work tonight’s Quebec Major Junior Hockey League game.
The league doesn’t have enough officials in P.E.I. to staff the game, which has the Charlottetown Islanders hosting the Halifax Mooseheads at 7 p.m. at the Eastlink Centre.
“We will have to bring some referees from Nova Scotia, but they will do the same process as the team,” said league spokesman Maxime Blouin.
It includes coming for the game and returning home after the contest. The league doesn’t have any fulltime officials, but the league is only bringing referees who are working from home.
Jason Malloy is The Guardian's sports editor. He can be reached by email at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @SportsGuardian.
