Flint adds another winner
Another key member from the reigning Ontario Hockey League champion Guelph Storm has joined the Flint Firebirds via trade.
The latest deal between Flint general manager Barclay Branch and Guelph hockey boss George Burnett has the Firebirds acquiring 2000 birth year defenseman Owen Lalonde from the Storm.
To pry Lalonde loose from Guelph, Flint parted with 2002 birth year defender Michael Bianconi and second-round draft picks in both 2021 and 2022. And should Lalonde return to Flint as an overage next season, Guelph will get an additional second-round pick in 2024 and a fifth-rounder in 2022.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Lalonde is coming off a 2018-2019 campaign with Guelph in which he netted 7 goals, 34 assists, 41 points in 68 regular season games before adding one goal, nine assists, 10 points in 24 playoff outings.
Just before the start of the 2019-2020 season, Flint acquired standout overage goalie Anthony Popovich from Guelph for third and fifth round picks at the 2020 OHL priority selections draft.
Popovich backstopped the Storm to last spring’s OHL championship, winning all 16 of Guelph’s playoff games.