Wheeler dealer GM Raftis
Relative to Ontario Hockey League general managers who are being noteworthy operative in the exchange market, Kyle Raftis of the Soo Greyhounds continues to make major moves ahead of the looming January 10 trade deadline. Raftis may not be quite as immersed as Spencer Hyman — the bustling rookie GM of the Eastern Conference powerhouse Brantford Bulldogs who has already acquired a pair of first round National Hockey League draft picks via the OHL trade route this season — but the Greyhound hockey boss has not been sitting idle either.
To be sure, the latest major transaction orchestrated by Raftis clearly shows that he and the Greyhounds are all in on being a bona fide contender in what is shaping up as a wide open Western Conference with the likes of the Windsor Spitfires, Flint Firebirds, Kitchener Rangers, London Knights and, so far at least, the Owen Sound Attack.
The latest Raftis acquisition is plum 2006 birth year defenseman Lukas Fischer, who was recently obtained from the Sarnia Sting in exchange for 2007 birth year defender Hunter Solomon and five draft picks. Only two of the future draft picks — a fourth rounder in 2028 and a third rounder in 2029 — originally belonged to the Greyhounds.
The addition of Fischer came less than a couple of weeks after the Greyhounds dealt from strength to send six draft picks — only one of which originally belonged to the Red and White — to obtain prize 2008 birth year centre Colin Fitzgerald from the Peterborough Petes. The highly regarded, good size Fitzgerald — who was taken by Peterborough with the third overall pick in the first round of the 2024 OHL priority selections draft — is being watched closely by NHL scouts ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft as a power forward.
And prior to that, Raftis moved 2008 birth year forward Brady T. Smith to the Flint Firebirds for 2007 birth year forward Jeremy Martin. Martin was Flint’s first round pick in 2023 while Smith went in the first round to the Oshawa Generals in 2024 before being traded to the Greyhounds during the ’24-25 season in a major trade involving since graduated defenseman Andrew Gibson and a boat load full of draft picks.
As for Fischer, the blue chip defenseman was a star OHL performer with Sarnia as its captain. Fischer was in his second season as the captain in Sarnia and is playing in his fourth — and final — season in the OHL.
Plucked in the second round, 58th overall, by St. Louis at the 2024 NHL Draft and subsequently signed to an entry level contract by the Blues, the 6 foot 3, 185 pound blue liner was one of the most highly sought after defenders on the trade market until Raftis and the Greyhounds made their move.
“Lukas is a smart defender who competes extremely hard on the defensive side of the puck,” relayed Raftis. “He can create offense through efficient puck movement and his ability to jump into the rush in transition. We believe that he will be a strong fit with our group and an important addition down the stretch.”
Fischer brings a two way game to the Greyhound blue line brigade for the balance of the season and adds another offensive element to a Red and White blue line crew alongside Chase Reid and Jakub Winkelhofer.
“As we looked to solidify our blue line and with many teams in the league still figuring out where they stand, we did not want to wait when a player like Lukas became available (closer to the January 10 OHL trade deadline),” noted Raftis. “We are excited to have him into our lineup and work with him to elevate his game as we (look ahead to) the second half of the season.”
Sarnia general manager Dylan Seca, in trading Fischer, noted that the veteran defenseman moves on from a lowly Sting team to a Greyhound outfit that now has increasingly high aspirations for this season.
“Lukas has only half a season left in the league and he has been a significant player and a leader for us,” Seca said. “Going to Sault Ste. Marie gives him the opportunity to be with a team that has a chance to win a championship.”
BLOODLINES: Young Fischer has hockey roots — and high end ones at that — through his dad, Jiri Fischer.
The now 45 year old Fischer is a Czech born, former NHL defenceman who played his entire career with the Detroit Red Wings after they took the 6 foot 5 blue liner in the first round, 25th overall, of the 1998 NHL Draft. He was part of Detroit’s 2002 Stanley Cup winning team.
Fischer’s playing career ended suddenly at the age of 25 after he went into cardiac arrest in a November, 2005 NHL game. He narrowly escaped death due to the immediate action of doctors and other arena personnel.
Fischer subsequently retired due to his heart problems — he played in 343 NHL games — and accepted a player personnel job with the Red Wings, one that he still holds to this day.