Tri-City Herald: Americans trade Jordan Messier to Moose Jaw

By Annie Fowler | Tri-City Herald

For four years, Jordan Messier called the Tri-Cities home.

Tuesday, Messier was the odd man out when Tri-City Americans general manager Bob Tory had to trim his roster to the Western Hockey League maximum of three 20-year-old players.

Messier was dealt to the Moose Jaw Warriors for a fourth-round bantam draft pick in 2014.

“It’s a tough day,” Messier said. “I’ve been coming down here since I was 14 years old. This has been more of my home than Canmore (Alberta) the last four years. It would have been a tough day no matter what.”

Messier’s departure leaves the Americans with overage defenseman Drydn Dow and forwards Justin Feser and Jesse Mychan. “It’s a stressful time,” Tory said from Calgary, where the league general managers are meeting. “It’s hard to give a player away for no other reason than his age. With the deadline coming, you want to get assets for these guys. Jordan has been here a long time, and I thank him for his time. It was hard to move him.

“Drydn didn’t figure into the process until Jesse got hurt,” Tory said. “He stabilized our back end, played forward and defense, and proved he deserved to play here. That threw a monkey wrench into the whole process. Drydn is an underrated player.”

Moving Messier was just one transaction Tory made Tuesday. The others included trading defenseman Sam Grist, 19, to the Kamloops Blazers and acquiring forward Ryan Chynoweth, 17, from the Everett Silvertips.

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