Maroons overhaul roster at trade deadline

The Chatham Maroons completed a roster overhaul at the January 10 trade deadline. Here’s an update of who are in and who are out.

Out
Cameron and Colton Graham. The power forward brothers are a tandem package, where one goes the other one follows and vice versa.

The brothers, who were acquired from Sarnia this summer, have elected to finish their junior hockey careers with the PJHL’s Blenheim Blades.

Ethan Waddick, who played last year with Sarnia and joined the Maroons this summer, also is now on Blenheim’s roster.

Cameron Graham had the Blades only goal in a 7-1 loss to Lakeshore in their debut on January 4. Cameron had a hat-trick and Colton added a single marker in a 4-3 win over Amherstburg on Saturday.

All three will now be eligible to play another year of junior hockey as an overager.

Atley Rodgers and Tyler Pais were traded to Strathroy. Both had 11 points this season with the Maroons. Rodgers came over to Chatham in the summer in a trade with London.

Pais is a defensive defenceman with good size who moves the puck well. His sister Emma plays NCAA women’s hockey with Colgate.

Braeden Burke, who was tied for the team goals scored lead last year (21), was released so he can join the OJHL’s Burlington Cougars.

Chatham’s Ryan Gagner has 36 points in 38 games with Burlington this season.

In

A fifth-round draft pick of the North Bay Battalion, Dylan Richter came over from a trade from the Strathroy Rockets.

The past two years Richter has played with North Bay. Prior to that, the Parkhill native played in 71 games with Strathroy putting up big numbers. In 71 games he scored 39 goals and added 44 assists for 83 points.

The Maroons picked up defender Carter Kucher at the deadline. An 11th-round OHL draft pick of the Flint Firebirds, Kucher is from Sault Ste. Marie, but played the past few seasons in the Greater Toronto Hockey League. At 6’4 and 215 lbs, Kucher provides good size for the Maroons blueline.

Kucher was playing for the Soo Indians AAA U18 team earlier this season.

Evan McChesney also recently joined the team. The 17 year-old from Mississauga, was a 12th-round draft pick in the 2023 OHL draft by North Bay.

McChesney was playing prep school hockey for South Kent U18 earlier this season and played last year for Ridley College.

The Maroons picked up a pair of players from the OJHL’s Leamington Flyers—Carter Gillen and Sean Truby. Both are from Royal Oak MI. Gillen scored a goal in the Maroons 6-2 loss to St. Mary’s on Sunday.

Another defender added to the roster was Logan Burnham. Burnham was playing Junior C hockey with the Wingham Ironmen. Burnham was the Ironmen’s top scoring defenseman with 27 points in 31 games.

The Maroons (20-9-3-1) play this Wednesday on the road in Lasalle, and host St. Thomas on Sunday.