Cologne, Germany – After a disappointing start to what was supposed to be a big first season for the Hellcats in Cologne, GM Sebastian Horn finally showed a sign of life and acquired defenseman Dougie Hamilton and forward Blake Coleman from the Calgary Meteors in exchange for Chris Wagner, Zack MacEwen, Julien Gauthier, Serron Noel a 7th round pick and additional conditional draft picks.
Hamilton, 27, was one of the few bright spots on a disappointing Meteors roster recording 9 goals and 12 assists for 21 points in 26 games. Besides his offensive skills, Hamilton is known to be rock solid defensively, making him a good option for the Hellcats' first defensive pairing along with Mark Giordano. Rookie offensive defenseman Adam Fox could also be a good partner for Hamilton.He should also see significant minutes on both special teams. Hamilton will be an Unrestricted Free Agent after the season
Coleman, 28, is know to be tireless worker, physical presence and effective penalty killer. He has 5 goals and 4 assists in 24 games this season. He too will be an Unrestricted Free Agent after the season.
"We give up some really fine young players, but we felt that Dougie (Hamilton) and Blake (Coleman) bring a lot to the table." Horn said at a press conference held at "Mühlen Brauhaus" brewery in downtown Cologne.
The trade is a vote of confidence that the current roster, despite the shaky season so far, can have a say in the season's cup race. "We weren't perfect, but I think we also had a lot of tough luck running into hot goalies at unfortunate times. We're good.", Horn said.
Asked whether he still considers his team to be among the favourites to win it all this season, Horn took the glass of Kölsch beer in front of him, which is usually there for advertising purposes only, downed it and said, a little unconvincingly, "Sure!".
The trade comes after the Hellcats for the first time this season won three consecutive games after beating the high flying Great Whites of Worcester in overtime on Friday, and the team surely hopes the additions will increase the momentum gained in those victories.