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Jon Groenheyde

 

The Swift Current Broncos have addressed their goaltending and said goodbye to a hard-nosed veteran.

They shipped overage forward Jordan Peddle to the Edmonton Oil Kings for overage goaltender Jon Groenheyde.

Groenheyde spent most of his WHL career with Kamloops before getting traded to the Oil Kings midway through last season and helping Edmonton into the playoffs. He has a career record of 30-44-3 with a 3.66 goals against average and 0.890 save percentage.

"He's a big goalie that has been a number one goalie in the league," said Broncos Coach/GM Mark Lamb. "He is really good with young goaltenders."

Lamb believes he can be a mentor for 18-year-old Austin Smith and 17-year-old Steven Myland. However, the Broncos don't intend to keep three goaltenders all season.

"We're not going to do it very long," Lamb said. "We are at the beginning of a new process... that will play itself out."

Peddle is a former leading scorer of the Swift Current Midget AAA Home Hardware Legionnaires. He scored 64 points in 198 games with the Broncos, including 3 assists in 4 games this season. Lamb found it easier to swallow trading Peddle since he is going into a very good situation.

"There are a lot of fans who really like him because who couldn't like a player like that," Lamb said. "He's got a chance to advance his career by going to a team a lot of people are picking to win."

The Broncos still have four overage players on their roster and have to be down to three by the middle of the month. Their twenty year olds are Groenheyde, Brad Hoban, Taylor Vause and the injured Dillon Wagner.

"The overage players that we have here have been here longer than I have," Lamb said. "The respect I have for them is big."

Peddle's departure opens up a spot on the Broncos second line and second power play unit.

"We talk to the team all the time about opportunities," Lamb said. "When that door swings wide open you have to be ready to swing right through it and do something about it."

Swift Current's need for a starting goaltender came as a result of first round import draft pick Steffen Soberg returning to Norway in the middle of training camp. Soberg had committed to play with the Broncos and there are conflicting reports as to why he returned home. He can't play anywhere else without a release from Swift Current.

The Broncos host Lethbridge on Saturday before welcoming back Peddle and the Oil Kings to the Credit Union iPlex on Sunday.

Click here for the full interview with Coach/GM Mark Lamb

Click here for the Broncos press release with Jon Groenheyde's career stats

Click here for Jordan Peddle's career stats