Golden Hawks add Candon O'Neill (D) from Sault Ste Marie and move Matthew Lee (F) to Buffalo in preparation for next season.
The Trenton Golden Hawks have made a significant move to help strengthen their defensive depth for the upcoming campaign, acquiring promising rearguard Candon O'Neill from the Soo Thunderbirds in exchange for a player development fee.
Last season with the Thunderbirds, O'Neill registered five goals and 26 assists in 39 games, earning second-team all-rookie honours. He first joined the franchise during the 2022-2023 season, where, as an under-ager, he skated in five regular-season contests and made one appearance in the playoffs.
Known for his hockey sense, the left-shooting blueliner also saw action with Team NOJHL West at the Eastern Canada Cup, held in Quinte West at the Duncan McDonald Memorial Community Gardens.
O'Neill, who has a 2007 birth date, developed throughout his youth with the Sault Major Hockey Association.
Despite being selected by the Saginaw Spirit in the 12th round of the 2023 OHL Priority Selection, the Sault Ste. Marie resident is committed to playing for Lake Superior State University. The same alma mater as his new head coach and general manager, Derek Smith.
"We are excited about adding Candon to our program," Smith said of the acquisition in a team press release. "He is a competitor that plays both sides of the puck. We look forward to helping him get to the next level."
Smith is the ideal mentor for young defencemen. He has a decade of professional playing experience as a blueliner, including time in the NHL with the Ottawa Senators and Calgary Flames. During his career, he also won a Calder Cup with the AHL Binghamton Senators.
Born and raised in Belleville, Smith has achieved significant success as a coach and talent evaluator in junior hockey. He has spent the last six years guiding teams in the Quinte region, including the Wellington Dukes and the Golden Hawks.
Throughout his tenure, Smith has earned OJHL Coach of the Year honours and boasts an impressive .720 winning percentage, with a record of 157-45-6-10. This past winter, he added a silver medal at the World Junior A Challenge to his list of accolades.
The Golden Hawks are building on a dominant season in which they clinched the East Conference regular season title with a 43-11-1-1 record and a remarkable plus-155 goal differential. Trenton continued to enjoy success in the postseason before eventually falling to the Collingwood Blues in Game 6 of the Buckland Cup finals.
Although Trenton has been relatively quiet this offseason, the franchise has been busier of late making roster moves as it continues preparing for next season.
Last week, the organization finalized a trade that sent forward Matthew Lee to the Buffalo Jr. Sabres. The native of St. Catharines registered 31 points in 50 games last season and added another nine points in the postseason. Entering his sophomore season in the league, Lee will now look to make an impact in Western New York.
The acquisition of O'Neill is expected to bring much-needed depth following the graduation of more experienced players out of the lineup. With his arrival, the Golden Hawks will look to build on last year's success and position themselves for another competitive season.
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