The Windsor Spitfires have pulled the trigger on a trade that sends their top scorer to Barrie.
Aaron Luchuk has been sent to the Barrie Colts for forward Curtis Douglas and three draft picks. Luchuk, 20, was Windsor's centre on its first line. He currently leads the Ontario Hockey League with 28 goals and is second in the OHL in overall points with 51.
He was a fourth-round draft pick for Windsor in the 2013 OHL Draft and was on last year's Memorial Cup-winning squad.
"It was very hard to move one of the best character kids this franchise has ever seen," said General Manager Warren Rychel in a statement released after the trade. "He scored one of the biggest goals in Spitfire history and is forever a champion. His contributions to the team, both on and off the ice, were significant."
In exchange, the Spits are getting Douglas, a 17-year-old from Oakville. The 6'8", 230 lbs forward was drafted by Barrie as a fourth-rounder in 2016. He has had seven goals for 18 points and 37 penalty minutes so far this season for the Colts.
Windsor is also getting Barrie's second-round draft picks in 2021 (from the Sudbury Wolves) and 2022, plus Barrie's third-round pick in 2024.
Rychel says Douglas will likely be in the lineup for the Spitfires in Thursday night's home game against the Mississauga Steelheads.
VIDEO: He spent four-plus years as a Spitfire, was our captain, and scored one of the biggest goals in franchise history - the GWG in last year's Memorial Cup final. We talked to an emotional @ALuchuk91 before he left for Barrie this morning. pic.twitter.com/vzFTBkJe9n
— Windsor Spitfires (@SpitsHockey) December 14, 2017