Giants Acquire Darian Skeoch & 4th Round Pick From Hurricanes For Brennan Menell

[Lucic]

The Vancouver Giants announced on Monday that the hockey club has traded 1997-born defenceman Brennan Menell to the Lethbridge Hurricanes in exchange for 1997-born blue liner Darian Skeoch and a fourth round pick in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft.

“The Vancouver Giants are excited to add Darian’s size, defensive strength and physical play to our lineup,” said General Manager Glen Hanlon. “Aside from his on ice contributions, Darian also brings leadership and a great attitude.”

Skeoch, who hails from New Liskeard, Ontario, played 59 games for the Hurricanes in 2015/16, amassing 7 points and 106 penalty minutes. The 19-year-old rearguard is set to attend Anaheim Ducks Rookie Camp which runs from September 15-21 in California.

“I’m super excited,” said Skeoch of joining the Giants. “It’s a great opportunity, and I look forward to getting to Vancouver as soon as possible.”

Menell was signed by the G-Men prior to the 2014/15 campaign. Over parts of two seasons in Vancouver, the Woodbury, Minnesota native netted nine goals and 65 assists in 126 games played in a Giants uniform.

[Lucic]

I absolutely love this move. I didn't expect the Giants to target a guy like Skeoch in a trade for Menell. I thought Lethbridge was a good fit but I never really thought of him as a potential target heading back this way. Maybe in part because I didn't expect the Canes to want to move him. Either way I'm sure fans will look at the stats here and think the Giants got hosed but Skeoch is exactly what this team needs. There aren't many big, tough defenseman (or players for that matter) in this league anymore. Skeoch is a guy that would be able to play 10 or 15 years ago. A lot of players now wouldn't be able to do that.

[Knuckles Muldoon]

Trading a sissy like Menell for a no-nonsense, physical Dman like Skeoch works well for me. Good job, Carrot!

[SectionNDeserter]

Skeoch is too slow to be an effective WHL defenseman, but he is a veteran presence, and he can really throw 'em. That being said, I would rather have a character player like Darian Skeoch on my team, than ten Brennan Menells. Menell will probably be back home by December, so Vancouver would appear to be the clear winner here.

[Lucic]

Skeoch is too slow to be an effective WHL defenseman, but he is a veteran presence, and he can really throw 'em. That being said, I would rather have a character player like Darian Skeoch on my team, than ten Brennan Menells. Menell will probably be back home by December, so Vancouver would appear to be the clear winner here.

Depends on your definition of effective. Skeoch plays a simple game and as long as he keeps it that way he's effective. Sometimes a specific players' presence is all you need. And if you have watched this team the past six or seven years you would understand that very clearly. This team has lacked that for a long time. They are so small and soft a player like this helps in so many ways. The Giants used to live up to their name sake in size and playing style. They haven't for a very long time and it's painful to watch.

[Knuckles Muldoon]

Depends on your definition of effective. Skeoch plays a simple game and as long as he keeps it that way he's effective. Sometimes a specific players' presence is all you need. And if you have watched this team the past six or seven years you would understand that very clearly. This team has lacked that for a long time. They are so small and soft a player like this helps in so many ways. The Giants used to live up to their name sake in size and playing style. They haven't for a very long time and it's painful to watch.

All true, and I'm hopeful Skeoch can play a key role. What we don't need is another Josh Thrower. That guy was a very disappointing.

[Lucic]

All true, and I'm hopeful Skeoch can play a key role. What we don't need is another Josh Thrower. That guy was a very disappointing.

Agreed. The one knock on Josh was always his heart/work ethic and whether he wanted it bad enough. It proved very evident here at least to me in his play. Most nights he went through the motions not engaged whatsoever. Then the next night he would be almost too aggressive taking stupid penalties and soon go back into that lull. There was never a lot of consistency and ultimately it was his awful defensive play that was most difficult to handle. Oddly enough he seemed to play a lot better in Moose Jaw for whatever reason. I don't know what happened between here and there but parting ways for both parties was necessary. Skeoch doesn't have that "expectation" if you will. He was a guy passed over in the OHL draft probably figured he had no real likelihood of playing major junior hockey and was one of the feel good stories for the Hurricanes last season. From what I saw last season he doesn't lack that consistency like Thrower. He is pretty consistent in his play. Physical defenseman are going to take penalties and that is fine. That comes with the territory. I don't think effort will be a problem here. I would be a little more concerned with where he is going to play. Defensively this team is bad and Skeoch will probably play more minutes and a larger role than he did last season. That may expose him a bit more. But the fact of the matter is he brings an element this team needs and Menell had to go. Maybe some fans would rather see Hanlon bring in another offensive minded guy to replace an offensive minded player and I would understand that thought process. I don't think that option was out there. I don't believe Menell's value was that high (despite what some in the media wrote about him). And this team has so many holes bringing in an offensive minded defenseman still would have left a number of holes elsewhere.

[dondo]

Getting a big solid stay at home D for a talented yet flaky player like Menell - is a decent trade and, as mentioned above, a hole the Giants have needed to fill for a few years. I kind of wish they were able to fill it with an 18 year old -- we have a bunch of 19s, hardly any 18s and lots of 17s, not really a recipe for success or proper development, in my mind.