Health & Fitness
Plymouth Whalers Trade Cody Payne to Saginaw, Acquire Francesco Vilardi from Sudbury
The Whalers acquired Payne on Nov. 2, 2011 from Oshawa in exchange for a third round pick in the 2012 OHL Draft. Payne played 116 games over two seasons for Plymouth, scoring 27 goals and 32 assists for 59 points with 170 PIM’s and was +15. Payne enjoyed his best offensive year last season for the Whalers, scoring 24 goals with 21 assists for 45 points with 75 PIM’s and was +16 in 66 games.
Payne – from Weston, FL – was originally taken by the Boston Bruins in the fifth round (145th overall) of the 2012 National Hockey League Entry Draft. His NHL rights were traded to the Dallas Stars at the 2013 NHL Trade Deadline.
The Whalers today also acquired 17-year-old center Francesco Vilardi from the Sudbury Wolves for a third round draft choice in the 2015 OHL Priority Selection.
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Earlier this week, the Whalers traded overage goaltender Matt Mahalak to Kingston for a pair of draft choices. Plymouth also signed 17-year-old defenseman Josh Wesley, who was taken by Plymouth in the fifth round (98th overall) in the 2012 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection.
Last season, the Whalers made the playoffs for the 22nd consecutive year – a current OHL record – and captured their 12th West Division title over 23 years. Plymouth expects to be in thick of the Western Conference race again in 2013-14.