Sports
Plymouth Whalers Acquire Cody Payne From Oshawa
Whalers send future third-round pick to Generals for Florida-native
Plymouth Whalers General Manager and Head Coach Mike Vellucci announced the acquisition of 17-year-old center Cody Payne from the Oshawa Generals in exchange for a third round selection in the 2012 Ontario Hockey Priority Selection.
“Cody is a big, strong forward,” Vellucci said. “He skates very well and has good hands. We feel he will adapt well here to ‘Whaler Hockey.’”
Payne – from Weston, FL – was originally selected by Oshawa in the third round (58th overall) of the 2010 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection. Last season, Payne scored a goal with 12 assists for 13 points and was +7 in 50 games for the Generals. This year, Payne scored twice in 10 games for Oshawa.
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Payne played for the United States in the 2011 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka Tournament. He comes to Plymouth already knowing some of his new teammates.
“I’ve played with Tom Wilson in Toronto before coming to the Generals,” Payne said in a telephone interview. “We worked out together in the summer. And I went to the same school as Matt Mistele in Whitby, ON. I’m very excited to be coming to Plymouth.”
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Payne is expected to report to Plymouth this week and will be in the lineup this weekend when the Whalers host Barrie on Friday and Windsor on Saturday at Compuware Arena. Both games start at 7:05pm.
Plymouth completes a busy weekend on Sunday in Saginaw.
$5 FRIDAYS RETURN – Fans looking to stretch their entertainment budget should take advantage of the Whalers game on Friday against Barrie at 7:05pm at Compuware Arena. It’s another ‘$5 Friday’ sponsored by WYCD 99.5 Detroit’s Country. Sections 105-110 of Compuware Arena are offered each Whalers Friday home game for $5. For more information, please call (734) 453-8400.
