Daulton Siwak may not have given all the facts to the Prince George Cougars when he left the team last Sunday.
The 19-year-old originally told Cougars general manager Dallas Thompson he wanted to return home to Alberta and look for work outside of hockey, but since then a tier 2 team, allegedly in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, has attempted to acquire Siwak's rights.
"When I talked to Daulton he said he was tired of the Western Hockey League and he didn't want to be in the Western Hockey League anymore," said Thompson. "He was tired of the grind so he was going to go home.
"Unfortunately with that there's been some happenings with a tier 2 team out east that we're dealing with some situations here that I can't really comment on," he added.
The former Cougars right winger would've needed to be on the MJHL team's roster by Thursday at 8 p.m., Manitoba time, if he was going to be eligible to play with them this season.
Siwak was acquired by the Cougars in Dec. 2011 from the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for forward Charles Inglis. In three and a half seasons in the WHL, Siwak played in 227 games, notching 39 goals and 71 points but was an unspectacular -33 in plus/minus. Siwak had nine goals, 17 points for the Cougars this season, but was tied with Alex Forsberg with the worst plus/minus on the team at -18.
At six-foot, 200-pounds Siwak never lived up to his potential and was unwilling to go into the corners or set up in front of the opposition net, saying "it's not my game," when asked about going into the greasy areas during a December interview with The Citizen.
Cougars head coach Dean Clark said he wasn't impressed Siwak apparently didn't tell the truth when he chose not to travel to Portland with the team.
"It's disappointing that a guy that's been here for a year would lie to his teammates," said Clark. "I guess it's just the way he wanted to handle it."
Clark added he was happy with the move Thompson made in response to Siwak's leaving. Wednesday the Cougars acquired Klarc Wilson, a 19-year-old forward, from the Edmonton Oil Kings in exchange for a third round pick in the 2014 bantam draft.
"We replaced that big body which we really needed to do," said Clark. "He's more of a physical player and, I think he understands the game a lot better. He definitely going to help us. He's a tough kid too so he'll add to the toughness of our team."
In his fourth season in the WHL, Wilson began his career with the Brandon Wheat Kings where he played 19 games before the Edmonton native was traded to the Oil Kings. Wilson has played 225 regular season games, picking up 23 goals, 78 points and 332 penalty minutes. He's played in 18 WHL playoff games with Edmonton and was a part of their Memorial Cup team last season.
Wilson has suited up in 40 games this season, collecting five goals, 16 points and 55 penalty minutes.
"He'll get a chance with us and get a good opportunity to do a lot of things for us," said Clark. "I know he was excited to come and get a chance."
The Cougars have also added defenceman Jordan Harris to their roster for the remainder of the season. The 16-year-old started the season playing for the Prince Albert Mintos of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League and is recuperating from injury after getting hit on the head during a game prior to Christmas.
