BY MIKE MASTOVICH
JOHNSTOWN — It took more than a week to finalize a deal, but the Johnstown Chiefs finally received compensation for forward Jordan Morrison.
Rookie right wing Bear Trapp is expected to join the Chiefs in time for tonight’s game against the Reading Royals at Cambria County War Memorial Arena.
Chiefs coach Neil Smith acquired Trapp and future considerations from the Elmira Jackals for the rights to high-scoring forward Thomas Beauregard.
Johnstown originally had traded Morrison to Wheeling for Beauregard on March 4. But Beauregard refused to report to the last-place Chiefs and was suspended.
The Chiefs’ options included keeping Beauregard on the suspended list or trading him in order to get another player.
Smith chose the latter scenario in an effort to help the Chiefs finish out a lame-duck season in Johnstown and to have a promising rookie’s rights next season when the team moves to Greenville, S.C.
“Beauregard didn’t want to play here, so we had to do something with him,” Smith said.
“Bear Trapp is a hard-nosed guy who finishes his checks and plays hard. He’s a guy that brings some grit to the game. I think he can help us in that department. Plus, there are some future considerations that will help us next season.”
Smith said Trapp has indicated he will report to Johnstown.
“He’s definitely coming,” Smith said. “I talked to him. He’s on his way here.”
Trapp, 25, has four goals and 13 points in 20 games with the Jackals this season.
He joined Elmira last spring after completing his career at Sacred Heart University, where he had 56 goals and 156 points in 140 career games.
Trapp scored a pair of goals against the Chiefs in his professional debut on March 21 last season. The 6-foot-1 wing began this season in the Central Hockey League, splitting time between Bossier-Shreveport and Laredo before signing with Elmira on Jan. 15.
The Chiefs have a pair of home games this weekend, including a Saturday night contest against Wheeling.
Johnstown has a disappointing 6-17-4-3 home record. Overall the Chiefs have 15 wins and are 1-6-2-1 in their past
10 games and are 0-2-2-1 in the past five.
“I really like the way they’re working,” Smith said. “The players are working real hard in the games. They’re not laying down at all. They’re giving an effort.
“They’re trying to win. We’ve played some real good teams but we’ve come up short in overtime. There were some games we didn’t end up in the win column but we played well.”
Smith said defensemen Dave Schulz and Jonathan Ralph might be ready to play after missing time due to injuries.
“I’m not sure about (Bryan) Marshall, and (Dan) Collins and (Matt) Myers still aren’t ready,” Smith said of the injury situation.
