The trade the Old Grizzlys made with the Drayton Valley Thunder may not be the only move the Junior A hockey team makes in the next little while to improve its roster.
But time is running out, head coach Joe Murphy says.
"We do have some things out there, but whether or not they go firm or not, time will tell," he said during an interview with the Albertan.
"We really have about one more week to do it before phones don't get picked up until August, so if there's nothing in this next week -- week to 10 days -- then there's likely not going to be much brewing after that until camp.
"We're trying to improve the club so we have a few things out there, but we want to make sure that we're serving the Olds Grizzlys well not only for next season, but in seasons after that. So our eye is always on the most skill now, but also on how does this translate for the next season and the season after that."
Late last month, the Grizzlys traded 19-year-old three-year Grizzly Jeremy Klessens to the Thunder for 18-year-old defenceman Ethan Green.
Green, from Spruce Grove, is 5-9 and weighs about 185 pounds. He played in 44 games last year, scoring six goals and notching 17 points.
Klessens, of Red Deer County, stands 5-11 and weighs 185 pounds. He played in 161 games for the Grizzlys, scoring 31 goals and racking up 73 points.
Murphy says that trade was made to add more skill to the lineup, make the club a little younger and give some younger guys a chance to show what they can do.
"We wanted to be a little younger in our forward group," Murphy said. "I think it was a good fit for Jeremy and our incoming forwards to free up some ice for some kids to develop and Jeremy gets a new spot to land and be a leader.
"Ethan Green, the player that we got back, is a very skilled defenceman and we wanted to add skill to our blueline. We wanted to be better puck movers. We wanted more flexibility back there to do more things.
"So that was the player we wanted back. We wouldn't have traded Jeremy if we weren't getting Ethan. So that was kind of how that works. Unfortunately, you always have to give up a good player to get one, and that was the case here," he added.
Murphy said the trade also gives Klessens a chance to shine.
"Jeremy was a longtime three-year Grizzly and for Jeremy's career, I think being that he was being in Olds for a long time, I think he needed a new voice to be able to push him to the next spot for him," he said.
"It's a 19-year-old year for Jeremy. It's a pretty important year for him."
Assuming no more big trades occur, the next important event on the Grizzlys' calendar occurs Aug. 24 and 25, when they hold their camp. The annual black and white game is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 26, depending on ice availability.
"We're going to run main camp a little leaner than maybe years past just because we want to get down to numbers," Murphy said.
"We want guys to get lots of game time, reps in, to practise. We want to hit the ground running with our systems in place, personnel in place. We have recruited with purpose for our main camp and hopefully it translates well into the season."
Murphy said there'll be no rookie camp this year.
"We had a prospects camp in June, so by and large, that was our rookie camp," he said.
