The Sarnia Sting’s rebuild has not gone as planned, and they are once again sellers leading up to the OHL’s trade deadline. After firing Head Coach Alan Letang, Sarnia has struggled to steady the reeling ship, having lost seven of its last eight games. Now, Sarnia will have to figure it out without their leader on the blueline. 

On Monday, the Soo Greyhounds announced that they have acquired St. Louis Blues prospect and Sarnia captain, Lukas Fischer. The 6-foot-3, smooth-skating defenseman was the number one available defenseman on the market. The Greyhounds recently acquired Colin Fitzgerald from the Peterborough Petes, and now have bolstered up front and on the back end for what they hope will be a long playoff run.

Below are the full trade details.

Soo Greyhounds Receive:

LHD, Lukas Fischer (2006) - 26GP, 3G, 15A, 18PTS, -5, 38PIM

Sarnia Sting Receive:

RHD, Hunter Solomon (2007) - 26GP, 1G, 5A, 6PTS, -3, 15PIM
2026 2nd round pick (KGN)
2029 3rd round pick
2027 4th round pick
2027 4th round pick (PBO)
2028 6th round pick (OSH)

The Greyhounds had a front row view of Fischer on Sunday, when the team beat Sarnia 7-3 in their home barn. Fischer had a rather eventful game. He came away pointless, but had three trips to the penalty box, including a double-minor penalty for spearing in the third period. 

Outside of a bit of nastiness, the St. Louis prospect can play wherever needed. His effortless skating makes him a free-rover out there. He can jump up to assist the offense or make a pinch at the blueline or in the neutral zone, but also has the speed to get back defensively before danger ensues. 

Sault Ste. Marie can either load up a dynamic top pairing of Fischer and Chase Reid, but it would make more sense to split the two up. Their blueline would have two minute-munchers on separate pairings, and the veteran presence/experience of Fischer can handle the tough matchups. 

Some Sarnia fans weren’t exactly happy with the return the team got for their franchise defenseman. They acquired only one second-round pick, where the argument was that they had to get at least two in any trade involving Fischer. 

However, keep in mind that Fischer has a contract with the St. Louis Blues, and he will most likely be graduating to the professional level after this year. So, the Greyhounds will only have him for the rest of this season and the playoffs. 

Sarnia was able to grab a solid young defenseman in the trade, acquiring Hunter Solomon. The right-shot blueliner from Guelph, Ontario, adjusted seamlessly to the OHL last year, playing a steady role for all 68 games for the Greyhounds in their bottom-four pairing. 

Solomon is eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft because of his late 2007 birthday. He’s a reliable two-way defenseman who can provide a physical presence to the lineup and usually makes a smart first pass on the breakouts. He just recently turned 18, so there’s still lots of room for development and unlocking his offensive game. 

Now, with that being said, of course, they would've been targeting a defenseman to get back in the deal, since Fischer's absence on Sarnia's blueline is going to be massive, but the team needs more skill. Attempting to snag one of the Greyhounds' 2025 first-rounders, Noah Laus or Ryan Kaczynski would have made the Sting fans happier. 

The Greyhounds should come away ecstatic about this deal, knowing they didn’t have to part ways with either of those two young stars. The Sting could’ve waited to make this deal in the new year, putting pressure on more teams to have to buy in. Although the return they got isn’t awful, it feels like they could’ve gotten a bit more for a player of Fischer’s caliber.

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