Guelph makes a big move up front, adding talented forward Roobroeck for futures.
Ahead of hosting the 2027 Memorial Cup, the Guelph Storm have been working at beefing up their squad to become a top contender.
They've already acquired Owen Griffin, Vladimir Dravecky and Ethan Czata, but might have just made the biggest move of them all on Friday.
That would be acquiring Ryan Roobroeck from the Niagara IceDogs, the big an uber-skilled forward that has shown the ability to be among the best players in the OHL.
Newly-acquired Ryan Roobroeck provides a massive dosage of skill and scoring ability into Guelph's lineup. (Photo: Natalie Shaver/OHL Images)In return, Niagara will receive forwards Wil McFadden and Layne Gallacher, as well as a third-round pick (OTT-2029), fourth-rounder (GUE-2030) and fifth-rounder (GUE-2027).
Roobroeck, 18, put up 58 (30+28) points in 49 games last season with Niagara, a year that was admittedly a bit difficult for him. In 2024-25, he recorded 87 (41+46) points in 64 games, a better reflection of what he can do offensively.
There was a point where the London, Ont., native was viewed as one of the top prospects available in this summer's upcoming draft, but he's now fallen to be viewed as more of a second-round prospect.
Gallacher, 18, and McFadden, 19, are both solid OHL forwards, and should fit into the IceDogs' middle six next season.
That all being said, Roobroeck is a great fit into Guelph's lineup, and his skill and scoring ability is exactly what they need, particularly on the man advantage. Most of their current core and recent additions are more along the lines of hard-working, two-way types, but may lack that pure ability to break a game open with skill when needed.
A 6-foot-4, 216 pound centre that can score 40 goals definitely fills that hole, and really starts to complete Guelph's roster heading into next season as they look to be one of the top teams in the West before hosting the Memorial Cup.
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