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The Plymouth Whalers and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds completed a trade that involved former first round draft picks. The Whalers acquired defenseman Gianluca Curcuruto from the Greyhounds in exchange for forwards Mitchell Dempsey and Dylan Mascarin.
Curcuruto, a native of Richmond Hill, Ontario, was the Greyhounds' first pick, 14th overall in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection. In his second season with the Greyhounds, Curcuruto posted three goals and added 13 assists with a plus/minus rating of -13 and 36 penalty minutes in 63 games. In his rookie year, he registered one goal and 25 assists with a -1 rating and 26 penalty minutes in 56 games and was also a member of the gold-medal winning Team Ontario squad at the 2011 Under-17 Hockey Challenge. Curcuruto, who played in this past January's CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Kelowna, British Columbia, was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the seventh round, 182nd overall, in this past June's NHL Entry Draft.
Dempsey, the Whalers' first round pick in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection, saw limited time in his freshman year where he registered one goal with five assists, a -8 rating and 29 penalty minutes in 24 games. Listed at 6'3", 210 lbs.,the Cambridge, Ontario native is a prototypical power forward who is still growing. Dempsey represented the bronze-medal winning Team Ontario squad at the 2012 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge where he netted two goals with 12 penalty minutes in six games. Prior to being selected by the Whalers, Dempsey posted impressive numbers for his hometown team, the Cambridge Hawks minor midget squad, by scoring 38 goals and added 34 assists with 76 penalty minutes in 55 games.
Mascarin was the Whalers' fifth round pick, selected 91st overall, in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection. This past season, the Thunder Bay, Ontario native honed his skills for his hometown team Thunder Bay North Stars of the Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL). In 42 games with the North Stars, Mascarin scored six goals with 18 assists and 63 penalty minutes. Listed at 6'0", 160 lbs, Mascarin has been described as a physical player that can agitate his opposing players.
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