The Markham Royals announced two future-focused trades on Thursday, ahead of the January 10th Canadian Junior Hockey League deadline.
In their first move, the Royals traded defenceman William Godfrey, along with forward Rodion Tatarenko, to the Toronto Patriots.
Coming back to the Royals are forwards Marko Saroglou and Philip Govedaris, along with a player development fee.
Saroglou, 19, is in the midst of his second full season in the OJHL. In 87 career games played, the Toronto native has scored 16 goals and 38 assists. Saroglou finished third on the Patriots in point production last season. Govedaris, a 17-year-old rookie, has scored eight goals and eight assists through 33 games this season. Last year, the Markham native was a member of the U18 Markham Waxers as they won the OMHA Championship and made a valiant push for the Telus Cup. Govedaris reunites with Royals forward Mason Cruzet, also a member of that Waxers squad. Govedaris’ efforts this year earned him a spot on Team OJHL Hyman Young Guns in the league’s “Battle of Ontario” series against the CCHL.
Godfrey, 20, played three seasons with the Royals, joining the club in 2022/23. Across 120 games, Godfrey scored 14 goals and added 27 assists. Godfrey was named team captain ahead of the 2024/25 season. Tatarenko, 20, joined the Royals midway through the 2024/25 season and made an instant impact, producing 10 goals and 18 assists in just 14 games played. Tatarenko’s dominant December earned him OJHL Eastern Conference Player of the Month honours, along with a spot on the OJHL 20’s roster that played against Ontario Tech University on January 5th.
In their second move, the Royals traded forward Owen Fergusson to the Leamington Flyers for a player development fee.
Fergusson, 20, joined the Royals ahead of the 2024/25 season in a trade from the Espanola Paper Kings of the NOJHL. Named as an alternate captain ahead of the season, Fergusson was the team’s scoring leader, producing 13 goals and adding 26 assists in 38 games.
In an interesting twist, the three former Royals will debut against each other as the Patriots and Flyers face off Thursday night in Leamington.
We want to thank William, Rodion, and Owen for their efforts with the Royals and wish them all the best as they pursue a Buckland Cup in their last year of junior eligibility!
