The Soo Greyhounds picked up St. Louis Blues prospect Lukas Fischer from the Sarnia Sting on Monday in exchange for blueliner Hunter Solomon and five draft picks

The Ontario Hockey League trade deadline is just over a month away, but the Soo Greyhounds didn’t waste time adding a player they feel will have an impact on a potential playoff run.

And they did so in a deal with a division rival.

The Greyhounds added defenceman Lukas Fischer, a prospect of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues, from the Sarnia Sting on Monday in a deal that saw the team send Hunter Solomon and five draft picks the other way.

Greyhounds general manager Kyle Raftis called the deal one that gives the Greyhounds some additional depth on the blueline.

“He’s always somebody, even going back to since he’s been 17, he’s been a top-pairing guy for Sarnia,” Raftis said. “He can play tough matchups, he plays with an edge. He’s a big, heavy defenceman that can skate well.”

“He’s somebody that can play in all situations, whether it’s power play, penalty kill, five-on-five, you can put him out with anybody,” Raftis added. “It gives us some real good depth.

In discussing the deal, Raftis called himself “a big fan” of Fischer’s.

“He’s an elite defenceman,” Raftis said. “He’s 6’3”, he can skate, he plays hard. He can move pucks. Say what you will about Sarnia right now, but they have the fourth ranked power play in the league, which he’s a big part of.”

Raftis called the deal a chance to upgrade the Greyhounds roster on the blueline.

“When you’re looking around and kind of getting a feel and the fact that Sarnia was looking at doing something now as opposed to waiting, it just checked all the boxes for us,” Raftis said. “Chase Reid’s leaving for a month (for the World Juniors). Not to say you were looking desperately trying to replace those minutes right now, but the fact that things can move quickly, the more we talked about it, this is a no-brainer for us.”

“Solomon’s a good defenceman,” Raftis added. “He’s an unbelievable person and it’s tough to move him at that spot, but at the same time, to bring in someone like Lukas earlier than we probably would have expected, it just made sense.”

With the OHL trade deadline not until Jan. 10, Raftis said the additional month of having Fischer in the lineup was “crucial.”

“We’re starting to gain some momentum as a team and when you can bring in someone that can play probably bigger minutes than we’re anticipating for him for the next little bit, get him comfortable, get used to it, there’s always a transition whether you’re an elite player or not. Getting him in here before the break is huge.”

Fischer played in 26 games this season with the Sting, scoring three goals and adding 15 assists for a struggling Sting team after posting career highs last season.

In 51 games during the 2024-25 OHL season, Fischer had 15 goals and 37 points.

Fischer played in 192 career games over three-plus seasons with Sarnia, scoring 27 goals and adding 72 assists.

In a release, Sting general manager Dylan Seca said Solomon was a player they targeted in the deal.

“We see a lot of upside in his game,” Seca said. “Leadership, character, passion, competitiveness, and he checks all the boxes.”

“He will compliment our back end, but most importantly, he is someone we can inject into our room who can lead.”

Seca called Fischer “a significant player and a leader” in his time with the Sting.

“This move gives him the opportunity to go to a team that has a chance to win a championship,” Seca added.

In 26 games this season with the Greyhounds, Solomon had a goal and six points.

The 18-year-old blueliner had three goals and 13 points last season in 68 games during his first season with the Greyhounds.

In addition to Solomon, the Sting receive a second round pick in 2026 (originally Kingston’s), a fourth round pick in 2027 (originally Peterborough’s), a fourth round pick in 2028, a sixth round pick in 2028 (originally Oshawa’s) and a third round pick in 2029.

Both Fischer and Solomon were in the lineups of their respective, now former, teams in Sunday’s game between the two clubs, a game the Greyhounds won by a 7-3 score.