Catenacci wants out of Soo

Reports out of Sault Ste. Marie are stating that Greyhounds center Daniel Catenacci, the Sabres third-round pick this past June, requested a trade in July and is unlikely to report to the OHL club's camp.

Hounds general manager Kyle Dubas confirmed Thursday night the 18-year-old centre has made it clear through his agent that he won't return for another season.

Any parting of the ways won't exactly be Hounds driven, Dubas said.

"We have not initiated any trade scenarios or situations with this player," the rookie GM said. "There's always a possibility (we would trade Catenacci), and the truth of the matter is, in this regard, is that this player has requested to be traded."

Dubas said he has yet to receive any serious offers for Catenacci and reiterated he won't trade the player unless he gets fair equity in return. He would not elaborate on why Catenacci wants out of the Sault, choosing instead to say that's something the Catenacci camp will have to divulge.

Neither Catenacci nor his agent, Darren Ferris of the Orr Hockey Group, could be reached for comment Thursday night.

And so for the second straight summer, a Sabres mid-round pick out of the OHL is requesting a change of scenery. Last August, Steven Shipley staged a brief holdout from Owen Sound Attack camp before finally reporting, hurting his hand in a scrimmage scrap, and eventually getting dealt to Niagara before the start of the regular season. The move did very little developmentally for the 6'3, 212-pound center, as Shipley posted 20% fewer points with the IceDogs than he did the previous year with the Attack (50 in 2010-11, 63 in 2009-10).

It remains to be seen when and where Catenacci is dealt, but there's no question that his speed and skill make him a player that many teams would be interested in acquiring. By the sounds of it, the Hounds are ready to move on while the 5'10 pivot sits and waits.

Dubas said the Catenacci issue has not been a distraction to neither he nor his players, adding little time was wasted dealing with the matter once it arose.

"We put it out there to teams, confidentially, that we'd accept offers for him," Dubas said. "We've got a lot of draft picks, a lot of players coming back. Once a team gives us the best possible deal, then we'll make it."

So where will Catenacci land? Could he inch his way closer to Buffalo if IceDogs forward Ryan Strome sticks with the Islanders? We'll keep an eye on this in the coming weeks...