By Dave Pollard, Guelphstorm.com Exclusive

In the Ontario Hockey League, trades are a fact of life and even the best players can get dealt.

But trades between bitter division rivals, well, they don't happen every day.

Still, every once in a while a player is asked to switch jerseys to one he previously viewed in the same way a bull looks at a red flag.

That was the case when the Guelph Storm acquired 19-year-old forward Daniel Erlich from the London Knights for a trio of draft picks a couple of days before the OHL trade deadline. For three and a half years, Erlich battled the Storm, one of London's most heated rivals, and then just like that was asked to join the team he used to hate.

The trade couldn't have been easy for Erlich. Or could it?

"Definitely, they were my enemy, but you don't hold grudges," Erlich said with a slight grin. "The faster we become one, the faster we become a family, the more successful we'll be. They've been great with me and made me feel part of the family. I love the city and the guys on the team. They've opened up their arms to me and I feel right at home with the team. They're great guys. I lived with the same billet family for four years so I was a little sad to leave their family but I've moved in to another family and they've been great with me. It's been a pretty easy adjustment."

When the Knights opted to start the rebuilding process rather than make a serious run at the OHL title this season, Erlich's days in London were probably numbered. Knight’s management dealt away a number of veterans in order to restock draft picks but Erlich needed to waive his no-trade clause before any trade could be completed.

So the move to Guelph didn't come as a complete surprise.

"We talked to the coaching staff a bit," he said. "We weren't sure if we were going to go for it or not but I'm happy I came to a great organization. London's a top-end organization, too. I was glad it was Guelph so I'm pretty happy with that. Hopefully we can make a good run in the playoffs. I think we have the talent, a great team and great coaching staff to do that. As long as we kept winning and working hard, I think we can go all the way."

It's been less than a month since the trade brought Erlich to the Storm but already he seems to have fit in. And there's a good chance the diminutive centre, a fan favourite with the green-clad denizens of the John Labatt Centre -- he won the Knights' booster club player of the year and heart awards last season -- will be embraced by Storm fans before long, despite his time with London.

Erlich has already got at least one fan, and an important one to boot, in Storm head coach Scott Walker.

"He knows the game. What do you say about it, he's just a hockey player," Walker said. "He plays bigger than he is, you never notice him for his size. He plays, he takes the man, he gets in front of people, he's first on the forecheck, he's not scared to go into the corner, he's not afraid to block shots. He's just a real solid hockey player. That's the best thing I could say, the biggest compliment I can give a player. (After a trade) you want to show your team, you want to show them that you can do this and do that but once you relax and settle in ... we all know he's a great player, he's got the points, he's got the reputation. He's not that big and this is a pretty good league so it takes a special player to be able to do it. Not many guys can do it. For him to have a career like he's had, he's got the respect of every player in my dressing room, I know that. And mine and all the coaches."

Generously listed at 5-foot-6 and weighing in at 154 pounds, Erlich has put up decent numbers over the course of his career despite being possibly the smallest player in the league.

A seventh-round pick of the Knights in 2007, the Thornhill native had 50 goals and 106 assists in 202 career games in London. In the playoffs, his production has been more impressive -- 12 goals and 24 assists in 29 games.

Although he's fearless, as shown by a handful of fights in the OHL, Erlich's offensive production is predicated on his speed, not height and weight. He's a waterbug on the ice, able to spin away from checks while controlling the puck, and backs defencemen into the zone when he's using his top gear.

"When he first came, the first couple of games, he was ramped up, excited, but he wasn't playing the game at the pace that I wanted nor do I think he should play," Walker said. "He's not a big guy so I want him flying. In practice he's probably been one of our best players, really working hard, putting in the effort. Nobody likes skating but he's been doing it because, I told him, that's the way we want him playing. I think that's going to help his game and help him move on to the next level. Whatever level it is, he's got to skate. Man, he's been flying. If I can get him, with his skill, to skate as fast as he can, we'll be a much better team."

Erlich has been playing on a line with Anaheim first-rounder Peter Holland and gritty overager Tyler Carroll. His presence gives the Storm two lines -- Taylor Beck, Michael Latta and Richard Panik have become the Storm's top trio -- that are capable of lighting it up every night.

"(Holland and Carroll) are two unreal players who work hard," Erlich said. "I actually live with Carroll so we already have the chemistry going. I just want to bring a little bit of grit to the game. Obviously I'm not the biggest guy out there but I like to get under people's skin a little bit. If I can make some plays out there we've got guys who can bury so it's all good."

Erlich's presence should help take the pressure off, since the Storm's scoring should be much more balanced. And the new, attack-oriented system Walker is using should be a good fit for Erlich.

"My style, our system the team is playing, I want them scoring, I want them on offence.” Walker said. "That's an exciting way to play. Be responsible in our own end but as soon as we get the puck we're on offence. They love it and they should. That's the way the game should be played."