They are two steps removed but the Victoria Salmon Kings of the ECHL had to figure the Vancouver Canucks’ blue-line woes were going to trickle down to them at some point.

That happened Thursday when defensive standout Geoff Waugh was called up to the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League, which in turn has seen several of its rearguards move up to the Canucks.

“We knew sooner or later it would affect us,” said Salmon Kings GM and head coach Mark Morrison, whose club has won six of its last seven games heading into the three-game set against the Thunder in Stockton tonight, Saturday and Sunday.

“Waugh is a solid defensive defenceman and we are going to miss him.”

The six-foot-four third-round pick of the Dallas Stars, the 78th player chosen in the 2002 draft, has two goals and eight points in 47 games with the Salmon Kings.

“This will give us a chance to look at [recently-signed rearguard] Ed Snetsinger more closely, although he brings a different game than Waugh with Snetsinger more of an offensive defenceman.”

The Vancouver blue-line injuries have also allowed rookie Yann Sauve to make the rare move from the Salmon Kings to the Moose to the Canucks this season.

That makes injured Victoria-raised defenceman Taylor Ellington’s situation all the more regrettable. The sophomore pro and second-round Canuck draft pick played only 14 games for the Salmon Kings before missing the rest of the season to date due to a concussion.

“Without a doubt this would have been one of Taylor’s prime chances to move up in the organization,” said Morrrison.

“It’s unfortunate. I’m not saying it’s his last chance, but it would have been one of his best chances. It’s a shame. But that’s hockey.”

A concussion is an injury teams do not mess with in this day.

“Taylor has seen the specialists but is not yet free of symptoms,” said Morrison.

“Doctors are very cautious about this issue [concussion]. You can’t even ride a bike or anything, so he has essentially lost three or four months of activity. There’s a very small window of opportunity remaining [for Ellington to return this season].”

So it’s Waugh and Sauve who grab the breaks.

“This is a business where you’re always looking to move up and I’m happy for the guys who get that chance,” said Victoria defenceman Derick Martin.

“Geoff [Waugh] has been a great stopper for us all season and has earned the call-up to the Moose. And in Yann [Sauve], you could see from the start his big, strong body. He’s a high draft pick but he’s also a hard worker who always wants to get better. I hope he makes the best of it with the Canucks.”

If Ellington needs any encouragement, it’s that Sauve overcame a concussion suffered in a traffic incident in September to make his rapid rise.

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