LEWISTON – It won’t be the return of Sheldon Wenzel, but the Lewiston Maineiacs are hoping that the arrival of Triston Manson will have the same effect.

The Maineiacs made the rumors official Saturday when they acquired the 20-year-old Manson from the Shawinigan Cataractes for a fifth-round pick at the 2007 QMJHL draft.

“We recognized the fact that we hope to have a good team this year; we have a lot of talent on this team,” said Maineiacs’ majority owner Mark Just. “With that, we know this league pretty well, and some teams will take liberties with our players. We don’t want them in the penalty box retaliating, so we recognized that we needed someone who is proven to be a heavyweight.”

Manson, meanwhile, nearly had his bags packed already Saturday when he got official word from the team.

“Shawinigan told me this summer that they didn’t want me to show up this year,” Manson said. “My dad was working the phones all summer trying to find a team that wanted me, trying to figure out where I could go.”

Once Lewiston started showing interest in Manson, the Cataractes called and offered him a chance to return to training camp. That decision made the trade necessary. Otherwise, if the Cats had dropped him from their roster Monday, he would have been a free agent. Still, say the Maineiacs, giving up a fifth-round pick in 2007 was an easy decision.

“We have a strong future with this team, as well,” Just said. “We have three fourth-round picks next year, and as a result, we were in a position where we could afford to make this move.”

Manson will add grit to the Maineiacs’ front line. While he did have four goals and four assists in limited action last year, he and the Maineiacs’ staff know what his role will be.

“He is is here for one reason,” said Maineiacs head coach and general manager Clem Jodoin.

“My job is to help the younger players out as a veteran,” Manson said. “I’m a leader and a tough guy. That’s why I’m coming. I know my role, and I always want to do what I can do to help the team out. If that means that I have to fight once in a while, that’s fine. I know the team has a lot of skilled players already, but not a lot tough guys. That’s going to be my role.”

Just, meanwhile, also acknowledged that the opinion of the fans had something to do with Manson’s acquisition.

“We’re here to satisfy our fans,” said Just. “They have felt, correctly, that this is what we needed, and I’m sensitive to what our fans want to see when they come to our games.”

Manson will join the team Monday night and will be ready to play on the team’s three-game road trip, which starts with a pair of games in Bathurst on Monday and Tuesday, followed by a game against Moncton on Wednesday.