Wolves Hit Reset Button
August 27, 2014 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Sudbury Wolves News Release
The Sudbury Wolves organization will begin the 2014-15 season with renewed enthusiasm and hope for another winning regular season and play-off berth. The Wolves have made the play-offs for six consecutive seasons.
The Wolves have recently completed three consecutive winning seasons (above .500 hockey) for the first time in 12 years and the second time in the last 20 years. The area that the Wolves know that they need to address is their ability to win in the play-offs.
"As an organization, we have spent a great deal of time over the off-season analyzing last season and have included all aspects of our organization including season ticket holders and fans who took the time to write to us as well as our own management, coaching and scouting staffs" notes Wolves' President and General Manager Blaine Smith.
Smith recognizes that the OHL is a very difficult league to win but the key to success will continue to be through drafting players that are team-oriented and are willing to compete game-in and game-out. The other key aspect that the Wolves have addressed is the need to add size and strength as the Wolves have done with the OHL Priority Selection and the CHL Import Draft.
"The OHL schedule is very demanding and even more demanding when Northern Ontario is the starting point" adds Smith. "We have one of the longest travel schedules in the OHL and a 68 game schedule certainly takes its toll physically on young players. We saw this last year in the second-half of the season. For this reason, we have drafted bigger, stronger players that can endure the physical wear-and-tear of the OHL schedule and players that are highly committed to leading, winning and being the best that they can be."
When asked if this season will be a rebuilding season, the Wolves' GM adds that "it is difficult to say we are in a rebuilding year when you have the potential of 2/3's of our team returning from last year. We also expect to add some very skilled and exciting rookie players such as Michael Pezzetta, Pavel Jenys and Ivan Kashtanov - to name a few - who are ready to step-in and contribute offensively. There is a great deal of excitement with our players about the potential for enhanced roles and increased playing time. Having said that, we know that we have some big holes to fill and time will tell if we have what it takes to get the job done."
Smith summarizes the feeling of the entire organization by saying simply, "We have officially hit the reset button and our group is very prepared, ready and willing to begin a new season."
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Ontario Hockey League Stories from August 27, 2014
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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
