Claimed:Slaughter Prepares For Final Season [Final 6/6]

[sterling 1,997]

Slaughter Prepares For Final Season

In what seems like a short time, star forward Tom Slaughter with the Stockholm Vikings has entered, excelled and is about to exit the Victory Hockey League. During Season 43, the forward assisted in helping Stockholm capture its first Victory Cup in a generation, the first of only two seasons he will play in Sweden before mandatory retirement sets in. He has been a good player on a number of good teams and as such he has little left to prove in his eight and final kick at the can. So why exactly is Slaughter sticking around for another season?

"I think like any player in pro sports will tell you, I want to win. I think I stand another good chance at that this season in Sweden. Last year I thought we had a great team, certainly good enough to win the title, but it didn't work out. Again I expect us to be an elite team in Season 44. I think our General Manager has a bit of work to settle before it begins though because last year we had a lot of guys quit on the team which I've never seen in my seven years," Slaughter said.

 

By the end of the season, the forward found himself as one of the only regular practice participants on the Viking squad which is troubling considering the number of younger players on the team. He was brought in to be a leader and in his final season the Vikings may call on him to be captain as the last captain Jack Kowalski disappeared under mysterious circumstances midway through Season 43. He is expected to be traded now this off-season. Interestingly enough, Slaughter has never captained a team so he too may not be a good fit in the role.

"At the end of the year I thought it necessary to call out the team in total for the lack of activity. I think if guys would have practiced harder and been more vocal leaders off the ice we would have seen better results in the post season. That's all in the past now, we got to move on and I'm more than happy to take on a bigger role if needed. I've always been there when called upon although I prefer to lead by example and experience as opposed to a rah rah kind of guy," he said.

The Vikings are expected to be returning a very good core of players in forwards Slaughter, Lord Karnage and Jody 3 Moons. Defencemen Lloyd Light and Francis York Morgan and goaltender Blake Campbell who showed early signs of stardom in limited game action during season 43. Those six players are expected to make up a very active and skilled core of a Viking team that could use more skilled depth. It's hard to judge the current trade market but teams like Cologne and Toronto could see themselves retooling while teams like Davos look to make the next step.

"The way I see it, Season 44 is open for the taking. I think we will ice another good team again and with that we kind of have to let the chips fall where they may. We were better than we showed in the five game series against Cologne. I'll be curious to see what teams are selling and where some of the bigger named stars that are on the market will land. I wouldn't mind having a good finisher on my line this season, it tends to make life a little easier when you're a guy focused on setting up plays. I'm ready for my last season, I'm in great shape and I expect to have very little to no drop in play as well," Slaughter said.

[Frank 5,209]

LOL

[Tylar 219]

Content: 3/3 - Yup. Good Media Spot on your season. I predicted that Stockholm would come out of Europe but it just wasn't meant to be. Interesting about people not updating anymore. Good chance Stockholm comes out of Europe next season. Good luck!!!

Grammar: 2/2 - Lovely
to prove in his eight and final kick  = to prove in his eighth and final kick 

Appearance: 1/1 - Lovely

Overall: 6/6

[Kesler 1,514]

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