Claimed: Wild Offense: A Look at Saskatoon

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Wild Offense: A Look at Saskatoon

 

Bo Boeser was a constant offensive threat and led the Wild by example.

 

By now, everyone knows that Bo Boeser is a star offensive player. With 57 goals and 53 assists for 110 points, he stands at third in overall points, third in goals, and sixth in assists. He boasted the kind of star-power production night in and night out that in large part allowed Saskatoon to cruise to second place in the league, becoming the only team this season to play above .500 hockey with the exception of the Las Vegas. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to suggest that he was one of the key pieces on the team – perhaps their most valuable player, along with Apansson and Manley. Although the stat sheet won’t show it, Boeser’s production actually slowed down about a third of the way into the season, with mid-season acquisitions by the Wild allowing Boeser to relax and play a more complete, two-way game rather than acting as one of just two snipers for the team. Even so, a two-way Boeser is still an offensive powerhouse.

 

Another key figure in the Wild’s offense was rookie Carlo Capitulo. Although not highly touted as a potential draftee due to the perception that he may be reaching his ceiling, Capitulo lit the league up with 36 goals and 37 assists for 73 points, being one of the highest scoring rookies and coming second only to Boeser in goals for the team. On the defensive side of things, Trazan Apansson notched 19 goals and 44 assists to provide the Wild with a solid defensive anchor that could move the puck. His shot also factored in, allowing the Wild one more tool in the offensive end.

 

The Wild’s two most prominent offensive mid-season acquisitions were arguably Jake Scheel and Daring Do. Scheel, a two-way playmaking center offered someone reliable to take the draw, as well as decent passing IQ allowing him to notch 16 goals and 46 assists for 62 points, his assist totals behind only Boeser. Daring Do notched 24 goals and 37 assists for 61 points, coming third in goals on the team and fifth in overall points. These numbers were all the more impressive considering the two only played 55 games in the season. However, much has already been made about Scheel and Do. One final mid-season acquisition that needs to be looked at is Gabriel McAllister. Although far down the scoresheet with 21 points on the season, he played a mere 17 games. With 13 goals and 8 assists, McAllister played extremely well for the Wild. For reference, in a full 72 game season he would have been on pace for 88 points – 55 goals! That is, without any doubt, a star performance by a player who barely had a chance to play.

 

As a team, the Wild game third in overall goals for behind the Lynx and the Aces – an impressive number considering how many of their offensive players didn’t even participate the whole season. Certainly, offense alone wasn’t enough to win them games and notch them the number two slot, but it certainly was a strength of theirs. They weren’t demolishing opponents and running up the score, but by the end of the season they boasted several players that were a threat to score, or at least to make a play. Les Clarke who hasn’t been mentioned yet notched 18 goals on the season, Emiya Shirou put up 32 assists, and even the departing Recreate God managed to register 20 assists. There were very few players on the team that didn’t factor in, in some form or fashion.