Claimed: McAllister leading the way for Saskatoon on and off the ice [1/2]

[Eggy216 136]

Gabriel McAllister celebrates his league-leading 24th goal of the season

 

It's been a long season for Saskatoon, filled with ups and downs as they try to hold on to second place in the VHLM, clinging to the memory of last season's championship series against Las Vegas. Nobody in the room wants to go home early this year, and leading the way both on and off the ice has been Gabriel McAllister, whose league leading 24 goals in 25 games have been the talk of the league. But while his numbers have been legendary, the real story has been his contributions outside of games.

 

Every practice, whether it's a game day or an optional practice, McAllister will be the first one in and the last one to leave. From the moment practice starts he's out there taking charge and ensuring everyone else is staying on track. If someone needs help or wants to practice a specific part of their game, he'll head right on over to lend a hand. He's not just focused on improving his own game, he's just as intent on improving everyone else's.

 

"He brings 110% every day, even when he doesn't have to," commented teammate Daring Do. "It's been amazing playing alongside him, he's truly one of the league's all-time greats. He's the glue that holds the rest of this team together. It's great, he shows up every day with a smile on his face, even when things were at a low point for us. It's hard to come to practice every day when you're getting outshot every game. Even when we took that one game with a 1-0 win in the shootout, we know we didn't deserve it. 6 shots isn't going to cut it. But Gabe, he didn't let it get to him. He was still right out there first thing the next morning, taking reps and working on improving himself. A guy like that, it does a lot for the team's morale."

 

With Saskatoon sitting comfortably in second place, it's not hard to see how much of an impact McAllister has had throughout this season. There's a reason you see so many of his jerseys in the crowd, and it's the same reason all of his teammates look to him in the locker room. He's a leader in every sense of the word.

 

While it's almost certain that McAllister will be leaving the VHLM after this season as he pursues his life long dream of a VHL career, his mark on the franchise and the minor league on the whole is one that will last for long after he last steps on the ice in a Wild jersey. And if he has anything to say about it, that last step on the ice for Saskatoon is going to be taken with the cup held high.

 

@CowboyinAmerica

[CowboyinAmerica 2,911]

Regardless of how it ends up, I do think it's cool we have a lot of the same team for multiple title runs. Don't see that too often in the VHLM. Love the piece, thanks for writing!

[eaglesfan036 4,605]

calgary gonna trade for 1st overall

[DollarAndADream 3,357]

Review

McAllister definitely proving he is the #1 guy in the draft.

Daring Do turning into quite the pickup for me as well.