Hackett Holds Back?

[Renomitsu 935]

Riga, Latvia - Last season, Hackett hit other players - accrued PIMs - with the best of them. Oftentimes that left Riga in a bit of a pickle in terms of the penalty kill/power play, leading to unnecessary goals against. And while laying out massive hits was a goal of Hackett's, what's ultimately more important is winning, and playing good defense while notching W's.

 

"I realized that, with the officiating as it was," Hackett said in a recent presser, gesturing his head toward an all-too-familiar, bug-eyed zebra in the back, "I couldn't justify hitting players as much as I did last season. I need to start leading rather than exclusively being a goon."

 

The Reign defenseman had been well-documented as something of an enforcer in the minor leagues and in his first season, but with second-line minutes and a more difficult schedule in his sophomore campaign found the need to reform his game. In prior VHL.com articles, we've elaborated on one particular official that would often skate very close to Hackett and penalize him for anything from breaking eye contact to laying out even the gentlest hit against opposing players.

 

"We haven't had as much success as we did last season, strangely enough. @Victor's done a great job surpassing expectations with the Menace this time around, and we still need to figure out a way to beat Helsinki and Toronto on a regular basis. Hopefully Kastelic and Preencarnacion swapping positions can get us over the hump."