Hackett - "I got tired of being an offensive liability."

[Renomitsu 934]

Riga, Latvia - Just 29 games into the season, Apollo Hackett has matched his point total from last season.

 

Let's not get too hasty - to be fair, it's just 24 points, and his lone goal was the game-winner against Moscow just a day or two ago. But clearly there's been a shift in mentality for the third-year defender, who signed a one-year extension with Riga to stay through the S69 season. And while he's on pace to have a few more penalty minutes than last season, especially with a blundering 6 PIMs in Riga's most recent game against Moscow, his offensive impact will hopefully continue to improve.

 

"Practiced a lot of passing in the offseason," Hackett said in a recent presser, "I got tired of being an offensive liability. It's never good to know a team needs a spark on offense that you can't provide - and it became pretty damning when I sat out virtually every power play last season and didn't have an overall positive impact on the ice. Hits are nice to have, but I want to make sure I'm on the ice building an advantage for my lines."

 

The top position in the league standings has changed hands several times this season already; with the European Conference easily five teams deep this season and an incredibly competitive but young Seattle squad on the American side nipping at Riga's heels for first place, Hackett needs to continue to round out his game - we'll see soon enough if that's by offense or defense.

[Gustav 6,407]

But DEFENSE REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[McWolf 3,115]

we are doing good, my man. I'm actually excited about leaving you in charge of this blueline in a near future.