Guest Svoboda_3 Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Hall of Famer Back in the VHL April 12th, 2014, Credit Union Centre It’s been a very long time, but Brett Slobodzian is back in the VHL. No, the former Calgary Wrangler and current Hall of Fame member is not making a comeback on the ice, but rather in a management capacity. Brett’s resume speaks for itself as a player, having amassed 636 points in only 305 games during his illustrious career, not to mention all of the individual accolades and the Continental Cups won, but what you wouldn’t realize is that Brett’s General Managerial resume, while not equally as decorated, it does consist of some great accomplishments. Of those accomplishments, they include General Manager stops in Helsinki of the VHL, Minot of the VHLM, and Team Canada, Team Switzerland and Team Europe on the international stage. Earlier last week, the Saskatoon Wild of the VHLM underwent a General Manager change, where James Assayag was let go despite the Wild sitting in a playoff position in the North American Conference with a 15-49-5 record, good enough for 35 points. In any other season, the Wild would be missing the playoffs and near the bottom of the standings, but because of the documented struggles of the Brampton Blades (9-58-2, 20 points) and the Ottawa Lynx (8-57-3, 19 points); the Wild easily became the best of the worst. Not only has Saskatoon’s record been a concern, but the development of their players and the overall quality of the Wild product has dwindled exponentially. Leading scorer Joel Wielenga With several ideal candidates offering up their services to overtake the renovation project of the Wild, VHLM Commissioner Thomas Corcoran was left with the difficult decision of who to take over and guide the franchise back to respectability. The first solution was to have current Assistant General Manager Vladimir Boomchenko promoted to assume the General Manager role. In addition to Vladimir’s interest was Don Draper, a new applicant and another applicant with previous experience and ties to the Saskatoon area; that other applicant being Saskatoon native Brett Slobodzian. Originally Boomchenko was handed the gig, but after an apprehensive retort, Vladimir felt that the undertaking was too much and thus, withdrew his name from General Manager contention. That decision left Corcoran with two strong applicants and after some serious consideration, the position was awarded to Brett Slobodzian. “It wasn’t my goal to up-heave any of the other applicants. I just wanted to let everyone know that I was ready to make my mark again in a General Manager role. I was content waiting until another opportunity arose, but obviously I am happy to have been selected,” admitted an elated Brett. Brett Slobodzian is no stranger to the city of Saskatoon, having been born and raised in the Bridge City, so to work in Saskatoon is kind of the dream job Brett was waiting for. Luckily for him, it came sooner rather than later. “I’m really excited for the opportunity. I know the Wild are an integral part of the community and unfortunately the culture has been somewhat lost over the past few seasons. It is my goal to restore that tradition; it’s something that I’m going to take a lot of pride in.” Brett Slobodzian introduced at a press conference As for the direction the team plans on taking in regards to the coaching staff and the method of which to restore a winning tradition, Brett was upfront in his assessment, “I’ve given Assistant General Manager Vladimir Boomchenko the opportunity to finish out the season. It was only fair to him and his dedication to the organization. The next step after this season is to analyze and assess our areas of concerns. I know I would like to add another voice/opinion to my staff, so I’m sure we will field a lot of applications for the Assistant General Manager position. I know I can handle the task on my own, but to have another outlook never hurts,” admitted Brett. “As for the direction of the franchise and the end goal, our main focus is to bring in committed players who want to work and be a part of a healthy culture. We can’t stress activity enough and if we have everyone on board working towards the same goal, than the results will come on their own. I can’t do this on my own and I can’t do this without a commitment level from all sources. I know I have a lot of leadership to give and I feel as if we can right this ship very soon. It’s going to take some work, but it’s a process and one that I am committed to. The continued development of our prospects, while icing a competitive team is my goal on a season-to-season basis. I also want to create a fun and exciting atmosphere, where players are proud to play for the fans and are excited to get to the rink each and every day.” The Saskatoon Wild are currently finishing up regular season play and will meet up with the Minot Gladiators in the first round of the playoffs. The task of defeating Minot is clearly daunting, but the experience from the playoffs always brings out the best and propels the younger players for the future, whether it be preparing for another season in the VHLM or getting promoted to the VHL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Admin Will 4,648 Posted April 13, 2014 Senior Admin Share Posted April 13, 2014 Congratulations on getting back into the GM game and best of luck in the playoffs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Svoboda_3 Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Congratulations on getting back into the GM game and best of luck in the playoffs Thanks man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smarch 3,013 Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Can I come be your Joey Moss? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Can I come be your Joey Moss? I think I speak for everyone when I say, the world needs more Joey Moss'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Head Moderator Baozi 1,638 Posted April 13, 2014 Head Moderator Share Posted April 13, 2014 Slobo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglesfan036 4,585 Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Content: 3/3 - Congrats on the Saskatoon job! There were a lot of good candidates for the job, so you should feel extra special that you were the one chosen. I think you'll do great in Saskatoon, especially with the massive amount of activity you've had since you rejoined. It was also nice of you to let Boom finish out the season as he is a great guy. Grammar: 2/2 - Couldn't find anything, nice work. Appearance: 1/1 - Looks good. Overall: 6/6 Final: 6/6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Claimed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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