Saskatoon Wild Yearly Review and Team Awards [2/2]

[animal74 1,624]

 

Saskatoon Wild Yearly Review and Team Awards

 

 

While Season 68 was a bitter disappointment for the rebuilding Saskatoon Wild, it was to be expecting after much wheeling and dealing the last few seasons to obtain blue-chip prospects and high draft picks. While the scoresheet most nights didn’t convey their competitiveness, the Wild actually filled the net on a regular basis resulting in the 5th-highest Goals For total in the league with 226. Their demise, which saw them allow a dismal 299 goals, the second-most in the league to only the Ottawa Lynx, rested solely on the shoulders of poor team defense and porous goaltending, both of which are high on GM @Peace’s list to rectify for the upcoming season. It is no secret that he wants his team to make the playoffs next year and he will use every trick up his trading sleeves to see his goal accomplished. To be fair, it will be a tall order to go from a 21-win season to playoff hopefuls. There is a lot to be excited about, though, on this Wild team and its stars were celebrated during the off-season in a lavish ceremony in an undisclosed location far from the frigid temperatures of Saskatoon.

 

Here are the Saskatoon Wild S68 Team Awards winners:

 

Most Valuable Player: LW Ondrej Ohradka (Slovakia) @animal74

 

 

What a year it was for the slick Slovak, also known as “OO7”. He has more tricks in his arsenal than the more famous British spy with the same nickname and they were all on display every night during a spectacular season for the 2nd year left winger which saw him hit 50 goals and 104 points to lead the Wild and sit 5th in league scoring. After showing glimpses of his talent in S67 after he was traded from Minnesota, Ohradka became only the 11th player in Wild history to reach 50 goals and his 104 points were the highest single season total by a Saskatoon player since Bryce Zhields and Josh Stronk scored 149 and 111 respectively in S60. Assuming he doesn’t get called up by his VHL club, the Calgary Wranglers, it’s possible Ohradka could become the first Wild player to reach two 50-goal seasons.

 

How valuable was Ohradka? He led the next leading scorer on the Wild, Julian Blackthorn, @LattimoreIsland by a whopping 33 points - the largest margin in the league between team’s top two scorers. He also led the team in game-winning goals with 5, power play goals (15, T-4th in the league), shots (356, 5th in the league), was second in plus/minus and hits, and led Wild forwards with 37 blocked shots.

 

Best Defenseman: D David O’Quinn (Canada) @JohnOQuinn

 

 

After a slow start, skilled defenseman David O’Quinn earned the respect of his coaches and teammates in S68 with a solid performance that showcased his deft passing ability and ever-present truculence. His combination of size, skill, and toughness is rare and he protects the front of his net and sticks up for his teammates with the same ferociousness as when he quarterbacks the power play.

 

O’Quinn led the Wild with 63 assists which was also 5th among VHLM defensemen and 9th in the league. He also led Saskatoon in blocked shots (123, T-4th in the league), penalty minutes (130, T-3rd in the league), and hits (167). While his defense game continues to develop, O’Quinn has proved that he is a blueliner on the rise and the VHLM won’t be able to hold him for long. Saskatoon fans can expect another dominant season from David O’Quinn in S69.

 

Unsung Hero: LW RJ Jubis (Canada) @R Jubis

 

 

For much of his early career, hulking winger RJ Jubis showed flashes of elite talent but still managed to fly under the radar as he worked his way up the ranks of minor hockey in Nova Scotia. Never one afraid of hard work, Jubis continued to work at his craft and slowly that hard work started to pay off in spite of periods of inconsistency. Everything started to come together during his first VHLM season with the Saskatoon Wild. He also started slowly as he was put in some unfamiliar positions in the lineup and got adjusted to the speed of the VHLM. That adjustment period didn’t last long as Jubis soon started showing the skills and work ethic that brought him this far. 

 

He ended his first campaign with 29 goals - good for 3rd on the team - and finished 4th in Wild scoring with a solid 62 points. He was also one of four Wild players with a plus rating and contributed 5 power play goals and 4 game-winners while developing a burgeoning two-way game that became more relied upon as the season wore on. VHLM goalies learned to fear his shot and he will continue to wreak havoc on the league’s netminders as his stock is only going up.

 

Wild Man Award: LW RJ Jubis (Canada) @R Jubis

 

It definitely shows why the Saskatoon Wild are so optimistic about the future when four different players were voted by their teammates for the inaugural Wild Man award. This award is given to the Wild player that displays leadership, sportsmanship, excellent work ethic, and is respected by teammates. And although many were mentioned on the ballot, the first ever Wild Man award goes to none other than this year’s Unsung Hero, RJ Jubis. 

 

It’s a known fact that Jubis brings 110% to the rink, every game and every practice - a sign of a great leader. He is a positive influence on the ice and in the locker room and is well-liked by teammates, management, and fans. Jubis has shown a penchant for giving back to the community and has never missed a team event in Saskatoon. He endeared himself further to Wild fans by starting “Jubby’s Jents”, a weekly content that awards pairs of Wild tickets to young local athletes who show tremendous character and help the community. He has also given back to his hometown, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, by starting his own hockey camp in the summer and donating new equipment to many area schools to help promote active living and the game of hockey. Truly, RJ Jubis exemplifies what it means to be a “Wild Man”. 

 

Congratulations to all the winners!

 

@Elmebeck @Parani @ducks @Hubs_Gaming @LattimoreIsland @Sade @Ren @Tagger @Viperxhawks19 @TiBry17 @SJT29

 

(Over 1000 words)

[zepheter 585]

Pretty great group of guy you’ve got. Starting to hear more and more about them every week and I know they’re gonna do great things in this league. 

[KC15 340]

Review:  Great article.  Appreciate the vibrant vocabulary and interesting turn of phrase.  "The Wild actually filled the net on a regular basis..."  instead of a lackluster "The Wild actually scored ...."  Fun to have the graphics break up the text.  And it had to be some effort to figure out that he had discovered "the largest margin in the league between team’s top two scorers".  Illuminating fact.  Nice job!

[fonziGG 1,065]

Review:

Interesting read. Colours were perfect and the formatting was done really well and I'm now excited to see some more media spots from you so I can review them! Quality in language could improve but in all honesty, I think it was a fine read. Keep it up!