Riga Takes Oferson, Hackett Sees Familiar Face

[Renomitsu 934]

Riga, Latvia - Just when Hackett thought he had gotten over the trauma of being blamed for bad passes by Elias Dahlberg and his agent @Nykonax, Riga Reign management elected to take the first promising young player Nykonax put his eyes on in Kyl Oferson. Claiming he'd "scouted him personally" and "he's guaranteed to fix our offensive problems," Dahlberg's former agent has continued to speak highly of the prospect since taking him under his wing shortly after Dahlberg retired.

 

Hackett believed he'd gotten past the days where he could go without invectives from the coaching staff or even curious agents; in Dahlberg's last couple of seasons, the now-veteran defenseman had been the target of some aimed criticism that led his overall point production to decrease this season.

 

"It'll be a... hm, a work in progress," Hackett said in a one-on-one interview with local Riga media following the draft, "I suspect Oferson will have a more open mind as he hasn't really played with me before. I'm looking forward to being on the ice with our new rookies."

 

One criticism levied against the Reign this past season was a lack of overall offensive production in spite of having the incredibly-talented Ryan Kastelic at the helm on the first line; now that he's retired, Oferson and second- or third-year players like Patrik Tallinder and Ryan Busser will need to take the next step forward if Riga hopes to compete at all this season.