OO7: No Time To Score

[animal74 1,810]

 

After a solid albeit underwhelming rookie campaign that saw Ondrej Ohradka (aka OO7), score eight goals and nine assists for a modest 17 points in S70, the Wranglers were hoping the Slovakian winger could take the next step and increase his on-ice contributions in spite of playing third-line minutes due to a very deep roster. They proved they had faith in Ohradka by signing him to a 2-year extension in the off-season. Ohradka held up his end of that good faith by having his strongest off-season by building on the skill, strength, and two-play that he showed last season.  

 

Unfortunately, all his gym time and on-ice drills couldn’t keep the sophomore slump at bay.

 

Ohradka started off on the second line with a smattering of special teams play and responded with a goal in the fourth game and had 12 hits in those four games to lead the team. Then came the drop to the third line. He failed to land on the scoresheet for 10 straight game before petitioning to increase his ice time. The coaching staff listened and while it took another four scoreless games before he notched another point (an assist), he has two points in his last four games with the revamped lines. While the new career-high 14-game pointless streak looks ugly – “At least I have a chance now to get maybe 10 points,” he deadpanned in a recent interview.

 

All is not lost as he currently leads the Wranglers in plus/minus with a plus-5 rating and he’s on pace to beat his rookie totals for shots, penalty minutes, hits, and shot blocks. As OO7 continues to ply the strong defensive game he's known for, hopefully the scoring will come with time.