Claimed:Slobodzian Putting On His Trading Hat

[Guest Svoboda_3]

Slobodzian Putting On His Trading Hat

 

Over the last few weeks, the VHLM has seen a lot of trading action, while the VHL transaction wire has been dormant. First-season VHLM Saskatoon Wild General Manager Brett Slobodzian has been meticulously buying his time while watching the flurry of trading action take place. Having only made minor tweaks to his Saskatoon Wild roster, it was only a matter of time before Brett threw his hat into the mix, getting involved on the action as well. With two trades announced in one day, both of the larger variety, here's a run-down of those transactions and the press they have received.

To Bern:
D Mikkel Boomgaarden
Saskatoon's S39 2nd round pick

To Saskatoon:
F Aaron Hartley
Bern's S40 1st round pick
Bern's S39 2nd round pick

In any league, you should never pass up the opportunity to add a perennial piece to your roster and in this case, the Royals wanted to not only bolster their defensive game, but they wanted to add a leader and a top flight prospect to their team. In most cases, a team at this juncture, would have thrown in the towel, but not the Royals, and you have to respect the urge to succeed and vie for the VHLM Playoffs. Also included in that deal was Saskatoon's 2nd round selection and heading to the Bridge City is Aaron Hartley, Bern's 1st round selection in Season 40 and Bern's 2nd round pick in this season's upcoming VHLM Dispersal Draft. Prior to arriving in Bern, Mikkel had 31 points in 25 games to go along with 91 hits and 70 shot blocks. Since the deal, it appears that Boomgaarden has had his share of troubles adjusting to their systems, as he has only collected 4 assists, is a -1 and has seen a drop in his physicality and defensive responsibilities. The struggles can probably be attributed to a new team, a new situation and a different conference, but it should only be a matter of time before we see what Mikkel is capable is doing, as evidenced by his play in Saskatoon.


Boomgaarden in his first game with the Royals

As for Aaron Hartley, he too has recorded 4 points during his 6-game stint thus far, but the confidence and the ice time received will certainly allow Aaron to play with more offensive freedom on a club that is in transition right now.

The reactions of the trade stirred mixed comments from "I honestly cannot comprehend the logic behind the Royals making this move," by Helsinki Titans netminder Kimmo Salo, to, "a great deal completed by the Saskatoon Wild today," by AllWorld, the username handle from a Saskatoon Wild fan on a VHLM message board. For Brett Slobodzian, he summed up the deal as one that had to be made. "The Wild are in a situation now where we need to look ahead. Losing Boomgaarden to the VHL potentially could have set us back again and we can't afford to make any more ill timed mistakes. Unfortunately, we needed to utilize our assets in order to put this team further ahead and Mikkel allowed us to gain some assets to help us moving forward. Mikkel was a great professional for us and we truly thank him for his contributions to the organization."

To Turku:
C Devin Sundberg

To Saskatoon:
LW Braxton Hunter
LW Walt Pringle
C Mikael Svensson
Turku's S39 3rd round pick
Moscow's S39 3rd round pick
Yukon's S39 3rd round pick
Turku's S40 3rd round pick

Prior to this trade, the Turku Outlaws were a very good competitive team, who are currently sitting atop the European Conference standings. Having spoken to Brett Slobodzian on a few occasions, it was clear that the current Outlaws roster just wasn't sufficient enough; that is where the deal for Devin Sundberg really took off. Having just finished a week-long deal with the Bern Royals, it was only mere minutes after when a conversation with Bruno Wolf was spurned, resulting in a massive blockbuster. Heading to Turku was center waiver claim Devin Sundberg. Not only had Sundberg been a sought out player, but his leadership and reputation was cause for the trade return alone. With the struggling Wild, Sundberg was averaging nearly a point per game, sitting with 22 points in 23 games. Devin became expendable after the Wild fell in the standings and after Boomgaarden was dealt to the Royals. Since the trade to Turku, Sundberg has produced 7 points in 6 games and is currently a +6 with his new digs.

Now, heading the other way to Saskatoon was a plethora of assets, including three players in Braxton Hunter, Walt Pringle, and Mikael Svensson, not to mention four 3rd round selections, 3 of which are in Season 39 and 1 in Season 40. In acquiring the three players, it allowed Saskatoon to have something they haven't had in several seasons, which was depth and bodies up front. Starting with Hunter, he has been a revelation to the Wild line-up, developing all sorts of confidence and getting an opportunity to showcase himself. In 25 games with the Outlaws, Braxton had 12 points and was a +18, but since the trade, Hunter has amassed 9 points in 6 games and is averaging 1.18 points per game. Walt Pringle, a left winger by trade, had respectable numbers while in Turku, but he hasn't missed a beat since being acquired, netting 3 goals and 5 assists for 8 points in 6 games. For this season and beyond, Walt should bring depth to the 2nd and 3rd lines as the Wild transition into a formidable opponent; a term that hasn't been said in the same sentence as Saskatoon for a long time.


Mikael Svensson, the newest member of the Saskatoon Wild

The last piece brought aboard tn Saskatoon is Mikael Svensson, a strong, fast scoring centerman. Adding Svensson gives the Wild a skill at the center position and a first line scoring threat. At the end of his time in Turku, Svensson was among the top point producers on the Outlaws, having produced 32 points in 25 games. Since the deal, Svensson has been the best Wild player, scoring 13 points in 6 games and factoring in on most goals scored.

Reactions of this trade were widespread, but from Sundberg himself, he tweeted with, "Well the Wild was fun but excited for the chance to play for the Outlaws," and, "just to make sure, you are trading your third round selection, yes?" from Kimmo Salo in a jab reference to all of the 3rd round selections that were included in the deal. As for the message from the horses mouth himself, Brett Slobodzian quipped with, "I'm glad I was able to find Sundberg a place where he can play playoff hockey. Devin was informed of a possible deal a week in advance and in respect to him, I thought I owed it to him to find him a situation where he could really be happy. What a great locker room guy Sundberg was. His demeanor will truly be missed by us all, but this is a business and sometimes we have to look at the big picture and make decisions that we don't necessarily want to make. This was one of those decisions."

All-in-all, the two trades pulled off by the Saskatoon party were of the larger variety and should set the Wild up well for next season. With two 1st round selections in Season 39 and the assets acquired here, the Wild should be a team that could vault themselves into competitive status by next season.

Edited June 2, 2014 by Svoboda_3

[BOOM 8,745]

Good read.

[Fire Tortorella 2,653]

Content: 3/3 - A good read about your Saskatoon's recent trades in the VHLM. The Wild received good assets in both deals, which should make them a team to follow in both S39 and S40. While this year may be bleak, things are looking up for Saskatoon.

 

Grammar: 2/2 - Just found one.

 

juncture, would = juncture would

 

Appearance: 1/1 - Solid.

 

Overall: 6/6

[Smarch 3,153]

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