Exit Interview with Saskatoon Wild Defenseman Scotty Kaberle

[fromtheinside 1,290]

Scotty Kaberle Reflects on Rookie Season

Vic Wolfe- Saskatoon Times

 

This week featured some crazy finishes to the first round of the VHLM playoffs. 7 game marathons, upsets, high scoring thirllers... the first round had a bit of everything. Among them was the Saskatoon Wild coming up short against the fourth seed Mississauga Hounds, falling in 5 games. It was a tough ending to a promising season for the Wild who boasted the best 1-2 scoring punch in the league with Brian Strong Jr and Florent Vericel. Despite only going 5 games, the series was relatively close with 3 of the games being decided in overtime. Although the series was competitive, many would say the writing was on the wall for the Wild. Heading into the playoffs the Wild were a sub .500 team for the last half of the season. The team didn't go down without a fight however. During the latter half of the season, the Wild management team made some great waiver pickups by grabbing the defensive duo of Silas LaFriend and Scotty Kaberle, as well as the feisty Frenchman Dominic Gobeil.  These three first-gen rookies have burst onto the scene and provided the Wild with alot of much needed stability for the home stretch of the regular season and playoffs. Of those three rookies, we were able to catch up with Scotty Kaberle as he was cleaning out his locker on Tuesday night. Here's a transcript of our interview:

Vic: Hey Scotty, thanks for taking time to sit down and chat with us. This season has come and gone in a flash. And you've only just come into the fold towards the last third of the regular season. Describe what your experience in the past couple months has been like.

 

Scotty: Always happy to make time for the media Vic! And I would agree with you, this whole experience feels like it's been moving at 150 miles an hour. While it has went by fast, I can honestly say I've enjoyed every second of it. Saskatoon really felt like home to me pretty quickly. From the moment I got here Assistant GM Ferk was essential in getting me settled. He really showed me the ropes early on and I can't thank him enough for that.

 

Vic: Ah yes you mentioned AGM Ferk. It seems as though you gained management's trust super quickly during your stay in Saskatoon. Can you elaborate on how that happened?

 

Scotty: Of course. So it really was just a great match from the get-go. When I came to Saskatoon they were really in need of some stability on the blue-line. They had their cornerstone D-man Gabriel Johnson, but outside of that there were definitely minutes to be had if I could prove myself. I saw this opportunity and did everything in my power to capitalize on it. I began training my ass off and luckily I was able to reap the benefits of hard work. By the end of the regular season and in our series versus the Hounds, I was consistently at the top of list for ice time night in and night out. I'll always be thankful to Wild management for giving me so much responsibility as a rookie. 

 

Vic: Great answer Mr. Kaberle. You brought up your series against the Mississauga Hounds. Obviously the result wasn't what you and your team were hoping for.  How did it feel  getting your first taste of playoff hockey, and how are you dealing with the disappointment of an early first round exit?

 

Scotty: Oof, dang Vic! Getting to the hard hitting questions! Playing playoff hockey is what I dream of. It's like an addiction. Having it all fly by like it did kills me. But now I need more... and that addiction is what's going to drive me in the offseason to work hard to get back there and go further in the future. I loved being out there with the boys and we gave it our all. We had a great group in Saskatoon. Unfortunately, there is some major competition in the VHLM. The Hounds came ready and they got the job done. Tsujimoto, L and R and Askarov are a rock solid core for them and I could see them going the distance if they get some fortune on their side.

 

Vic: I'll finish with one more Scotty. You mentioned your admiration for your teammates. Now that your season is over, you and many of your teammates will be entering the VHLM Dispersal Draft next month in the offseason. There's a good chance you won't be playing with many of these guys ever again. Thoughts?

 

Scotty: Yeah that really is just starting to set in Vic. We really formed a brotherhood in the locker room. LaFriend, Eso, Gobeil, Brax.... all those guys are absolute gems. We held one last meeting in the locker room after we were eliminated and many of us stated our desire to come back if management wanted to have us. I'd love to get a chance to goto war with some of these guys again next season...obviously it's a business and it's out of our control but we'll see what happens. No matter what happens I will always cherish my time with the Wild. When I came here I only knew how to crawl. Now I can walk... and next season I am ready to start sprinting at full speed and show my true potential. 

 

Vic: Scotty, as always, it's been a pleasure. Thanks for your time!

 

Scotty: No problem brother, cheers!

 

That was our interview with Scotty Kaberle. Saskatoon fans quickly took a liking to him this season. Will he back for next season? It's impossible to know at this time. One thing for sure is that the draft this offseason is absolutely stacked with generational talent. There will be a ton of great options for Saskatoon on the board when they get on the clock. We will have more coverage on the draft in weeks following!

[Mr_Hatter 1,608]

This is a great article. Really well formatted, and well written

[Doomsday 4,145]

Proud of how awesome you were for us this season, we were hurting for help on the blue line in a bad way and you were more than I could have ever dreamed of for us. Best of luck to you in the draft, and you better believe we want you back in Saskatoon!

 

[fyrefly 172]

Review: Some great content in here. Maybe space the first chunk out a bit, but love the coloured text.

9/10