Wild make lineup adjustments ahead of daunting schedule.

[dshervill 45]

After the 59th game of the schedule, the Saskatoon Wild decided that a shift in the lineup was needed. That lineup shift sent 2nd year forward Braxton Hunter to the 1st line to play alongside of Captain Steve Eso and Florent Verceil while moving struggling goal scorer Victor Foles to the second line. Overall the change came as a shock to a few of the players as the Wild had been playing above expectations to start the season. But after having an in depth interview with GM Doomsday he had the following to say about the lineup shift right after it occurred;

 

" I believe we can have a more balanced attack by moving Victor to the second line, he may be struggling a bit at the moment but maybe this type of a change is exactly what he needs to get going again." 

 

When asked about why moving Hunter to the first line made more sense than some of the other forwards he had this to say; 

 

"Braxton was an obvious choice, he's been one of the more physical guys not just on our team but in the league. He's been a force on the ice and has still been productive on our second line, if he can bring that physicality to our first line and open up more space for Eso and Verceil. Even if his production dips slightly, his physicality will do well against some of the other top lines in the league. My only concern is if he can keep up with a few of the other top lines in the league, but only time will tell."

 

When asked about the move to the first line, Hunter was pretty ecstatic;

 

"I couldn't believe what I heard when both coach and Doomsday told me I was going to be moved up the lineup, playing on the first line is a huge honour to me. The fact that they trust me to keep Eso and Verceil protected gets me fired up to get out on the ice with them. I worked a lot in off ice sessions how to be more physical and make a bigger impact on the game other than the score sheet, so it looks like that might be paying off."

 

He also added this about the current lineup and his struggling teammate Victor Foles;

 

"Folesy is a great guy, he really helps tie this locker room together. He was incredibly supportive of me moving up the lineup and hoping that would lead to more success for the team. I can't say enough about how good of a teammate he is and how much his play and contribution to the locker room means to this team."

 

When asked about the locker room overall Hunter immediately brightened up;

 

"I couldn't ask for a better group of guys to play with, from the leadership group on this team all the way to our newest pickups it feels like a family. I love coming to the rink every day and getting better with these guys, I can't imagine playing for another team in the VHLM other that Saskatoon." 

 

Immediately after that line change the Wild suffered a loss to the San Diego Marlins 4-2, you could imagine that for a team that just made a change that it might damper their spirits. Well you certainly wouldn't have been able to tell in the Wild dressing room, they could tell that something special was about to happen on the ice. Multiple players were overheard saying "just wasn't our night," and "once we get clicking I don't see us losing." 

 

Well, the next 6 games in a row started to go the Wild's way. With those 6 straight victories they were able to jump San Diego in the standings and prove to be a legitimate contender in the VHLM, currently sitting 3rd overall in the VHLM and 2nd in their conference.  A few of those wins were in convincing fashion and had shown that the lineup change had proven to be effective, a few games to note were the games against San Diego and then their latest victory over Ottawa. In their matchup with San Diego the score wasn't indicative of the final result, the Wild were clearly the more physical team and were more effective in the faceoff circle. With their game against Ottawa the 1st unit was putting on a show, with captain Steve Eso scoring a hat trick and everyone on that unit scoring at least a point, even though it was against Ottawa that first unit is looking like they have more and more chemistry by the game.

 

After that last game against the Ottawa Lynx, you would think that a mosh pit was going on in the Wild locker room. Both Braxton Hunter and Silas LeFriend were both heard very audibly pumping up the locker room screaming about "Big *expletive* Energy" and how "Sasky boys are going to tear this *expletive* up". It even got as far ask Hunter being told to quiet down by arena individuals just to then impersonate the famous Connor McGregor speech of Hunter saying;

"I'd like to apologize.... To absolutely *expletive* nobody, the Wild will go and do what we want."

 

It remains to be seen if the Wild can continue this pace especially with a daunting schedule ahead, the Wild's next 13 games is going to be a large hill to climb, playing against VHLM contenders like Philadelphia, Mexico City, San Diego, Halifax and Miami. It will show what the Wild are truly made of and if they are able to contend for a VHLM title this year. After speaking to GM Doomsday about the upcoming schedule he had the following to say;

 

"This part of our schedule is going to easily be the toughest we have all season, but it will show what we are made of as a team and exactly how much will power these players have. We have a very talented group in our locker room, but it remains to be seen if they can handle the tough adversity that will either make you or break you in the big leagues. It will also show who the real contenders are in the league, that's exactly why we wanted to make this lineup change a few games ago, so that we can see if we contend with the best of the best."

 

With that type of message coming from management I would assume he is also unsure of how his current roster will handle the upcoming schedule, but what this reporter knows is that they are coming in on a high note. The team overall seems to be in incredibly high spirits and very confident in their abilities evidenced by LeFriend and Hunter. However, someone better get a hold of these young guns before they get too loose, but from this reporters view it looks like the Wild are getting more "wild" and are ready to make an impact in the VHLM and only time will tell if they are able to make it through this next part of the schedule as a team or the locker room will start to turn on one another. 

 

From the Star Phoenix, this is Marek Joseph 

[Suzuki14 24]

Review: Hey man, if one of us is going to fare better on the first line, put that guy in! Good luck to Brax, and thanks for the shout out and the kind words. I like how you spaced out the parts of the article, and my only suggestion is to maybe make the quotes italic or something next time. Great job

9/10

[dshervill 45]

On 12/5/2020 at 6:29 PM, Suzuki14 said:

Review: Hey man, if one of us is going to fare better on the first line, put that guy in! Good luck to Brax, and thanks for the shout out and the kind words. I like how you spaced out the parts of the article, and my only suggestion is to maybe make the quotes italic or something next time. Great job

9/10

I will definitely make the quotes italicized! Thanks for the help! 

[dshervill 45]

Claiming for second week due to article size.