Hockey Insider w/Cameron Briggs
For over a decade now I have been watching and reporting on the Moose Jaw Buccaneers. I can start by saying I haven’t always been the most supportive of the team. Over the years I have witnessed them trading away their draft talent and moving prospects out. With a bit more development they could have been dynamite for the team because they ended up being dynamite in the league.
Here it is! My top 5 Disappointing deals MJB have made……. don’t get me wrong I am very bias when it comes to this team and these are just my thoughts.
1. July 14 2020 - Moose Jaw trades Norman Sakic , Maple Ridge's S41 1st Round pick, Moose Jaw's S41 2nd Round pick to Calgary for Art Macenauer .
2. February 9 2021 - Calgary trades Yvon Buswell , Reijo Penicka to Moose Jaw for Rastislav Aoki , Moose Jaw's S45 3rd Round pick.
3. May 24 2021 - Kamloops trades Kasperi Luukkonen to Moose Jaw for Ricard Pilote , Moose Jaw's S44 3rd Round pick. (This is only because the player just didn’t live up to his potential – in my opinion)
4. December 30 2019 - Edmonton trades Mickey David , Ottawa's S39 2nd Round pick to Moose Jaw for Terran Boutette , Moose Jaw's S39 4th Round pick.
5. January 2 2020 - Moose Jaw trades Rolf Madeley , Moose Jaw's S40 4th Round pick to Calgary for Lauri Caley , Jakub Gaudreau . (This is only because I was a huge fan of Rolf, and I might be a bit sour still, lol)
Today I am going to reflect on what has transpired over the past several years and what I look forward to under the new management with GM Chris Gjelsvik taking over the reins in Season 45. Let’s talk about the disastrous start to season 39.
The team went into season 39 with 4th overall pick and we drafted Norman Sakic, young prospect, 6’0 180lbs. I was a fan of this pick, and most scouts had him going in the top 10 in the draft. It looked like we were drafting to start winning, and after the season 36 debacle that happened (which I’ll hint at later), we were on the right track with the team and moving in a positive direction.
Boy, was I wrong.
Season 39 had Sakic starting for the Moose Jaw Bucc’s and by the end of the season Sakic had a 1/33, record. This put the management into a tailspin and someone in “lala land” decided at the end of the season that they needed a goalie that was established and ready now. Management moved their 4th overall pick for Art MacArthur and a 1st, 2nd draft pick in Season 41.
Don’t get me wrong, Art was coming off a fantastic season with Calgary with a 35/12 record. But the Bucc’s, for whatever reason, seemed to trade away prospects like Sakic without giving them time to develop. They did the same in season 36 with Yutaka Delmore and Thacher Maciver, 1st and 2nd overall, but both traded away. I myself am extremely frustrated with the team’s inability to decide if they are “rebuilding” or “not.”
Season 40 was a bust for Art, going 5/31 for the next 3 seasons. He was then traded away at the end of season 42 for pretty much nothing. I mean, for this organization it seemed to be normal in getting nothing in return. However, I have said this many times and will say it again, I have never thought goaltending to be the issue. The team that played in front of the goalies was terrible, no passion, no urgency and no commitment to the plan.”
With the horrible season 40 behind them, the team had 2nd overall pick in Season 41. The team finally drafted some strength in the back end by getting Jouka Federov, 6’3, 180, and 2nd overall from the Sarnia Sting. He produced over 40 points in all seasons in Sarnia. What impressed me the most is that he stayed in juniors developing his skills. At a young age, showing his maturity and age, he was granted “C” of the Bucc’s.
Season 40 saw us trade away our future 1st round pick in season 43 (which ended up being 3rd overall) for Calgary’s Tyler Heatly, a 3rd round pick that had no pro experience. Calgary clearly sold him as being the next best player since Shawn Umberger in TOR.
Most would say this was the worse deal MJB had done since I had taken over reporting on them, I would have to agree. If I remember correctly, as my history isn’t always up to date about other teams, I believe Calgary flipped this pick for Darius Walser from Edmonton, Edmonton ended up getting Cam Rondbjerg 3rd overall and we all know how he has turned out…
Keep in mind we never know how a player will turn out, sometimes it’s the right move but for the MJB it’s usually the wrong move. The trend for MJB is that we move out people too soon before full development.
Disastrous seasons in 40 and 41 which put us in 2nd overall in the 42-entry draft. Again I was super surprised with this pick of Quinton Simon, 6’3, 205 lb winger that had some huge potential for the club and some strength on the wing. The management spent time with some extra development in Simon, Federov, and Gellard over season 40/41/42. The team thought they had special talent and devoted a bit of extra time and support to the development of these young players which started showing promise in season 43 and beyond. I was ecstatic that the team finally started to put some time and money into their young prospects after so many years of disappointment for the fans. I remember this quote from an interview with a fan a few years ago after another disappointing loss at home:
FAN
I can't understand why the Bucc's are still cellar dwellers adter all the high draft picks they have choisen in the paste six years. They are suffering from "we ain't going to win so why try" You can see it in their play everygame. I fell sorry for the players. They draft incredible young talent and trade them away, I always say next season will be better and it never comes, i am soon going to cheer for another team I'm tired of the disappointment.
Season 44 saw us get 3rd and 4th overall picks. However, based on the teams play this gave away our 1st overall pick in season 45. The team drafted Mason Hocevar a talented 2 way defenceman, and Fredric Stewart a talented player that could play any position up front. For me, I liked the addition of the defencemen and a winger that could support any position and the team looked like they were really trying to work on the rebuild.
Breaking News
Moose Jaw Buccaneers have released Cory Johnson (GM). This comes off years of lost opportunities. Here is the statement from the club:
"We would like to extend our Sincere thanks to Cory for his contributions to this organization. We appreciate his dedication and wish him nothing but the best moving forward. This was not an easy decision to make, but one that we felt was necessary for the franchise. The Moose Jay Buccaneers have hired Chris Gjelsvik (GM) who brings a wealth of knowledg to his team from a player perspective. His career spans more then two decades as a player. He displayed a high level of character, grit and intensity, while recording impressive offensive numbers. We look forward to the next steps in our franchise."
"At this time Burr Brendl will remain as Head Coach of the Bucc's. Burr has been integral in the development of our farm club and upcomming young talent. We look forward to the next year and what the GM and management will do"
I remember this headline; I had mixed emotions during this announcement as I was apprehensive about the change. The new GM had a great playing career, but how will that translate into being a coach. I was hopeful, most of all, for the fans. They needed something to inspire them and bring them back to the “Crows Nest”
Here was what some of the players said about the shake up when it was annouced. I caught up wth a couple of the Moosejay stars, here is what they had to say:
Leth Bonderchuck - "It;s good to see some changes being made, we are all here to win and right now we can't even do that. I have had a sit down with Chris and i love the way he is thinking and what we can do to improve."
Jouka Federov (through a translator) – “I am happy management is looking to the future, its been a few tough seasons for myself and the team. I want to see improvement and most importantly my team wants to see improvement. We are ready what for what is going to happen next. I look forward to meeting the new management in the off season and give whatever support I can to the success of the team.”
Micky David – “To be honest I am tired of losing, I am tired of not going anywhere, I feel like the team just doesn’t care at times and its disheartening. I hope what comes next brings us to the promised land because right now we are not a team with unity.
I also had time to catch up with the new GM after the press conference, he sat down with me and I asked him the hard questions.
Cameron: Chris its great to finally talk with you, what do you see as the biggest challenge in taking over this team?
Chris: Hey Cameron, I am glad you asked. There will be tons of challenges, but most importantly I want to see more intensity from the club. I want this team to win the battles for the puck. I want to see heart every shift. I am not afraid to make big moves to improve this club. We have looked at our farm club, our upcoming prospects, and we are going to have a bit of a new look this year. I look forward to everyone seeing that.
Cameron: That is great news, but I feel you avoided the question. I’ll let you off this time though. HAHA. What changes can you share with the fans today that you are going to make to the team?
Chris: The fans will see new faces, new line combinations and better effort. We are going to be here to compete and that is the expectation I have left with the coaching staff. We want to bring the fans back to the “Crows nest”. For me its all about the fans and how we can make them excited again.
Cameron: One more question Chris and I will let you get going, I know you have tons to do. With the upcoming preseason and regular season how can you sum up what the fans can expect?
Chris: Cameron, mark my words, we will make the playoffs this season. I know you may chuckle at the statement but I am confident in the changes we are going to make and I wouldn’t bet against me. Sit down and grab some popcorn its going to be an amazing year.
Cameron: Thanks Chris, I look forward to seeing what you do this season.
Season 45 preseason started with a 2/8 record. I am not going to lie, I said out loud to my colleagues “Here we go again”. We started off with another dismal start to the season going 4/10/1 in the first 15 games. I was in the office, it was around 3PM, and this came across my email “Moosejaw Fires Burr Brentl and Coaching Staff, Effective Immediately”. It went on to say that they hired Jeffery Oulahan to replace Brentl as interim coach for the rest of the season. I was surprised that it took all 15 games for this to happen but it was a welcomed change. Not much was known about Jeffery, however, I didn’t think it could get any worse. The rest of the season saw the Moosejaw Bucc’s go 15/26/1 down the stretch and they squeaked into the playoffs. I think this was a huge learning experience for the club and over the season we saw more and more people come back to watch the games, even had some sellout crowds which was amazing to see and feel. However, the banged-up club went up against the Saskatoon Spectres, the top team in the league. Let’s say the outcome of these playoff games was less then steller and the team went out 0/4. It was good to see playoff hockey back in Moosejaw regardless of the outcome and I was hopeful for the upcoming season.
Season 46 preseason started off with a blockbuster trade with Calgary which sent Quinton Simon (RW) to the Calgary storm for Miha Zatsiev (C) and Herbert Trnka (RW). For once I felt that this was a good return on the trade. Gjelsvik had talked about when he took over the reins, he would make smart choices and was not afraid to make deals. That being said, we still started the preseason 2/8 again for the second season, I remember complaining to my colleagues “when will these guys ever have a good preseason, it seems like nobody tries anymore”. Start of the season was not any better the club went 0/8 and again.
Shortly after the 0/8 start it was announced through a news conference that “Moosejaw has released coach Jeffery Oulahan and has hired Breyden Bellows as the club’s replacement”. The club also discussed some other trades but in the end they parted ways with Leth Bonderchuk (C). and the rights were picked up by the Polar Bears. In exchange they sent Per-Age Chapman (RW) and Morgan Spooner (F) to the Bucc's. Then the Bucc;s send a 2nd and a 3rd round pick in season 49 to the knights for Thomas Kucera (F) and Byron Chrisholm(G). This change in coaching staff made some huge improvements in the club and the team started winning. On two separate occasions the team went on multiple 6+ game win streaks. These changes made the team go 26/26/4 and they made the playoffs for a second season in a row. The team lost round 1 in 7 games, however we had sold out crowds we had a team that, for once, worked together as a team. I remember talking to some of the players and coach shortly after the devastating game 7 loss to Flin Flon Flamers and here is what they had to say;
"A game of inches," said Bucc's new addition Miha Zatsiev, who came off a club high of 48 points during the regular season and eight points in the playoffs. "Unfortunately, we're on the bad side of things tonight. It's really frusterating. Every guy in there competed and gave it their all, they made one more play then us. "
"This one hurt's more." head coach Brayden Bellows said. "Lost of reasons to be proud, yet lots of reasons to be devastated and upset."
"We're becoming a hockey club and we are getting closer than it appears."
Season 47 started off with the team trading their 1st round pick in the entry draft to freeport for Johnny Colley (LW), 6'6,225 lbs, 19 year old from the Sarnia Sting. He played on a line with Herbert Trnka (RW) and i could see the potential to keeping the two of them together, time will tell if this was the right move for the club.
Preseason started off like the last 3 preseasons, 2/8 and the start of the season was not any better with the club going 1/11/3. Very similar to the last season, the team annoucned a head coach change with they fired "Jefferey Oulahan" and hired "Hannes Petrovic" on a 3 year deal and aquired a bunch of players that made me scratch my head. To me if felt like ht team was panicking an was looking to fill holes. After the last seasons success and then the lack of success in the new season, i felt they traded away to many of there picks/prospects. The picked up Manual Hossa (C), Vladimir Curran (C), Everiste White (RW) for picks and flipped Armand Evason (G) for Conrad Mann (G). I am not sure what Chris was thinking during this process, however since taking over the club they had made the playoffs two seasons in a row.
The rest of the season was lackluster, the team went 6/42/8 and missed the playoffs. I sat down with Chris and got his thoughts on what we happening with the club and their disapointing season.
Cameron: So Chris, last we spoke a few seasons ago you said you wanted to see more intensity and battles won, how do you rate you first 3.
Chris: That is a great question, we achieved one of our main goals by making the playoffs and we did that 2 out of 3 season, that's fantastic! The fans have not seen playoff hockey in over 7 years. I know the management team is happy with those results. However, Cameron, we know that making the playoffs is a small win and we still have lots to do in order to make this club a contender. We aren't there yet but will get there.
Cameron: The Buccaneers have a few contracts that are ending at the end of the season, what can you tell us about the talks with Kaspri Lukkennon.
Chris: you know we can't discuss this kind of stuff with you Cameron however i wont leave you with nothing, talks have been progressing with Kaspri's agent and i believe we are close to a deal.
Cameron: That is great to hear I look forward to hearing more
What can we expect from the off season? How active is the team going to be in order to make this club a contender?
Chris: Cameron, we are in talks with several teams on making some impact trades to make this club better. We are close on a few impact players that will help our club. I believe if we can get these deals throught our club will be substantially better. I am confiedent we'll get some deals done and everyone will be notified once its the appropriate time.
Cameron: That's good news, the fans want to know what can they expect from the upcomming season?
Chris: Cameron, you can expect to see some new faces, some new leadership, and a new plan for the season. We have had some success over the past 3 seasons and we need to build on that, and the managment team is ready to engage in that promise.
I'd say about a month after my conversation with the Moosejaw GM, we started hearing names of players that could possibly be coming to Moosjaw. THese were names you don't hear every day but most were just rumors anyhow. Dunc Gronsdal and Dana Bois kept coming up in conversation and in tweets and then we had some deals close.
I attended the press conference with GM Chris Gjelsvik introducing the new players acquired in trades and this was his statement on what was done and why
I want to thank everyone for attending today, I have said time and time again that the team is committed to being competitive and bringing the cup to Moosejaw. We have acquired some players through trades and I want to introduce them to you today. We have acquired Dunc Gronsdahl from Winnipeg, Dunc has been a stable solid top 2 defencemen in the league and our team needed some grit and experience to go along with our inexperience. He gives a shut down pair with Fedorov and we look forward to his leadership in the dressing room.
We also acquired Dan Bois from Maple Ridge, Dan is one of the better defencemen in the game, he brings us a solid 2nd pairing and we look forward to his addition.
We also acquired Allan Bednarski from Kelowa and Stephan Witherspoon from Halifax, both have been in the league for a few years. They both bring a gritty work ethic to the front line, they are hard working, and have playoff experience. We look forward to having them in the line up for the start of the season.
I will not be taking any questions today, but as I said before we are committed to delivering a winning club and we hope the fans will be with us on this journey.
What can I say, Moosejaw’s GM Chris Gjelsvik has made the most impact in the last 3 seasons than the team has made in the previous 15 years. I am optimistic that they can turn things around, I have scratched my head on some of the trades that the team has made but I am hopeful about the trades that we heard today. The season is a short 56 games, we hope these changes help the club get better and we have a better season than last.
Cameron Briggs
Hockey Insider