Wolves woes continue: Local boy lights it up in London

Hey sports fans, it's time for another heap of sports stuff and a closer look at the Sudbury Wolves and the OHL.

As always, I'll start with the Wolves.

Yikes! That's what I have to say about the Wolves 1-8 start. The team has shown it can be competitive, but they lack the top-end talent to win a lot of games. If anything, the games will have plenty of excitement. I know when teams don't have a big arsenal of offensive weapons they usually stick to boring defence-first hockey. Sudbury showed in it's two home games they're willing to open up their game a bit to try and generate goals. One thing is for sure; our local lads will not be intimidated or pushed around. There was a four-on-four brawl versus Niagara and the Sudbury boys asserted themselves quite nicely in the mayhem. It's just too bad fights didn't count towards the score because Sudbury would have beat Niagara then.

My hat is off to new captain Kevin Baker and his linemates Matt Dias and Patrik Lusnak. These three have formed a respectable and formidable first line for Sudbury. They have shown they can score and every other team must be wary when they jump on the ice. All three are off to their best starts ever with Sudbury. In the first nine games, the trio has piled up 14 goals and 25 points. Baker leads with seven goals and 10 points. These boys should only get better as the season wears on.

It will be interesting to watch Jared Staal all season. He's getting better with each game and starting to reach his potential that made him a first round pick. Staal now has two goals and seven points in nine games. Last year, he managed just two goals and three points in 63 games. I'm betting this youngest of the four Staal brothers will only get better as the season unfolds. He could easily break the 70-point mark if things fall into place for him.

I have to say I am quite shocked at Greater Sudbury Mayor John Rodriguez's rousing speech before the Wolves home opener last Friday night. I'm not sure how big of a Mayor Junior hockey fan the mayor is but he went overboard stating the Wolves were going to go all the way this season and win the championship. Hold your horses big fella because it isn't going to happen. I'm not being negative, just realistic. It's a rebuilding season for Sudbury and just making the playoffs would be a miracle. It was done in good fun and was still a heck of a speech because it actually got me fired up as well as many fans. Hopefully, Rodriguez saves his energy now to create a better city for all of us to live in every single day. Now, am I the one going overboard?

Last week Sudbury boy Jadran Beljo was traded from Niagara to London for a sixth round draft pick in 2009. Beljo was not with Niagara during training camp and the start of the season. Beljo has paid immediate dividends to London.

He has two goals and five points in his first two games, which were wins. They were the first two wins by London this year. Beljo had one goal in a 4-2 win over Owen Sound and followed it up with one goal and four points during a 8-2 romp over Ottawa. It looks like Beljo has found his new home and is ready to produce a monster season.