New hope for glory this season

A new season, a new hope for play off glory.

The Sudbury Wolves have an aura of optimism hanging in the barn on Elgin Street this season. Mike Foligno is back, as the head coach and general manager, and he brings with him a bright, focused attitude to the franchise.

Although there are plenty of reasons to be positive, there are some question marks remaining.

The Wolves defence looks like it will be a solid foundation for years to come. The goal tending will be strong. The only question lingering in the positive clouds over the Sudbury Arena is who's going to fill the net with pucks?

The Wolves will need a team defence mind set to compete with the rest of the league. They will not win games by out scoring other teams.

The Wolves suffered through a horrendous campaign. They finished with a 16-46-4-2 record, good for 19th out of 20 teams. Rumours of internal strife were rampant. The offence sputtered all season, with Bobby Chaumont the only player to pot more than 20 goals. Legendary coach and GM, Bert Templeton was fired at the end of the season for the team's misfortunes and the search was on for a replacement.

The Wolves had a productive priority draft, nabbing defenceman, Marc Staal with the second overall pick. The Wolves continued to bolster their defence throughout the draft. The big move during the summer was the hiring of Foligno. His experience and native roots brought back a lot of credibility to the team in the community and around the league. The Wolves made a few minor moves over the summer, most notably, picking up tough winger, Chanse Fitzpatrick from the Sarnia Sting and giving Trevor Blanchard his release.

The Wolves fashioned a 3-1 record during the exhibition season. There's still a lot left to be done, though, as the exhibitions games are only a primer to the regular season. Foligno used training camp and the exhibition games as a chance to get to know his players better.

"We (the coaches) were able to find out what kind of players we actually had," said Foligno. "It also gave us the opportunity to let these players know the level of hockey we expect from them throughout the entire season."

Foligno had his players go through rigorous on and off ice training and conditioning programs.

"We exposed the players to the work they needed to become good players and what it will take to be successful at this level."

Foligno believes the Wolves have a solid base to work from.

"Towards the end of the exhibition season, we were able to start installing some systems and tactics," said Foligno. "The players have a good understanding of the team game we want them to play."

Last season, the Wolves averaged 3,408 fans. Despite the lacklustre season, fans still came out in droves to support their beloved Wolves. Foligno is stressing people to remain fans of the Wolves and get ready for a competitive team that can play any game.

"This will be an exciting, disciplined and physical team," said Foligno. "It will be a team that can compete against any team in the league."

Coaching

Foligno brings a wealth of unmatched experience, from playing in the NHL for 17 seasons, to coaching professional hockey in the AHL for the last five seasons with the Hershey Bears. He forged the Bears into winners, totaling 186 wins against 154 losses in the always changing and competitive AHL. Foligno says his ability to communicate with players is his greatest attribute.

"Having open communication with the players is important. You need to understand their needs and they need to understand our job is to get them to do more and prepare them for the next level."

Joining Foligno behind the bench this season are Bryan Verreault and Oscar Clouthier. Verreault has coached in the Rayside-Balfour minor hockey system for 20 years and has won championships at every level.

"Bryan brings a lot excitement and experience to the club. He's an excellent communicator with kids and he's well organized," said Foligno. "He brings plenty of energy and it rubs off on the players."

Clouthier also brings a wealth of knowledge to the Wolves. He has about 40 years of hockey experience at various levels.

"Oscar is a man who understands and knows the league and it's important to have an experienced opinion," said Foligno. "He brings a sense of respect and he will work closely with our scouting staff throughout the season."

Size does matter for the Wolves this season. The Wolves will have two big goalies in between the pipes this season. Hot rookie Patrick Ehelechner stands six-foot-two and veteran Joel Whitmarsh tops out at six-foot-five. Foligno likes the prospects of having the two giants at his disposal.

Foligno likes Ehelechner's unique all-out efforts to stop the puck. Ehelechner was Sudbury's first pick in the 2003 CHL Import Draft.

"Patrick came back from the San Jose Sharks camp and has a tremendous attitude. He loves Sudbury," said Foligno. "He has terrific lateral movement, sees the puck in tight good, controls rebounds and he can handle the puck well too."

Foligno likes Whitmarsh's size and experience.

"Joel is a big presence in the net and when he goes into the butterfly there isn't much to shoot at," said Foligno. "His experience is an asset."

Foligno is counting on his gigantic goalies to have gigantic seasons.

"They both have to play extremely well, so the team has a chance to win every night."

The Wolves blue line will have plenty of youth and experience. With several high profile rookies in the scheme, the Wolves defence foundation will be set for years to come. Foligno has been impressed with the way the club's top three 2003 priority picks have faired. First rounder, Staal has shown his brother, Eric, didn't get all the talent genes.

"Staal has brought a level of play to the team that you would see from a more mature player," said Foligno. "He has worked hard and has been a good leader."

Kyle Lamb, second-round pick and Adam McQuaid, third-round pick have also asserted themselves.

"Kyle is an offensive-minded defenceman. He likes to rush the puck," said Foligno. "Adam is well rounded, reads the play well and he can shoot the puck."

Foligno knows all three will have to adapt to the OHL work load.

Foligno is counting on his core of veteran defencemen to steady the ship. Jim Kehoe, Ryan Hastings, Deni Poulin and Kyle Martiniuk will all be expected to step up to the challenge.

"Jim has a good voice in the dressing room. Ryan works hard. Deni will lead by example and Kyle is at his best when he's playing physical," said Foligno.

Another defenceman, Jonathan D'Aversa, could make an impact. He has size and skill.

With one returning 20-goal scorer, the Wolves are certainly lacking some bite. Foligno expects his veterans to challenge themselves to score more this season.

Bobby Chaumont, Zach Stortini, Craig Voakes, Sean Langdon, Shandor Alphonso, new comer Fitzpatrick and Sean Grendus are expected to answer the call for goals.

"Even though these guys are young, they have to show leadership. They have to be competitive and take responsibility for carrying the offence," said Foligno. "They have to do all that while maintaining a strong, defensive presence."

Foligno hasn't counted out 2002 first-round pick, Brett Connolly from contributing more this season.

"We're expecting a lot more from Brett. He's a veteran now," said Foligno. "He has to be a go to guy and play an upscale style game."

Foligno is also expecting significant contributions from Jordan Prevost and Chris Robertson.

"Jordan is an up and down player and he will improve as he grows into his size," said Foligno. "Chris has great speed and defensive skills and we will use him to counter the offensive lines of other teams."

Besides Ehelechner, the Wolves have hopes that Stephan Blaho, another first-round pick in the 2003 CHL Import Draft will bring an added physical edge and extra skill to the line up. Last season, Blaho played 17 games for Trencin in Slovakia and scored six goals and 11 points, while amassing 50 penalty minutes. The right winger is six-one and weighs 200 pounds.

"Stephan is a physical player and can do a bit of everything," said Foligno. "He has good offensive skills and he will get better as the season progresses."

Foligno is stressing an overall team game, with everyone committed to playing smart, defensive hockey and working extra hard every game. A collective defensive conscious will lead to opportunities.

"We have good goaltending, a strong defence and we need our forwards committed to a defensive game," said Foligno. "If everyone is working together it will lead to scoring opportunities and cut down on opportunities against us."

The Wolves will not be intimidated by anyone this season. If another team is looking for a rough game, the Wolves have more than enough guys that can answer the door if someone is knocking.

"If somebody tries to take liberties with our players, we have more than enough guys to counter those individuals."

Foligno wants the Wolves to improve with each passing game.

"We have to set the tone every game and we want to raise the bar every game," said Foligno. "We have to work hard and keep a mentality of composure and a sense of discipline."

Foligno has had three months to put his stamp on this franchise. If his intensity and passion for the game soaks into the players it could be a wild season. Although its too early to tell just how big of an impact the Wolves will make this season, Foligno is confident his team will show up every night and reward fans with honest, competitive hockey.

"If things fall into place and we stay injury-free, the sky's the limit for us."