Walking down the street on Friday morning I was approached by some eager Sudbury Wolves fans.
These fans know me because they have seats near where I shoot the Wolves games at the Sudbury Community Arena.
They could barley contain their enthusiasm over the incredible additions the local Major Junior franchise has made over the course of the last two months.
They are literally salivating at the prospects of what the 2008-09 season could bring and beyond.
These fans had no problem "suffering" through a rough 2007-08 campaign, which saw the Wolves win just 17 games and slip to dead last in the standings, as they knew brighter days were ahead.
Those brighter days could transpire as early as this upcoming season.
With the moves they have made, the Wolves are certainly poised to be bottom-feeders no more.
It all started back in May when the Wolves made John McFarland their first pick, first overall, in the 2008 OHL Priority Draft.
They followed the McFarland pick with, what many scouts have said, a strong and tantalizing crop of young prospects.
Fans got their first taste of the new breed of Wolves players back at the start of June during the annual Wolves rookie camp.
Needless to say, fans were impressed with what they saw.
It continued earlier this week when Sudbury, going out on a limb, took Russian star Nikita Filatov first overall in the CHL Import Draft. They also grabbed defenceman Sergei Sheleg, a defenceman from Belarus who stands six-foot-five and weighs in the neighbourhood of 210-pounds.
The Wolves went with raw rookies and young players last season. They paid a big price breaking the rookies in and giving the young players big time responsibilities.
It should all pay off in 2008-09.
The battles for jobs in training camp are going to be nothing short of spectacular considering the wealth of young talent returning and coming in.
Any returning veteran who thinks their spot is safe had better not even show up for camp as there will be too many solid players looking to earn a role on the squad.
For this column, I will pick a part the Wolves forward ranks. I will cover the goalies and defence in a following column on Monday.
Up front, the Wolves should be strong. The top line of Eric O'Dell, Jared Staal and Patrik Lusnak will all be back. These three guys clicked like magic once put together, produced at a prolific rate during the latter stages of the season.
Those three players are going to be joined by the likes of McFarland, Dean Howard, Gerome Giudice, John Kurtz, Marcus Foligno, Brett Thompson, Matt Dias, Kyle Tarini, Marco Maggio and J.K. Gill and maybe, and hopefully Filatov and some rookies from the 2008 OHL Draft.
Not a bad supporting cast if you ask me, but there are some concerns..
Third and fourth year vets such as Dias, Tarini, Kurtz and Gill will be expected to produce, both on and off the ice. If not, they could be gone.
I have no doubts about Kurtz and Giudice. Kurtz is an effective player both offensively and, more importantly, defensively. Giudice is just an awesome captain who holds others accountable and will play a gritty, yet strong offensive game.
Howard, Thompson and Foligno are wild cards. Howard has to be better than the one goal he scored in 28 games with the Wolves. He better be or he could be gone as well. Foligno could be a star. Not a prolific scoring machine, but just a big physical presence who contributes frequently on offence.
As the season wore on last year, Foligno became more and more comfortable with his hitting power and really started to hammer guys into the boards. I saw him recently and he looks like a Mack truck. I'm sure this youngest Foligno is going to crush some poor souls this season. Thompson may be small, but he is feisty and can generate some energy with his play. If he takes the next step, he could be a 15-goal guy for Sudbury.
Dias, Tarini and Gill simply must step up and provide the team with leadership and goals. The three combined for just 35 goals last season. A repeat performance will not be tolerated. If these three guys can find a way to bust out, Sudbury is going to have an explosive offence.
Maggio is a solid scrapper who will take on any tough guy. Indimidation is still a big part of the OHL, so the Wolves will need his services from time to time. Maggio can fight and play a robust, physical game.
As for the rookies, I can see top picks such as McFarland (obviously) and Drew Collinson and perhaps Steven Beyers making the most impact.
McFarland is going to be under the microscope for the rest of his life, but I believe he has the guts to handle that kind of crazy pressure.
I see Collinson making the biggest impact outside of anyone named McFarland. Collinson has decent size and a lethal and accurate shot. Beyers might have to bide his time and make a bigger impact in 2009-10.
Filatov, if he is sent to the Wolves by Columbus, who drafted him sixth overall at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, could set the world on fire with his skill and speed. I remember him from the 2008 World Junior Championship, and he was brilliant.
Watch for my break down of the Wolves defence corps and goalies on Monday of next week.
