With no logo or colour change, the Sudbury Wolves kept it simple when creating their home and away jerseys for the 2017-18 season.
The Wolves' VP of marketing, Andrew Dale, said they were trying for a modern look that would also give a nod to the franchise's successful teams of the past.
“We knew a change had to happen, and it wasn’t going to be a drastic change,” he said.
“We thought that a subtle change where we took the jersey and we cleaned it up and made it look a little bit like 2006-2007, maybe the 1994-1995 teams.
"These were successful teams, a lot of people loved the look. It’s not same, we don’t have the wording on the jersey and we don’t have plans for that. You’ll notice on the shoulders there isn’t a paw so we just wanted to clean (that up) and get away from the past few years.”
The pictures are likely to keep most happy on social media who were hoping the Wolves wouldn’t make drastic changes, especially one fan.
“One very, very big fan who actually tattooed the logo to his arm was quite concerned over the weekend, so we had some fun with that,” Dale said. “I think he was quite relieved to see this today.”
For the Wolves' 2017 first round pick, Blake Murray, this was the first time he's seen his name and No. 92 on an OHL jersey.
“It’s very exciting to be one of the first players to put this on coming in as a new player,” he said. “I think it’s one of the coolest logos in the CHL and to wear this jersey with the new striping and new design, I think it’s very special and I’m very excited.”
Reagan O’Grady, on the other hand, has put on the Wolves colours numerous times and is more looking forward to what the jersey represents.
“It’s a tribute to our past teams who have won, and we’re going to bring back a winning culture here to Sudbury,” he said. “I strongly believe in the group of guys that we’ve brought in, and we’re bringing in the right people on staff to guide us in the right direction.
"But it’s a very exciting day, and the jerseys look great. I’m happy to be a part of the reveal, and I just can’t wait to get things going.”
Dale said the opportunity to change the jerseys came up pretty quickly for the team, and they weren’t able to do so in Year 1 under new ownership because Dario Zulich purchased the team so close to training camp.
Wolves fans will have to wait until September to see all their favourite players in their new apparel, but they will also get a chance to wear them, as the jerseys will go on sale in the coming weeks.
Check out Sudbury.com's video coverage from yesterday's jersey unveiling below:
