Weston Windsor... on the Blueline!
Baltimore Sun-- K. Kadinger

After the Newfoundland Berserkers lost in disappointing fashion in the first round of the SMJHL playoffs, then-center Weston Windsor denied to make any comment as he walked down to the tunnel to the locker room. It was difficult to get a grasp on what he was thinking, after joining the Berserkers late on waivers, only to lose to one of the teams that he made no secret of having a preference for during the initial waiver rush. Some speculated that he was reconsidering his place in Newfoundland, while others suggested that a young player can't be expected to handle defeat as gracefully as a paid professional might.

The answers seem to have come out earlier today, as Weston Windsor was seen in Denver, Colorado practicing with a low-tier professional team. Rather than play his natural position of center, or shift to the wing as he did so many times this season for Newfoundland, he instead positioned himself on the blueline, using his advanced playmaking instincts to set up his team's offense again and again through what was, admittedly, a fairly low-stakes scrimmage.

I managed to catch up with Windsor after the match to ask about the position swap. When questioned if it was something we could expect from him next season in the SMJHL, he answered:

"Yeah, you know. I'll be back in Newfoundland next year. I'm going to win with Newfoundland, we've got a lot of the right pieces. I like it here, I didn't think I would, but I do. But it's getting kind of clear that my skillset, well, it doesn't always translate to the position. I like running the play from the point, I like having that full view of the ice, that sort of thing. Maybe I could do that on the power-play anyways, but after talking ... you know, every other 'Windsor' was a defenceman, so why not me?"

Weston Windsor's little-known predecessor, Will Windsor, played a third of a season with the Newfoundland Berserkers before being drafted to the Maine Timber. There, he went on to claim shot-blocking records that still stand for the old, shorter schedule, including blocking so many shots against the Berserkers in the playoffs that his name was cursed for the next generation. When asked if he would follow suit in Will Windsor's footsteps, he laughed the thought off.

"No, absolutely not. Not in terms of the defense, or the short career. Injuries, you know? He couldn't keep up after taking so many hits, so consistently. I'd love to be able to do that, but I'm short and my defensive game has never been the best. Yeah, that's kind of an awkward thought given the position I'm moving to, but I think my main role is still going to be offense. In that sense, I'm looking at being more like that other name -- Winston Windsor, right?"

No doubt it'll be a bit of a teething process, but at least we've received some hard confirmation: next season, Weston Windsor will play defense.