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Turd Ferguson · 03-28-2013, 06:33 PM

<div align="center">Anton Wagner: A Career In Review

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Since the cup celebrations in Minnesota, things have settled down a bit. The Chiefs players all have spent their time with the cup, and one of the last players to hold it is German winger Anton Wagner. Wagner, who finished off his last season with a game winning goal to win the Eastern Conference, then a more supporting role during the finals, holds the cup and cries. He looks at it happily, almost as if he is a proud father.

â€œItâ€™s not just the cup that means something,â€ says Wagner, â€œitâ€™s just that this is the culmination of a lot of hard work. Iâ€™m very proud of the team and Iâ€™m happy to end my career with a moment like this. Itâ€™s been a great season and Iâ€™m very happy to have this as the culmination of seasons of hard work.â€

Itâ€™s been a long journey for the German sniper. Going into the NWJHLâ€™s sixth season, it was expected that Wagner would be one of the top prospects in the draft and grow to become a superstar on the SHL level. Wagnerâ€™s agent and mentor, Turd Ferguson, was one of the leagueâ€™s best enforcers and a very active member around the league. As a result, Wagner was drafted second overall in the S6 NWJHL Entry Draft by the (now defunct) Seattle Stingrays, after fellow German Rashad Thomas.

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Wagner was expected to be an offensive dynamo in the SHL system. At 19 years old, Wagner was expected to be a second round pick in the NHL draft after a solid career with the WHLâ€™s Seattle Thunderbirds. However, Wagner instead decided to join the fast-growing SHL, while childhood friend Klaus MÃ¼ller joined the rival VHL. Upon being selected by the Stingrays, Wagner was put with Rachel Belmont and Zach Cuff on Seattleâ€™s first line and was named an alternate captain. However, Wagnerâ€™s performance in the NWJHL was disappointing, and he was unable to produce very well in the regular season.

Things changed when the playoffs came. Wagner suddenly filled all expectations people had of him when he first declared for the SHL. He was scoring left and right, and finished the playoffs with a point per game performance (mostly goals) and a Four Star Cup victory. Going into the draft, Wagnerâ€™s draft stock had fallen as a result of his regular season performance. Elias Armia and Rashad Thomas, who were already early picks in the NWJHL Draft, were selected first and second overall, by the Comets and Jets, respectively. German forward David Winter, who was selected in the third round of the NWJHL Draft by Prince George, had his draft stock rocket upwards, resulted in being selected third overall by the Chiefs. This left the Hamilton Steelhawks with the fourth overall pick, and Hamilton selected Wagner. In Wagnerâ€™s first season, he found himself on the teamâ€™s third line, and finished his first SHL season with 16 points in 50 games, then notched 4 points in 14 playoff games during a run that ended in a Challenge Cup loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

At this point, Wagner was looking to be an absolute bust. Hamilton still had faith in Wagner, but the German forward wasnâ€™t getting very much playing time, and was sent to Los Angeles in exchange for veteran forward Tyler Seguin (who has since retired). Wagner seemed to be a much better fit with the Panthers, playing on the same line as SHL legends Sarmad Khan and Pavol Skvoznak in his first season, doubling his point output exactly.

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Wagner continued to improve, as he formed one of the best duos in the SHL with countryman Chris McZehrl in Season 10, as Wagner scored 65 points while McZehrl scored 72. Wagner had finally lived up to what was expected to himâ€¦somewhat. The German forward barely cracked the top ten in scoring out of all wingers, and still wasnâ€™t considered to be a top player just yet.

After a failed application for an expansion team, Wagnerâ€™s agent, Turd Ferguson, had been named co-GM of the Panthers before S10. Ferguson had been in charge of the drafting and was a reliable assistant to Zach Dooley. However, the Season 10-11 offseason caused many changes in LA, and Wagner was at the center of it. First, Wagnerâ€™s contract ran out after Season 10, and he planned to test the market. However, GM Zach Dooley stepped down from his general manager position as a result of a controversy regarding Steelhawks goaltender Cyan Winters. The Panthersâ€™ ownership contacted Ferguson about the open position â€“ the job was his if he wanted it. However, Ferguson left the decision to Wagner â€“ if he wanted to return to LA, Ferguson would be the GM, if not, he would follow Wagner wherever he went. Eventually, after some deliberation, Wagner signed a 3 year, $10.5 million contract with the Minnesota Chiefs.

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Wagner seemed to be a great fit with the Chiefs right away. In Season 11, he scored 61 points in 50 games while playing on the top line with Skvoznak and Williams. However, the Chiefs were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Steelhawks, and Wagner put up nine points in twelve playoff games. In Season 12, Wagner scored 44 points in 50 games, good enough for second on the team and eighth in the entire SHL. Wagner kept up this performance, with 14 points in 17 games â€“ including the game winning goal that sent Minnesota to the finals.

Which brings us to the present day. Wagner has not been the superstar he was expected to be, but has proven himself to be a great player and has recovered from the â€œbustâ€ label he was given early in his career. Wagner finished his career with 284 points in 355 games in the SHL, as well as a Four Star Cup in Season 6, a gold medal from the Season 11 IHF World Championship (as well as an Olympic silver medal), and a Season 12 Challenge Cup. Is this a career that will get Wagner into the Hall of Fame? Only time will tell.</div>

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Wadester · 03-28-2013, 06:46 PM

Great player, shame we never got the chance to play together.

joecool37 · 03-28-2013, 06:53 PM

Great, but too short career.
But another german player with a cup. Ilike

Wasty · 03-28-2013, 07:40 PM

Great player, great member. Good luck with Bauer!

#40 Niclas Wastlund - W - VANCOUVER WHALERS Whalers

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Banjo · 03-29-2013, 12:13 AM

It was an honor to play with Wagner. Great career, and best of luck with the future!

grimreaper · 03-29-2013, 08:47 AM

It's been awesome playing on the same line as you these past two seasons. I'm disappointed Wagner isn't sticking around for longer, but I hope you can achieve even more with Bauer.