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Whikadoodle · 04-11-2015, 03:13 PM

Wikstrom Breaks the Silence
A TSN Exclusive by Dick Shivers

The greatest draft in SHL history: Season 20 introduced us to numerous players who would become leaders: faces of their franchises and the league as a whole, for seasons to come. Players like D Bojo Biscuit, D Sachimo Zoidberg, F Nathan Russell and D Chuck Goody have risen to prominent positions of league and team ownership; and that’s just the beginning.
With the 5th pick in the draft, the New England Wolfpack selected F Niklas Wikstrom; the face of a struggling Regina Force franchise. Wikstrom had decent numbers, but experts placed his ceiling high. Wikstrom was the first forward taken in all of Season 20, and no one seemed troubled by the pick at the time.
However, Wikstrom soon became a blip on the SHL’s radar. With a rookie season where Wikstrom went -14 and only scored 9 points in 50 games, it seems that the Wolfpack made a rough decision with their 2nd pick in the S20 draft.
I had the chance to sit down with Wikstrom for a TSN exclusive interview to discuss his career so far, and what he plans to do with his time in the SHL.
Dick Shivers: Niklas, first off, thanks for taking the time to sit down with me. I understand things haven’t been going as planned for the past few seasons. What’s on your mind?
Niklas Wikstrom: I haven’t done what I was brought in here to do. When I was recruited, I was a strong scoring winger. My job was to put pucks in the back of the net, and I have failed to do that over the past few seasons. I’ve had the opportunity to play with great players, like F Alexy Kovalenko, F Brandon Donini and F Blake Sherrill, but I haven’t been able to produce. It’s frustrating.
DS: It came as a shock to the league when it was announced that you were moving to center. Care to elaborate on that decision?
NW: It was a call from upper management. Of course they asked, but I wasn’t in a position to argue. I spent a lot of time readying myself to play behind F Carter O’Callahan. It was a hard journey, and I still think of myself as a natural winger, but it was something the team needed. Now with the way things have shook out, it hasn’t been as much of a need. I’m still fighting for my spot in the lineup, and I didn’t think I’d be doing that at this point in my carer.
DS: Where would you have liked to be three seasons into your career?
NW: You know, I never tried to think that far ahead. Just think about the next game; and how I can contribute to eventually lift the cup. I guess that I had hoped to be a difference maker on the Wolfpack, and that hasn’t quite planned out.
DS: The league was taken aback by a career contract you took with the Wolfpack; averaging out to around 4.8m per year. What was the motivation to get that deal done?
NW: When opportunity comes, sometimes you have to take it. There are teams in the league I’d love to pay for, but I know that the money the Wolfpack could offer would set me for the rest of my career. I don’t know if that will be a discount or a radical overpayment; or if in the future I’ll become an unmovable asset; but I knew that it was the best decision for my player and I had to take it while it was available.
DS: Let’s talk about the Wolfpack management. How do you view the changes at the top and what effect have they had on the team as a whole?
NW: You know, I think that things were icy for awhile. We had some issues in management that were causing us to lose our identity, and we were pulling in anyone and everyone who would commit. I think we lost some valuable pieces in the shuffle, pieces that we are going to need down the line, but I don’t think I would have done anything different. Some of those roster moves have really worked out for us; for example, D Brandon Cant and Chris McZehrl; they’ve both been great in the locker room and have helped us find who we are again.
DS: What do you view your role on the Wolfpack to be?
NW: I’ve always wanted to be a leader here. I think that’s one of the reasons they drafted me where they did. But I’ve been having to focus on my game and getting better at the little things. It’s hard to watch your team struggle in a seven game series. It’s even harder when you’re doing everything you can to produce and it’s just not happening. I don’t want to be that wasted spot on the roster who needs to be putting up numbers, but simply can’t. And I know the league is getting stronger; I just need to focus on keeping up before I can take a more prominent role in the franchise.
DS: Do you think you’ll be with the Wolfpack your entire career?
NW: I’m not sure. Not for a lack of desire, but because I understand that my time here has been an entire failure. Sure, I led my draft class in +/- last year, but that means nothing when we can’t lift the cup. Failure is anything short of lifting the cup.
DS: Do you think that the Wolfpack can lift the cup?
NW: Of course. People keep telling me that our window is closing. I don’t think that’s the case. I think we’re getting stronger and just need to figure out a way to translate that into playoff success. We have the pieces. It’s that mentality that we can’t win a cup after this year that makes me wonder how long I’ll be in the Silver and Green. With the management shakeup, I don’t know If a rebuild is imminent if we don’t get the cup soon.
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