Deep Thoughts Sudbury Star - October 2nd 2018 - Pilon Twins & NHL Thoughts

Deep Thoughts

with

Mark Seidel…

The Pilon Twins

Everyone in the OHL knows about the Pilon twins in Sudbury & the impact they have had on the League & that franchise but I have some thoughts on them. As some may know, they advanced to the Minnesota Wild’s main NHL Training Camp this year which is a huge accomplishment for 2 undrafted free agents. The fact they got there is a huge accomplishment but even bigger is how they got there. 4 years ago, at this time, they were 2 kids that couldn’t find a Junior A team to sign them so they decided to play for Denny Lambert in the CIHL Outlaw League. Denny took this pair under his wing & worked tirelessly with them to make them better & by the end of the year, Denny was a tireless advocate for them. He spoke to a few teams who weren’t interested but Blaine Smith, the Wolves GM, had a relationship with Denny & put his faith in Denny’s opinion & the twins potential. Although they didn’t make the OHL club that Fall, they went back to the Soo to play Junior A for the NOJHL Thunderbirds & kept getting better. When that season ended, I asked them to play for me in a Summer Junior Tourney & they accepted. I can unequivocally say that I have never been impressed by 2 kids more than I was that pair during the weekend. In fact, David Bell; Head Coach of the Niagara Icedogs & I discussed trading for them if they didn’t make the Wolves that Fall. The Wolves kept them & the rest has been history in the Nickel City since & they have become fan favorites due to their style of play, aggressiveness & personality. It should be noted the incredible impact that their mother Teri has had on the boys by making them accountable, hardworking, passionate & good people. Darian & Drake deserve so much credit for believing in their dreams, working towards them & never giving up & although the final story of the twin’s career has a long way to go before it is written, without Denny Lambert, Teri Pilon & Blaine Smith, their future wouldn’t be nearly as bright.

The NHL Season

With the new NHL season upon us, I thought I’d lay out some bullet predictions that I have:

-       The Toronto Maple Leaf’s will be the most exciting & interesting team to watch this year & I expect them to trade for a high-end defenseman to solidify that back end. Kyle Dubas has put his stamp on that team & despite the weighty expectations, it will be a great year in Hogtown.

-       If you think you have seen the best of Connor McDavid, stay tuned because he is going to explode this year & he will carry the Oilers on his back into the playoffs

-       I think Rasmus Dahlin is going to be a superstar in the NHL for a long time but I expect Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks to be the Rookie of the Year

-       San Jose plays out west so it is hard to see them a lot but they will be the best team in the Western Conference. Their depth at the forward position & a back end that features Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson & Marc-Edouard Vlasic will be fun to watch all year

-       It is easy to pick apart Pierre Dorion & the Ottawa Senators but, in my opinion, the fans & the media are going after the wrong guy. The SOLE problem in Ottawa is Eugene Melnyk who has demolished that franchise & Pierre Dorion, a smart hockey man who is also a good person, is taking the heat for it.

-       The chase to next June’s NHL Draft has begun & the “winner” will get the special talent, Jack Hughes. He has a lot of McDavid qualities to his game & he will revolutionize whatever franchise

gets him immediately.

-       Look for Carolina, Arizona, Florida & Dallas to be much better this year while Colorado, NY Islanders, Los Angeles & Anaheim will slide. Lastly, I expect the Final 4 next spring to be Toronto, Winnipeg, Tampa Bay & San Jose.

Derek MacKenzie

With Derek Mackenzie heading into his final year in the NHL, I believe that more people should be aware of the example he should be too ALL young players. The Sudbury native started out as an unheralded 4^th round pick to the Wolves & quickly became a great Junior player & ultimately represented Canada at the 2000 World Junior championships. Having that pedigree & exposure, you would assume that Derek would have jumped to the NHL in a couple years & enjoyed a long NHL career but that isn’t how it happened. Instead, he basically kept grinding in the AHL for the next 9 years while getting the occasional call-up to the NHL. 99% of players in that situation would have settled in & accepted that they were going to be career AHL players but the gritty Mackenzie never did & beginning in 2010/11, he became a key part of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Although he has never been a prolific offensive producer, his importance to every team he has ever played for has been immense through his character, IQ, commitment to team & a willingness to do whatever it takes. In Florida, after signing as a Free Agent, he immediately became an Assistant Captain for 2 years before being named the Captain in 2016/2017 and has remained in that capacity until recently when he passed it on to the young superstar, Alexander Barkov in a remarkable display of awareness, acceptance & class by Mackenzie. There are numerous lessons for young players to get out of his story which include a burning passion to never give up, a willingness to do other things for a hockey club to help it win & how far character & leadership can take you. All of Sudbury should be proud of him as he exits the NHL gracefully

Those are my Deep Thoughts…

Mark Seidel