Harry Luras: Som supporter till Ottawa kan jag säga att han var ett rundningsmärke i många säsonger. Men på hockeyallsvensk nivå så hade det givetvis varit ett bra nyförvärv. En hård och resolut back, men trög på skridskorna som sagt
Harry Luras: Round 2, 42nd Overall – Patrick Wiercioch, D (Omaha Lancers, USHL)
Back in 2006, the Senators had a difficult decision to make. Young star Martin Havlat was a restricted free agent, but the team was too close to the salary cap for comfort. Ottawa tried to sign the Czech winger to a low-cost, long-term deal, but Havlat refused to re-sign for more than a season, hoping to get a bigger payday somewhere else. So, in an effort to get something in return, they flipped him to the Chicago Blackhawks in a three-way deal with the San Jose Sharks for prospects Josh Hennessy and Michal Barinka, defenseman Tom Preissing, and a 2008 second-round pick. While the return seemed good at the time – it prompted the Senators to trade their original 2008 second-rounder to the Phoenix Coyotes for Oleg Saprykin – the end result was lackluster. Preissing only stayed for a season before signing with the Los Angeles Kings and both prospects combined for seven NHL games over their careers. All that remained was the second-round pick, and maybe with that in mind, they swung for the fences and grabbed defender Patrick Wiercioch, ranked 119th by the Central Scouting Service (CSS) with their 42nd pick. Initially, it appeared the 6-foot-4 defenseman could save this deal. He was an NCAA All-Star at the University of Denver in 2008-09 and 2009-10, and in his first two full NHL seasons, he was second among defensemen in scoring with 19 and 23 points. Wiercioch had all the makings of a second-round steal, yet frequent injuries began to slow him down and when his contract expired in 2016-17, he was allowed to walk. He signed with the Colorado Avalanche, but still only appeared in a career-high 57 games. Wiercioch spent all of 2018-19 in the AHL, then decided to try his luck in Europe, where he continues to play.
Favoritarenor (och inte): Bortasektionen enda skamfläcken? Ja om man enbart ser till hockeyupplevelsen för samtliga kanske. Och då är jag definitivt med. Som jag konstaterat, då är SCA svårslagen. Jag har ju som bekant andra synpunkter också men för huvudsyftet, se hockey, har vi en topparena!
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