In the Crosshairs

The Moncton Wildcats will be the most targeted team in the QMJHL. The Cats will have to become accustomed to living and thriving in the crosshairs.

Perhaps Gardiner MacDougall’s biggest challenge this year will be to temper expectations, something he’s incredibly used to, but this season will be different. Expectations are at an all-time high and there’s a buzz around the city and around this group like no other. Obviously, everyone reflects on the 2019-2020 season and what could have been, but the much publicized “new era” has arrived and with that comes massive expectations and pressure from within the group.

MacDougall coached teams have been galvanized to pressure and expectations for quite some time. Nevertheless, pressure is pressure and expectations are expectations.

Photo Credit Saint John Sea Dogs

Avenir Atmosphere

The 2-0 Wildcats return home this weekend with a full complement, but perhaps the biggest storyline surrounding “opening weekend” will be the building and atmosphere itself. The friendly confines of the Avenir Centre proved to be a “home ice” disadvantage on most nights for the Cats over the past few seasons. The state-of-the-art facility and the teams fanbase haven’t had a ton of energy due in large part to the style and design of the team. Sure, the Cats scored lots of goals on the power play, were a little “flash and dash” off the rush, but there wasn’t a bunch of consistent “edge of your seat” excitement and action a season ago.

The Wildcats now have a well-balanced deep group that will look to be nasty to play against while providing energy and excitement. Teams in the crosshairs will be tested physically night in and night out. The core group of the Cats will be challenged every night internally and externally.  The veterans have a lot to prove and will have to step up to fulfill leadership roles on and off the ice, while the Cats newcomers will have to also live up to the very high expectations. You can talk about pressure and use all the fancy quotes you can find, but pressure is pressure. The Avenir Centre can act as a pressure valve for the Cats especially if the atmosphere changes for the better.

“Know Your Role”

The real story behind successful teams happens off the ice. A change of voice, perspective and culture impacts everything. Teams with championship aspirations like the Wildcats have added talent to make a run, but their foundation will be built on team culture and leadership. Gardiner MacDougall’s wizardry or sorcery of success is directly correlated with his ability to identify and solidify roles for every one of his players. Whenever you have a deep group in the Major Junior ranks every player wants their piece of the pie. Astronomical expectations are one thing, perhaps MacDougall’s second biggest challenge will be to identify roles and create effective line combinations while spreading ice time around. After all there’s only “one puck” to go around.

MacDougall isn’t scared to play his horses and those horses will change from time to time, but there’s no question each Wildcat will know their role and will be held accountable when it comes to fulfilling that role in any and every situation.

There’s no room for deviation when it comes to a “Gardiner MacDougall” coached team when it comes to player identity. A player’s role and identity can and will change based on what’s best for the team, it’s up to the player to adjust to those aspects of the game.

To put it bluntly this group of players will be auditioning for their role every day until the December trade period. That’s some crazy ass pressure in itself, but that’s the truth when it comes to teams in a “load and go” scenario. The internal competition and battle to fulfill roles will only strengthen this version of the Wildcats. Taylor and Gardiner MacDougall along with the entire staff and management team will find the pulse of the group and they will identify the strengths and weaknesses of the collective group and they will continue to assess and re-access the group as the season progresses.

What Are They Made Of?

You can learn a lot about players, the organization and coaches when teams are experiencing and exposed to the pressure of high expectations and championship aspirations. We are going to learn a lot about what the 2024-2025 Moncton Wildcats are really made of. The team that steps on home ice this weekend probably won’t be the same team that enters the playoffs. That’s the reality of the situation and every player in that dressing room knows that going in.

There’s always pressure when players have specific roles and don’t always live up to those roles within the team structure. You see that’s where you can learn the most about a player especially from a scouting and projection standpoint.

There are several players from the core group of this team that have a lot to prove and are looking to have career years, we are going to see what they are made of this season more than any other year. That might sound unfair, but that’s life when you’re in the crosshairs.