Nordiques - 1/3 Through It

[QUEsteve]

Current Record: 5-19-2

Trade Block: Hampus Lindholm, Nikita Zaitsev

Twenty-six games into the season the Nordiques find themselves in the basement of the Eastern Conference and 29th overall in the League. Unfortunately for fans in La Belle Province this was expected and is in fact still being touted as part of the plan. In a recent interview Quebec GM Stephen Wilson was candid about the process.

“This organization has mapped out the next few years and this is all part of the process. To be honest, we have actually performed slightly better than we anticipated especially after notching wins against both the Sharks and Whalers this year. Those teams are highly skilled, so to know that our group can play with them as is, is already very encouraging. Our goal was 10 wins this year and we are already at 5 at the 1/3 mark of the season.”

Team captain Sean Monahan leads the team in scoring with 17 points in 26 games while Sean Kuraly leads with 8 goals. The combo has definitely been one of the few bright spots to start the season.

When asked about upcoming seasons GM Wilson didn’t identify any specific benchmarks the organization is looking to meet. “I think next year the important thing will be to bring along a few of our younger kids form the minors. But we don’t have a specific goal in mind at this point.” The younger kids are believed to be Lane Hutson, Josh Doan, Matt Rempe, Joel Blomquist and Ville Koivunen. All of which could end up on the pro roster, even if it is a year ahead of the most desirable schedule, with the exception of Hutson.

In addition, the organization is expecting a number of recent draft picks to turn pro including first round selections Ryan Leonard andOliver Moore. In all likelihood they will play out their first year on the farm.

“Regardless of the outcomes over the next quarter of the season, we are simply looking for growth. Growth as a team, growth in the locker room, and growth within the community. We may not win many games, but our promo team and community outreach teams are doing wonderful things. And I need to thank the players. They have been spending their down time in the community building homes for the homeless, visiting schools, and of course granting wishes.”

The community approach seems to be paying off as the Nordiques have sold out their building multiple times and generally have crowds around 14,000. Pretty good for a team struggling to find success on the ice.