With the Wolves season over, some final thoughts before we put the 2014-15 season behind us.
First, there is no denying that this was the worst season in franchise history — the numbers don't lie. But I say that's not such a bad thing.
While it was tough to sit through some pretty awful hockey, it had to be done to help ensure future success. That might be a strange thing to say, but remember success in junior hockey goes in cycles.
That being said, let's take a look at the teams that have finished last in the OHL standings since it last happened to the Wolves in 2007-08.
Take Sarnia out of the picture. It's happened to them twice, but they haven't yet been able to rebound and become a league leader.
The rest of the list includes Erie, Barrie, the Soo and Ottawa.
Erie and the Soo are currently two of the best teams in the country, and Barrie and Ottawa have been amongst the best in the Eastern Conference.
Granted, those teams were able to begin their rebuilds with players like Connor McDavid, Jared McCann, Aaron Ekblad and Travis Konecny, but they still had to add other pieces to get them where they are today.
As for the Wolves, no, there are no Connor McDavids in this year's OHL draft, but there are some very talented players available and with five picks in the first three rounds, the scouts are going to be able to stock Sudbury's cupboards for years to come.
There are plenty of people who say the Wolves should have done more to make the 2014-15 team more competitive.
General Manager Blaine Smith says he had the opportunity back in October to do just that, but it would have cost the organization some of its young players and the majority of the draft picks the team had collected with some of the deals that were made.
All that to maybe squeak into the playoffs and likely get bounced out in the first round.
No, Smith and the rest of team management decided to bite the bullet, take their lumps this year and then reap the benefits two, three and four years down the road.
While there haven't been a lot of obvious positives, there are more than you may think.
When it came to wins and losses, the results weren't always there, but over the last seven or eight weeks, interim head coach Dave Matsos and assistant coach Bryan Verreault had the team playing some pretty good hockey.
Kyle Capobianco has come into his own this season and has shown he will be a leader on this team and one of the best defencemen in the league.
Young Wolves like Michael Pezzetta, Brady Patacki and Regan O'Grady have gotten experience in all aspects of the game that rookies don't usually get at such a young age.
So Smith says he takes full responsibility for the way this past season went, but I think he should be applauded for the stance he took. If it turns out to be a successful rebuild only time will tell.
As I have stated in past columns, stay tuned.
Stew Kernan is the radio and television voice of the Sudbury Wolves, and the News Director at KiSS 105.3 and Q92.
