1. Page 20  MONCTON WILDCATS COLLECTOR’S EDITION  PLAYOFFS 2015
WillamBower 26
Photo Daniel St. Louis
Position: Centre
Born: 11/7/1997
HeigHt: 6’00”
WeigHt: 180
BirtH Place: Saint John , NB
Bordering on Success
When it comes to building a successful
hockey program, you need to leave no
stone unturned.
When Roger Shannon joined the
Moncton Wildcats as director of hockey
operations in March of 2013, he knew that
every team in the Quebec Major Junior
Hockey League was scouring Europe for the
next big star. He also knew that in order
to build a championship team he had to
open up a new pipeline for players which
turned out to be south of the border.
``Upon joining the Wildcats organiza-
tion, our lack of first- and second-round
picks in the annual midget draft was a
concern,’’ said Shannon. ``Knowing we
did not have the assets to acquire these
from the other 17 teams, Danny Flynn,
myself and the rest of our staff decided
not to put all of our eggs in one basket
and concentrate on Europe.
``We opted to put as much, if not
more, emphasis on scouting and looking
at the U.S. market and it became crucial
to our success. Conor Garland, Zachary
Malatesta, Will Smith, Cameron Askew
and Liam Murphy are all high picks so
the direction we took seemed to have
paid off.’’
Moncton boasts five American players
this season, the most of any QMJHL club.
The Wildcats had eight players from the
U.S. last season.
``When I was general manager of
Lewiston, it was a daily requirement to
try to educate the U.S. players as to
what our game is all about and to what
our league was all about,’’ said Shannon.
``Not only the on-ice product, but the
off-ice product as well.
``I have had to erase a lot of myths
about playing in Canada, the biggest
being about education. Many believe that
education is not taken seriously in junior
hockey. However, the Moncton Wildcats
organization makes education its number
one priority.’’
Shannon also points out the close
proximity to the U.S. based players makes
it easier to evaluate the talent.
There is no comparison that looking
at the U.S. kids is easier than say going
to Belarus or Moscow. Those trips require
months of preparation. With kids from the
U.S., we can see them more frequently
and follow their progress.’’
So, what makes Moncton so attractive
to players from the United States?
``I’d like to think its the hockey culture
we have created and how our organization
cares for our players,’’ said Shannon. ``Our
goal is of course to bring a championship
to Moncton, but we also feel a certain
pride when our players get drafted to
the pro ranks.
``Let’s face it, the more players we
have who get drafted make it easier to
recruit players to come here whether its
by the draft or free agency.’’
To say that Shannon and his staff are
excited about the playoffs would be an
understatement.
``We have the ability to make some-
thing special happen this spring,’’ said
Shannon. ``We have assembled a cohesive
unit who are firing on all cylinders and
actually believe they can win every night.
It’s going to make for excellant hockey
when the playoffs come around.’’
ROGER WHITE
MONCTON WILDCATS, PLAy By PLAy ANNOUNCER