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Modest Beginning
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AllegiantRegistered S3, S28, S36, S38, S41, S43, S47 Challenge Cup Champion Modest Beginning
Will Windsor: Background, First Season, and Draft Day Will Windsor’s SMJHL career began without much fanfare. He signed late in the season with the Newfoundland Berserkers, playing just two regular season games with the team before jumping into the whirlwind atmosphere of the post-season. During that time, he largely failed to distinguish himself: his defense-first mindset didn’t leave much opportunity to impress scouts in the offensive end, and he was serviceable at best at his chosen specialty. As the youngest on a team of juniors, this was somewhat to be expected, but it can be seen as contributing, at least partially, to Windsor’s rather low draft stock — he managed to slip all the way to the third round, to be selected by the Maine Timber. Of course, there isn’t really any shame in this: the draft was fairly deep, and there were a number of known quantities who earned their selections ahead of him. However, there’s little doubting that it will be something that will define his SMJHL career going forward. If Windsor is indeed still an unknown quantity, it’s worth taking a moment to uncover just who he is and where he comes from. Edmonton Raised It may come as no surprise in a league filled to the brim with players who can boast their own long-standing legacies, but Will Windsor is not the first of his family to play in the league. Rather, his father was once a fairly passable player in his own right, defenceman Winston Windsor: arguably most known for his time with the Edmonton Blizzard and, subsequently, Texas Renegades. However, fans of the smooth-passing Brit will need to unlearn whatever preconceptions they might have. Where Winston Windsor was undersized, but quick and overwhelmingly offensive, Will Windsor boasts much more impressive size, with a physical and defensive focus to match. He isn’t much good at actually scoring the puck, but he’s got a knack for blocking them. Family legacy isn’t likely to play a very important role in Windsor’s career at all, by all accounts: Winston Windsor himself has left the hockey business almost entirely since his brief stint in management, and there aren’t many familiar names that could draw the prospect to preference any of his father’s old destinations. There is little doubt that the path Will Windsor charts through the SHL will be his own. The only real question is whether he can escape comparisons to the defender who came before him, or if he’ll find himself constantly eclipsed — perhaps a likely fate, in a league that so rewards offensive production, and so devalues defensive play. Junior Career It was never entirely clear that Will Windsor would even find a spot to play in the SMJHL, with some rumours indicating he might instead attempt to circumvent juniors by taking a contract offer to play in Europe. Ultimately, he opted to take a risk (with a higher possible reward) by declaring his intent to sign with an SMJHL team late in the season. There was very limited interest as teams had largely either become comfortable with their rosters, or else saw no need for a defenceman of Windsor’s mould. Luckily, Newfoundland Berserker’s forward Rintarou Okabe was able to convince his own manager that Windsor, a friend he originally met during a tournament a few years ago, would be worth taking a chance on. Most reports indicate that Windsor fit in well with Newfoundland during his short tenure with the team, recording a point in his first game and another point in the playoffs. He didn’t really light the world on fire, but he did get to cut his teeth the style of the SMJHL. The team even let him log some minutes on the penalty kill to suit his defensive mindset. Draft Day Going into the draft, a lot of teams didn’t even have Windsor on the radar. He hadn’t done a whole lot to impress scouts over his short junior career, and he hadn’t attended any of the workouts immediately before the draft. Any credibility his name might have provided him has also, almost certainly, eroded over the years as league management has shifted. A lot of the people Windsor’s father, and even his agent, would have been familiar with have long since either lost their positions, or else retired and moved on. That isn’t to say he had nothing going for him moving into the draft: just by virtue of being a defenceman, some teams would have jumped to add him to the roster as something of a filler player. But according to reports, some teams didn’t even have him on their draft board. It’s unclear if Maine even had an intention of picking him before the third round started fixing to wrap up. Of course, there’s an advantage to all of that too. As a third round selection, Windsor is beginning his career in the enviable position of having absolutely no expectations. As long as he improves in a few areas, Maine will be able to look back on the draft and feel pretty good about their pick. But if he’s able to take this as motivation, and really strive to improve in a way that scouts didn’t really think likely, he’ll be able to far exceed those expectations and win over those scouts who doubted him, and indeed, who likely still doubt him. A lot is going to change in the league this coming season. Maybe, just maybe, it’s time for a shutdown defender to prove he can shine. ![[Image: wopo0De.png]](https://i.imgur.com/wopo0De.png) Signature Credit: Wasty
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our eye was on you ever since round 2 started!
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