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Zema · 12-04-2020, 10:57 AM

New England Retired Numbers

The New England Wolfpack established the name and location all the way back in S13. Since then, many players have come and gone with some people and players sticking out in terms of impact. As the new season begins today, we wanted to make a post outlining those who can call themselves the greatest of the greatest in the history of this franchise. Those whose legacy should be remembered and revered by all current and former players. This is us honoring our history through these wonderful set of players.

We would also like to take this chance to announce that New England Wolfpack are bringing back our team awards previously established all the way back in S46 with some changes being made. The awards will be named after each player down below as another token of appreciation from us currently here in New England to those who have contributed to history.

And without further ado, let’s get to these legendary players.

# 10 Patrikov Bure, @Kevin Juice Bieksa

[Image: NEW_BANNER_10_BURE.png]

New England Career Stats
Active: S23-S42
Seasons with New England: 17
Games: 850 (2nd)
Goals: 272 (1st)
Assists: 348 (4th)
Points: 620 (1st)
Playoff Games: 128 (3rd)
Playoff Goals: 48 (1st)
Playoff Assists:: 61 (2nd)
Playoff Points: 109 (1st)
Accomplishments:
3x Challenge Cup Champion (S30, S31, S33)
4 Star Cup Champion (S24)
Ronan O’Keefe Trophy (S24)
11 seasons as Alternate Captain in New England
Anton Ratzov Trophy for Playoff MVP (S31).

Comments:
When discussing some of the all-time greats of New England, Patrikov Bure is one of the first names mentioned. And for a lot of people he is the greatest Wolfpack to ever put on the jersey. He won 3 Challenge cups during the NEW dynasty in the early S30s, winning the MVP for one of those. He is 2nd in games played, and first in points and goals.

Bure was traded to the New England Wolfpack from Winnipeg Jets following S26, an SHL rookie campaign that saw him score 10 goals and 21 points. He would end up spending the rest of his career in New England establishing an incredible legacy.

The Patrikov Bure Trophy is awarded to the Wolfpack player with the biggest offensive contribution of the season as voted on by their peers.

# 10 Jasper Clayton, @"Eggy216"

[Image: NEW_BANNER_11_CLAYTON.png]

New England Career Stats
Active: S24 - S43
Seasons with New England: 16
Games: 800 (T 5th)
Goals: 119 (18th)
Assists: 449 (1st)
Points: 568 (4th)
Playoff Games: 110 (T 6th)
Playoff Goals: 19 (7th)
Playoff Assists::49 (T 5th)
Playoff Points: 68 (6th)
Accomplishments:
3x Challenge Cup (S30, S31, S33)
2x 1st All-Star Team (S34, S38)
1x 2nd All-Star Team (S32)
1x 3rd All-Star Team (S35)
1x Scott Stevens Trophy (S38)

Comments:
Jasper Clayton was the epitome of a do-it-all type of defensemen. Offensively gifted with fantastic vision and great playmaking ability, coupled with a team-first mentality on the defensive side, Clayton was truly remarkable in his role. Averaging around 68 hits per season and 40 PIMs, he also had a rough streak in him when push came to shove.

Jasper spent 16 out of his 18 SHL seasons with the Wolfpack. During his 800 games as the premier blueliner for the Wolfpack, hitting his peak during the legendary dynasty, Clayton established himself as a force to be reckoned with. His 449 assists is far ahead of 2nd place for assists within the franchise, while his 568 points is over 100 more than the 2nd placed defenseman. He was elected into the Hall of Fame in S46.

The Jasper Clayton Trophy is awarded to the Wolfpack player who most exceeded their expectations as voted on by the team management.

# 14 Nathan Russell, @prettyburn

[Image: NEW_BANNER_14_RUSSELL.png]

New England Career Stats
Active: S19-S35
Seasons with New England: 16
Games: 808 (T 3rd)
Goals: 220 (5th)
Assists: 392 (2nd)
Points: 612 (2nd)
Playoff Games: 114 (T 5th)
Playoff Goals: 26 (5th)
Playoff Assists: 37 (10th)
Playoff Points: 63 (7th)
Accomplishments:
4x Challenge Cup (S23, S30, S31, S33)
3x 2nd team All-star (S25, S27, S31)
2x Jeff Dar Trophy (S28, S30)
1x Damien Littleton Trophy
3x Samad Khan Nominations (S27, S28, S31)

Comments:
Nathan Russell spent 16 out of his 17 year long career in New England, with the only outlier being the one season in the SMJHL. He established himself as a winger before moving into the center position, and is to this date the only one to have won the challenge cup with New England 4 times. He was a leading player all throughout the late S20s, and was one of the veterans when entering the dynasty.

He won two Jeff Dar Trophies for the best two-way player and one Damien Littleton Trophy for most dedicated player. He was one of the true leaders of the New England Wolfpack during its greatest time, and helped create the dynasty from the ground up. There are few players who have ever encompassed what it means to play for the jersey and giving it all for the team in the entire league's existence.

As of S37, he is a member of the Hall of Fame.

The Nathan Russell Leadership Award is awarded to the Wolfpack player that best exemplifies leadership on and off the ice throughout the season as voted on by their peers.

# 26 Sasha Dangelchek, @acdangel

[Image: NEW_BANNER_26_DANGELCHEK.png]

On the 9th of September, 2020, the unimaginable happened. Acdangel, our teammate, our mentor and our friend passed away before even turning 30 years old. If anyone needed help with something, he was always there. If something seemed off, he’d reach out to you and see if he could help. If you needed a laugh, a good show recommendation or just to chat about hockey. Acdangel was always there. He made it his personal quest to make sure everyone in the locker room felt wanted and welcomed. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who crossed paths with him to have anything bad to say about him. He encompassed everything it means to be a friend.

The legacy left behind from him is one of kindness, of friendship, of positivity. The guy was a Devils fan yet remained both hopeful and happy, and we try to live up to those ideals as best as we can.

His inclusion in this list is not going to be justified by stats or raw accomplishments. He was drafted in S50, and moved up to the SHL by S53. He simply never got the chance to pave a legendary SHL career out for himself. That does not diminish his impact however. The fact that he managed to move so many people everywhere around the site in such a short amount of time truly shows what a touching person he was.

You are missed every single day buddy, and I hope you are resting peacefully.

The Sasha Dangelchek Memorial Award is awarded to the Wolfpack player who best exemplifies camaraderie, friendship and sportsmanship as voted on by their peers.

# 66 Mia Landvik, @Jenny

[Image: NEW_BANNER_66_LANDVIK.png]

New England Career Stats
Active: S27-S45
Seasons with New England: 16
Games: 800 (T 5th)
Goals: 85 (26th)
Assists: 363 (3rd)
Points: 448 (8th)
Playoff Games: 133 (T 1st)
Playoff Goals: 7 (T 27th)
Playoff Assists:: 55 (4th)
Playoff Points: 62 (8th)
Accomplishments:
3x Challenge Cup (S30, S31, S33)
NEW Alternate S33-S35
NEW Captain S36-S45
All-star Rookie team (S30)
1x Turd Ferguson Award (S34)
1x IIHF Gold (S35)
4x IIHF Silver (S29, S33, S36, S38)
3x IIHF Bronze (S31, S34, S42)

Comments:
She was the definition of a defensive defenseman, and the living embodiment of what it means to put the team first in every situation. Often sacrificing herself and putting her body on the line to ensure victory.

She came up as a young rookie straight into a Challenge Cup. She would establish herself quickly as a solid defender who could chip in with assists, but who primarily shut down the opposition. She earned a letter in only her 4th season, and became captain in S36. She is the longest tenured captain in team history.

Despite the team not living up to their previous dynasty, Mia stuck around and played a huge part in building a team culture that is still felt to this day in New England. She would cap off her career with a Scott Stevens nomination

She has previously not been honored officially on the site with her number retired, so you can see this as the official confirmation of that. With her accomplishments, leadership and dedication towards the New England Wolfpack over a long and illustrious career establishes her as a franchise legend. I am thankful to be the one to officially acknowledge her legacy and retire the number 66.

The Mia Landvik Award goes to the Wolfpack player who had the biggest defensive contribution of the season as voted on by their peers.

New England Team Awards

If you have read the entire post, you already know them. For the sake of clarity however, we will be listing them down here with their descriptions as well.

The Patrikov Bure Trophy

This trophy is awarded in honor of Patrikov Bure who leads the franchise in goals and points. It goes to the Wolfpack player with the biggest offensive contribution over the season as voted on by their peers.

The Mia Landvik Award
This trophy is awarded in honor of Mia Landvik who was a long term captain and defensive goddes for a long time. It goes to the Wolfpack player with the biggest defensive contribution over the season as voted on by their peers

The Nathan Russell Leadership Award
This trophy is awarded in honor of Nathan Russell who captained the team to three Challenge Cups in the early S30:s. It goes to the player who best exemplifies leadership on and off the ice as voted on by their peers.

The Sasha Dangelchek Memorial Award
This trophy is awarded in honor and memory of the late Sasha Dangelchek who passed away on the 9th of September 2020. It goes to the Wolfpack player who best exemplifies camaraderie, friendship and sportsmanship as voted on by their peers.

The Jasper Clayton Award
This Trophy is awarded in honor of Jasper Clayton who is the franchise leader in assists and who was the GM from S30-S40. It goes to the Wolfpack player who most exceeded expectations as voted on by the team management.

1700 words

I would like to take the opportunity to thank the follow persons for helping me dive back into history and give me the resources needed for this piece.

@Ace
@"luketd"
@Jenny
@Eggy216
@prettyburn
@Tomen