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Wasty · 11-20-2018, 12:26 PM

Wastlund hits 800

For the SHL History is deep rooted into the league and we saw two SHL legends hit a career points mark that shows not just a level of excellence and determination that it takes to set a such a career record but just how much longevity plays into setting records takes. Both players Kristian Eriksson and Esa Anrikkanen both surpassed the 1000 points mark this week during SHL play as Eriksson set the mark first with Anrikkanen surpassing 1000 the next day. Both achievements are incredibly hard to set and will go down in history as SHL firsts. Another SHL first was set in the last set of games as Niclas Wastlund, the LA Panthers general manager and head coach achieved his 800th Regular Season Win over the 5-3 win today vs. the Toronto North Stars and with this record no other SHL GM has ever won this many games in SHL History, which is expected since last season when Wastlund achieved his 778th win which made him the GM/Coach with the most regular season wins ever surpassing Winnipeg's Damien Littleton his career mark of 777 wins. We decided to look back at Wastlund's career as the Panthers GM which currently spans over 29 seasons and we sit down with him to get a little insight on his past, present and future as the longest serving GM in the SHL.

It was September 9th, 2013 when Niclas Wastlund received an email from Shawn Velevra, the LA Panthers GM at the time. Wastlund was just fresh off his first season as a retired SHL player and was in his first season as player agent the Panthers current Rookie of the year, Marian Potoczny and decided to take sometime to check his emails and there it was "Hi Wasty, I have just decided to step down as GM of the Panthers at the end of the season to focus on family life, so I am currently searching for my successor in Los Angeles. Would you be interested? - Shawn Velevra" For Niclas this wasn't the first time an SHL team offered him a GM job, after announcing his retirement as a player from the SHL after the S13 season, Wastlund was offered to take over as the Minnesota Chiefs GM position but decided to not accept the offer to focus on being a player agent for Potoczny, but with the chance to be the GM of his client put him in the driver seat to give Marian all the chances to be a franchise star. It only took five hours and two emails later for Wastlund to accept the GM job and to assume the duties at the beginning of the S14/S15 offseason. For Niclas this was a whole new world as he never was a SMJHL GM or a Co-GM for any franchise in the league. His only GM/Coach history was a lone Gold Medal win for Team Sweden in the S8 World Junior Championships, so to step into the seat of a SHL GM was quite the step.

In his one of his first trades as an SHL GM, Wastlund decided to make a move which would be a defining start to his legacy in the SHL. The Panthers were one of the worst teams in the SHL in S15 but Wastlund believed the addition of a scoring power forward would boost the offense and bring some physical play with the Panthers sorely lacked before, so a trade was made before the S15 season to bring in Brandon Donini from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for the S16 Panthers 1st Round Pick and more. Kinda apropos for Niclas Wastlund to make his first ever trade with the GM that is the benchmark for GM achievements. Fast forward to the end of the S15 season Panthers finish 20-24-6 which sits them 6th in the West and missing the playoffs which for Wastlund wasn't the rookie GM season he wanted but it was definitely a learning season. "I felt like a baby giraffe trying to walk in S15, making lines and getting to know the sim was the first season in a nutshell," Wastlund said.

For Season 16 the Panthers would improve on their play from last season and make an incredible turnaround going from worst team in the league to 1st in the West and having a 13 win increase and a 22 point increase. The Panthers however suffered a first round defeat to the Edmonton Blizzard but just the regular season improvement and making playoffs was Wastlund's goal for his sophomore season. It wasn't until Season 17 when the Panthers finished the season 29-16-5 for 63 points and second seed in the west where they found a playoff stride and found themselves in the Challenge Cup finals versus the Toronto North Stars. North Stars are an original SHL franchise and one of the few (at the time) to never win a Challenge Cup and that streak lived on as the Panthers clinched the franchise's second Challenge Cup and Wastlund's first as a GM/Coach. "That was pretty special to win, I've won two as a player and they were incredible feelings to have, especially that first one. But winning the cup in just my third season was awesome and to be on the side of management and seeing the players and fans happy was a different and special feeling for me. I got hungry for a second helping," Wastlund said.

When Niclas first entered the life as a GM he never expected to be a GM this long in the league and never expected to be the first to eclipse 800 wins but for Niclas the journey was never as easy as it looked. After winning the cup in S17, Niclas Wastlund and the Panthers have yet to hold the cup over their heads and that isn't for a lack of trying either. Since S17 to present day the Panthers have made the Challenge Cup Finals four more times only to lose every one of those series in a Game 7. Seasons 22, 24, 39 and 41 the Panthers all were defeated by their Eastern Conference counterparts (Hamilton, Manhattan, Minnesota and West Kendall respectively) that were in what can be called "Cup Droughts" with maybe the exception of the Hamilton Steelhawks, the teams to defeat the Panthers were teams that were yearning just as much to capture the Challenge Cup and every series was decided in the final game of the season. "I really hate game seven, I tell my players every finals series lets get that cup and please keep it to six games. But it has yet to happen for us," Wastlund added. Under the tutelage of "Wasty" as he's know around the rink and in the locker room the Panthers have missed the playoffs thirteen times including his rookie season and that also includes a span where the Panthers missed the playoffs seven seasons in a row sometimes missing the playoffs just by a few points. "I've had a couple points of my career where I thought I should of stepped down for sure. I think after losing the Cup to Hamilton was tough since they beat us in four overtime games and our wins we handily had beat them, that was frustrating. The seven seasons of missing the playoffs was brutal, I hated having to see my players down for so long, but they kept battling and playing no matter what. I think that's why I can never step down until I finish the mission for our franchise. Does that mean if we win in S44 that I'm retiring? Hell no (chuckles) I'll keep going but it just means that when the Panthers win the cup it means everyone that has played for this franchise finally has won. Players like Jorma Ruutu and Kaapo Kekkonen that built this franchise can be proud of what they did here."

For Wastlund 800 wins is just a milestone and already isn't looking to retire anytime soon from being a GM. As once quoted during an interview on the Luking Podcast (can be found on any major music streaming service such as Spotify) that Wastlund will most likely retire after surpassing fifty seasons as a GM which would push the GM records to almost impossible heights. But for now he's just focused on winning a second Challenge Cup in Los Angeles and then his next wins milestone, "Next time I'll care about my career record is when I get my 1,000th win."

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#40 Niclas Wastlund - W - VANCOUVER WHALERS Whalers

/ MINNESOTA MONARCHS

JT3 · 11-20-2018, 02:01 PM

Legend

Credits to OrbitingDeath, Tweedle, Incite, Wasty, and Slothfacekilla for sigs!

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ztevans · 11-20-2018, 02:09 PM

William Wastlund was better.

goilers · 11-20-2018, 02:21 PM

Such a big achievement! Congrats Wasty! Panthers

sash · 11-20-2018, 02:26 PM

Mr Wastlund looks rather young for his age. Congrats though!

karlssens · 11-20-2018, 02:41 PM

congrats dude, well earned!
I got a loooong way to go to touch that mark.

Wasty · 11-20-2018, 08:43 PM

11-20-2018, 02:26 PMSamee Wrote: Mr Wastlund looks rather young for his age. Congrats though!

Magic of having money to keep yourself looking young. I would say though Niclas Wastlund is 52 and Alex skarsgard is 42 so it’s not too much of a stretch, I just would chalk that up to good genes and good skin care products lol thanks!

Thanks to everyone to posted here! Cheers

#40 Niclas Wastlund - W - VANCOUVER WHALERS Whalers

/ MINNESOTA MONARCHS

Muerto · 11-20-2018, 09:51 PM

congrats Wasty! GOAT GM!

Bonk · 11-20-2018, 10:01 PM

impressive

King · 11-20-2018, 11:15 PM

Congrats brother.

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