Year-End Grades: Willy and Big Mess

Mason Wilgosh: A+

Mason's listed at 5'8" 170 lbs. but he doesn't play like it. He plays like he's an invincible giant. Hence the wrecking ball(s).  Sometime last season I realized he was the new Drew Hoff.  Gritty, determined, and voracious--"like a dog on a bone" to quote Westie (DRINK).  "Hardest Worker" is the award I gave him, but he could have got best defensive forward, most tenacious, and many other things--but I had to spread the love around.  Mason's work on the penalty kill is outstanding and his ability to skate right through (over?) guys is awesome.

Willy started out the his season along side fellow Winnipeggers (Winnipegonians?) Shinnimin and Hughesman and I thought they had something really great going.  He made room--by steamrolling opponents--for those two to do their play-making/scoring magic.  That whole line was small but persistent, pesky, and effective.  Throughout the season he got mixed and matched on different lines, but always playing the same, rugged and relentless.

I went to check his stats and saw he only played 48 games, I didn't think that was right.  But I forgot he had the broken jaw at the beginning of the season.  But in only 48 games he amassed 12 goals, 24 assists.  That's pretty hawt.  Personally, with his work ethic, I'd put him in the running for next season's captain (I said we'll talk overager situation later).  Besides, he's friggin' goofy:

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Jordan Messier: B

Big Mess is another one who didn't play a full season, he only had 58 regular season games.  But man did he start off hot.  By the halfway point (end of December) he had 22 goals and 15 assists.  He'd gotten into his role of being a big guy in front of the net to knock in deflections.  He tapered off a bit at the start of the calendar year, then went down for awhile with conky.  He never seemed to come fully back after that, certainly not to the point he had been at the start of the season.

In the playoffs it was getting difficult to watch him.  He worked so hard but couldn't buy a goal to save his life.  In Round 2 against Spokane Coach was putting him in shift after shift.  He would be banging his stick on the ice to get the pass and I finally said to sister "would you pass to him?"  So many chances, so many shots that just went wide.  I believe he can get back to early season form and we'll see great things from him.  At least that's my hope.  He's got the work ethic and the talent, it's just putting those together to make something click.  He is a big guy so he'll be an Ashton-type player, making room in front of the net, making plays, and hoping for some beauty shots and deflections.