By Jeff Nagle
Riverview - When Andrei Svechnikov was traded to the Riverview Royals from the Bathurst Angry Ducks hopes were high that he would gel immediately with ex-teammate Connor McDavid. Well, expectation and reality are two completely different things. Andy, as he is called by his teammates has been everything but horrid since coming over to the Royals. In 12 games, Andy has two goals, and two assists, and is a minus -4. He has played half of those games on the top line, and the other half on the second, and no matter where he plays, he isn't gelling. Two of his four points came in one game where he score a goal and an assist. So, he has been held pointless in 10 of his 12 Royals' games, pitiful output to say the least.
"We need more from Andy, and we know that he has it in him to be a point-per-game player. We aren't expecting that kind of output, but anything more than he is giving right now would be ideal. He is a big part of our top six core group, and he oozes talent. I know the guys are working with him to break out of this slump, but that slump has to break soon before we start looking for more drastic solutions." said GM Nagle.
Svechnikov was a key cog in the Angry Ducks dynasty, playing alongside McDavid, he racked up 420 points spread out over 8 seasons. Last playoffs, he put up 19 points in 17 games enroute to his second straight ODBHL Cup with the Ducks. Andy has the track record, now he just needs to prove that he can do it on a different track.
9/18/2024 - 280 words
