Jordan Weal: “Sopin made his part, now it’s up to us”
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Jordan Weal told KHL.ru about his team’s changes in the offseason, new season’s goals, and locker room’s leaders.
Weal became a Dynamo Moscow’s player before the 2022-2023 season as a result of a trade, in which forward Stanislav Galiyev was sent to Ak Bars. In his first season in Moscow, Jordan Weal scored 49 (17+32) points in 68 games. In the second half of July, Dynamo held a training camp in Bor, Nizhny Novgorod, where they played two exhibition matches. In the first match against AKM (VHL), the Muscovites secured a 5:0 victory.
“It was nice to see all the guys we played with last year,” the forward said about the start of the preparations for the new season. “The training camp was good and intense. The whole team was excited to be back at work, and everyone gave their best effort. During this time, you get to know the guys better, and we all communicate more, improving our chemistry, which will be important as the season progresses.”
Dynamo’s boards managed to maintain the core of the team in the offseason, with only a few players leaving the lineup. “We had a good team last season, but we were unlucky in the playoffs,” Weal explains. “Now, we’ve added important new players, and the team’s transfers have boosted everyone’s confidence and desire to perform at their best in the new season and go as far as possible in the elimination stage. We already had a solid core, and the new players were leaders on their previous teams, captains, and assistants. This is very important, and we understand that the new season has all it takes to turn out to be a very good one.”
But not only did the Blue-and-Whites manage to keep their core intact, they also added three high-profile players in the offseason in Nikita Gusev and Igor Ozhiganov – both most recently with SKA St. Petersburg – and forward Cedric Paquette from Dinamo Minsk. “Gusev is a very smart and talented player,” Weal says. “I enjoy playing with him, and we’re looking forward to Cedric coming back from injury so we can work on our chemistry together. We want to be successful throughout the entire season. It doesn’t matter if the start will be good or bad – we’ll have to work hard throughout the whole year.”
It looks like the Canadian forward has already got to know Gusev’s potential. “He’s a smart player – if you’re open, he’ll definitely find you. But he’s always ready to take a shot himself, so you have to be prepared for anything on the ice.” Now, with the addition of the 2018 Olympic champion and Igor Ozhiganov, Dynamo’s powerplay units appear to be among the best in the league. “Last season, our power play units worked really well, especially towards the end of the season. We have many options now. Ozhiganov, Gusev, Brennan Menell, Cedric, and hopefully Eric O’Dell will join us too. There’s also a second power play unit. We have a lot of talent, but we need to work on our setups and be able to outplay our opponents.”
The new KHL season will have a similar schedule to the 2022-2023 campaign, with the teams lining up for 68 regular season games and having only one pause in December. “Every break in the season is harder to handle than a long schedule without stops. Right now, we have our training camp, and then the games will start. I love playing, and with breaks, it happened that you start with training camps, play for two months, then train for a week, play for another two months, then another break... In the second season played out this way, all teams and players will be better prepared,” Weal says.
The new season will also bring new rules. Last year, centers had the right to pick the faceoff side, this year, a new period will begin in the defensive zone of those teams that broke the rules and will have to face a powerplay from the opposition. “I really like the first rule,” the forward explains. “I’m not big and strong enough to confidently win every faceoff. I always need to come up with something to win. For me, it’s important to surprise my opponent while on the dots. It’s like a mini-game within a big game, that’s why I like being a center. I always check who is coming against me from the opposing team, and I devise my plan to win the puck. With the new rule, throughout our lives, every period started in the center. Let’s see how it goes, but it’s obvious that it’s a huge plus for most. Rules change, and life doesn’t stand still.”
Talking about good news for his team, recently blueliner Brennan Menell has received his Russian passport and he shouldn’t be counted as an import player for the upcoming season. Weal thinks that it’s a good thing for the team. “We all in the team support him 100%. It’s a great opportunity for him to play in the KHL for as long as possible. And it will also help Eric O’Dell to come back; he was an important part of our team, and we are looking forward to having him back.”
And in the offseason, Dynamo worked to bring to the team some additional leadership, without forgetting the already present guys. “Obviously, our real leader is our captain Andrei Mironov,” Weal explains. “But believe me, I have never played in teams with so many leaders! Yegor Morozov was a captain in Severstal, Yegor Petukhov was an alternate captain in Barys. Gusev and Ozhiganov were leaders in SKA. And that’s just about the newcomers. We have now 10-12 players who have been either captains or alternate captains in their teams. Leadership is of great importance.” The forward, who hails from British Columbia, is also known for his presence in the locker room. “I like to bring positive energy there,” he smiles. “It’s clear that everything on the ice is business, and you need to be a professional. But that doesn’t apply to what happens off the ice; we need to create a good atmosphere also in the locker room.”
In a recent talk with KHL.ru, Brennan Menell highlighted how important is to be playing for the coaches, not only for themselves. “You see, coaches, management, and players should be united, moving in the same direction. We all have to stick together if we want to win the championship. Right now, our general manager Alexei Sopin has done his job very well, and now it’s time for us to show the results.”
Dossier
Jordan Weal
Born Apr 15, 1992, in North Vancouver, British Columbia.
Playing career: 2008-2012, Regina (WHL); 2012-2015, Manchester (AHL); 2015, Los Angeles (NHL); 2015-2018, Philadelphia (NHL); 2016-2017, Lehigh Valley (AHL); 2018-2019, Arizona (NHL); 2019-2020, Montreal (NHL); 2020-2021, Laval (AHL); 2021-2022, Ak Bars; 2022-today, Dynamo Moscow.
Honors: Calder Cup champion (2015).
