If Brooklyn Aces forward Chad Wilcox was acquired this season for one reason and one reason only, it would be to help lead the team by any means necessary.
Through his first three games this season, Wilcox has done just that, dishing out a bevy of big hits and an assist. However, if those stats don’t prove his worth to his new team, his 25 penalty minutes do an even better job of convincing any naysayer what he brings to the Aces.
All that considered, it’s baffling how quickly the 30-year-old Las Vegas-native has adjusted to his new team, especially when he wasn’t even on the roster when training camp began three weeks ago. Even stranger was his arrival, as a stroke of bad luck ended up giving the grizzled veteran a second chance and the Aces the bona fide enforcer they lacked.
“I wasn’t planning on playing hockey this season, it was kind of a fluke thing,” said Wilcox. “It’s actually a really funny story. My girlfriend kicked me out of the house; it was a really bad battle. She came back later and we both apologized, but by then I had already spoken to my agent, who told me that the Aces were contacting him on his e-mail about me. I signed my contract a few hours before she came home from work. Later on, we decided that it would be good for me to give it one more go and here I am.”
And give it one more go he has. Quickly establishing himself as the team’s enforcer, Wilcox’s impressive knockout power has given the Aces a reputation as one of the tougher team’s in the league.
Confident is his ability, Wilcox knows what he came to do in Brooklyn this season.
I don’t expect to lose a fight hands down all season,” he said. “I’m going to provide that leadership and toughness this team needs.”
Nevertheless, he’s sees himself being more than able to contribute on the offensive end of the ice as well.
“I’m a big body in front, so I also expect to bury a few goals here and there,” the 6′2, 220 pound Wilcox said. “I got one in the preseason and got one taken away from me earlier in the season.”
On a team that features a bevy of offensive stars that are undersized, the Aces are more than happy to give Wilcox a regular shift with the more than offensively solid B.J. Kuper and dependable Mike Thomson, in an effort to make sure no one takes liberties with their prize horses.
So far, so good.
“He has a lot of offer leadership-wise,” said Aces coach Chris Firriolo. “He keeps a handle on the game and keeps the guys cool. When we play a team that has a lot of toughness, he neutralizes that and gets us going.”
Even so, the clips on HockeyFights.com and the posts on message boards all over the Internet depict the heavy-handed Wilcox as a one dimensional player. In spite of that, his work in the corners and in front of the net this season have the Aces thinking otherwise.
Despite only two career goals and 491 PIM in 103 professional games, Wilcox too sees himself as more than an enforcer and is ready to prove just that this season.
“I’m not just a fighter, but it is one of the bigger things I bring to the table,” Wilcox said. “Fighting is a big part of the sport, mainly because this is the only sport where every player gets to carry a weapon around in their hands. If someone takes liberties with those weapons, you have to make sure it doesn’t happen again. There’s more to the game than that though. I work really hard in practice and I’m always moving my feet and trying to develop more as I player. If I didn’t do that, I wouldn’t be on the ice with everybody else.”
Photos by Ron Hatcher.
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