Nashville Predators Name Shea Weber New Captain
The Nashville Predators have made the relatively simple decision of appointing a new captain following Jason Arnott’s departure from the New Jersey Devils. On Thursday, young defensive star Shea Webber was announced to be the Predator donning the respected captain’s “C” for the 2010-11 season.
The 24-year-old Weber has been on the Predators for the entire duration of his career and is on pace to become one of the National Hockey League’s most respected blue-liners.
Last season Weber led all Nashville defensemen (and was sixth overall) in scoring with 16 goals and a total of 43 points. He was also one of the top performers for Canada’s gold medal winning national hockey team during the Winter Olympics.
Nashville General Manager David Poile said he was convinced in his decision. "In addition to being one of the top young defensemen in the League today, Shea is a natural leader, and we are confident he has the respect of his teammates, opponents, the Predators organization and its fans," Poile said. "He becomes the first Predators draft pick to be named captain, and has been part of the culture and belief system we have worked hard to create."
With Arnott’s departure, Weber becomes the fifth captain the Predators have had since the franchise was founded through expansion in 1997. He is only the second Predators’ captain to be a defenseman. The only other player to wear the “C” for Nashville was Kimmo Timmenen, who is currently an alternate captain for the Philadelphia Flyers.
Naming Weber as captain is by far the best decision Nashville could have made. He is as close to a face for the franchise as exists and perhaps will be more inclined to remain with the team now that he is the on-ice leader.
Currently going into his sixth season, Weber was drafted by Nashville in the second round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. After being drafted Weber spent three seasons further developing while playing for the Western Hockey League’s Kelowna Rockets and the American Hockey League’s Milwaukee Admirals.
Weber was finally called up to the Predators in 2005-06 and has been a steady presence on their backline since. While Weber is a strong force in the back, he has shown an ability to contribute on offence as well.
In 2008-09 Weber had a career-high 23 goals and over the duration of 320 games in the NHL he has a total of 166 points, on 64 goals and 102 assists. Due to his monstrous shot, Weber’s main offensive strength is as a power-play shooter. And of his 64 career goals, 30 have come during on the power-play.
In addition to his recent gold medal victory, Weber was also named to the Olympic All-Star Team after tying for second amongst all defensemen in points and ranking second on Team Canada in average ice time. He has also won a silver medal while playing at the 2009 World Championships in Switzerland, where he was voted both the best defenseman of the tournament and Canada’s top player.
Weber has been well worth the 3-year, $13.5 million deal the Predators signed him to in 2008. The Predators have been a solid team that has made the play-offs in four of the last five seasons. Last season they were knocked out by eventual the eventual Stanley Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks.
With Weber at the helm, the Predators hope to make it past the Western Conference Quarterfinals, a feat they have yet to achieve as a franchise. This won’t be easy but with a couple of extra signings during this free agent off-season the Predators could perhaps become a relevant play-off contender rather than a perennial quarter-final drop-out.
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