Wade Megan has never had a problem scoring goals.
At times, such as during a recent five-game stretch in which the Wolves center scored five times, goals come in bunches. But Megan also knows there will be times when his point production won’t be as prolific.
It’s in those times when Megan shifts his attention to the less noticeable yet equally important facets of his game that have made him an important cog in coach Craig Berube’s game plan.
Berube has Megan centering the Wolves’ top line and defending opponents’ top lines. He also uses him on the power-play and penalty-killing units.
“When you have a centerman who does what he does and you get these guys out in all these situations, they lead the way,” Berube said. “That’s what he does — he leads the way.”
Megan tallied one assist in the Wolves’ 4- 3 victory over the Texas Stars on Wednesday night at Allstate Arena. The Wolves let a 3- 1 lead get away before Kenny Agostino scored on the power play with 5: 03 left in the game. Jordan Binnington made 21 saves.
Megan, 26, is in his sixth AHL season but his first with the Wolves after helping lead the Portland Pirates to the playoffs last season. His early contributions haven’t just boosted his confidence, they’ve eased his transition with his new team.
The former Boston University standout also has been one of the Wolves’ top performers at the dot. Megan has won 59 percent of his faceoffs in the last four games, setting the pace for Berube’s aggressive offensive style.
“That makes things easier on nights when it’s not going so well [offensively],” Megan said. “The goals come and go throughout the season. Hopefully, I can keep this going offensively, but realistically, I’m going to have stretches of games where it’s not going offensively and that’s where the other little things become big things. You’re still contributing to the team.”
As much pride as Megan takes in his goal-scoring abilities, he finds just as much satisfaction with the myriad ways he makes his teammates better. He spends time daily working on faceoffs, a skill Berube said is more complicated than meets the eye. Success in the faceoff circle not only requires an understanding of an opponent’s tendencies, but a competitive edge Megan brings to every part of his game.
Megan’s work ethic has filtered throughout the Wolves’ lineup and, in turn, has led to steady improvement that could make the Wolves a playoff contender. Helping the Wolves return to the postseason — which they have failed to reach in two of the last four seasons — provides Megan plenty of motivation to keep producing any way he can.
“That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day — getting to the playoffs,” Megan said. “We shouldn’t be a team that’s afraid to talk about playoffs. We have a very good team, and if we continue to progress throughout the season, we’re going to like where we’re at at the end of the season.”
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