Former Giants reunited in Russia
A decade after Memorial Cup win, Blum and Wright are lining up together in Vladivostok
Ten years after helping the Vancouver Giants capture the Memorial Cup on home ice, Jon Blum and James Wright are together again. It’s a Russian reunion, though. Wright, 26, recently signed with Admiral Vladivostok, the KHL team that Blum, 27, joined last season. They’re based in an eastern Russian port city, an 11-hour flight from Moscow.
“I’m excited to play with a former teammate,” Blum stated via email. “Wrighter will bring the speed, skill and size to our lineup that we need.
“It’s always nice to have a North American guy on the team, and especially a guy you know and played with for a few years and won championships with.”
Wright, via Twitter direct message, added: “Yeah, we’ve been reminiscing about our old junior days. And he’s looking after me while I get the hang of it again.”
Wright, a 6-foot-4, 201-pound forward from Saskatoon, played two seasons ago in the KHL with Medvescak Zagreb. He spent last season with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders.
His 14 goals and 27 assists in 73 games there didn’t translate into another contract on this side of the water.
Blum, a 6-foot-1, 187-pound defenceman from Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., opted for Admiral Vladivostok last season after failing to come to terms with the Minnesota Wild following two campaigns in their organization. He flourished in the KHL in 2015-16, putting up eight goals and 22 assists in 55 games. He played in the league’s midseason allstar game.
Admiral Vladivostok has turned over a large part of its roster this season. Notable in his absence from last season is David Booth, the former Vancouver Canuck. No word on what Booth is doing this season as of yet.
“We have about half returning players from last season and a younger team this year,” Blum stated. “For us, making the playoffs is our goal. It’s definitely harder with the travel we have to go through but it’s very doable.”
Blum was hoping he could parlay last season into some NHL interest. That remains the goal. He was a first-round pick, 23rd overall, by the Nashville Predators in the 2007 draft. Wright was a fourth-round choice of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2008.
Wright has 146 NHL games under his belt, with four goals and eight assists to show for it. Blum has 110 NHL games on his resume, and has produced seven goals and 17 assists in that time.
“We’re having a kid in December,” Blum explained of he and wife Emilie, who did a stint on the W Network TV show, Hockey Wives, “so it would be great to get back in the NHL and be close with family.
“With Las Vegas coming into the league next season (2017-18), it only increases the chances.”
There’s an argument that Blum had the greatest career of any Giant, since he was part of four 100-point teams, played in two world juniors for the Americans while with Vancouver and won a CHL defenceman of the year award during his time based out of the Pacific Coliseum.
Wright was Vancouver’s firstround pick in the 2005 bantam draft. He was a 16-year-old rookie in 2007, when Vancouver lost to Willie Desjardins’ Medicine Hat Tigers in seven games in the WHL final but won the Memorial Cup as hosts. He had two goals in the tournament.
Blum remains the Giants’ all-time leader in assists (155) and he’s fifth in career points (204). He’s eighth all-time in games played (248).
In 202 games with the Giants, Wright produced 114 points.
“We’ve been reminiscing about our old junior days. And he’s looking after me while I get the hang of it again.” — James Wright