Playing with his third OHL team in two seasons, Sgarbossa is striving with Sudbury in the playoffs.
There's nothing quite like having the carpet pulled out from underneath an athlete two years in a row.
That was the case for Michael Sgarbossa when he was dealt from Saginaw to Sudbury in December. For the second time in as many years, Sgarbossa was being dealt from a playoff contender to an up-and-coming team.
As disappointing as it was, it's safe to say motivation now comes easy for Sgarbossa.
After starting the season with the Spirit, Sgarbossa envisioned an extended playoff run with his new team after his previous team, the Barrie Colts, went to the Ontario Hockey League championship series. But like the Colts, the Spirit used Sgarbossa to bolster their lineup through trade, rather than on the ice.
"I have got the wrong end of the stick twice," the soft-spoken 18-year old said. "When I got traded here I wanted to prove Saginaw wrong for letting me go."
Tired of being traded from contending teams before the trade deadline, Sgarbossa wasn't willing to wait another year to find playoff success. Rather than sulk at the notion of missing out on another opportunity, Sgarbossa created one for himself.
He's now making up for lost time with the Wolves. Sgarbossa spearheaded the team's surprising four-game sweep of the Ottawa 67's in the opening round of the playoffs.
"I think at the start when he came over here it was tough for him," teammate Marcus Foligno said.
"I was getting used to their system in Saginaw," Sgarbossa explained. "It was difficult in that way."
The new system in Sudbury meant new opportunities. For once, Sgarbossa was being featured as an offensive player, a role he immediately seized and thrived in.
"He's really good at finding players and his creativity is unbelievable out there," Foligno said. "We're happy where he is right now."
That sentiment is shared by Sgarbossa. The role player on the star-studded team became the star of the team that couldn't figure out its role in the league's hierarchy. Regular season seeding would suggest the high-powered 67's were supposed to trample the Wolves in the playoffs.
"We thought we could match up against them," Sgarbossa says of the 67's. "We felt we were a little bit deeper than some of their forward lines."
The proof was in the pudding as the line of Sgarbossa, Josh Leivo and Andrey Kuchin stole the spotlight from Ottawa's star players.
"As long as those guys are contributing, we're going to be a successful hockey team," Foligno said.
Which begs the question, which team won the trade? Many felt when it was conceived the Spirit were the immediate victors with the additions of former first-overall pick John McFarland and rugged defenceman Ben Chiarot. The Spirit not only got the older players, but the perceived best player in the deal in McFarland.
Through one round of the playoffs, Sgarbossa's 12 points is twice as many as McFarland's six. Both teams, meanwhile, advanced to the second round.
Perhaps fittingly, Sgarbossa became the offensive player the Wolves thought it had in McFarland, whose game has become more rounded, but admittedly with less offence.
Sgarbossa, meanwhile, doesn't have difficulty putting things in perspective. Although he knew it was a strong possibility he would be dealt by Barrie a year ago, this season's trade took him by surprise.
"I thought that Saginaw had traded for me the previous year to make a run for it this year," he said.
They did, in a way. And although the Spirit remain a league contender, Sgarbossa doesn't lay awake in bed at night wondering what could have been. He's enjoying his new surroundings, which feature the most passionate fan base of the three teams he called home.
"They're definitely not a quiet bunch, that's for sure," he said. "Not only the loudest, but I think the most knowledgeable too."
Sgarbossa didn't have any difficulty becoming a fan of the Colts during their run in last year's playoffs. The familiar faces of friends and former teammates means he still hopes for the best when his former team is concerned.
That's not to say, however, that he's paying very close attention.
"We're still in the playoff hunt," he said, "so I'm not really too worried about what they're doing right now."
While his former team attempts an extended playoff run, Sgarbossa will do likewise with his current team.
"I want to win," he said. "I'm pretty happy here so it ended up all working out."
