'Family Style' brought Wilde to Thunderbirds
Jan 29, 2025
Austin Owens I Halifax Thunderbirds
Mitch Wilde found himself in unfamiliar territory during training camp this year.
The New York Riptide acquired the veteran defender last year via trade. After spending the entirety of the 2023-24 season with them, the Riptide made the move to Ottawa and became the Black Bears.
But he was surprisingly released by the team with just two weeks remaining until the start of the regular season. With the season quickly approaching, he found himself looking for a new home after being released by Ottawa.
Wilde had some options through free agency, but he ultimately landed with the Thunderbirds, who fit what he was looking for in a new organization to join.
“I think it was just the compete level, the leadership that’s present, and the professionalism that made Halifax a good choice for me,” Wilde said. “I know just from my time playing in Calgary, this is a team that competes every night and it’s a team that’s headed in a good direction and somewhere that I’d love to jump on board. It was great that they expressed interest and gave me an opportunity.”
Joining the team late in camp, Wilde was able to mesh right away with the players and staff. He also got to play in the pre-season against his former team and get his feet wet while learning the new system on the fly.
He was also able to get a sense of how close the Thunderbirds room was firsthand in that opening weekend on the team.
“Talking to Scott (Campbell) on the phone, he just talked about ‘Family Style’. Everyone just takes care of each other and cares about one another. It just seems like a relaxed environment where everyone is looking out for one another and not getting on each other. We all gel really well and those are the fundamentals of championship teams.”
Wilde brings a wealth of knowledge and veteran experience to the table for the Thunderbirds. The Brooklin, Ontario product was originally a second-round selection of the Buffalo Bandits in the 2013 NLL Draft. He spent three and a half years in Buffalo before being moved to Calgary in a trade.
The defender would see some of the best years of his career with the Roughnecks. In 2018, he set a career-high in points with 25 while also nabbing 67 loose balls and 11 caused turnovers. A year later, he had just under a point per game in transition while having a career-best 75 loose balls and another 11 caused turnovers.
2019 would also be the year that Wilde took home his first career NLL championship, as he helped lead a Roughnecks defence that went all the way to the finals and swept none other than the Buffalo Bandits.
Wilde felt at home right away with the various names he's played with over his career, making it an easy transition into the room.
“All of these guys are just exceptional at what they do. So I think I’m just coming in and trying to compliment them and bring things to the table that can help,” Wilde said. “The other added aspect is just being a good teammate and being a great person around everyone and just gelling in that direction. Those are all things that I can control. I’m not coming in and trying to do too much. I’m just feeling things out and figuring out where I can fit in and help this team win.
“On this team, everyone has a goal, and I’m just so happy to be a part of it.”
Wilde’s first excursion to Halifax came back in 2023 with the Roughnecks. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t able to explore the city, as it was minus 40 in the city with a massive snowstorm sweeping over Halifax.
But on his first trip to the city this season, he was able to experience Halifax from the home perspective and really gain an appreciation for what his new home has to offer.
Despite the early slump to open the year, Wilde and the team know they’re doing good things that will lead to wins.The team’s sole focus is on bringing a championship back to the Maritimes, and Wilde is willing to do anything to help the team accomplish that goal.
“I’m excited. This has been foreign territory for me. The city is exciting, the Thunderbirds have a great fanbase that rallies behind the team. And for me, this is an opportunity to play my game and earn a job here that resonates well and with hopes that we win the whole thing. That’s the end goal; that’s all that I compete to do and that’s my drive throughout the week.
“There’s nothing better than winning.”