As a writer, nothing frustrated me more than when a team or agent shuts down a player from the media. It doesn’t happen frequently, but when it does it serves as enough of an annoyance when we try to tell stories. That’s not the case with the most recent example – the Dubuque Fighting Saints and Zemgus Girgensons.

The Fighting Saints are turning down, I assume politely, any media requests as it pertains to their leading scorer and the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League.

Ever since Rockets general manager Bruce Hamilton vocalized his opinion on where an NHL team would want the draft eligible forward playing earlier this summer, Girgensons has had to answer question after question about the WHL.

In August, he spoke to Future Considerations about the comments. In October, he spoke to Ryan S. Clark of Slightly Chilled. Those two interviews bookended Girgensons discussion of Hamilton’s comments and the possibility of joining the WHL next season.

Fact is, I’m happy on a number of levels that Dubuque and Girgensons have shut down any talk about the Kelowna Rockets or the WHL.

Simply put, there’s nothing left to be said from Girgensons. What he said in August matches what he said in October. What he says in January or March or May will be the same. The Latvian has professed over and over again, time and time again, that he’ll be attending the University of Vermont next season. His plan hasn’t changed. Nor does he expect it to.

At the draft, his scenario may change and at that time – or shortly thereafter – Girgensons will again address this. If you believe the consistency of his current answers, his response will not change at all.

Which is why I appreciate Dubuque shutting down the questioning.