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dizzyDC · 06-02-2017, 11:54 PM

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Moderator: Alright up next we have the 5th overall selection, Louie Garrett, available for questions. We have a lot of interviews to get through tonight, so letâ€™s keep questions quick and weâ€™ll try to get through as many as possible before we have to move on.

Reporter 1: Hey Louie, you grew up in Seattle. How does it feel to be drafted by your hometown team, the Seattle Riot?

Garrett: Yeah, itâ€™s absolutely an amazing feeling to be drafted by the Riot. I grew up watching them play so really, itâ€™s like a dream come true. Every kid dreams about playing for their favorite sports when they get older and for me that dream is becoming a reality. I really canâ€™t thank the Seattle Riot organization enough for giving me this opportunity. Itâ€™s really a situation where itâ€™s tough to put all of my emotions into words, but like I said, this has truly been a night that I am going to remember for a very long time.

Reporter 2: So Louie, what are your thoughts about how the rest of the draft has played out so far?

Garrett: Yeah, I think a lot of things from what I have seen have played out pretty much as I expected. Phelps absolutely deserved to go first overall. I mean, heâ€™s a stud. Hamilton is getting a hell of a center with him and I think that they are going to be very happy with his development. I foresee him being a star in the SHL. Odjick went second overall correct? Yeah again I think he is going to be a star. He plays a heavy game for sure. Hamilton lucked out this draft, man. Both of them are really cool guys and I think that they are going to have a lot of success. Kruger went third overall to West Kendall. Yeah, they need defenseman and Krugs was the best one available for sure. Heâ€™s a really solid dude and I think that he is really going to enjoy playing for the Platoon. Next off the board was Mike Izzy. I gotta say, Izzy is a lot of fun. The guy is nothing but non-stop energy both on and off the ice. I think some people were a little bit surprised that Edmonton took him at four, but it makes perfect sense. Heâ€™s the type of player that is going to eventually be the face of the organization with his personality. As I was walking here, I heard LA traded up and took Bennett. Iâ€™m really happy for her, I think that is one of the places that she really wanted end up. Yeah the draft is still going, but I think the first round is playing out as a lot of people thought it would.

Reporter 3: Did you have a lot of contact with Seattle through the draft process or was this kind of a surprise to you?

Garrett: I really only talked to Seattle a little bit throughout this whole process. I knew that I was probably going to get drafted somewhere in the four to six range of the first round, but I wasnâ€™t exactly sure where I was going to end up. Seattle was kind of quiet on me for long while, but things started to heat up right as the draft was getting on top of us. Iâ€™m glad that they reached out to me though. I honestly would have been happy with pretty much any team selecting me, but itâ€™s definitely exciting that Seattle pulled the trigger.

Reporter 4: Have you talked at all with the Seattle management about what they plan to do with you in terms of position or how long youâ€™ll be staying in the juniors?

Garrett: I think that they plan on keeping me on the wing. Itâ€™s definitely my most natural position, but I told them when they were interviewing me that I am open to doing whatever they need me to do to help the team. If that means moving to the middle or even the back end, itâ€™s definitely something that I can do. I pride myself on already having a lot of versatility in my game and I think that gives me an advantage in being able to play in a lot of different situations. In terms of playing in the juniors, I think the plan right now is for me to spend two more seasons with the Scarecrows and then we will talk about potentially moving up. For right now though, Iâ€™m definitely going to be concentration on helping the Crows win a Four Star Cup.

Reporter 5: Have you heard anything from any current members of the Riot already? Any congratulations?

Garrett: Hahaha yes, my phone has already been blowing up with text messages. From what I can tell, they are very excited for me to be heading back to Seattle. Itâ€™s nice to get drafted by a team that really wants you in their organization as opposed to just because you might have been the best player available at their pick.

Reporter 6: Have you had a chance to play with or against any of the other players in Seattleâ€™s prospect pool?

Garrett: Well, I play on the Scarecrows with Cameron Dubois and from playing with him I can tell you that he is pretty good defenseman. The other prospects in Seattleâ€™s pool right now are Kesler, Fearghal, and Titova. All three of them are very talented players and I look forward to when we are all playing for the top squad. We will definitely make for a good core of players for the Riot in the future. Should be a lot of fun.

Reporter 7: Speaking of the Scarecrows, you guys had quite the run last season. Have you guys been looking at any of the prospects for the next SMJHL draft?

Garrett: Well, Iâ€™m not a General Manager so they are the ones who are going to be making all of the decisions. That being said, this next draft class has an immense amount of talent. Itâ€™s hard to ignore all of the strides that they are already making and they havenâ€™t even been drafted yet. The rookie showcase is going on right now in St. Louis and there are quite a few guys out there that are tearing it up. Really impressive stuff and I know that any number of them would be welcomed additions to the Scarecrows roster.

Moderator: Okay, we have time for one more question.

Reporter 8: So now that the draft is over, whatâ€™s next for you?

Garrett: Well, right now I am competing in the SMJHL Fantasy League. I was drafted to play for the Whitby Skating Strippers and we have a big seven game series coming up against the Huntsville Goats. The winners of the tournament take home a nice cash prize so it would definitely be nice to win, but at the end of the day Iâ€™m just going to go out there and have fun. Thatâ€™s always my goal when I play is to have fun. If you arenâ€™t enjoying what you are doing, youâ€™re in the wrong business. Alright guys thanks for all of the questions! Go Riot! Go Crows!