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Jenny · 07-02-2018, 05:09 PM

As a brand new player coming into the SMJHL, one of the biggest things that's shaped your life so far is where you're from. Tell us about that - are you paving new paths for people back home? Taking a well-worn path many have before? Who are you cheering for in the current IIHF tournament? Are you hoping to crack a World Junior Championships roster?

Requirements

Written option: Must include 150 words.
Graphic option (can be a billboard, a feature magazine cover, whatever your heart desires): Must include 1 player render.

Payout

2 TPE for doing the thing. (Just one option, not both.)

Only S42 SMJHL Rookies (S43 SHL Rookies) are eligible for this PT.

Do not claim this TPE until a post is made in the claim thread.

Deadline
the SMJHL draft.

Muerto · 07-02-2018, 05:43 PM

Hello! I am Goku Muerto and I am from Reykjavik, Iceland. Iceland does not have the population to support its own national squad, so unfortunately I can not represent my home country.

However, several players from Iceland, such as Wyatt Wollker, Kristjan Vilhelmsson, and my cousin Riko Muerto all chose to join Team Norway for the IIHF. It makes sense as Norway is geographically very close to Iceland and most talented players from Iceland do go to Norway to play in organized leagues, where the coaching and training is more beneficial to skilled youth players. I myself have been playing in Norway's elite under 17 league for 3 seasons now where I have been able to learn the game well enough to make a career at it.

I fully intend to follow in my fellow Icelanders' footsteps and declare for Norwegian IIHF status when the time comes. I could possibly have a roster spot within a season or 2 and it would be great to be part of the next wave of Norwegian greats, and see if we can maintain the high standard the team has set, gathering 7 IIHF medals in 10 seasons in the S30's.

This year, sadly the team choked and lost 3 games in a row to finish the round robin, and are now eliminated from the medal round, so there will be no more games to look forward to.

I won't be cheering for anyone else to win, the salt is real.

Beaty · 07-02-2018, 05:56 PM

As highest profile Italian hockey player in recent memory, Carlo Russo is looking to build the sport in Italy and make it more accessible to kids in that region. There are currently only 58 rinks in Italy that are currently able to accommodate hockey players, but Russo is hoping to build on that number so rinks can be local to more young people. "I feel like right now is a really good time to push hockey into the country. The football team missed out on the World Cup which is an all-time low for that program. People may want to turn to another sport, hopefully hockey." The closest rink to Russo growing up was an hour and half away which made getting on the ice a bit difficult, but he was able to make his time spent on ice worth it, as he is currently a S42 SMJHL Draft Prospect.

150 Words

King · 07-02-2018, 06:00 PM

Hey, my name is Leshaun King and I'm a S43 prospect. I'm from the London Borough of Hackney, United Kingdom (well sort of, my adopted mother doesn't know where I was born but found me one day in Africa, spent some of my child hood there, then went to East Asia, then the UK, but you can read all about that in my biography I wrote).

I have big goals in the SMJHL, I want to find a club that wants me to be there and really immerse myself in the team. I want to be considered an all time great for one of these junior franchises, and I think if I start strong and stay for awhile I can. My ultimate goal in the SMJHL is to have my number in the rafters somewhere. Statistically I'm challenging myself to score 20 goals this year. I think with the right set up I can do it, it's audacious but possible.

I will eventually be a C in the league but will learn the game from the wing. I'm a two-way forward, I like to take care of business in my own end but also my shooting is definitely my strength and I intend to use it. I would say early career I see myself as a Mark Stone/ Vladimor Tarasenko hybrid, but I hope by the end of my career I'm something like a Patrice Bergeron / Auston Matthews mix. Being one of the older guys in the draft I think I can bring some maturity and leadership to the locker room. I'm also super eager to win, we're not in the SMJHL for long so we need to make it count.

The UK is my country and I'm excited for them to win the IIHF tournament, and I'm exciting to represent them at the World Juniors.

306 words.

JayWhy · 07-03-2018, 12:13 AM

The Aittokallio name has been synonymous with Team Finland since back in S15 when my father, Jakub, first joined the team. Despite being born in Edmonton while my father was playing with the Blizzard and honing his chops in management alongside some of his good friends, we have constantly had connections to Finland and been committed to the nation. This has not changed with generations.

Over time, I've developed relationships with so many of my dad's former teammates and friends that I really don't focus too much on results. I cheer for Finland and my brother, but I also watch Team Norway with uncle JRT and Ricky -- who's son is joining me in this draft. Or I follow along with Team Sweden with Cole Reinhart, a long-time friend and confidant of my father. I have allegiances, but they aren't very large.

From this point on, however, I am planning to join Team Finland. I plan to play in the World Juniors, to play in the IIHF. I will become a star, supplant players like Nour Harrak and Mikko Linna. I will be competitive and victorious in the ways Aittokallios always have been. It's a new path, as historically we're a goaltending family. However, it's same old, same old for the Aittokallios -- success, at all costs.

Team Finland is going to be winning gold, whether with my father, brother or myself. And all the others, sorry to all my aunts and uncles of the world who have connected to my father, but they're never going to come close. Especially Sweden.

259 words.

An old man's dream ended. A young man's vision of the future opened wide. Young men have visions, old men have dreams. But the place for old men to dream is beside the fire.

Thanks to Jackson, Copenhagen, and Harry Hans!

GOING DOWN IN STYLE. TOAST4LYFE

***Smirnov Light*** · 07-03-2018, 12:05 PM

Hello -- I am Bust from the USA. I was born to be a hockey player (or at least drafted to be one). I have been doubted at each level and called a bust as I tried to progress at my own pace. I plan on becoming a solid player for whatever teams draft me in the SMJHL but I care more about my country long term than that league. The SMJHL is what i will use to develop before the SHL and the IIHF when I would like to represent the USA.

I would love to slot in to the Left Wing position and become a solid two-way forward for my home country. When I represent my country I believe that the fans will enjoy watching me play due to my effort on both ends of the ice along with my scoring ability. Hopefully I will be able to break into the stacked USA system and become an impact player.

**RomanesEuntDomus** · 07-03-2018, 02:14 PM

As a German born in the United States, it kinda feels like I have two hearts beating in my chest and that I have two homes, which honestly is a great thing. I was born in Buffalo and spent almost all my childhood in the state of New York, but with a strong German influence through my father Nicolas which was strengthened by frequent visits to our homeland in Europe. The American culture and way of life are more present for me every day than the German side of my identity, but growing up bi-lingual and with German passport has helped me maintain a strong connection to that side of my family as well. And considering how things have been going politically and socially in the US for the last few years, it is good to have a broader perspective on things and know that there are other ways to deal with the challenges of our time than what we are seeing in the States right now.

I am a third-generation hockey player, both my father and my grandfather played in the SHL and I hope to follow in there footsteps and, dare I say, even surpass them and their achievements, which will be incredibly tough for sure. I know that I am in a more privileged situation than many, money isn’t an issue and I have many potential role models and mentors around me that can teach me about the game – but that doesn’t mean that I’ll work any less hard than a kid who didn’t have these advantages.

mstuk41 · 07-03-2018, 03:02 PM

Hello, I am Nicky Pedersen Jr. from the great state of Connecticut in the United States. My father Nicholas Pedersen played for the United Kingdom in his IIHF days, some have called my old man the most underrated player in SHL history. That is quite a legacy to live up to. I know that it will be tough to duplicate the successes that my father had, but I am sure going to give it my best to forge my own path in the league. First, I will not be following my dads pick for a IIHF team to play for. I love my country and there isn't any words to describe the honor and joy it would bring me to represent the USA on an international level, either at the junior or senior levels.

Since this is my dads final tournament with the United Kingdom, I am rooting for him to bring home one of the two pieces of team hardware that he is missing from his Trophy Case, a Gold Medal. The UK never gets any respect, but has surprised in recent tournaments. I hoping for a magical run for them. Besides the gold medal, the SMJHL Cup was the other trophy that my dad just fell short of raising. I intend to end that disappointment in the Pedersen family.

221 words

spooked · 07-03-2018, 04:59 PM

Hello! I am Eero Niemi, S43 winger prospect, and I am from a city in Finland where it is cold. Finland has a longstanding presence in the international tournaments, where I would like to eventually contribute. It is easy for me to cheer for them as my cousin, who is retiring this season, is a part of their team for many seasons. I am huge supporter of my national program as I have been playing with it's support since being a young child. I do not think I am ready to take a big role in any international tournaments yet, but I would love to be a part of the team even if I am in a small role.

I have huge goals in the SMJHL, and I am excited to get the season started, but I am in no way doing anything unusual for my home country. I would like to play in Anchorage as its weather is close to where I come from and I have a connection to the team. It will be the best fit for me by far. No other team can really offer me the same environment to grow, which would hopefully help me take a step into the international rosters quickly. I am hoping to have a good career everywhere I go, as most would, and that definitely includes playing for Finland and Scandinavia in the near future.

I do not really feel strongly about other teams internationally, I cheer for Finland, and wherever Finnish internationals play. I am very loyal to where I come from!

***Wally*** · 07-03-2018, 07:53 PM

Unfortunately in not declaring a birthplace and it being rather unknown... the march moves on for Crush Cile. Adopted by a family in southern California, Los Angeles to be specific, many stories have existed in Cile's past. While nothing glorious to say the least, what is to note is that his parents hailed all the way from Europe. Paperwork never highlighted reasons for relocation, but many ends were dead when trying to find any significant leads.

What Cile has done in his 17 years in the United States, considering the unknown of where he has come from... is pretty remarkable. His path truthfully began at a promising prospects camp put on in Seattle, seemingly a city many up and coming prospects pass through at one point. There Crush would meet a player four years his younger, Aleksi O'Koivu. The two naturally hit it off in competition as breakout after breakout Crush would try and pick apart Aleksi. Never piecing together Aleksi, being the son of Olli O'Koivu and Pietra Volkova, has years beyond his own young age.

From that camp on, Crush Cile has continued to make a name for himself and show others that it truly doesn't matter where you come from... it is making the best of the opportunities given to you. Under the wings of the O'Koivu-Volkova family, Cile continues to shape his hockey mentality. While a very raw player, there is no doubt his skill set will point towards success with All-Star caliber role models watching and coaching in the background.

Wasty · 07-04-2018, 04:21 AM

Max Mauldin, Born in San Jose, California will be representing Team USA in the IIHF Tournaments.

#40 Niclas Wastlund - W - VANCOUVER WHALERS Whalers

/ MINNESOTA MONARCHS

Harry Hans · 07-04-2018, 02:00 PM

***Gaia Mormont*** · 07-05-2018, 07:40 AM

Bonk · 07-05-2018, 02:37 PM

DannyMethane · 07-05-2018, 05:52 PM

Ice rinks in Texas? Who would have guessed that?

Growing up in the incredibly hot desert of West Texas, it was difficult to find practice facilities. My dad wanted me to play football like he did. "Friday Night Lights" was his dream for me. But much like that movie, Varsity Blues, I told him, "I don't want your life!" and he instantly knew his six-year-old son was one tough mother. The next day he took me to the rink, slapped some skates on me, and away I went. I tore up the ice faster than any of the other kids, and ended up playing up two whole leagues. No colleges in Texas have a decent hockey program, so I’m really looking forward to the new faces, new places, and new challenges facing me in the SMJHL.

I'm carving my own path. From the oil fields to the SMJHL. It's time to show the world what Texas can do.

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