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ej27 · 10-26-2018, 08:51 PM

Draft day. It's a day you'll always remember. Were you nervous? Did you go higher or lower than expected? Did you end up on the team you wanted? Give us a rundown of your draft day.

Requirements

Written option: Must include 150 words.
Graphic option: Create a graphic of your player accepting their new jersey. Must include 1 player render and 1 SMJHL logo.

Payout

4 TPE for doing the thing. (Just one of the things, not both.)

Only S44 SMJHL Rookies (S45 SHL Rookies) are eligible for this PT.

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

Deadline: Friday 11/2 @ 10:00am CT

Ferdy · 10-26-2018, 09:02 PM

Aberystwyth-born Griffith Cadwalader was not in the building as the draft unfolded. Worried he wouldn't be chosen at all, the British prospect, who had recently traveled to North America for exercises and interviews with interested SMJHL teams, chose to stay in his native country with his family - he figured this way would be less painful, should he fail to accomplish his dream of being drafted to an SMJHL team.

Luckily for Griffith, his worry did not come to mean anything concrete, as he was picked at the twenty-seventh spotted by the Montreal Militia. While being picked late does not grant him the media recognition some of the more promising and well-placed prospects will have, Cadwalader is keeping his eye on the positive side, and has openly expressed to the media his excitement for being selected to a team that had a very solid draft, which means being able to play alongside Andreas Kvalheim and Hiro Fujikawa, both superstar wingers of the class, when the season starts.

***hhh81*** · 10-26-2018, 09:34 PM

Cassius Darrow attended the draft with his agent, Johnny Hamilton. He sat near fellow prospect and now teammate, Jakub Novak, quietly taking in his surroundings. He wasn’t nervous, but he was sad his mother and sister were unable to attend. He would be sure to have the money to bring them out to the SHL Draft next year, if this season went well for him. His agent had been hard at work the last day or two fielding calls from various teams, and Cassius felt he had a good idea of 2-3 teams that he’d most likely be drafted by.

When the moment came, Darrow’s eyes got wide. He knew Colorado wanted to draft him, and he figured if he was going to go in the first round, it would be Colorado. Still, he smiled as he approached the stage to pull the Raptors’ blue and gold for the first time. He chatted a little with Kimmy off stage before declining a few media requests, at the suggestion of his agent. Then he headed back to the arena floor in time to hear Jakub Novak was also drafted by the Raptors!

After the flurry of conversations at and around the draft site, he and his agent headed back to their hotel rooms for the night. There, he called his mother to tell her the good news: he was an SMJHL hockey player! Tomorrow morning at 6:30am EST, they would fly to Denver to meet with Raptors management and sign his first contract

daBenchwarmer · 10-26-2018, 09:36 PM

If you've had any sort of access to Twitter, or any of the major junior hockey sports networks, then you know two things happened on draft day. One, Gareth Rush was incredibly upset about his draft position to the point that the Colorado Raptors flipped him to the St. Louis Scarecrows, and two, that Sanyi Kocsis was less than pleased about his draft position.

Since Rush's position is likely to be covered by another counterpart, let's focus on Kocsis' situation.

Coming into this draft as the Central Scouting's 3rd Best Defenseman, 1st Best European Defenseman, Kocsis was reportedly coveted by a few teams. While many experts did not know why at the time after the SMJHL Combine, it was a huge surprise when German defenseman Cassius Darrow was picked at 8th Overall, and St. Louis selected Samuel Jalopski at 9th Overall. Even though on stage, Kocsis appeared awestruck, his later comments on the drafts about him dropping in the draft said much more about his mindset and his opinion on the draft.

"The managers need to review the tapes and see that I'm way better than some tall kid from Canada who can just hit." Kocsis said when asked about his draft position. "They're gonna regret not picking me. F--king ridiculous."

Whether or not if Kocsis deserved to be drafted higher, that is a debate for future generations. What is clear right now is that maybe Kocsis isn't as valuable as he thinks he is.

BigTittySmitty · 10-26-2018, 10:04 PM

When Dave Smith and Kenji Yoshimura sat down together for the SMJHL Entry draft they both thought there was a prospect of him landing in the top 10 as a lot of pundits had estimated. So, after the meet and greets with the GMs and then deciding to head off to Toronto, Ontario and spend the next couple of days discussing the teams and what to expect. Dave Smith educated his young client that all he can do now is to just sit back and relax. That's what they did as pick after pick kept coming off the board and all of a sudden we were in the 2nd round. Yoshimura was nervous being a small forward in a league of big players you do not know what to expect. Then all of a sudden while texting his old team mates in Anchorage discord he made a joke about not to be drafted as being Mr. Irrelevant would be funny. All of a sudden the Armada drafted the youngster and he was quite pleased. They had an amazing draft and I hope to do what I can to help them win a championship or two. So, in the end... he went where he wanted to go. Just wish was a first rounder Smile

InciteHysteria · 10-26-2018, 10:28 PM

I sat in the crowded auditorium. The smell of sweat was heavy in the air, the perfume of the high-strung, as every draftee anxiously awaited for their names to be called. The sauve British commissioner made his way to the podium, one tap, two taps, three taps, "Welcome everyone to the 44th Annual SMJHL Draft. We're happy to have you all with us tonight, good luck to you all. Colorado, you are on the clock for the first pick." My heart beat quickened as I hard the word Colorado leave the commisioners mouth. My connections to the Raptors were tenuous at best, but I knew my shot of going to the team was pretty likely. They had expressed extreme interest in me in our workouts earlier that week. My agent, ex-goaltender Timo Haas, had connections with the team through previous selection Luuk Kraaijkamp, a playmaking winger who was already out of the SHL, but I still knew his words were important for swaying the managers of the Colorado team.

The mic cracked loudly as a short tubby Korean man gripped the mic nervously. "With the first pick of the 44th Annual SMJHL Draft, the Colorado Raptors select Alexander Selich", he said meekly before shuffling away. The announcement of another player allowed my breathing to return to normal - if only temporarily. Next to me I could see another prospect reacting badly to the news of Selich going off the board to the Raptors in the first pick. I glanced over and noticed the crossed eyes and disheveled clothing of my draft contemporary - it was Gareth Rush. Gareth and I had shared the ice at a preliminary workout for the Raptors the previous week, I remember him being the last one on the ice and the first one off. I doubted his work ethic.

With each of the next two picks passing I felt my anxiety growing as the blue and yellow logo of the Raptors flashed onto the screen again. This time the short tubby Korean man was flanked by a large bearded man who had to lean down to the microphone to announce the pick. "The Colorado Raptor select Konstantin Voloshin of Vinnytski Haidamaky of the Ukraine." I felt the blood drain out of my face upon hearing my name called by these men. I was compelled to feet by some force not of my own and began my way down the stairs to accept that beautiful blue jersey. The only thing I remember after that moment was a feeble attempt at name calling from behind me...

"...cunt"

Vegeta · 10-26-2018, 10:33 PM

Vegeta Muerto showed up to the draft with brother Goku Muerto and best friend Xena. I was super nervous cause I really wanted to go to the Armada to play with Xena. I would of wanted to go to St. Louis but my brother had told me he's already moving up to San Fran, so just left Anchorage. No other GM had reached out to me before the draft so I felt pretty certain about the Armada. And as you know I went to the one team I want to go to. In the end it's a day I'll always remember. My parents couldn't make it from Iceland but they watched on TV with the whole village. Our cousin Riko flew in from Manhattan so it was nice to have everyone in the family who had been drafted to be together that day. The day went perfectly.

Jepox · 10-26-2018, 11:06 PM

Nolan Sawchuk accepting his new sweater

polan70 · 10-27-2018, 03:56 AM

I was home with my family in the United Kingdom for the weekend, spending time off and relaxing in this tense moment of my career. Having trained hard the latest couple of weeks both at the gym and on the ice, being in constant contact with agents from many American junior teams during the last week. Though my own agent, my dad managed most of the phone calls so that I could focus on getting into shape.

The draft was to start at midnight and would be a long night without any sleep.

We sat down and followed the news, both on social media and on the television. I must admit, I have never been this excited in my entire life. The clock was dragging on late and my father could see that I was not doing very well with my nerves. So he stood up and said "My son, why do you not go to the gym and focus on something else meanwhile I handle this? And when you come back we will have good news."

I did what he said and went to the training center, one of those places that is 24/7 open. I worked out for a hour, came back, seeing my father putting down his phone and a big smile appeared on his lips. "Son, we have done it. You have done it. The Vancouver Whales want to sign you."

My dream had come true.

Weretarantula · 10-27-2018, 09:56 AM

Just like a bunch of the other new recruits, Maxime wasn’t actually able to be present at the draft itself. He watched on from his house, where his family and friends surrounded him. Reflecting back on the night, he was way more nervous than he thought he would have been. The butterflies in his stomach gave him the jitters. Not even Uncle Dave’s family favourite moose meatballs could ease the anxiety or tension he felt going on inside of him.

As the draft continued on, the pressure eased a little. There’s weight and baggage to being a first rounder, and maybe even a bit to the second too. Third rounders had no expectations. You could be getting a busy, but maybe there’s gems to be found too. Maxime knew which category he fell into.

Then the time finally came, and with the 23rd overall pick, he had a new home. Completely across the other side of the continent. The family cheered and cried at the same time. Maxime was elated. One draft down, one to go.

ej27 · 10-27-2018, 10:44 AM

Leo Lockhart stands in front of a small crowd of reporters in a brand new Anchorage Armada jersey. The material is stiff and kind of itchy and he wishes he could reach underneath and take his tie off, but he can't stop smiling nonetheless.

One of the reports steps forward a little and asks, "Leo, how does it feel to have been drafted second overall?"

"It feels great!," Leo says. "I never expected to go so high. You hear the predictions, but you don't ever--I mean, I didn't really believe them until it happened."

A different interviewer smirks and asks, "What about Alexander Selich going first? Do you think the Raptors made the right call, or do you think it should have been you up there?"

Leo laughs. "Selich is my nemesis now. Just declared it. No, but seriously, going second definitely exceeded my expectations. I can't complain, plus why would I want to? I get to play hockey for a living."

He stops and holds up a hand to keep the next person from starting a question. "Hold on, what pick did they just call?"

"Number 5, I think? Dominic Montgomery."

"Nice!" Leo grins and both the interview and the draft proceedings continue.

Thelastheraclid · 10-27-2018, 11:28 AM

Growing up in Boston, the greats have always been motivating me. From the days of learning how to skate with Arnie at the rink in Southie, hockey has been my passion. I was a rink rat from before I can remember. It didn't matter who was playing, I was playing, too. I worked my whole life to get into the show and finally it was draft day.

I woke up that morning feeling like a drank a whole case of Sam Adams. I couldn't eat a damn thing. I thought I was going to lose it at any minute. Today was the day I was going to achieve my life long dream of becoming a professional hockey player. I was going to join the ranks of Orr, Bourque, and Shore. It was time to show the world that Boston was still producing top tier hockey talent.

The draft started and I felt like I couldn't breathe. Then the unthinkable happened: I was not drafted. Every team couldn't see what I could bring to the ice. But that didn't stop me. Nothing will stop me.

bana · 10-27-2018, 12:11 PM

For the SHL and SMJHL, any form of transaction or roster movement is pretty rememberable and big. A few short nights ago, for Japan's Hiro Fujikawa, he got to experience on of his biggest moments in his extremely young career. The SMJHL entry draft took place on Thursday and probably turned out as expected. We seen a lot of great talent go where they were respectively drafted but one thing somewhat shocked us! Hiro Fujikawa was selected by Montreal at 19th overall. While I'm not the most knowledgable about the current draft I'm in and I know there's a lot more higher TPE players potentially and such, 19th is a bit low for a player that is going to turn out really amazing. Fortunately, we were able to catch up with him for a brief statement.

"Montreal was always the #1 destination for me, but I meant what I said when every team had equal chances (with Montreal being a slight bit ahead). I'm happy to be returning to a locker room and organization where I feel happy, strong and comfortable. They're willing to give me the chance to prove. I think people know I have great potential, but they're afraid of the risk too. There won't be any risk with him, so hopefully SHL GM's see that. The SMJHL draft will always be a great time for me. Good experience, good memory and happy with everything and how it ended up. No better place than Montreal and I'm excited to bring a championship here!"

*Scrufdaddy* · 10-27-2018, 05:42 PM

SD Here,

I was sitting with Slip (bosses orders) during the draft. He looked dismayed when he wasn't picked 13th because the mock drafts got his hopes up of going in the 2nd round. When he was called at the beginning of the 3rd round, he ran out of the auditorium with tears in his eyes. Man, I know I give him a lot of shit, but I was a bit heartbroken for him. I thought he was devastated.

Then his dumb ass came jogging back in between the 3rd and 4th round with overalls covering his suit and hay sticking out every which way. I quickly realized those were tears of joy earlier because this mother fucker was just pumped as all hell, shouting "Let's Go Croooooows" and trailing hay all over the place. He had been sneaking sips from a flask while we were waiting for his pick, but now he wasn't even trying to fool anyone. His flask was half sticking out of the front pocket of his overalls and he was offering up drinks to everyone around him. I'm pretty sure I saw a brand new Crows sticker on it too.

Good luck St. Louis, now he's as much your problem as he is mine.

***Esso2264*** · 10-27-2018, 06:09 PM

It only works like this for some reason

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