~~~SMJHL Draft Double Media Week // word count: 908~~~


In a league filled with wacky names left and right, the least a fan could hope for should be consistency. This, however, is not always the case, and a new rookie in the SMJHL crop stands out as a case in point. Echo - or Eko - van Otter, hails from Stavanger, Norway and is fresh on the scene at the S46 SMJHL Rookie Showcase.

A glance at the box score will note Eko van Otter, slotted in at 3rd line LW for the Vipers. And such is the way it appears on his birth certificate - Eko, with a "K". But dig a little bit deeper and you'll start to note some inconsistencies. His own Twitter account, for example, is EchovanOtter69. In fact, it seems that you'll find "Echo" anywhere he refers to himself. 

From van Otter himself: "Oh man, yeah. My parents put "Eko" on my birth certificate, so as far as the government is concerned, that's the spelling. Passport, credit cards, it's all with a "K". Personally, I prefer it with the "'ch." It's the same sound, you know, so it really doesn't matter much. I like Echo with the "ch" for the symbolism. Like, I'm a name that'll get stuck reverberating in your head. Because of how good I am, or something like that."

Asked if he has a spelling preference, the ever-chill van Otter responded: "Nah it's all good. Eko with a "K" is on the birth certificate and that's how I've gone down in the record books in the rookie showcase so far. I've been posting about myself as Echo with the "ch" cuz that's how I'm feeling it these days. EvO works too, if y'all in the media want to keep it simple. As long as the league brass knows it's me, you know? I don't want to be hard to track in the system or whatever." He ends, with a chuckle: "Hey, maybe I'll switch it up every now and then. Keep the fans on their toes; gotta be unpredictable."

The name itself reflects a noteworthy heritage. van Otter, of course, is a name known amongst European hockey superfans (and I mean superfans) from the "legendary" Luther van Otter, third-pairing defenseman for the 1980 Olympics 9th place Dutch squad. Luther played on the national squad for several unmarvelous years before moving to Norway, bouncing around a bit in the GET-ligaen before hanging up the skates for good. It was in Stavanger, where he finished his pro career, where he met his wife Elektra Dahlstad. They named their first and only son, now making his way to the SMJHL, Eko. 

EvO grew up in Stavanger as the only child of Luther and Elektra. Always the fastest kid growing up, he had big dreams from an early age. "I was way too wound up in school, man. The only thing they could do to settle me down was let me go out and run in the field. I didn't care much about learning or all that, I just wanted to run and skate. I always said I wanted to be just like my dad and play hockey. Now that I'm older, I realize he kinda sucked ass, so I'm hoping my career is a bit more noteworthy." 

He's not off to a great start. After accumulating 2 goals and 4 assists in 8 games at the rookie showcase, he's been healthy scratched since. Penalties were an issue, with EvO landing in the box 6 times for minors. SMJHL beat reporter Chaz Anderson listed EvO as the top weakness on an otherwise high-flying Vipers squad, noting the following about the young star: "Needs to stay out of the box.  He's also had a bit of bad puck luck with a 7.14 SHT%.  He should start to improve on that and his confidence will follow."

Healthy scratches aside, he's ready to put the showcase behind him and excel. "I've been training super hard, definitely working on my discipline a lot. I'm trying to lead the league in assists one day. Can't do that if I'm sitting in the box next to the fans." He's not worried about the poor performance at all, and he's confident his hard work will pay off. Those that watched his young career in Norway share the optimism and are eagerly watching from afar, hoping their beloved phenom will live up to his potential.

Capping off our quick interview before he went to "try and sling some dick on Tinder," I asked EvO if he had any words for GMs looking to draft him. He responded confidently: "Eko with a "K", Echo with a "ch", whatever - you pick, man. I'll give you my naming rights if you believe in me. This is a two way street. I'm great in the locker room, and I'm always looking to dish it out to my teammates. Plus I'm trilingual, that's pretty cool, right? And I love 69 jokes. That seems like an important one to note." Here's hoping van Otter can make a name for himself, no matter how you spell it, and keep his name in our mouth as much as ours is in his ;)

thanks @Carpy48 and @frithjofr and @rum_ham and @Julio Tokolosh and @Briedaqueduc for the sigs

  

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ohhhhhhh good call, thank you!

thanks @Carpy48 and @frithjofr and @rum_ham and @Julio Tokolosh and @Briedaqueduc for the sigs