Create Account

Aaron Wilson's post-draft interview
#1

How do you feel about being selected 17th overall by Hamilton?


I think I should’ve been an early first-round pick and the 9 teams who had a chance to draft me made a mistake. I’m going to memorize the names of every player who went before me and repeat them before going to sleep like Arya Stark.

[Image: 3izwJ7L.jpg]

Revenge time. It’s all in good fun though. There are a lot of good players and everyone who went in the first round deserved it, and 4/16 of them are my teammates in Vancouver (well done!). Jax deserved to go first overall. And I understand that there are positional needs but I enjoy playing with a chip on my shoulder.

The thing is I didn’t really want to be an early pick, and I did my best to avoid it

Why?

Mainly, because it helps the team. I was the 37th pick in the SMJHL draft. Luke drafted 4 active players before me and now we have a very promising roster. Hamilton drafted Sami before me and he probably wouldn’t have been available at #17.

Being a late pick is also just more fun. You can be the steal of the draft while if you’re a top pick, you can either meet the expectations or fail.

But I wonder if I could’ve gone top 10 or even top 5 if I had really tried. I guess I’ll never know.

Did any teams tell you that they might pick you early, at all? Which teams contacted you?

The scouting process was kind of weird and confusing. Teams kept asking me if I’d like to join them and I had no idea what to say. I told Buffalo they’re my top choice because they have a good team. Then I thought, I’ll probably be on the 3rd or 4th line with limited minutes for a long time if I go there… but free cups though? Idk.

Another team messaged me the day before the draft and I said they weren’t my first choice but I wouldn’t mind if they drafted me. Then I looked at their team colors and realized that they reminded me of my favorite NBA team, so I was like, yeah I want to go there. I pretty much changed my mind every day.

A couple of teams messaged me only once, I guess they weren’t very interested.

One team started scouting me early and we talked up until the draft. The GM said he’s definitely interested but in the first round he’s looking for someone who’s truly excited to join their team. I totally understand that but, like, I couldn’t commit to one team because I didn’t really know where I wanted to go in the first place. I could’ve told every team that I’d like to join them, I did that before the SMJHL draft, but then again, that would probably get me drafted earlier. Or not? Anyway, my response usually was along the lines of “yea, cool, whatever”.

I told another team before the draft that I didn’t like their logo which was true. I mean, it’s not really a big deal, and I’d be fine if they had drafted me. I just don’t think that the 2 colors they use go well together :D. But they do have a great team though.

We exchanged a couple of messages before the draft but I did not expect to get drafted by Hamilton at all. I’m pretty sure Sami convinced them to do it. Anyway, I’m glad to be here, we snagged Dale Miller later at 27, and now we have 3 players from Vancouver which is awesome.

Have you signed your first contract yet?

Yep, I signed my ELC yesterday. 3 years/1.5M, 0.5M AAV so I took the minimum but I got a NMC in exchange. We also discussed a player option but decided it didn’t make sense since I’d be a RFA anyway.

I think I might just sign 1-year deals, or 1+1 from now on, at least that’s what someone advised me to do. But I’m willing to sign for league minimum to help the team as long as I get a NMC/player option. I don’t plan on leaving any time soon but some flexibility is nice to have.

Do you think you could spend your entire career in Hamilton?

I can confidently say I knew before the draft that I’d prefer to stay with one team, no matter which one would draft me. A lot of NHL players stay with one team. In the NBA, Kobe did it, Dirk did it, Wade (almost) did it. Of course, things can change, management can change, rosters change, but yeah, ideally I want to stay in Hamilton. 

Has your GM told you yet if they’re sending you down to SMJHL?

Yeah, I’ll probably be playing in the J for 2-3 more seasons. I’m very excited to see what we can do in Vancouver. I think realistically we’ll have 10+ capped players by the playoffs, plus a few 250+ TPE rookies (Whalers won the lottery, btw). I’m not a fan of teams like Patriots or Warriors but I respect a lot what they’ve managed to accomplish, and I respect a lot what the Scarecrows have done but hopefully we’ll end their mini-dynasty.

You launched a sports analytics startup and you reported a $30M profit in the first quarter. Are you going to continue working on that?

I definitely plan on doing that every season and I have a lot of new things I’d like to add to it. Goalie stats, zone starts for skaters, relative corsi, maybe fenwick, team stats, and some kind of overall rating. That’s a lot of work and it will probably take multiple seasons but basically, if there is an advanced stat that can be calculated using sim data, I want to do it. If you have any ideas, feel free to message me.

I’m also probably going to calculate advanced stats for the prospect showcase if there is one like last season. Hopefully it will make it more interesting for newcomers, and yeahh, also $$$

What kind of player are you trying to build?

I did a few test sims and I know what my 350 TPE build will look like. Once I make it to the SHL, it will probably be more of the same. I want to build a 2-way scoring center.


Quote:~1050 words, draft media 2x bonus

Player info | Updates | Stats
SteelhawksCanadaWhalers

[Image: aawil.gif]
Reply
#2

:O i'm getting a bodyguard

[Image: gunnarsoderberg.gif]


[Image: nbb.png]
[Image: DG0jZcS.png]
. : [Image: zS2lCMp.png] : .
Reply
#3

Steal of the Draft right here. Hamilton Whalers let's go

[Image: jHIZWUN.png]

Reply
#4

Hamilton Whalers baby

[Image: dmills3.gif]
[Image: 6by0kBi.png] || [Image: ohmEd0h.png]

CanadaWhalersSteelhawks
Reply
#5

04-11-2019, 11:20 AMsköldpaddor Wrote: :O i'm getting a bodyguard

Id only really worry if @Sami was coming after you with how he dropped wibbly. Aaron wont do much of anything

[Image: xVW1vec.png]

 [Image: OgNASDg.png] |  | [Image: JvdaXOj.png]
[Image: lUeg4KM.png]
Reply
#6

04-11-2019, 03:42 PMSecondSucks22 Wrote:
04-11-2019, 11:20 AMsköldpaddor Wrote: :O i'm getting a bodyguard

Id only really worry if @Sami was coming after you with how he dropped wibbly. Aaron wont do much of anything

You don't know my true powers yet, it's all part of a bigger plan

Player info | Updates | Stats
SteelhawksCanadaWhalers

[Image: aawil.gif]
Reply




Users browsing this thread:
1 Guest(s)




Navigation

 

Extra Menu

 

About us

The Simulation Hockey League is a free online forums based sim league where you create your own fantasy hockey player. Join today and create your player, become a GM, get drafted, sign contracts, make trades and compete against hundreds of players from around the world.