After lots of anticiptation and a TON of speculation, the Season 47 SHL Entry Draft has finally taken place. Some predictable picks were made, some surprising picks were made, and quite a few trades took place throughout the course of this draft. One of these trades resulted in the Buffalo Stampede making a selection at number 32 overall, the very last pick of the second round. With their third pick of the night, the Stampede went with Detroit Falcons forward Josh Driver at 32. Driver had a solid rookie campaign for the Falcons, managing to put up 14 points (6g-8a) with his limited minutes. Throughout the season, he developed at a steady rate and made up for the fact that he came into the league undrafted and therefore behind the majority of his rookie class in development.
We sat down with Josh earlier today to get an idea of what his thoughts are following last night's draft, asking him about his future team and about his reactions to some of his fellow rookies being selected.
Reporter: Josh, congratulations on being drafted into the SHL. You are now a future member of the Buffalo Stampede, did you have any idea beforehand that Buffalo would be selecting you?
Josh Driver: Thank you! I didn't know for sure that I'd be picked by the Stampede, no, but I did think it was a possibility. They were one of a few teams I had been in contact with prior to the draft and they had shown a bit more interest than any of the others.
R: How do you feel about ending up in Buffalo? Was there a team you had been particularly hoping to have been picked by?
JD: I feel great about it! It's hard not to be thrilled about being selected by the team that just won the Challenge Cup, I was all smiles when my name was called. I didn't really have a specific team in mind that I wanted to end up with, to be honest. I know I would have been happy with any result, but I'm certainly excited about how it went down.
R: Well, it seems as though they must have had you on their radar. How does it feel that Buffalo traded up to take you in the second round?
JD: That was really cool. Getting drafted at all was a cool enough experience on its own, but the way it all happened just made it that much sweeter.
R: There were some mock drafts that had you going in the second round, many of which actually had you going 32nd. Were you expecting to go in the second round?
JD: I had a pretty good feeling that I'd go in the second round, but I also wouldn't have been surprised if I slipped into the third a little ways. I wasn't too concerned about when I'd be picked though, I just wanted to be drafted.
R: You, of course, weren't the only Detroit Falcon to be drafted last night. Espen Knutsen Jr., Miikka Salo, Przemyslaw Brzeszczyczkiewicz, Savoli Tankovic, and Wibbly McButternutz were all also selected. What are your thoughts on all of the Falcons representation in last night's draft?
JD: Well, to start, I want to congratulate Espen on being taken in the top five. The dude's a great player, it's definitely well-deserved. I'm pretty pumped that Wibbly will be joining me in Buffalo, it'll be nice to have a familiar face around. It was cool to see us all get picked up for the SHL, but before we even get there we still have some business to attend to down in Detroit.
R: How many more seasons do you see yourself playing in the SMJHL?
JD: I'd like to play two more seasons in Detroit. I love being on this team and I definitely want to try and win a cup here before I go to Buffalo. I want to develop as much as I can also before advancing to the next level.
R: Was there anything that really surprised you about the draft last night?
JD: I wasn't sure what to expect going into the night, so it was hard to be really surprised by anything that ended up happening. I did certainly expect Marc Hagan to get picked way earlier, though. Other than that, it was just fun to not really know what was going to happen next.
R: Thanks for giving us a bit of your time, Josh! It was great talking with you and congratulations again on being drafted. Good luck!
Keep your eye out for Josh Driver in upcoming seasons as he continues to develop and build his career with the Detroit Falcons and eventually the Buffalo Stampede. Presently, he is playing for Team USA in the World Junior Championship. Tune in as they take on Canada in their next Medal Round match up!
After lots of anticiptation and a TON of speculation, the Season 47 SHL Entry Draft has finally taken place. Some predictable picks were made, some surprising picks were made, and quite a few trades took place throughout the course of this draft. One of these trades resulted in the Buffalo Stampede making a selection at number 32 overall, the very last pick of the second round. With their third pick of the night, the Stampede went with Detroit Falcons forward Josh Driver at 32. Driver had a solid rookie campaign for the Falcons, managing to put up 14 points (6g-8a) with his limited minutes. Throughout the season, he developed at a steady rate and made up for the fact that he came into the league undrafted and therefore behind the majority of his rookie class in development.
We sat down with Josh earlier today to get an idea of what his thoughts are following last night's draft, asking him about his future team and about his reactions to some of his fellow rookies being selected.
Reporter: Josh, congratulations on being drafted into the SHL. You are now a future member of the Buffalo Stampede, did you have any idea beforehand that Buffalo would be selecting you?
Josh Driver: Thank you! I didn't know for sure that I'd be picked by the Stampede, no, but I did think it was a possibility. They were one of a few teams I had been in contact with prior to the draft and they had shown a bit more interest than any of the others.
R: How do you feel about ending up in Buffalo? Was there a team you had been particularly hoping to have been picked by?
JD: I feel great about it! It's hard not to be thrilled about being selected by the team that just won the Challenge Cup, I was all smiles when my name was called. I didn't really have a specific team in mind that I wanted to end up with, to be honest. I know I would have been happy with any result, but I'm certainly excited about how it went down.
R: Well, it seems as though they must have had you on their radar. How does it feel that Buffalo traded up to take you in the second round?
JD: That was really cool. Getting drafted at all was a cool enough experience on its own, but the way it all happened just made it that much sweeter.
R: There were some mock drafts that had you going in the second round, many of which actually had you going 32nd. Were you expecting to go in the second round?
JD: I had a pretty good feeling that I'd go in the second round, but I also wouldn't have been surprised if I slipped into the third a little ways. I wasn't too concerned about when I'd be picked though, I just wanted to be drafted.
R: You, of course, weren't the only Detroit Falcon to be drafted last night. Espen Knutsen Jr., Miikka Salo, Przemyslaw Brzeszczyczkiewicz, Savoli Tankovic, and Wibbly McButternutz were all also selected. What are your thoughts on all of the Falcons representation in last night's draft?
JD: Well, to start, I want to congratulate Espen on being taken in the top five. The dude's a great player, it's definitely well-deserved. I'm pretty pumped that Wibbly will be joining me in Buffalo, it'll be nice to have a familiar face around. It was cool to see us all get picked up for the SHL, but before we even get there we still have some business to attend to down in Detroit.
R: How many more seasons do you see yourself playing in the SMJHL?
JD: I'd like to play two more seasons in Detroit. I love being on this team and I definitely want to try and win a cup here before I go to Buffalo. I want to develop as much as I can also before advancing to the next level.
R: Was there anything that really surprised you about the draft last night?
JD: I wasn't sure what to expect going into the night, so it was hard to be really surprised by anything that ended up happening. I did certainly expect Marc Hagan to get picked way earlier, though. Other than that, it was just fun to not really know what was going to happen next.
R: Thanks for giving us a bit of your time, Josh! It was great talking with you and congratulations again on being drafted. Good luck!
Keep your eye out for Josh Driver in upcoming seasons as he continues to develop and build his career with the Detroit Falcons and eventually the Buffalo Stampede. Presently, he is playing for Team USA in the World Junior Championship. Tune in as they take on Canada in their next Medal Round match up!
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