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FinnRhys · 06-29-2019, 04:02 PM

I’m Quentin Roschambecler and in this edition of the Raiders Review, we meet the newest member of the Halifax club, defenseman FR Finn-Rhys. Finn-Rhys, who was picked up as a Free Agent, has already made an impact on the team, helping to fill out the third line defensive pairing and is averaging a solid 11 minutes of ice time a game. In true rookie form, Finn-Rhys has been maddeningly inconsistent at times but he has shown great potential as he continues to grow ... and he’s clearly shown that he’s not afraid to play big-boy hockey and show off his nasty streak as evidenced by his recent game-misconduct and being thrown out of the game. Will this youthful player be joining the halls of the pantheon of former Raider greats, or will he peter out like a pirate ship with no rum? Only time will tell, but the Raider front office is clearly excited about the possibilities of this hard hitting rookie, so let’s take a few moments and get to know him a little better.

Q: So, FR, tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from and how did you get started playing hockey?

FR: Well, I had a unique upbringing for sure. I was born in Geneva, Switzerland to American parents and we moved back to the United States when I was really young. We settled in Anchorage, Alaska when I was about six years old and that’s been home ever since. Growing up in Switzerland and Alaska was awesome. Some of my earliest memories were going to the local rink and seeing my dad playing in a beer league and I was just enamored by the sport. As early as I can remember my parents had me in skates and I loved the feel of a stick in my hands with a puck on the blade. I grew up playing peewee and bantam hockey in Anchorage and then I played high school hockey at Dimond High School. I’ve lived and breathed watching and playing hockey since I was little. If i wasn’t playing then I was watching the local college and professional teams play and I knew that’s what I wanted to do for a living.

Q: A lot of players started playing at a young age and kept their passion for the sport, and it seems you knew early on you wanted to devote yourself to hockey. Did you focus solely on hockey growing up or did you play other sports as well?

FR: I have been passionate about hockey all my life, but luckily I grew up in a household where my parents encouraged me to explore all sorts of sports and activities. While hockey has always been my passion, I grew up playing soccer, football, and lacrosse and competing in downhill skiing as well. As I got older I started to focus a little more on hockey and a little less on the other sports but I think not focusing solely on hockey helped me become a better hockey player. I got to develop different abilities and strengths that I could apply on the hockey rink, and it really helped me develop as a person since I know that playing hockey won’t last forever.

Q: Did you always play defense, or did you try multiple positions? What made you decide to focus on defense?

FR: I definitely played multiple positions growing up. I tried being a forward and I played a little goalie here and there but I think it was just in my personality to stick towards defense. Scoring was fun but I was never the greatest on the offensive side. I have never been a great shooter but my vision and ability to find or create passing lanes let me be at least a little involved in the offense. What got me really excited to be on the ice, though, was to keep people from scoring. I just really enjoyed playing fundamental defense and frustrating opposing players, and more importantly, I discovered that I was good at it. I instinctively knew how to keep my body between the puck and the goal and how to keep my stick in the passing lanes and how to read what an offensive player was doing and how they were moving with and without the puck. I just really felt at home on defense and so it was just natural to start to gravitate towards focusing on that aspect of the game.

Q: Were there any players that you really looked up to growing up?

FR: Oh man, there were a couple players I really looked up to. Mostly local guys but one of them, Scottie Gomez, made it big and played in the NHL. The other player I really looked up to growing up was a guy named Tyler Thompson. He played at Dimond years before I did and was a local phenom. He decided to hang up his skates for good after high school but he was one of the guys that worked with us younger players in his off-time and really helped me develop a passion for the game. I think if it weren’t for guys like Tyler, you know, local guys that gave back to the community and who loved the game, I don’t think I would have made it as far as I have come so far. It is guys like that that make you want to continue to get better and continue to represent your community. Hopefully I can represent my community well and maybe someday another kid from Alaska will be interviewed and say that they looked up to me. That would be the dream.

Q: What was your path to the SMJHL?

FR: My path to the SMJHL was a little unique. I actually played a little college hockey at UAA (University of Alaska - Anchorage) before deciding to drop out and test the professional waters… but not for hockey, instead I was able to get drafted as the first overall draft pick in the second season of the Simulation Lacrosse League. I had a little identity crisis after playing a season of hockey at UAA and I just didn’t know if I really wanted to commit everything I had to hockey. The coaches at UAA were great and so were my teammates, I just really needed to take some time and figure things out and do a little growing up. So, I ended up dropping out, getting drafted in the SLL and then about six games into the season, the league folded. There I was without a real plan, without hockey, without school and nothing really to do. While I was playing in the SLL the urge to play hockey started bubbling up and I really started finding a passion in hockey again. When I wasn’t practicing or playing lacrosse, I was watching hockey tape and helping to coach some of the local youth teams. Once the league folded one of my lacrosse friends @Jepox, told me about SMJHL and asked if I’d be interested in playing hockey again. I guess he’d shown some of my hockey tape to a few people in SMJHL that he knew and he thought I might be able to find a team that would be willing to take a flyer on me and pick me up as a rookie Free Agent. It didn’t really take long to decide that I really did want to be back playing hockey and that I wanted to go at it whole-heartedly. This is my chance to live my dreams and you only live once so I went for it. Luckily one of the teams that saw some of my tape and were interested in me was Halifax. As soon as I was eligible to sign they flew me out to Halifax and I met the general manager and the coaches and we toured the facilities. It just felt like home right away. The GM and coaches sold me on a direction they wanted the team to go and they really sold me on being a part of that direction. As soon as they made an offer I accepted it.

Q: How has the adjustment been moving from Alaska to Nova Scotia?

FR: It has actually been surprisingly easy. It is a long way from home, literally on the other side of the continent, but it has been fun and my teammates have really accepted me and taken me in. It has been fun exploring Halifax and the rest of Nova Scotia. I have started taking classes in what little free time I have at Dalhousie University in downtown Halifax and I am really enjoying the area. And the hockey is awesome! The pace of play is a lot faster in the SMJHL than I was expecting. I’m learning every day from the more experienced guys and getting better every day. I have a lot to work on to really contribute the way I want to for the team but I am happy so far with my progress and contributions. I really just need to be more consistent, but hey, I recognize that I am a rookie and that I am going to make mistakes. I just hope we don’t suffer because of my mistakes.

Q: What are you looking forward to most as you finish out the season with the Raiders?

FR: I am really just looking forward to getting more minutes on the ice as I improve and prove that I belong. I think with the chemistry and the talent we have there is the potential to make a really solid push into the playoffs this year. I am usually the best player on the teams I played on in my youth and in college but I am actually excited that I am clearly nowhere near the best player here. Everyone pushes each other to be better and it is absolutely an exciting time to be on this voyage with the rest of the Raiders… get it? Voyage. Because we’re pirates. Seriously though, we have a great group and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do and hopefully we can bring the cup back to Scotiabank Centre and our awesome fans.

(words = 1871)
*This is my first article/media*

FINN RHYS

[Image: hockey__27674.1518661372.1000.1200.jpg?c=2]

Winter is Coming · 06-29-2019, 04:29 PM

Excellent. Great first article. Cheers

ontanis · 06-29-2019, 05:11 PM

That's awesome! Great article. Really like how you develop your players' backstory. Cheers!

SecondSucks22 · 06-29-2019, 09:20 PM

I have a question, what's with the head hunting in your first game?

Rublic · 06-30-2019, 12:45 PM

Great article! I’m assuming it took a little bit of transition going from lacrosse to hockey... it would explain your game misconduct in the first period of your first game! XD

raiders

FinnRhys · 06-30-2019, 01:47 PM

@SecondSucks22 and @Rublic, what can I say? I didn't know my own strength and I figured I needed to make sure people knew not to f around with the new guy.

FINN RHYS

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