Welcome, I'm Matt, and I will be conducting interviews with the S60 SMJHL Draft Class. With S60 being one of the bigger draft classes, I hope to do lots of interviews with the draftees. I hope you enjoy this series.
 
(SchwarzNarr)
 
Matt: This next interview is with Melvin-Majestik Moose ("@SchwarzNarr). So Melvin, would you mind telling everyone a bit about you?
 
Melvin: Certainly! I’ve been involved in professional sports for many years now, having just wrapped up my sixth season as a professional football player. I’ve been fortunate enough to move up in my ranks there, to even run and operate the team I play for. However, I found myself getting a little bit lonely, I’ve only got a penguin for a friend, you see, and so I spent some time during the winter getting to know my Swedish cousins. They migrate annually across the river and I am very glad to have met them and been a part of their family for many months. It was an enlightening journey.
 
Matt: What position do you play?
 
Melvin: I’m a defender! I’m looking to do all I can to stop the puck, then hand it off to the rest of my team.
 
Matt: And may I ask where you are from?
 
Melvin: I’m originally from Isle Royale, Michigan, but have spent the majority of my life in Virginia and Colorado.
 
Matt: I know that Michigan is a big hockey state, but when did you first get interested in the sport?
 
Melvin: Truly it wasn’t until I made my way overseas and into Europe that I really became engaged with the support. It’s a sport that is loved by my extended family, and they just played and skated regularly.
 
Matt: How did you meet your cousins, and that penguin?
 
Melvin: Well, my cousins are just family. They kind of reached out after I made it big in the football scene. Adelie and I have been friends since we quickly became teammates, first in Norfolk, and then later in Colorado. We’ve been together quite a bit since.
 
Matt: Oh, the same Adelie I interviewed earlier!
 
Melvin: Yes! We’ve been very good friends for many, many years.
 
Matt: Would you like to tell us who drafted you and your thoughts and emotions going into the draft?
 
Melvin: I was very fortunate to be picked up early by the Nevada Battleborn. There were so many people who said that I would be picked high, but I was still so new to the sport that it didn’t quite seem possible. It was absolutely incredible to get picked by them, and the draft itself was such a great experience. It’s always fun to hear your name called, and I just couldn’t believe it happened so soon.
 
Matt: Were you surprised that it was Nevada that picked you up over the other SMJHL teams?
 
Melvin: Not really, I think that many teams had an interest in picking me up, but Nevada picked so quickly that they never really had a chance.
 
Matt: Well it’s now time for the break. Pulls out a German Chocolate Cake from behind the curtain. A little birdy told me that you love cake.
 
Melvin: Oh my goodness, thank you so much! Cake is one of my favorite things ever, but it just, reminds me of my very dear friend Daria Guava-Fresca. I recently have gone to rehab for a cake addiction, and its definitely… tempered some of the uh, struggles I was having with cake in the past.
 
Matt: Oh, I’m sorry. Well, I don’t think one cake will hurt, especially if you’ve been really good about it.
 
Melvin: Oh for certain! One cake isn’t going to be the end of it, but I will be very careful about eating it near others, in case I were to get carried away with things.
 
Matt: Sounds like there’s a story there.
 
Melvin: Aye, but that’s not a story for now. It is much too gruesome to tell
 
Matt: Well it looks like you’re ready to continue on. What goals do you have, if any, for the next season or two?
 
Melvin: Just growing and getting stronger day after day. I’m not the strongest skater, so if I can get good enough to be on par by the end of the season where a lot of these guys are already, that would be enough for me.
 
Matt: Where do you see yourself in four or five seasons?
 
Melvin: I think my career will be ending in the juniors, and I’ll be joining my SHL team in the next four or five seasons. Hopefully I can just become a good leader for the team, and really keep working hard to be that player that anyone would want to share the ice with.
 
Matt: As a defenseman, what position would you think you’d be best at if you were to play out of position?
 
Melvin: Man, I don’t know. I haven’t really focused on shooting or trying to score goals, it’s not really my focus. I don’t think I could end anywhere other than just in the defensive positions.
 
Matt: Not even a goaltender?
 
Melvin: If my team was desperate for it, I could move anywhere, I’m not opposed to it, but I don’t see the need. There are a lot of great goalies within the league.
 
Matt: Fair enough. How about another sport? If you had to play a different competitive sport other than hockey, and American football since that’s what you played before, what sport would you play?
 
Melvin: I would probably just focus on running, doing mostly solo activities. I don’t know that I could really play another sport like baseball or anything like that.
 
Matt: And finally, as we’re at the end of the interview, if you were to give advice to anybody joining the SMJHL, what advice would you give?
 
Melvin: Just dive in. Everyone has been so welcoming and enjoyable, that you should really work hard to find whatever your niche is
 
Matt: Is there anything else you’d like to add before we end the interview? Any comments or questions?
 
Melvin: Thank you for chatting with me!
 
Matt: And thank you for allowing to be interviewed.