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Good afternoon ladies and gentleman, I am Tracey Ward with you from the Scotiabank Centre here in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In a little more than 24 hours young man from all over the world will gather here to hopefully here their name called in the S28 SMJHL entry draft. Yes it’s a pivotal moment in the life of any young prospect. That moment when all the hard work and dedication from years of training and two-a day’s finally pays off. I have been here in Halifax preparing for the draft for the past week and have had my fair share of run-ins with player, coach and GM alike. I have to say, though, that nothing has compared to electricity and excitement I’m feeling right now, here on the Scotiabank floor. With all of the activity going on, why don’t we see who we can run into. Oh wait, wait, it looks like we may have a chance to talk to Halifax GM, Bottas.

Tracey: Bottas, this must be a great feeling to have the draft right here in your own back yard at the Scotiabank Centre.

Bottas: Yea Tracey it’s a pretty special time. It’s an opportunity for the Raiders to really show there hospitality and place in the league and host some of the great SMJHL coaches and GMs.

Tracey: With so much anticipation leading up to the draft, what is your main priority tonight and heading into tomorrow?

Bottas: Well, I mean right now most of the leg work has really been done. We done our homework on the players, have a pretty good game plan on how we’d like to approach the draft. At this point we’re just trying to have a good time. We will spend tonight rubbing elbows with representatives of the other teams and then tomorrow, obviously, it’s back to work.

Tracey: Your team picks third in the draft tomorrow. A lot of mock drafts have you guys taking any number of players. I’ve seen Hans Moleman, Nicolas Winter, Casey Holmes and Leif De Bruin to name a few. Care to comment on any of those players?

Bottas: Well those are all great players and it would great to see any of them in a Raiders uniform. It’s tough to say who we will pick, the draft is such an unpredictable thing and plans can change in a second. We obviously know De Bruin, he was with us for a little while during the playoffs, so we feel like we’ve had a better look at him them maybe most teams have had. I don’t know Tracey. Honestly, we won’t know for sure until tomorrow night.

Tracey: Alright, well good luck tomorrow.

Bottas: Thanks! Enjoy yourself tonight Tracey.

Alright well as we continue to make our way around the arena, lets see if we can find a player to talk to. No here we go. Ladies and gentleman I have found Felix Herzog, the man that many believe will be the first overall pick in this years draft.

Tracey: Felix, how are you holding up?

Felix: Oh man, what a crazy week Tracey. I go here a few days ago and man I have just been non-stop busy. I got a great opportunity to do a commercial the other day. Bauer asked me to come in when I got here and do a special draftee edition for their new Bauer skates. It was a great experience. Overall, I’m holding up OK but the butterflies are going to be going crazy tomorrow night I can tell you that.

Tracey: Felix, a lot of scouts have you going number one overall tomorrow night. How does it make you feel to think that you could down as one of the few people in SMJHL history to call themselves #1 overall picks?

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Felix: Oh man, there’s a lot of pressure there I think. There’s some great athletes who have gone in that number one spot who have gone on to have hall-of-fame careers. I don’t know if I’ll have the honor of being picked in such a prestigious spot, but I will say that I’m up to the challenge and ready to prove myself.

Tracey: Felix, if you could say one thing to the SMJHL GMs in regards to drafting you tomorrow, what would it be?

Felix: I’m ready to go, I guess. I’ve really said all I could during the interview process, so hopefully all the coaches and GM’s know what I’m about. All I can really say to tie it all together is that I’m ready to be a part of your club and can’t wait to compete. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you select me.

Tracey: Thanks for your time Felix, have fun tomorrow!

Well, let’s take one more spin around the area tonight before we wrap up our pre-draft interviews. Well, well, well, if it isn’t Leif De Bruin. Here’s a great opportunity to chat with a high profile athlete that has some red flags against him.

Tracey: Leif, excuse me can we have a minute.

Leif: Absolutely Tracey, anything for you.

Tracey: Leif, the moment of truth is quickly approaching. How has the draft experience been for you this year?

Leif: Well it’s been amazing Tracey. I’m fortunate to have a great support system behind me and they’ve really been pushing me forward the whole way.

Tracey: Leif, a lot has been made about your so called “red flags.” It was only a few short weeks ago that an article was published documenting some of the character issues that you’ve had over the course of your young career. What do you say to people like that and do you feel that any of the talk has affected your draft?

Leif: Well I’ll be blunt Tracey, I can’t hide my past. I’ve done some stupid stuff in my life. One thing I have never done, however, is let my personal issues affect my on ice play. You know, I think more than anything I have to learn to grow up. I think that’s one of the things the SMJHL can do for me. I think the structure and team environment is going to do a lot for my maturity. As for how its affected my draft. I mean, the GMs have definitely made it a point to address some of my character concerns during pre-draft interviews. I don’t know if it will affect where I’m picked tomorrow or not. I was honest with the GMs and laid it all out on the line. I think everyone came away with a pretty good understanding of what I’m all about.

Tracey: You spent some time with Halifax during their brief playoff run. Do you expect them to select you tomorrow in the first round?

Leif: Ummm, I don’t expect anything. I had a great time here in Halifax during my time run. I feel like we parted on great terms and I would love to have the opportunity to come back. I certainly don’t expect them to pick me though. They have some tough decisions to make tomorrow and either way I won’t hold a grudge. That team has been nothing but respectful to me and my situation and I will 100% pay back the favor.

Tracey: Well, Leif thank you for the time. We look forward to seeing how you do in tomorrow’s draft.

Leif: Thanks Tracey, I couldn’t be more excited. This is a big step in my career and one that I’ve waited a long time to take. It should be great.

Well that wraps it up for us here at the Scotiabank Centre. Tomorrow we will join you again for live coverage of all the picks. Be sure to tune in for the S28 SMJHL draft at 8:00pm, it looks to be a night to remember!

1304

RAIDERS :D

Nice article

Player Page | Update Page

Kevin Kazarian || Center || Montreal Militia || 502 TPE
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Transitions
S42 Drafted 17th Overall by the Montreal Militia
S43 Drafted 23rd Overall by the Texas Renegades
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SMJHL Career Stats
S42: 50GP | 6G |18A | 24P | +/- 10

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SMJHL Playoff Stats
S42: 9GP | 0G |2A | 2P | +/- -3
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SHL Career Stats

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Awards