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***Acsolap*** · 07-13-2018, 08:44 PM

[1114 words. 2x draft week bonus]

Gun Deck: The official Fan radio of the Anchorage Armada.

Today we sat down with one of the Armada's latest draft class rookies to get all the updates and insider knowledge going on with your favourite team.

So Rex, how are you finding it in Anchorage so far?
I'm loving it for sure, it's super beautiful here. I like the outdoors you know? London is a big city and sometimes it's difficult to get away and be with nature which is not a problem here at all.

Are you enjoying living in a smaller community? You must get recognised out on the street more here than back home?
Haha, no one really knows who I am back in London as hockey is not that popular. Honestly I enjoy the low-key lifestyle it lets me get down to focusing on getting better so that I have a shot at making the big leagues. Even here most people don't care that much about me, all the kids want selfies with Jax so I mostly get left alone.

You mention making the big leagues, are you just planning on using Anchorage as a stepping stone?
Not at all. I have already spoken to Robert Lokitonov about my intentions. I am happy to stay as long as it takes to develop into the player I need to be. If I end up aging out then hopefully that just means I'm better developed and more prepared for the SHL.

So Anchorage feels right for you?
I couldn't be happier actually. The guys in the locker room are fantastic if a little strange at times. The boss actually contacted me before I'd even gotten on the plane from London stating that he was interested in drafting me which was really nice. It's good to feel wanted and to be apart of building something special.

Anchorage did not have the best of seasons last year, what can we hope to see from the team this year?
There's definitely going to be an improvement. Some of the stronger teams have gone into rebuilds or have had top players age out so we will definitely be in the mix come playoff time. I'm hoping we can finish top four and then see how well we do rom there.

That's quite ambitious! Are you often so cocky?
I don't think I'm cocky. I'd say I'm a low key guy, I like to keep my head down and work. In the locker room I can let loose but you won't see me mouthing off in public or talking trash. I'll let my game do the talking.

You talked about the guys in the locker room before, how are you getting on with the other rookies?
They all seem like great guys so far. Jax obviously has a long family history in hockey and as the number one pick there is a lot of expectation on him. He seems fairly confident he can deal with it and he's certainly a handful in practice. I've been getting to know Ryan And Tucker during the preseason training camp and they both crack me up all the time. Apparently we drafted some brothers as well but I haven't seen them and no one seems that bothered by it....

Strange... What about Jonathan Back? Rumour on the street suggests you two will be pairing together?
He had some family commitments so had to be back in Sweden for a while. We've only really trained together the last day or two so it'll take a bit of getting used to. He is absolutely enourmous though and really solid our own end which takes some of the pressure off of me and allows me to do my thing. It's up to coach as to who I play with, I'm just happy to be on the ice.

How have your skills translated from the English game?
Coach was not at all impressed with my puck handling and said I was too loose in our own end so those are two things I have really been working on. The first few sessions were pretty tough. I definitely got yelled at a few times about how my job was to keep the puck out of the net, not to put it in.

Have any of the other rookies found it tough?
You'd have to ask them! We are all working hard. I can tell you that Jax is an absolute handful and I'm glad that I only have to face him in practice. Plus we have the returning guys and it's a real eye opener to see how good they are, it shows me that I have a lot to learn and improve on if I want to cut it in this league.

Any fights yet? We'll keep it a secret we promise!
Not amongst ourselves! Ryan already has one in preseason though. We did spend an entire practice session arguing over what the acceptable garnishes for a hotdog are which didn't seem all that productive to me.

You jumped the gun on preseason! A pretty good start for you and you managed to score your first goal. How did it feel?
It was a nice feeling for sure but it's not the real thing yet so I'll hold the celebrations for now. We started off well and now it's about kicking on and making sure we iron out any problems before the start of the season on Monday.

It was the first time the Anchorage colours have ever been out on the ice, what was it like coming out in front of the fans?
I don't know if it's always a full house for preseason but it was a great feeling to have so much support from the get go. It shows how much it means to this community and I really just hope we can make them proud and entertain them along the way. On a personal level it wasn't nice to scratch off game one in this new chapter in my life.

Well that's about all from us. Thanks so much for taking the time to speak to us and the fans. Is there anything you would like to say or ask?
Firstly I'd just like to thank the people of Anchorage for taking me in and making me feel welcome so far from home as well as for filling out the arena, it really does make us feel special. Secondly Robert Lokitonov gave me a gun do I need to register this thing or what?

We are out of time I'm afraid. Make sure you tune in to the next episode of Gun Deck for more exclusive interviews and insider scoops.