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***boom*** · 05-02-2022, 05:38 PM

[2078 words, x2 draft media, ready for grading]

The final seconds ticked off the clock as the Quebec City Citadelles bench slumped in disappointment. After their thrilling run to the Four Star Cup finals, they'd been swept aside in a heartbreaking four-game series by the Newfoundland Berserkers that included back-to-back overtime losses. Sophie Bordeleau, matched up against the best players on the other team, had played one of the worst games of her career in the deciding game with a -3 and only winning 4 of 14 faceoffs. Despite all of this, as she packed up a couple days later to visit her family for the summer and get some relaxation, she felt fulfilled. Sophie had put up the best season of any rookie in the SMJHL, made some great friends on her team, and solidified her spot as one of the core players on the Citadelles. She thought back to her first time walking into the arena in Las Vegas, being so shy and nervous, and laughed to herself thinking of how far she'd come. Zipping up her suitcase, she opened up her phone and sent off a quick text to Jamie: "Finished up with packing. Can't wait to live in the same city as my girlfriend again. Love you xo," she typed with a huge smile. Turning out the lights of her apartment, Sophie turned back to give it one last look before striding down the hall to the waiting car. She was barely out the window before her phone buzzed again with an incoming call. It was an unknown number, but she answered it anyway. "Hi, this is Sophie, who is this?" she asked curiously. "It's the GM of the Canadian junior team. We really liked what you did for Quebec City this season, and we wanted to offer you a spot on the team for this season. You don't have to decide right this second, but there's a spot waiting for you if you want it," the voice replied. "Oh my goodness, thank you! I'll talk to some people and get back to you, but this is an incredible opportunity and I'm so thankful that you thought of me," Sophie said excitedly. The news buoyed her all the way home, and the conversation with her family and Coach Philips - while she wasn't Sophie's coach anymore, she'd forever have that title - was a short one before she called the manager back and happily accepted the offer.

With the news of the junior team in the past, it was now time to prepare for the SHL draft. With her strong rookie season in hand and good demeanour, Sophie was expected to be a fairly high pick, and she tried to keep her expectations in check. Among the changes leading up to the draft, she now had an agent, something that had been suggested by Coach Philips. "I've taken you as far as I can, and with the money that's going to be involved I think it's best to find someone who's going to be better adjusted to help you out. It's been really great working with you, and I want you to find someone who's best for you," she had explained. "I know an agency that a couple other girls from this area have used, and I think you'll be able to work with them just fine." Sophie's new agent was Ellie, a woman who seemingly lived in business attire and had a phone to her ear. Her no-nonsense style contrasted with Sophie's easygoing nature, but the two seemed to hit it off and the hockey player felt comfortable working with her. Despite Sophie's exceptional season, the phones weren't ringing off the hook as expected, with only a couple teams seriously reaching out. Ellie tried to reassure her young client, who was understandably nervous. "I kind of thought this would happen, there aren't as many defensemen in this class so teams are trying to get them. I'm sure it's nothing to do with your play, and the couple teams that have reached out seem to be pretty interested," explained Ellie. "I know, it's just easy to get sucked into it all," replied Sophie. "Edmonton seemed really interested, Los Angeles and San Francisco as well too. I don't know much about the cities, but they seem like they're pretty good organizations and they've got good plans to win. The cities are nice too," she mused. "I think as long as they're accepting of the whole queer thing it'd be a place I'd want to go, that's something that means a lot to me and I want to be comfortable living there."

At last, the day of the draft was here, and all of the pundits and hot takes would be put to the test. The first pick off the board was a defender with the creative name of Pass Forfeit, while the second pick was marked by a big trade up for forward Ricky Koivu. The draft was an exciting occasion, with plenty of young players in the stands getting to see their dreams come true. Sophie remembered where she had been a couple years ago, watching the festivities on her television. At 6th overall, the Edmonton Blizzard stepped up to the stage after making a trade to acquire the pick and Sophie leaned to the edge of her arena seat in excitement, since the Blizzard were a team that had talked to her. The pick ended up being another forward in Luke Laraque, whom Sophie had met during some offseason training before the draft. He was friendly and someone she thought she would like being on a team with. After the Hamilton Steelhawks made a pick, Edmonton stepped back up to the stage for the eighth overall and their general manager said the words that Sophie had been waiting to hear for her entire life:

"With the eighth overall pick, the Edmonton Blizzard are proud to select, from the Quebec City Citadelles, Sophie Bordeleau."

Sophie didn't even register the scream her mouth made in excitement as the sentence sank in. The magical dream that had started in Trois-Rivieres as a little girl and continued right through the Four Star Cup finals with her hometown team would continue as one of the SHL's oldest and most respected teams had put their trust in her as a first-round pick. Without even thinking she turned to her parents with the biggest expression of pure joy on her face and scooped them into a hug, tears of ecstasy running down her face but hidden from the cameras she knew were watching. "We're so proud of you, darling. This is your moment, and you deserve all of this," her mother said softly into her ear. Collecting herself and putting on a smile, Sophie gave her girlfriend a quick peck on the cheek before starting down the aisle of the section toward the draft floor. Sure, it was public and the cameras undoubtedly saw it, but it was openly, unapologetically, her. Any other person would have done the same, and Jamie had been nothing but supportive throughout her journey to that point and Sophie was so grateful and proud of her partner for completing her, for enduring the long-distance nature of their relationship this year, for being brave and honest and true. Reaching the stage, she pulled on the dark blue jersey and hat, similar to the uniform she'd worn for Quebec but seemingly more sophisticated, presenting an air of professionalism. The cameras flashed and she shook hands with the Blizzard's management team before stepping down from the stage to head back to her seat. Sophie didn't make it too far before she was pulled into an interview, reporters wanting to hear the teen's first impressions of the magic of being drafted in the first round of the SHL draft. Everything was bigger here now, flashier, more intense. She tried to play things cool, humble, but Sophie couldn't resist the smiles that were breaking through. Finally returning to her seat, she sat back and prepared to watch the rest of the draft, now with the biggest weight lifted off her shoulders. "Isn't Edmonton so cold? You grew up on the ice and snow, you'll fit right in," teased Jamie. "I've heard it's colder there than it is in Quebec, but if for the money it'll be worth it," Sophie shot back as the partners settled back into their seats.

Only a couple picks later, Edmonton was up again after trading up with the Buffalo Stampede. This time, they picked Patches the III from the Anaheim Outlaws, a defenseman who had been highly touted in the lead-up to the draft. This was followed up by another trade-up to get the 12th overall pick, which the Blizzard used to select another forward in Benjamin Surkhi-Ze'ev from the Vancouver Whalers. This trade sent a very good defenseman in Axel Foley the other way to Tampa Bay, so it quickly became evident what the plan was and Sophie smiled. She wouldn't have to go through the process of adjusting to a new city alone and she'd get the experience of growing up with a group of players who were in similar circumstances to her. Another trade up landed the Blizzard the chance to select JoJo Larkin at 21st overall and the class was complete. Sophie quite enjoyed herself through the night, getting to see the other prospects have their magical moments as she had. At last the draft was over, and after getting the chance to meet the other members of the Blizzard draft class and introduce herself the members of her group piled into a cab to take them back to the hotel. The pure euphoria of being picked in the first round of the SHL draft - at the same pick which Quebec had used to draft her in juniors, in fact - took a while to wear off and Sophie wasn't sure she'd ever be able to get to sleep, but soon she slipped into blissful dreams in Jamie's arms.

A couple days passed which paled in comparison to the thrill of draft night. Sophie, her parents and Jamie all flew home the day after the draft, and soon after she returned to training in order to impress the team at development camp. While Sophie would go back to playing in Quebec for the next season, she was still committed to impressing the Blizzard management to justify the pick they spent on her as well as looking good to her future teammates. In the middle of the summer, Ellie called her for a meeting. "The Blizzard just sent over the standard contract for draft picks. Can you come in today to look it over?" Sophie couldn't have been more excited as she pulled up to the office building where Ellie worked, her parents by her side. "Now, this is probably going to be a big shock, so I'm happy that you have support with you today because there'll probably be a lot to get through. Today will mostly be boring paperwork, but to cut right to the chase, the Blizzard are offering you an entry-level contract of three million dollars for the next season. Now, taxes, agent fees, and living expenses will take a chunk of it, but this is still a lot of money and you deserve this opportunity." Sophie's eyes went wide at hearing the numbers. Millions. She hadn't grown up poor, and her parents had always been well-off enough to give her the resources she needed to chase her dream - coaching, travel to tournaments, the fees for the hockey team. Regardless, this was still a lot for a 17-year-old from Trois-Rivieres to take in, suddenly being faced with more money than she'd ever thought of. "Thank you, I'm honoured," she stuttered, unable to get much more of a response out and feeling silly. Ellie just smiled and went on. "No worries, Miss Bordeleau. Your old coach did fill me in that there was a trust that was set up in your name until you turned 18, and I can give you the name of some fiduciaries that some other clients here have used if you want to get set up with them." Sophie broke out into a smile, the reality finally hitting her that she was making it. "Please, call me Sophie." As the family left the office, the rising Citadelles star felt like everything was coming up her way and she could achieve anything.