JC AND SPARKY MEDIA PODCAST - Episode 2 - (Check out episode 1 if you haven't yet!)

Sparky:

It is Sparky aka. TheSparkyDee here again, for Episode 2 of the Jayden Cloutier and Sparky Media Podcast! We are here with Jayden Cloutier aka. jaypc8237, and our Special Guest, Jay2233! Good To see you, Jay!


Jay2233:
Nice to be here!


Sparky:
So let us get down to business. How did you think your second season went Jayden?


Jayden Cloutier:
This last season has really been a morale booster for me, recording 8 Goals, and 25 Assists for 33 Points in 66 Games. That is a point every second game! I have been training all of the last season to reach my personal best, and that peak is within reach. On top of improving my offensive stats this season, my defensive stats have vastly improved, going from a -66 for my +/-, to a grand total of -20. That is a -44 difference! Still, -20 is not all-star potential, so I still do need to improve in that aspect, but this offseason, attending Training Camp, and watching all of the Playoff All-Stars in Championship Week has started to rub off on me. This season I am hoping to reach a total of 15 goals, and get up to 50 points on the season, taking place in the quarterback position on the Scarecrows Power-Play. Another morale booster to look forward to is the New England Wolfpack. I just received a 6 Million Dollar contract as a rookie, and I just can’t wait until I make my way up to the SHL. As much as I want to reach my goal of making my way up to the SHL, I just can’t believe I am going to be leaving Sparky and Jay behind here in St. Louis. I am hoping that New England will call me up soon, but I am hoping that “Soon” will be a couple of seasons from now. I want to win a Championship here in St. Louis, and I want to do it here with Sparky, Snuss, and all my other close buddies. 


Jay2233:
What kind of player are you hoping to become?


Jayden Cloutier:
I am hoping to play like Evan Bouchard in the NHL. He is this young upstart defenseman who has the best shot as a defenseman, bombing the shot from the point on the Power-Play, and hoping for a tip or a screen on the goalie. But at the same time, I want to play as an all-around player, the best to help my St. Louis Scarecrows. I have worked on my defensive prowess this offseason and hoping to improve my +/- this season. But as well, as an idol growing up, Kris Russel, the all-time shot blocker, having no fear, blocking shots for the better of his team, is what I want to be like as well. And you may mix up some Bobby Orr into that frame to play like him back in the day, picking up the puck behind my own net, and exploding down the ice with a great burst of acceleration, finding some of that open ice and taking advantage of that. There are many players I want to play like, and slowly but surely, little by little, I am making my way up to be a Two-Way player with all of those famous guys mixed into one. 


Sparky:
So you think St. Louis is going to make some noise this season?



Jayden Cloutier:
I guarantee you that St. Louis will make some noise this year. After being near the bottom of the league for the last couple of seasons, some of us are tired of losing, and we just want to win. We are going to work our butts off this season to move up the standings and make a splash into the playoffs. After only playing 4 games in the playoffs in 2 seasons, I am ready for more. The more experience I have, the better I will become. We have so much young talent on our team, and that is what you need in the SMJHL to make a splash. We will probably not make it far into the playoffs, but with our work ethic, and our desire for the Cup, I assure you this season, and in the seasons to come, the St. Louis Scarecrows will improve more and more, to try and become the best we can become. 


Jay2233:
What do you expect from the team this season? Do you have any goals?


Jayden Cloutier:
For the team, I expect we play better than I have seen since I joined the Scarecrows. Making it to the 1st Rund last year in the playoffs was definitely fun but I have faith that we can at least make it to the second round this year. I want to improve our record this year too, by at least 10 points, or 10 more wins. That doesn’t sound like very much, but realistically, it is in my mind. As for personal goals, I am hoping to get up to 15 goals, and a total of 45 points. That would be amazing. Bt I also need to improve on the other side of the puck, by playing well in our own zone. In that aspect, 200 Shot Blocks would be quite amazing, and a positive +/- maybe too much to ask, but it is something to look forward to. And another cool thing that I want to work towards is gaining the Captaincy once Snussu has landed his way into the SHL, where he rightfully deserves to be. 


Jay2233:
After seeing St. Louis make some moves and it’s draft time, how do you feel about the team going into next season?


Jayden Cloutier:
It's hard not to feel excited heading into this upcoming season. With everybody who has been here for the last few years has been working diligently to improve their own personal performance, because a better personal performance is better for our overall performance on our team. With all f our new rookies coming in this year from our plentiful draft, the future is definitely bright for every crow in that room. Though I must say, our immediate future is bright as well. Like I said before, I have complete faith that St. Louis will be able to make it to the second round of the playoffs this upcoming season.


Jay2233:
St Louis has had a losing season ever since S54. How do the guys in the locker room feel about that, and are you excited to get a chance and break this unfortunate streak?


Jayden Cloutier:
I will be honest, it is a terrible streak to be living in, but at the same time, it is just a morale booster. What I mean by that is we all in that locker room want to end that streak. It just shows us that we aren't just here simmering in the minor leagues, waiting until we get our shot at "The Show". We are down here playing for something and that something may just be the 4 Star Cup. We may have been cupless for the last 11 years, but that is just more incentive for all of us to push our way to ending that drought, and become the best in the SMJHL, once again, where we belong. We all walk into that locker room every home game, every practice, and see the last 4 Star Cup in the Hardware Case, and are so in awe of it because we have not been at that Standard before. But then we see the year on that cup, Season 54, and that is what motivates us. We want to win that cup for ourselves, but also for all of our family members, our youth coaches, and everyone else who helped us as a kid. And we want to win it for our staff members, like both of you two, Sparky and Jay2233.


Big Thanks to @TheSparkyDee and @jay2233 for helping me with my financial situation. It was a blast!