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CyanWinters · 09-20-2012, 11:31 AM

On Tuesday the NWJHL draft lottery began and within a few hours, the draft order for the first two rounds had been hashed out. With this important milestone, the NWJHL draft comes ever closer, with GMs and players alike freeing up their calendars in anticipation of the exciting event.

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One such player is highly touted prospect Cyan Winters, who has previously expressed frustration at the lack of communication between both the league and the GMs towards the players. However now that things are noticeably moving forward, we thought we would check in with Mr.Winters and get his thoughts.

Interview

SZ: Hello again Cyan. It seems like we talk quite a lot these days, although it has been some time since we formally sat down together like this.

Winters: Yeah, no kidding, itâ€™s been hectic lately. Glad to be here as always, nameless reporter.

Interview

SZ: Letâ€™s begin with the lottery. What is your opinion on how it shook out?

Winters: Itâ€™s hard for me to have much of an opinion. Obviously the Impact lucked out with #1 overall, and in such a small league having #1 pick in the first two rounds is huge. They have a good chance at getting two guys they want. The Knights are sort of the opposite, not even getting a pick until half way through the second round, thatâ€™s rough. They are going to have to be ready to cross names off their Christmas list.

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(May not be entirely accurate)

Interview

SZ: Youâ€™ve previously expressed some frustration at the lack of information and communication flowing towards the players. Has that improved at all?

Winters: Well, sort of. I mean, the draft lottery pretty much came out of nowhere. I havenâ€™t heard anything from the leagueâ€¦ever, and then boom thereâ€™s a draft lottery going on. However, I have been able to talk with some team management.

Interview

SZ: Oh? Before or after the lottery? Can you go into any detail?

Winters: After, all after. There were some informal comments made before that lead me to believe a team or two might be actively looking into me, but nothing directly to me. However since the lottery I have had contact with some teams in regards to the draft.

Interview

SZ: Juicy details?

Winters: Iâ€™m not going to give out any names at this time. I donâ€™t know if Iâ€™m allowed to or not, but I donâ€™t want to undermine potential relationships just to give you a headline. All I can say about the specific communications is that they involve the draft and some teams possibly interested.

Interview

SZ: So you are negotiating contracts? Buying plane tickets? Packing your bags?

Winters: Stop, just stop. What I said before, I meant it. Itâ€™s just preliminary discussions about the draft and the role I might play. Thereâ€™s nothing else to report.

Interview

SZ: Okay, okay. Fine. Well letâ€™s talk about the teams. You have expressed interest in a few teams online, any updated thoughts there?

Winters: Sure, sure. I feel comfortable stating that my team of choice is the Knights. I know itâ€™s a little unfortunate, given what I said about their draft lottery results, but if I was to pick my team that would be the one.

Interview

SZ: Why the Knights? Do you think youâ€™ll make it to them in the draft?

Winters: Heiss. Everyone keeps saying Iâ€™m the next him, it feels like a destiny I have to fulfill. He is a co-GM there, and I think it would be great to play for him. I think he likes me and likes the comparisons, so I think we could have a great relationship. I would love to be modest and say Iâ€™ll definitely fall far enough in the draft to end up there, but in reality it might be tough. Every team in the league gets at least one pick before the Knights, most get two. I doubt I am that far down on the pecking order, to be honest. But I hope so!

Interview

SZ: Anyone else? Second or third choices?

Winters: Yeah my second choice is out in Detroit. They win the â€œclose to home and not Canadaâ€ award and are a team I indicated early on I might have some interest in. They are a very successful, championship-caliber team. Even if I didnâ€™t start there, it would certainly look good to have a Championship under my belt come time for the SHL draft. After that, I get rather indifferent. I always like Whale based teams, like the Whalers or the Whale, but that seems like a pretty lame reason to want to actually join the team.

Interview

SZ: So have you talked to either of those two teams?

Winters: Hey, fuck you! I said I wasnâ€™t going to go into details. I hate you guys. To answer your question a little more politically, yes. I reached out to Heiss himself following the news and have had a brief conversation with him in the last 48 hours, but I canâ€™t discuss anything we talked about, just that we talked.

Interview

SZ: Safe to assume, then, youâ€™re going to the Knights?

Winters: Who hired you, seriously? Can I talk to your manager?

Interview

SZ: No, you canâ€™t. You recently got locked out of RIT practice. Still burn?

Winters: Now that Iâ€™m talking to NWJHL teams, and the draft is on the horizon, no. I feel completely confident I will get drafted, so I no longer have any regret whatsoever about my decision to give up my last year here.

Interview

SZ: Still a fan of the team?

Winters: Of course. I plan to go to every game I can while Iâ€™m still in town, and if coach wants I will happily come in and help the goalies. Iâ€™ve already told them that once I go pro Iâ€™d be interested in coming back for goalie camps and stuff.

Interview

SZ: Okay letâ€™s start to wrap this up. Who do you think will be #1 overall?

Winters: I have the same answer that everyone else Iâ€™ve talked to does. Itâ€™s going to be Schultz. I donâ€™t know what he did, but he seems to be everyoneâ€™s favorite. He doesnâ€™t have the best stats, biggest bank, or best writing, but he clearly knows who to talk to in order to get ahead here. And good for him. Once the games start, weâ€™ll see who really goes far.

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(Definitely not how Schultz got to #1. Definitely.)

Interview

SZ: Think you should be #1?

Winters: No, not really. Itâ€™s not too common for goalies to go first overall, and there are definitely guys in line who have a more professional game than I do right now. I think Iâ€™m first round material, but will likely go later than that due to politics. I am fine with that, honestly. I just want to play.

SZ: Thanks for the interview.

Winters: Yeah, please get fired.