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fever95 · 04-08-2019, 07:26 PM

(4,483 words, ready to be graded, double media week)
We, here at the SHL Network were lucky enough to be granted a rare interview with Irish winger from the St. Louis Scarecrows and upcoming SHL draft prospect, Noah Gallagher. We were able to chat with Gallagher about many things, including his SMJHL free agency process as well as his thoughts on the season with the Scarecrows in St. Louis and the SMJHL playoffs. Gallagher also spoke to us about his selection to the British Isles World Junior Championships team and the tournament itself as well as his thoughts on each possible SHL draft destination where he could eventually be drafted to.

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Reporter: Hello Noah, how are you doing today?

Gallagher: Not so bad, and yourself?

Reporter: Good, good. You were late in declaring yourself eligible for the Season 46 SMJHL Entry Draft and thus were not selected in the draft. Instead, you became a free agent and were free to sign a contract with any team. Can you take us through the process?

Gallagher: Yeah. I had issues getting my passport updated, so I was unable to make it in time. When I was declared a free agent, I had quite a few teams approach my agent, John McBride about my interest in their club and the possibility of me signing a contract to play the season with them. Each team that spoke to Mr. McBride, all offered the same money in terms of a contract, so that was not a factor in my decision. Many of the offers that I received, featured the same role and/or ice time on the respective team, so my decision came down to the team's chances of winning and locker room atmosphere. I received some great pitches, but in the end, I chose St. Louis because I believed that I would have the best chance of winning a championship there and it seemed like they had a great bunch of guys in the locker room and management that knows how to win.

Reporter: Very interesting Noah, now you and your St. Louis teammates finished the season with a record of 31-18-1 for 63 points. That was good for second place in the SMJHL, just six points behind the first place Kelowna Knights. Can you tell us your thoughts about the regular season, individually as well as in terms of team play?

Gallagher: Sure. As far as my individual play is concerned, it is tough to make a name for yourself when you are playing fourth line minutes, six, seven, eight minutes a night but I know that there are areas where I need to improve before I become an impact player in the SMJHL. Night after night, I was getting my chances to put the puck in the back of the net or at least show up on the scoresheet with an assist, but it was not happening for me. There was a point where I became convinced that I would end the season going pointless *laughs but in our fourth from last game, Nicolaj (Muller) made a beautiful play, re-directing one of my shots home, past the Anaheim goaltender to give me my one and only point on the season. My defensive play away from the puck and while defending our zone also was not good enough either, especially early in the season and i finished with a -11 plus/minus rating. I worked hard on that part of my game during the season and I can see that there were vast improvements. As far as team play is concerned, I think we did very well as shown by our regular season record. Our offense did a good job, scoring the most goals of any team but our defensive play was not nearly good enough. We had the most goals against in the league and obviously, we will need to tighten that up as well as our league-worst penalty kill. Our powerplay unit was decent though, finishing with the third best success rate in the league. We were good at controlling the flow of the game and forcing our opponents to play our game, shown by our league-best face-off percentage as well as earning the second best shots for and shots against in the SMJHL. It was fun being part of a winning culture and for that, we earned a first round playoff bye.

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Reporter: Speaking of the playoffs, how about we discuss that for a moment? Obviously, you and the rest of your Scarecrow teammates had a first round bye. Was there any rust after not getting in on any game action for a week or so and how was your experience in the SMJHL playoffs?

Gallagher: Yeah. We came out flat against Halifax in game one and it showed in our play that we had some rust to shake off. We got smoked 6-2 in that game but after that wake up call, I think we played very well, winning the next three games. It was nice to contribute on the scoresheet, putting up a goal and an assist in the series, including my first career SMJHL goal. Halifax beat us in game five but we were able to eliminate them with a hard fought overtime win in game six and the feeling of winning a playoff series felt great. We moved onto face the Anchorage Armada with a trip to the Four Star Cup Finals on the line. We came out with a better effort, winning the first game at home before losing a tough one in overtime of game two. In game three, we were in tough, down by two in the third period but with hard work and three goals in under five minutes, we took the series lead back. The Armada bounced back in game four to tie the series, beating us in convincing fashion with a 5-1 win. Again, we took the series lead back with a 3-1 win on home ice and in game six, we were down 3-1 with four minutes left in the second period but a late powerplay goal got us within one heading into the third period. We scored an early one in the third period to tie the game up and added a pair of late goals to take the game 5-3 and win the series 4-2. We would move on to the 4 Star Cup finals to face the Kelowna Knights and a chance for the Crows to “three-peat”. The series did not start the way we hoped, as we lost both games in Kelowna, by scores of 4-0 and 3-1 respectively. We bounced back when we came home, winning both games to tie the series at two by scores of 4-3 both times with game three going to overtime. I had an assist in game three and then we lost in Kelowna again in game five by a score of 4-1 with our only goal being scored by myself. We were down late in game six at home and the Knights let up just a little bit, giving up the opportunity to tie it and send it to overtime, where we eventually won and forced a deciding seventh game. Game seven was another hard-fought battle but we were eventually able to come out on top with another 4-3 win and keep the 4 Star Cup in St. Louis. I am proud that we are one of only two franchises to win three straight championships and the first team to go down 0-2 in the finals and be able to come back and win the series!

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Reporter: Congratulations on winning the championship and now next on the agenda will be the World Junior Championship. You were selected to represent Team British Isles at the tournament. What are your thoughts on the international play and the tournament itself?

Gallagher: Thanks. Yeah, it is always an honour when you are able to represent your country on the international stage, just playing for pride. In this tournament, you get to meet and play on the same side as some guys that maybe you don't know all that well or have played on the opposite side of in the past. That is kind of nice and as far as the tournament goes, I think we have a decent shot at making some noise or even winning the gold medal. We will give it our very best effort and see what comes of it. No matter what the result is, I will be very proud of myself and fellow teammates for being chosen to representing our country against the rest of the world!

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Reporter: The Season 47 SHL Entry Draft is quickly approaching. You must be very excited to find out which one of the 16 SHL franchises will call you up to the podium and select you as one of their draft selections on draft night. Do you have any thoughts on where you will be selected in the draft and have any of the general managers approached you on the possibility of joining their club? Are there any teams you would like to play for or any you would rather not play for?

Gallagher: Yeah, it is an exciting time me myself and the rest of the Season 47 SHL draft class, that is for sure. There have been a few teams that I have been in contact with but in terms of talk, nothing really substantial has come of it. I expect that the talks will heat up quite a bit when draft week rolls around. Yeah, I will give my input and interest of each SHL franchise, in no particular order.

Calgary Dragons

I have nothing against the management or the players and prospects in the Calgary Dragons system, but this is a destination that I would not like to be drafted to. There are quite a few names here that I recognize and that it would be nice to be teammates with but that still does not change my stance on Calgary. The management team definitely knows what they are doing and how to build a championship caliber team and the Dragons do have a lot of history here in the SHL. If I were to be drafted by the Calgary Dragons, I likely would refuse to sign a contract and they would have wasted a draft pick on me.

Edmonton Blizzard
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The Edmonton Blizzard, formerly the Edmonton Comets are one of the first expansion teams in the league, joining in Season 2. They have a rich history of winning and a very long list of hall of fame players and award winners. The management situation is unclear at this point, as their now former general manager recently stepped down and the Blizzard are currently interviewing for that vacant spot. On the Edmonton roster, there are a few names that I recognize and would love the chance to be teammates with as well as some names that are not familiar with who I would have a chance to get to know. If I would to be drafted here, I think that I would have a great chance at excelling and eventually become an SHL superstar.

Los Angeles Panthers
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The Los Angeles Panthers are one of the SHL franchises that I would love to suit up for. I am very familiar with the GM tandem in Los Angeles and get along great with both of them. There are quite a few players in the Panthers organization that I am very familiar with as well as some new faces to me, who I would have a chance to get to know. The Panthers locker room atmosphere has always been known as a positive and upbeat one and one in which many players want to be a part of. Although Los Angeles has not won a Challenge Cup since Season 17, it always seems that they are in the mix and a Challenge Cup contender, year after year. They did go to the finals in Seasons 39 and 41 but were not able to complete their goal. I have a feeling that I would have a chance to thrive here and be a part in helping bring home a much needed championship.

Minnesota Chiefs
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The Minnesota Chiefs, not unlike the Los Angeles Panthers, were founded in Season 5 and faced off in the Challenge Cup Finals in Season 6 in what was a battle of the expansion teams. Although the Chiefs did not raise the Challenge Cup in that season, they were able to do so in Season 10 and Season 12 against Winnipeg as well as getting their revenge against Los Angeles in Season 39. I am not familiar at all with the management team of the Chiefs and there are a few names on their roster and prospect list that I recognize. If the Chiefs were to draft me, I would be happy to suit up for them, meet some new teammates, and hopefully be a part of bringing more championships to Hockeytown USA.

New Orleans Specters

The New Orleans Specters are a brand new addition to the SHL, joining as an expansion franchise in Season 46 and have already enjoyed some success in their inaugural season. They were able to qualify for the post-season, receiving a first round bye and them winning a hard fought seven game series against the Los Angeles Panthers. I really like the Specters' logo and colour scheme and could see myself pulling their jersey on. I am somewhat familiar with team management and there are quite a few players on their roster and in their system that I know. It could be fun to play here and grow as a player with them as the team grows.

San Francisco Pride

The San Francisco Pride, rebranded from the Portland Admirals in Season 37, have been a part of the league for a couple of decades now and have not really been able to find a whole lot of team success. They were able to compete for the Challenge Cup on two occasions as the Portland Admirals but eventually lost both times. As the Pride, they have only been able to qualify for the playoffs once, winning just a single game and losing 4-1 in the opening round to the Calgary Dragons. I do like their logo but the colour scheme just doesn't do it for me. I am not too familiar at all with that many people involved in their organization but with that being being said, I wouldn't mind suiting up for them at all.

Texas Renegades
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There are only a couple of prospects that ring a bell to me in the Texas Renegades locker room as of now but one of them is my teammate down in St. Louis who I have had a good relationship with. Texas could be a good place for me to get acquainted with and they do have a history of putting a good on-ice product together. The Renegades joined the SHL as an expansion franchise in Season 10 and won a Challenge Cup just five seasons in, in Season 14 as well as back to back championships in Seasons 20 and 21. They added another in Season 36 but have struggled as of late. The logo and colour scheme in Texas is great and looks sharp, a jersey that I would be proud to pull on.

Winnipeg Jets
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The Winnipeg Jets are one of the original SHL franchises and have a rich, rich history of winning. The Jets won championships in Seasons 1, 7, 19, 25, 37, and 44 to bring their total to five Challenge Cups and have added eight Cole Reinhart trophies to their trophy case as the West playoff champions. I am very familiar with a lot of people involved with the Jets' franchise and my agent represent two players who spent their entire career in Winnipeg. One of those players is a hall of famer with a trophy named after him and the other just retired and had a very successful career who has the potential to become a future hall of famer. With all of that being said, I definitely have big interest in being drafted by the Winnipeg Jets and would be smiling from ear to ear if that were to happen.

Buffalo Stampede
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The Buffalo Stampede became a part of the SHL family in Season 25 when they joined as an expansion franchise. The logo and colour scheme of the Stampede is decent and I think it works well together. As far as Buffalo's roster is concerned, there are a few names there that are familiar to me that I think I would enjoy being teammates with and I do recognize the management team but have not had much interaction with them. As far as on ice success goes, it has been a tough go for the Stampede who have only finished with an above .500 record seven times in their 22 year existence and have never made a trip to the Challenge Cup finals. If drafted by Buffalo, it would be a nice experience to help them on their way to their goal of capturing their first championship. I was just informed that the Stampede have just completed winning their first Challenge Cup so instead of helping them win their first, I would have to be content with helping them add more banners to the rafters.

Chicago Syndicate

The Chicago Syndicate are also a very new and fresh team in the SHL, the other expansion team to join the league in Season 46. Unlike the New Orleans Specters, the Syndicate did not enjoy much on ice success in their first season, finishing second from last in the Eastern Conference and third from last in the entire league with a record of 24-22-4. I love Chicago's logo and colour scheme which really seems to flow well and I would be more than happy to end up in Syndicate silks. I am pretty familiar with the management team in Chicago and there are quite a few players and prospects that I recognize and would enjoy being on the same team with. The Syndicate are a pretty young team and I would have a good chance here to grow with them and help them on their way to becoming a playoff team and then a Challenge Cup contender. My interest in being selected by Chicago is very high and one of my top destination choices.

Hamilton Steelhawks
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The Hamilton Steelhawks are one of the original SHL franchises who were in the league right from the start in Season 1, so obviously they have a lot of history. They have never re-located or re-branded which is something that I can respect and they have three Challenge Cup victories which came in Seasons 11, 24 and 26 so it has been a while since they have had the chance to hoist the cup. They also won the Mathias Chouinard Trophy as the East playoff champions in Seasons 3, 7, 9, 11, 19, 20, 21, 24, 26, 27 and 29 so they have definitely had some success. Their colour scheme is decent but I am not really a fan of their logo and I am pretty familiar with part of the Steelhawks management team. There are a few faces in their locker room as well as in their prospect pool that are recognizable to myself but despite that, due to personal reasons that I will not get into, Hamilton is a destination that is undesirable to me. Should they choose to go ahead and draft me anyways, much like Calgary, I am very unlikely to sign a contract with them and they would have wasted that draft pick.

Manhattan Rage

The Manhattan Rage franchise has been around for a very long time, almost from the beginning as they joined the SHL in Season 2. Despite their longevity in the league and a storied history, the Rage have only been able to capture a trio of Challenge Cup championships. These championships came in Seasons 22, 34 and 38 so it has been a little while since they have felt glory. To go with those three championships, Manhattan has also won the Mathias Chouinard Trophy as East playoff champions five times. Their logo and colour scheme go very well together in my opinion and I wouldn't mind wearing a Rage jersey. I recognize part of their management but there are few players on their roster and in their system that are familiar to me. That is not a problem at all for me as I would get to know some new faces and if drafted by the Rage, hopefully help in their quest for another championship.

New England Wolfpack

The New England Wolfpack are a team that I am very interested in being drafted by and are one of my top choices of SHL draft destinations. My agent represented a player (Carter O'Callahan) who spent the majority of his SHL with the Wolfpack, winning one Challenge Cup and that version of the Wolfpack were always a threat to win the Challenge Cup, never missing the playoffs during that span. I am very familiar with one of New England's general managers and get along very well with him, although I do not know much about the other GM. There are many faces in the Wolfpack locker room as well as in their system that I recognize with a mix of players and prospects that I have yet to get to know but would like to. New England was founded in Season 10 and moved around a bit early on in their first few seasons before settling in Boston and have been very successful, winning four championships, their last coming in Season 33 and seven Mathias Chouinard Trophies as the Eastern Conference playoff champions. Although New England finished out of the playoffs in Season 46, their future looks bright and I would very much like to be a part of that. I would be more than happy to throw on the green and black silks on the draft podium, should they choose to select me with one of their draft selections come draft day.

Tampa Bay Barracuda

The Tampa Bay Barracuda are a team who have been around since the very beginning in Season 1, although they have made quite a few re-locations and/or re-brands. Originally, they were the Wisconsin Monarchs and then moved to Vancouver in Season 3 as the Ice Wolves before re-branding to the Vancouver Nightmare in Season 6. In Season 8, they became the Las Vegas Kings and moved again in 16 to become the Seattle Riot. They had a fairly long stay in Seattle, just recently moving to Tampa Bay in Season 46 and becoming known as the Barracuda. The franchise has made just three trips to the Challenge Cup finals in their existence (Seasons 5, 18, 26) and won the Challenge Cup in Season 18. I am a little bit familiar with the general manager team but not all that much and I don't really recognize many of the personnel in their locker room. The Barracuda logo and colour scheme is great and the jerseys look pretty slick in my opinion and I wouldn't mind suiting up in it at all. If I were to be drafted by Tampa Bay, it would be a good experience to get to know some new faces and I would hope to help them bring some championship banners home to hang in the rafters.

Toronto North Stars
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The Toronto North Stars are another one of the original SHL franchises and have never re-located or re-branded the team, just a few subtle logo and/or colour changes. That is something that I respect and obviously they have a storied history in the league. It took Toronto 35 seasons to win their first Challenge Cup and they have not been able to capture another one since, although they have had some great teams and always ice a competitive team. The North Stars were the Eastern playoff champions four times, in Seasons 16 and 17 as well as Seasons 35 and 37. The colour scheme and logo is pretty decent and there are some names among management and in the locker room and in Toronto's system that are familiar to me. I would be glad to have a chance to play in Toronto with the North Stars if they gave me a chance to help them win some championships by selecting me in the upcoming draft.

West Kendall Platoon
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The West Kendall Platoon are the final team on the list and the final original SHL franchise, joining the league in Season 1. They come from an nontraditional hockey market in a city that not a lot of people know or have heard of but their colour scheme and logo is nice and flows well together. The Platoon have captured four Challenge Cup titles, two of which came early on in the SHL existence (Seasons 2 and 5) while the other two have come recently (Seasons 41 and 43). West Kendall have also won the Mathias Chouinard Trophy as the Eastern playoff champions on 12 occasions, the latest coming in Season 45. There is a lot of history in the West Kendall Platoon franchise and they are a club that I would not mind suiting up for. I am familiar with part of their management team as well as a few names on their roster and prospect list. If drafted by the Platoon, I would do my very best to help them capture more championships and becoming on the most storied franchises in the SHL.

Reporter: Great insight and thoughts there on all of the SHL franchises, Noah. It was very interesting to get to know your thought process on each of the SHL franchises as far as a draft destination is concerned. Thank you for taking the time to speak to us today but unfortunately, that is all the time we have. We look forward to speaking to you again in the near future!

Gallagher: No problem. Thanks for having me!

***WannabeFinn*** · 04-08-2019, 09:14 PM

yes help us add more banners Stampede

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