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ImASurvivor · 10-01-2019, 12:56 AM

850 words, ready for grading
I wish I could say that this offseason flew by, but if I'm being completely truthful it has gone by at a sluggish pace, especially since I was ready to get back on the ice right after our Four Star Cup victory. The offseason is jam-packed with loads of events, tournaments and TPE opportunities so there is plenty to go over in this article. Be prepared to see one of these each and every week in order for me to fund my weekly training. Hopefully one day my contract will allow me to afford such luxuries.

The Celebrations

Despite having the most rookies of any team in the SMJHL during S49, the Montreal Militia made a cinderella run through the playoffs. Knocking off teams such as the Detroit Falcons in the semifinals as well as the Kelowna Knights to secure the championship. With most of the roster being complete rookies during S49, the parties that ensued were ragers. Booze was flying, and with the announcement of relocation, alongside a complete rebrand, people were excited for sure. Parties lasted deep into the night, and some illegal substances were ingested, but each member of the team made it out on the other end. I'm not exactly sure when my days with the cup are exactly, hopefully, it will give me a bit more time to decide what to do with it. I will probably take it in the passenger seat of my ol' race car.

The SHL Draft

Heading into the S50 SHL Entry Draft, the only thing I knew for certain was that my draft position could only have gone up after I had been a measly 34th overall selection back in my SMJHL Entry Draft. I had had significant conversations with a half-dozen organizations that had first-round selections, and the consensus opinion was that I would not escape the first round. That opinion proved to be correct, as I only had to hear nine other names called before StadiumGambler, the Winnipeg Jets General Manager, walked up for the second time that evening and called my name. I raced up to the stage, because gotta go fast, and told my new general manager that I was disappointed with where he chose to select me, because in the end kiddos if you're not first you're last. With that being said, I plan on staying loyal to the franchise that drafted me, and I am excited to be a cornerstone of the next generation of Jets alongside Adam Barron. An additional note, it was splendid to see that many of my Kraken teammates had also gone in the first round, showing promise for the next couple of seasons of development down in Carolina.

The World Junior Championships

I was honestly surprised to get the call but completely humbled to be selected to the S49 Team USA WJC roster. Considering the depth of the USNTDP program, I entirely expected to wait a season for some older players to get called up and lose eligibility, but here I was in my rookie season playing on the world stage. During the group draw, I sat in the hotel room that I shared with my fellow Kraken who had been selected to the team and got the devastating news that we had been drawn into the group of death, alongside Canada, DACH, and Team World. We were in for a tough challenge but were motivated to prove ourselves heading into our sophomore season with our SMJHL squads. The round-robin stage did not go as we had hoped, as we bottomed out of the group meaning a match-up against top-seeded UCORGAL from Group B. We pushed them to the brink, but were eliminated in overtime in the single-elimination game, and were sent to pack our bags. All in all, my first international tournament did not go as planned, but it provided much-needed experience heading into the next few seasons of international competition at the junior level, before hopefully making the jump into the US National Team once I make it to the SHL.

SMJHL Draft

My agent, Buddy the Elf, joined the management team here in Carolina. It is kind of strange having a doppelganger as your boss, but you start to wonder if you might get special treatment, and only time will tell. He was telling me that the lead-up to the draft was quite slow as it took the head office a while to finalize dates for all of their offseason events. Once things were announced and recruitment began, he said that the amount of work picked up considerably. He was tasked with messaging primarily first-generation prospects and welcoming them to the league, while also gauging interest and other secret factors that went into prospect ranking. In the end, the management team wound up selecting two players that I believe will be impactful players down the line. I know how tough it is to play in this league as a rookie, but I think by next season that they will only complement the sheer powerhouse of a team we have garnered here in Carolina. Look out SMJHL.

ACapitalChicago · 10-01-2019, 01:11 AM

Excellent insight! Kraken

S66 Damian Littleton

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