Want to move to Winnipeg?

Magnus sat on the bed, fingers interlaced, elbows on his knees and took a breath. This was the night before the S53 SHL draft, the kind of night that made it so very, very hard for him to sleep. The last draft - his SMJHL draft - he couldn’t sleep either, not after Notorious Tig called and told him that he was going to be picked by the Detroit Falcons with the second overall pick. Yesterday, it was Muerto, the General Manager of the Winnipeg Jets who gave him a phone call. The Winnipeg Jets wanted him, and they wanted him at the first overall selection.

Want to move to Winnipeg?

First overall. The Winnipeg Jets had traded with the Texas Renegades for the first overall pick, by promising this year’s fourth overall pick and another first round pick from next year or the year after. That had generated quite the controversy online on the hockey forums, on Twitter, on media - everyone was talking about the trade, and how Winnipeg basically gave up a king’s ransom to move up three spots in a draft that was famed in its depth. How this was a crazy move, an unnecessary move, one that shouldn’t have been done to preserve future assets. Bad asset management, many people said. The difference between first and fourth in this draft would be minuscule, they said. When he heard about the trade, Magnus couldn’t imagine who Winnipeg was thinking of taking - who they were so worried about being snapped up in the first three picks that they couldn’t wait to take them at fourth. Never in his wildest dreams did he think it would be him.

He knew he’d performed well in his rookie season in the SMJHL. The team not getting to go to the Four Star Cup Final stung, but they had more chances. This was their first year, and next year was going to be different. The Detroit Falcons were going to be a force to be reckoned with, and with the help of his fellow rookies he was going to hoist that cup high. The playoffs were a revelation - he loved the bruising hits, the intense battles, the desperate lunges - the sheer intensity of it all. This was nothing like the junior league back home, where it was a gentleman’s game. The referees back home didn’t swallow their whistles when the regular season was done.

During the playoffs, Magnus was proud he managed to go at a point per game pace - he felt like his game was finally getting to a level that he was happy with. His passes were connecting, his shots hit the net, and he hit his opponents with a vengeance. Being selected as the first star of the game twice, in two different series was heady stuff. He couldn’t quite believe it when it happened, as scoring wasn’t really part of his game before. All the effort and all the accolades weren’t quite enough - the last few games against the Scarecrows were tough, and both teams ground out the wins that they had in the series. The last game… falling so short of tying the game and forcing overtime hurt. Khabib had tears in his eyes as he came out of the penalty box - he knew that he’d let the team down in his final year, in his final game, in his final minutes with the Falcons.

That was in the past. No use on dwelling on it - next year was a new year. New chances for everyone.

General Managers and scouts had been approaching him halfway through the season, sounding him out on his preferences and where he thought he wanted to go in the future. How long he wanted to stay down, and what kind of role he envisioned in the future for himself. His answer was always the same:



Most nodded; some frowned. They understood, but sometimes the needs of the big clubs overrode the player’s desires. If they needed a warm body, you were coming up whether you wanted to or not. Texas had seemed the most interested - they had a lot of ex-Falcons players on their roster, and they all had good words to say about the Renegades. Edmonton contacted late in the game, but they had the tenth pick. Magnus knew there were good players - better players - that should be ahead of him. Tampa Bay was a wildcard - they had so many picks he didn’t know what they were thinking. San Francisco sent out an email blast, and then went quiet. Winnipeg had always been interested from the start, and they had been circling around him for a while before the trade for first overall happened. Fourteenth was what Magnus was thinking - not a bad spot to get picked. Still in the first round, but without the pressure of that single digit pick.

I want to move to Winnipeg.

Being picked first overall was a challenge - to prove himself worthy of the selection. People were already talking about the cost of the pick, and to have that talk attached to him was a motivator. Something to add fuel to the drive to get better, to earn the worthiness of that price that the Jets had paid for him. It was a legacy that he had to live up to.

This was his one shot, his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He was going to seize it, take it and never let it go, show those doubters who he really was and that he was worthy.

Magnus picked up the phone and pressed the dial button - the numbers were already there. He had put off calling Muerto long enough. The phone rang once, twice. Someone on the other side picked up.

I want to move to Winnipeg.

You better lose yourself in the music, the moment

You own it, you better never let it go

You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow

This opportunity comes once in a lifetime