Inside the Boards: Lucas Hellquist's Draft Day (part 2!)
by: Braut Haaland

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Word count: 886

Just over a year ago, Lucas Hellquist was selected 29th overall in the SMJHL S52 Entry Draft. He went lower than a lot of people thought he would. Dubbed the steal of the draft, Lucas would go on to show that over the course of the season. Lucas ended the year tied for 2nd in rooking scoring in the 52nd SMJHL season with 30 points (9 goals and 21 assists).

Fast forward to a few days ago, Lucas joined in a Zoom call with us due to his self-quarantining thanks to COVID-19.

"Yea, I'm a bit worried about this whole virus thing. Hopefully it doesn't delay the season more, but whatever the decision is from the top, I'll follow. Hopefully everyone is staying safe right now" said Lucas after being asked about his concerns with the upcoming season and COVID-19.

When asked about what he's doing to combat this pandemic he replied, "Just staying at home. Not really leaving the house until absolutely necessary like to get food and supplies. Workout wise, been doing a lot of body weight exercises as well as some stick drills, you know, puck-handling, that sort of thing."

"Been also watching a lot of Netflix and HBO. Can't be working out 24/7 even though I need to kill time. Watchmen and Witcher have been my go-tos so far, but I'm looking for some other shows," he says laughing.

He also showed me around his apartment since last time we were just in a hotel room. Not going to lie folks, he's an organized kid. He's ready for the big leagues for sure.

Lucas said he had high hopes for the draft this time because he showed what he can do last season and expected an earlier draft position than last year: "Yea, I thought I showed what I can give a team last season and hopefully the GMs saw that and are willing to take me on."

On draft day, Lucas joined a call with some of his buddies from the Maine Timbers (formerly Halifax Raiders) to watch the draft and react live. No one went to the draft because the young guns didn't want to get sick and ruin their chances of playing next season.

Fortunately for us, Lucas also joined another Zoom call with us in order to take some reactionary questions about the draft as it happened. Of course, he muted his mic for one program when he was talking to the other. He was laughing and presumably making jokes with his teammates really showcasing his personality. You can see this kid just loved playing hockey and hanging out with the team.

Not too long after the draft had officially begun. While there wasn't a crowd like normal due to the Coronavirus, he was watching the stream with anticipation. Every time the commissioner went up to declare the pick, he was focused. Hoping it was him. Lucas knew he wasn't going to be the 1st overall pick, but one could see that the anticipation was killing him.

"Man, I wish I was first overall, but all the pressure that comes with it. Not sure if I could handle it right now. I'll be glad to be taken in the first 1 and a half rounds."

Pick after pick, you could see he was getting a bit disappointed with his draft position, especially after round 1. He was a bit shocked, he thought that his play last season would earn him a higher draft pick than last time.

At around the 30th pick, he said, "I don't know guys, I thought I put up a monster first season. I just hope I get selected at some point."

He said his teammates had reassured him that he would once again, be the steal of the draft. Not too long after that, he got a text message from one of the SHL GMs talking to him. At first he didn't notice it was a GM but when he introduced himself as the GM of the New England Wolfpack he was shocked. He knew that he was going to be selected by them at that point. "Holy **** guys. I'm getting drafted!!!"

So for the 39th pick in the Season 53 draft, Lucas Hellquist was selected by the New England Wolfpack. He's going to stay in Maine for at least one more season to develop and maybe get called up next season.

Either way, he's made a vow to work even harder and prove his doubters wrong, "Damn, I'm gonna have to show the rest of the league what they're missing... Again!!!! Bring it on!"

He's looking to show the league the player they could have gotten. We're looking forward to catching up with him soon throughout the season to see how things are going.

Until next time, please stay healthy and in your houses!

Update: We reached out to a couple of scouts regarding Lucas. Many scouts had mentioned that he might go on to be the steal of the draft as long as he plays hard and is active in trying to get better. Another said that his draft stock was low due to "not doing much media" which can be a problem for some draftees, but I never expected it to be such a hit to his draft stock.

We're excited to have ya bud.

RIP Dangel. See you on the other side, brother

I've said it before, but I'll say it again: steal x2
Looking forward to watching you slide into a top 10 earner from this draft in a few seasons