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Youbi · 03-04-2016, 06:57 PM

928 Words, Ready for Grading, x2 First Article (I read this somewhere), Draft Bonus (read about this somewhere too...)

A single light sways from the rafters of the hockey rink. It's dim and flickers in and out of focus, and dust slowly settles its way down onto the ice. Standing at the center of the gleaming, untouched surface is Darian Tupper, a native of the United Arab Emirates. With possibly one of the most interesting backstories of any player to come along in quite some time, Tupper is the single most intriguing prospect to the SMJHL General Managers.

It wasn't long ago that Tupper was nothing more than another face in the crowd, part of the system. He did what every other kid does in high school, and had a good time. It wasn't until the eleventh grade when, during a hockey game, a man walked down to his teams bench and spoke to the coach quietly. It was an odd event to be witnessed by a young boy from the UAE. Once he finished his shift, Darian returned to the bench and sat down, taking a chug from his water bottle.

He felt a tap on his shoulder. It was his coach.

"Son, a certain somebody wants to see you after the game. He'll be waiting outside the door for you."

"It was a really wierd night." Tupper says, thinking back. "All of the sudden my mind was completely off the game. I performed poorly, and it was honestly a bad night for me. Apparently it was enough for the scout though."

The man who approached Tupper was a scout for the SMJHL, and told Tupper he was expressing interest in bringing him over to North America to play amateur hockey. The contract was on the table, and Tupper was to be playing 3rd line minutes for the SMJHL's Kelowna Knights.

"I turned away the contract mainly because I didn't feel ready to move across the world at that point in my life, and because I didn't feel I was good enough to play a high level of hockey. I told the scout that I appreciated the offer, but I wasn't going to take it at this time. I told him I would rethink it in the upcoming offseason."

Well, that off-season was enough to convince Tupper that the SMJHL was the right location for him. Now, at 18 years old, he has moved into his own apartment with his girlfriend and is ready to move onto bigger and better things.

"I feel more confident in my ability to play now, and I'm more settled down and ready to start my life. I don't have any particular interests other than sports, so it will be a major disappointment to stop playing them. The SMJHL is really my last resort for hockey, and it's somewhere I'll go for sure."

***

So what's it like growing up as a hockey player in the UAE? For Tupper, it wasn't that much different from how it is in America.

"People embrace the sport here. We may be down south where it's hot, and the middle east may not be the ideal location for a winter sport, but we make do." He says with a laugh. "I will admit the sport isn't massive though, and it's sometimes tough finding a game of shinny."

Tupper has never played on any sort of divisoned or AAA team. The highest level of hockey he has played is general house league.

"I'm part of the Abu Dhabi Minor Hockey League in the Midget age group." He says. "We're a group of 60 or so guys, and we've got 5 teams. All of our games are done year round, and it actually works similar to the SMJHL in where we have rosters that stay together. It's pretty cool really."

Tupper has been forced to attempt his hand at other interests as well, what with hockey not being a major factor in the Emirates society.

"I tried my own at baseball this summer." He says, chuckling. "I didn't do very well. My feet are made for gliding on ice, not running on the hard ground. Plus, I can't catch a ball for the life of me."

Other than baseball, he found a passion in writing.

"Through being a part of the community here, I've found the Al-Darab Writing Club. We basically just get together and write about different things each week. It's a really cool place to be, and I've made some great friends through them."

***

SMJHL Draft Rankings

It's never too early to make a draft rankings list. Tupper hasn't even arrived in America yet, but he's already gung-ho about deciding where he'll play.

1st - Colorado Mammoth - The most recent league champion, the Mammoth seem like a good location. As well, Tupper enjoys watching the Colorado Mammoth of the NLL.

2nd - Montreal Impact - A team with a cool looking logo, and located in the area of Canada that is french. Would be interesting to learn the culture of the sport in the country of its origin.

3rd - Kelowna Knights - Similar to the Mammoth, the Knights remind him of the London Knights in the Ontario Hockey League.

4th - St. Louis Scarecrows - There logo has a lot of detail and the organization seems good enough.

5th - Vancouver Whalers - They are basically the Hartford Whalers.

6th - Halifax Raiders - I don't really like pirates.

7th - Detroit Falcons - The logo looks like the bird is a creeper looking for his next victim. I'm not a pedo, so I'll stay away from this one.

8th - Prince George Firebirds - I don't even know. I can't find anything about them. Does anyone play for them?

Dangles13 · 03-04-2016, 07:11 PM

Nice backstory, good luck buddy.

Muerto · 03-04-2016, 07:21 PM

very cool! good luck in the draft and your rookie season!

Noble · 03-04-2016, 07:29 PM

Nice first article mate!

ThatDamnWalrus · 03-05-2016, 11:36 PM

Blues · 03-06-2016, 09:33 AM

Quote:Originally posted by Youbi@Mar 4 2016, 05:57 PM

2nd - Montreal Impact -[b] A team with a cool looking logo, and located in the area of Canada that is french. Would be interesting to learn the culture of the sport in the country of its origin.[/b]

Funny you should say that....

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