With season 24 at an end, a floodgate of emotions filled my head.
I can look back at just starting out and not knowing what the hell I was doing, and looking to veterans to show me the way. I was looking for new things every day, and trying to write as much as I could without being drafted. It was a lot of fun to get started.
Then came the lead up to, and the draft. I was super nervous. I had no idea what name I made for myself, and who knew about me. I was brutally honest in my combine apps, and I knew I was going to be good, and just hoped someone else would see it too.
And then I heard it.

Quote:Originally posted by JHS@Jun 9 2015, 08:33 PM
WITH THE 21ST OVERALL PICK

THE VANCOUVER WHALERS SELECT

ALL AMERICAN CENTER

JACK DURDEN!!!!!!

           

I was shocked. Going to the Whalers was a dream come true. The history and heritage was awesome, and I got drafted alongside some of the guys that I had made friends with; Hoover, Allen, Wood… It was going to be great. I’ll admit, I was hoping to go higher in the draft, but in the end, it doesn’t matter because I know I got placed on the right team, with the right players.

The pre-season was an awesome experience. Going undefeated and being a part of an active, happy locker room was great. We talked, we ripped on one another, and had a lot of fun.

Then we lost D’Amour to a trade, and Lundqvist was playing games in the SHL, and we went on a really bad losing streak. On top of that, I wasn’t performing and felt like garbage. I wasn’t scoring, I wasn’t getting assists, and I wasn’t playing well defensively.
But, the veterans on the team are amazing, and we re-tooled the lines, and worked on my build. I started to shrug off the vast amounts of hits I was taking, and I started making better passes, and putting the puck in the back of the net. I started feeling confident in my player. I know that I didn’t do as well in points as a lot of other rookies, but it was always a challenge, and a race to the top. Everyone encouraged each other, and we all had fun jabbing over it. I felt great knowing that even as a rookie, I finished fourth in all players for top face-off percentage. It’s nice to know that even though I’m a rookie, I can still compete and do things for my team. I can’t count the number of times a face-off win has led to a goal. It’s been amazing to see my development.
I’m honored to have joined the Whalers, and it’s great to see the community we’ve developed. I can’t wait for the next step of being drafted into the SHL, and hopefully I’ll be drafted alongside some of the people I’ve made close friends with here on the Whalers. With the atmosphere we’ve developed, I can’t wait to bring in the next round of SMJHL rookies, and bring them into the family we’ve made.

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