When St. Louis selected me with the 39th pick in the SJMHL Draft, I was ecstatic. All of my hard work was paying off. I would have been happy playing for any team, but I really wanted to be a Scarecrow. A pre-draft interview I had with the front office helped me realize that St. Louis would make the perfect launch pad for my professional career.

That opinion was only reinforced upon entering the locker room for the first time. Most of the team had already made themselves at home by the time I arrived. Everyone was extremely welcoming. We all talked about our goals and management began going over their plans for us. Here, everybody is on the same page. That page is winning. Obviously that’s always the goal for a competitive team, but this is different than anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s very professional and seems to flow like a well-oiled machine.

Something that seems to help facilitate this type of culture is the alumni. They’ve been incredibly helpful, especially to us rookies. These guys haven’t played here in years, but they still bleed straw. The pride and dedication they show for their time here is contagious. It really makes you feel like you’re a part of something bigger than yourself.

On a lighter note, something I’m learning is that taking a little time to unwind helps keep you fresh. I overheard Goku Muerto and Nicholas Williams talking about Xbox the other day and SHL 18 came up. Now I don’t like to brag, but I might be better at schell than real hockey. We’ve been playing a lot after practice. In case you’re wondering, Muerto might be slightly better than Williams, but that’s only because he always plays as the highest-rated teams. Both of them should stick to real hockey though, but don’t tell them I said that.


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