Login

KillTheArchitect · 07-13-2018, 11:25 PM

Jonáš Seagull

C.H.E.W. (Czechoslovakian Hockey Entertainment Worldwide)
July 13th 2018

With the 8th overall pick of the draft being announced back to back with the 7th overall, two brothers sitting side by side quickly stood up with a big smile on their faces. The Halifax raiders found themselves with 4 picks in the first round of the SMJHL entry draft and with 2 of those picks coming at 7 and 8 they took the two Czechoslovakian brothers available. Relative unknowns they quickly rose up the projected rankings. If you have been following along with me earlier in the week I was able to catch up with Kristof the brother of Oliver. After a busy week I got to sit down with Oliver and go over an incredible week.

[Image: tumblr_os104rBzes1uxcb2eo2_500.gif]

In the time I got to speak with Oliver he comes across as an enthusiastic person. He has lots of personality and clearly a competitive nature in him. I got the feeling after speaking to Halifax’s gm and players that he is already well liked and gelling with the team quite well. Of course it helps when you have your brother and best friend on your team. I asked Oliver what sort of interaction he had with GM’s prior to the draft and the answer was surprising.

Quote:So my brother and I obviously didn’t pop up on anyone’s radar. We announced our draft intentions quite late in the process. All we could do was try and make an impression if the opportunity was presented to us. I think it was about 2 days before the draft when TDZ Halifax’s GM contacted me. He asked the usual questions one could expect in these pre-draft interviews, it wasn’t until the formal stuff was out of the way that I got to see the real person. We quickly got to talking about our likes and interests, our personal lives and he spoke to me like a friend. Sharing stories about the league, how he could help and promised to get me to where I would want to be with my career. I left feeling great and like I had really made a connection. I told my brother about the meeting and one quickly followed with him. Out of worry and just wanting it that bad we both agreed that this guy was the right fit for us and we liked what he was selling. We said we wouldn’t speak to any other GM’s if they did reach out. They did by the way, two others but I didn’t return the call neither did my brother.

Interestingly enough this seemed to work out for the two as they were drafted back to back with Halifax’s 7th and 8th pick. It wasn’t long until a jubilant Oliver and his brother found themselves putting on jerseys and hats and posing for their draft photos with their team. A bright smile and baby face tell show the look of pride and elation. But it won’t be long until the realities of the team and the difficult work ahead for the Raiders. With a barebones roster of returning vets and a core moving forward of almost all rookies this will be a tough year. But fear not Raiders fans. While some of the earlier picks have gotten great coverage these brothers and notably, Oliver are something to be happy about. Oliver clearly possesses a lot of potential and is already showing that off. In early training camp he has shown off a lot of determination with some saying they are seeing noticeable improvement in what feels like days.

I asked the young man what being drafted means to him, how he likes the city and his teammates so far and what he hopes to accomplish for his team in the coming seasons. He had a lot to say and is clearly on a mission.

Quote:Well first of all I don’t think I have the words to explain my feelings, it’s crazy. All this hard work and it’s actually happened. My brother and I are going to the same team and will be able to grow together. It means so much to my family and I just have to thank all those who got me to where I am today. The city is great so far I haven’t gotten to explore too much but this week the team will be heading out for some bonding and I’m sure we will find all the great spots to eat. There’s a bunch of alumni of the team who sent us texts and even a few were there when we arrived at training camp. Honestly the teammates are a dream, we’ve got this one guy King, I’m sure you’ve heard of him he’s a leader that’s for sure. He trains harder, works harder and is that guy. I think I can keep up with him though, guys like him keep you honest and push you harder. I think with players like him and Crush we are in great hands. But that’s not to say the rest aren’t either. All of them are such characters, it’s going to be a great year we’ve got a crazy locker room. For any Raiders fans out there we are going to make you proud! We are going to work our asses off every day and while we may stumble we’ll carry home a trophy for this city.

So we get a little more insight to who the kids is, but what kind of player can the team and fans expect? Well look for a very strong skater with high hockey IQ. A player who while not the biggest or strongest uses his edges and puck handling along with his vision to see the ice and make plays. Despite not benching that much he is surprisingly strong on his skates and using his skating and endurance he’ll be hard to get the puck from. Look for him to thread the needle all over the ice as his passing is one of his strongest parts of his game. This kid is going to start banking assists but he’ll definitely pot a couple of goals with his position and decent shot. During the week Oliver spent a lot of time with the defensive coaches and worked exclusively on that. Of course strength and conditioning was a focus but it’s clear that TDZ wants to see his rookies get their defensive game on par with their vision.

Overall this Czechoslovakian winger is going to make a big splash this year, poised to start the second line for Halifax with his brother centering him and Crush Cile flanking the other side. Watch for this brother duo and line to make a dent in the second half of the year as the team gels.

Word Count: 1130 x2

Navigation

Extra Menu

About us