ANCHORAGE - It was an eventful night for the Armada. Anchorage looked to add some talent and they found it in W-Elijah Jones, C-Jake Primeau, and D-Fredrik Jensen. Anchorage looked to add some new blood, a familiar face, and fill positional needs. The Armada added some fresh users in Jake Primeau and Fredrik Jensen, while also bringing back Elijah Jones who was signed at the trade deadline in Season 47. Based on speaking with members of the team and seeing their reactions first hand, the members of the organization are quite excited with this bunch of draftees. The players themselves were jubilant when touring the locker room and meeting the teammates, at least two of the three were, Fredrik Jensen still hasn’t touched down in Anchorage yet. Nevertheless, let’s recount how these players ended up in Anchorage:

Quote:

The first new boat added to the Armada in this class of S48 is ..

ELIJAH JONES

Welcome (back) to the fleet @Torbvo !

Elijah Jones returns to Anchorage! At 6th overall, the Armada bring back the draft prospect with the highest TPE. Prior to the draft word got around that Elijah Jones wanted to stay in Anchorage. It makes perfect sense when considering relocation and all the connections he has made in the city already. Jones is a sniper with a great shot, average skating, sound defense, but could work on his physical game. During the SMJHL showcase, Elijah Jones played for the Blazers. During the 20 game showcase, Jones put up 7 goals, 6 assists, 13 points, and had a 17.50% shooting percentage. He was talented enough to earn the trust of the coaches, as he played 19.76 minutes per game. Elijah Jones II officially, and Mexico born, is the son of famed GOMHL player Elijah Jones. In carrying on with the family tradition, Jones is determined to make a name for himself by putting up goals and leading teams to championships. Those are his goals at least, according to him in an exclusive interview which is included at the end of this edition of Anchorage Armada by Skip Santos. A snippet of that interview:

Skip Santos: What’s driving you? What separates you from other players in your draft class?

Elijah Jones: My family legacy drives me. While growing up, I saw my dad do incredible things, even set the record for most points in a season for his league. Those things stick with a young man, and now it’s my opportunity to rise up.

Notice Jones says “rise up”, as later he reveals that “Rise Up” by Andra Day is one of his favorite songs. The song is often used in motivational settings, getting folks excited and amped up to perform at their maximum potential, plus it sounds pretty catchy. Anyway back to the coverage of the Armada drafts and their 1st pick, Jones should fit nicely into the Armada lineup. The coaching staff have him penciled in on a third line role currently. It is the hope of both Elijah Jones and the team that he can provide scoring depth that every team in the SMJHL needs.

Pro comparison: Elijah Jones best exemplifies Elijah Jones. Now stick with me, he resembles his father is what I'm saying. Elijah Jones plays a highly offensive game and looks to score before anything else. With that said, he is also defensively sound and is not a threat in his own zone. The Armada are likely to see the Owls' Elijah Jones from the GOMHL shine in the SMJHL. Having learned the game and all the life lessons from his father, Elijah Jones looks like a throwback to to the Elijah Jones Sr. Their play is known for its quickness. They shred through defenders and score before the goalie even knows what to do. Fans who saw Elijah Jones Sr. play will feel the nostalgia when Elijah Jones suits up for the Armada.

The Armada’s next selection came in the 2nd round with the 14th overall pick.

Quote:

With the 14th  pick of the draft, the Anchorage Armada select Jake Primeau. Welcome to the team @rangersbruinslightning

Jake Primeau played with Elijah Jones on The Blazers in the SMJHL showcase. He managed 3 goals, 2 assists, 5 points, and played over 21 minutes per game. The center is also a sniper, with scouts describing his strengths as scoring, skating and puck handling. Like many forwards in the league, his physical game could use some working on, as checkness is a weakness noted by many scouts. That saidi, it might just be an indication of the new type of hockey we are seeing played these days.  No longer are all players expected to be hitting machines. Primeau makes do with his offensive capabilities. He provides Anchorage with depth down the middle. He has been progressing steadily and looks to be a great addition. Anchorage will likely feel extremely grateful they managed to pick such a quality player at 14th overall.  The team was quick to sign Primeau, offering him a league maximum $3,000,000 contract. Anchorage is putting their trust in Primeau as the future star center of the franchise. For those that have not yet seen Primeau, he’s a skilled playe that resembles Brayden Point in appearance. From all indications it appears that Primeau is excited for the opportunity to play for Anchorage. One of his first interactions with the team was, “Thanks guys, looking forward to playing here!” If that doesn’t sound like hype, call me Shirley Santos and a fictitious sports analyst. Being drafted together, Primeau and Jones have the potential to form chemistry over the upcoming season and become a deadly duo in the seasons after. With both skaters prioritizing scoring, opponents will have a difficult time keeping a Jones - Primeau - X line out of the net.

Pro comparison: Lukas Saterri of the Buffalo Bison (GOMHL). Saterri puts up over 80 points in the 80 game season of GOMHL. Saterri is known for his scoring ability and Jake Primeau is a mirror image of that. Look for Primeau to score a lot and be dominant at the faceoff dot. The thing about these centers is they aren't exactly selfish. While they like scoring goals, as centers, they are also looking to set their wingers up with prime scoring opportunities.



Fredrik Jensen is a two-way defenseman, excels at passing, defense and puck handling, while scouts claim his strength as a weakness. Jensen’s contact with the team has been minimal. From the hockey analyst perspective, it has been difficult to figure out the situation fully. While Jones and Primeau were both quickly signed to maximum contracts, Jensen’s name was notably absent from that press release. Perhaps the team is simply awaiting Jensen’s arrival to Anchorage before working out the details of a contract. That said, Jensen is under the Anchorage Armada roster on the official team website. All indications point towards the team wanting to sign Jensen and seeing him suit up for the upcoming season. Fredrik Jensen had a strong showcase performance, putting up 3 goals, 15 assists, 18 points, 28 hits, in 20 games, and playing 23:45 minutes per game. Jensen’s strong showcase performance gives the hockey world a peak at what could be in store if Jensen continues to train and develop. His performance a the showcase also shows that he can be a scoring force on the blueline. 15 assists in 20 games is nothing to write off at this level. Jensen has talent and shown flashes of brilliance. He has the raw talent to end up as the great of this draft class, work will be needed though. All the players in this draft class want to prove they are the best. Therefore, they are continuously training at the gym. Will this be the case for Fredrik Jensen? Not sure yet, but Anchorage fans can remain optimistic. We will continue to monitor and update the situation with Jensen as it develops.

Pro comparison: Toivo Kosonen. While Kosonen was an offensive defensman, he often held his own very well in his own zone. Kosonen would rack up the shots blocked and that's what everyone is expecting out of Jensen with his puck handling abilities. Kosonen topped out at 49 points in 50 games a few times in his career, that is easily achievable for Jensen who notched 18 in 20 during the SMJHL showcase. Keep in mind that Jensen is still sort of raw, and has a lot of developing to go through. Now remember, he's' put up the numbers he has and only has tremendous room for growth.


The exclusive interview with Elijah Jones: transcribed

Skip Santos: What’s driving you? What separates you from other players in your draft class?

Elijah Jones: My family legacy drives me. While growing up, I saw my dad do incredible things, even set the record for most points in a season for his league. Those things stick with a young man, and now it’s my opportunity to rise up.

Skip Santos:Let’s do a quick round of questions where you just mention the first thing that comes to mind.
Elijah Jones: Sure

Skip Santos: Favorite movie?

Elijah Jones: Lion King.

Skip Santos: TV show?

Elijah Jones: American Pickers.

Skip Santos: [chuckling at that response] Ok, Song?

Elijah Jones: Rise up by Andra Day.

Skip Santos: Actress?

Elijah Jones: Jennifer Anniston.

Skip Santos: Car?

Elijah Jones: Tesla.

Skip Santos: [laughs] No, a real car.

Elijah Jones: I love teslas.

Skip Santos: Sports team?

Elijah Jones: Anchorage Armada.

Skip Santos: Wow, sharp kid. Alright enough of the lightning round. You were signed to a maximum contract, what does that mean to you?

Elijah Jones: It shows the faith that the team has in me and I’m extremely grateful. I gained a lot of lessons from my father who went through many negotiations. He was right by my side with this deal and he taught me that if someone pays you then you better not half-ass anything. I’m going to put that money to good use by purchasing better workout equipment, better food, all these little things that will allow me to train harder. I want to be stronger, faster, and smarter out there on the ice. It’ll come, but it may take some time. I ask the team and fans to just have patience because while I will reach full potential, it won’t just happen overnight.

Skip Santos: How do you spend free time from the gym and ice?

Elijah Jones: I play a bunch of video games in my free time. I really love Overwatch, and I identify with the Moira character. She's a sort of "mad-scientist" and that's what I'm all about. She's a healer, a main one at that, but has the ability to damage effectively, too. Then there are tanks like Reinhardt, and he's a ton of fun to play. Overwatch is probably my favorite game, but outside of that I play a bunch of Rocket League.

Skip Santos: I know Overwatch, but what's Rocket League?

Elijah Jones: Essentially, it's soccer or hockey with cars. There a bunch of skins and cars to make yourself standout. It's short, five minutes per games. I enjoy the heck out of it. Other games I dig? The usual, you know fortnite, call of duty, battlefield. These are games that I can load up and play a bunch of hours to entertain myself for the evening. I'm looking forward to the release of Classic World of Warcraft. It'll take me back to when I was a young lad, just out there grinding away. I can't wait.

Skip Santos: Any other big interests?

Elijah Jones: You know, as a kid I was a huge wrestling fan. Lately, I've started watching more of it. There's finally this alternative wrestling company that is serious about being a big deal. It's a great time as an old school wrestling fan. I feel like now there is a company worth investing in. I'm buying their product and I'm even willing to pop in to show my support should the company need some from some random hockey guy. It really feels genuine when there's a bunch of wrestlers out there trying to demonstrate that some people still actually love the business. For a long time, I fell off from wrestling and didn't give it the second thought. Now, I'm reading all about this new company, its characters and the news. I have to know what's happening with it, ya know? This is just one of the things I dive deeply in. I fear I might go too far eventually. Might consider a career change.

Skip Santos: Any fears we should know about?

Elijah Jones: [laughing] I wouldn't say I'm really afraid of ghosts, but just like after watching some scary movie, it can definitely get a bit scary when you hear some noise and it's dark around. Like, I'll watch a horror flick, or I'll just be watching unsolved murders and get a little cautious. Honestly, I believe it's mostly an evolution thing. We're cautious because we suspect there might be danger. Movies and production are so real these days that it's hard to distinguish from real life. So after watching a horror film it's still a little intense for the person.

Skip Santos: Have you gotten a chance to connect with the other Anchorage draftees?

Elijah Jones: Ol’ Jake the snake. We were on The Blazers in the showcase and went to the finals against the Vipers. We have a little chemistry already. I was super excited to see him picked up by Anchorage because I can tell from the short time we’ve played together that he’s a great addition to any team. I can’t wait until we’re out there skating together and wrecking some goalies. It was also really nice that he could get the same kind of contract. Anchorage treats their players right.


Skip Santos: From my time covering the team, I agree with that. Anyway, thank you for sitting down and I look forward to covering your career with the Anchorage Armada.

Elijah Jones: Take care, Skip.




Sports analyst Skip Santos has covered a variety of teams and sports over the years, including Halifax Raiders, New England Wolfpack, Los Angeles Panthers, Arizona Outlaws, San Antonio Sloths, New Orleans Second Line, Ontario Owls, and many others. Skip Santos was recently hired by a local sports radio station in Anchorage, Alaska. Make sure to subscribe to Skip’s feed to keep up to date with the Armada and other Anchorage teams. Skip Santos pledges to offer the complete objective coverage of sports, anything less would make him a hack. Thus, if looking for great coverage of professional sports, look to Skip Santos for guidance.