The SMJHL draft is coming and my new player, Dee Centerman IV, is eligible for drafting. While I'm keeping an open mind, there are definitely some draft destinations I would prefer over others. Here, in no particular order, are my top four draft destinations.




Detroit Falcons

Cedric played in Detroit and set SMJHL records that will be tough to break, and STHS era records that will never be broken. I still have a great relationship with the management group and the current rookie crop in Detroit, and would be happy to return there. I'm keeping my options open right now, but Detroit is definitely in the mix.

One of the key reasons I'm interested in Detroit is the quality of their current roster. Detroit is a season separated from one of the most dominant displays in the history of the league, and much of that core is still around. Although some are aging out and moving up, that creates space for Centerman IV to drop in the bottom of the lineup and cut his teeth.




Anaheim Outlaws

Anaheim is an interesting option. I'm familiar with the GM from his stint with Buffalo and generally am comfortable with their current management makeup. I also recognize a few folks on the active roster that I'd be excited to play with. I like the branding and location, and think i would be excited to play in Anaheim.

My biggest concern is playing time. Anaheim has five rostered centers right now. While a couple are aging out and at least one is inactive, the logjam at center and Centerman's insistence on playing in the middle make me wonder if there's space on the roster. It may be difficult to find room to stand out as a first-year player, which makes me think Centerman might not have the chance to play in Anaheim at all.




Colorado Raptors

While Colorado didn't have a deep playoff run, I still got the chance to watch along as an unrostered DFA as they took on Anaheim. Their management staff is competent, and their coaching and scouting staff has a lot of familiar faces. I also had a great opportunity to meet the team and get a peg on their culture. That's a key quality i'm looking for, a good culture fit; with Colorado I know I'll have it.

I am hoping that, if I'm drafted to Colorado, the locker room becomes a bit more active outside of the sim. I like the guys in there and the excitement in the sim is great, but in my previous experiences I've been most engaged when I'm talking about common interests with my teammates. Music and games and food and etc. I haven't felt that attachment in Colorado quite yet, but they're still in my top tier because I'm positive I can help drive that activity with a new crop of first-gen, reddit-recruited rookies.




Quebec City Citadelles

Quebec City has some uncertainty around it--it is an expansion team after all--but I would be very excited to play in QC. Evok and Faelax were teammates of mine for the last few seasons and I really trust them to be great locker room drivers and managers for a new team. The branding is absolutely incredible (another huge win for Karey) and the expansion team rules are fair but charitable enough that I think an expansion team could contend with the right rookie crop.

Quebec City would be a new challenge in my SHL career. Between Detroit and Buffalo, I've spent my entire career in tight, established franchises with active locker rooms. Joining an expansion team would mean I would have to step up and be a locker room leader and activity driver. It would be a challenge, but it's a challenge I'm willing to take on if the team will have me.


There are other teams down the list that I either don't know well enough to advertise myself to or that I don't think I'd be a good fit for. Notably, Centerman IV still hasn't been approached by any of those managers about the upcoming draft. I would definitely consider some other teams after some outreach and discussion, but I worry that with the upcoming slew of recruits I may wind up on a team I have no connection to. That's my biggest fear in this draft--going somewhere I just don't care about.

No matter what there are a few teams I could make a huge impact for and would really like to play for, and I'm hoping I wind up on one of them.

Quote:750 words, rfg, 2x draft media? if that happened yet