(1453 Words, 2x SMJHL Draft Media / Forgot to mention, but also send half of the cash to @goldenglutes)

*Mic fumbling*

……..Must I do this?

EVO: If you don’t want to make the same mistakes that I did, yes, and you better as well, you almost missed two sessions. That spiral can ruin you in the futu—

FINE, fine, I get it.

EVO:………. *sigh* I’ll head back to my room to study coaching. Call me if you need anything.

*Door closes*

Ok, with that out of the way, I guess I have to do this.

I’m Ren-Ekelemchi Shimizu-Okoli, but because so many people that I’ve met still have their tongue tied up whenever they try to say my full name, you can call me Resolution, or RESO for short. I was born in the British Embassy in Japan, hold both a British and Japanese citizenship, and I currently reside in Sheffield, playing under the GB banner. Odd, I know since I grew up in Japan, but I love my parents for giving me as many options as they could.

But yeah, right now I’m here to give my list of the SMJHL teams that could draft me, and how will feel for me. I will say, however, that there is only one team I would like to land in. Egotistical, yes, without question, but I aim to right my cousin’s shortcoming………..and his foolishness.

EVO: *In Igbo* (DON’T LET ME COME IN AND BEAT YOU)

*RESO cackling at the outburst*

But yeah, with that in mind, here is my list, in alphabetical order, of course.

ANAHEIM OUTLAWS 

And oddly enough, we begin with the team that gave me my first minutes in the J. Anaheim is a great team with a good core coming up, a solid GM (Even with Nyko retiring. Best of luck, mate) and a great LR. Not only that, but Anaheim may as well be a suburb of Los Angeles, so I am within very close range of Hollywood and Long Beach. No doubt. In any other circumstances, I would be very happy to land here. Lots of respect to Outlungus and co.

ANCHORAGE ARMADA 

There are a few of guys in there that I can vibe with, namely Sawful, Daft and shockingly Ascolap. (Emeka has always been a lax person, so this may be part of him rubbing off on me) However, Anchorage may as well be across the Pacific in terms of traveling and I don’t see much space in there for me. Bonus points for TURG TURG, though, looks like my generation’s version of Emeka’s Pingy.

CAROLINA KRAKEN 

EVO: TELL THE CRACK THAT THEY CAN ALL KICK ROCKS.
………. yeah, Emeka is still sour from that finals loss in S50. I don’t hate them, since they look like a tight nit group, and Fuzz has got my respect, but I know that the moment I wear a Kraken jersey is the moment Emeka will lock me in a room with a guy named Ja’ag, and from what I’ve been told about him, Ja’ag sounds like an absolute mad man.

COLORADO RAPTORS 

This is the team I want to land in, no questions asked. Nothing against all other teams, especially Anaheim, but I don’t want to land anywhere else. Emeka has constantly brought me over to meet with the team when he was a player, and still keeps in contact with the new guys. I have met with a good chunk of them, and I can safely say that I want to be here. Again, I recognise how egotistical and arrogant I am being right now, but I can’t help it in this case. Especially to help finish the case of getting Colorado a Four-Star Cup. Emeka still going on about that every day from his Aspen Chalet.

DETROIT FALCONS 

EVO: In another world, I probably would have been a Falcon……..no, really. Thanks to Tankovic and Abioye, I was here in the first place.
Yeah, figures, but for me, I just don’t see any reason to join here, other than JP. Nothing against the other guys there, but yeah…..
Also last time I checked, Detroit is still a rough house on the same level as Luton. Not my kind of location.

KELOWNA KNIGHTS 

So that’s why Sonic wasn’t in the Sega building…….. honestly, I though that he’d be more into racing, what with his history with cars and hoverboards, not hanging out in the middle of the Canadian Rockies. Obvious crazy hedgehog aside, I have nothing on these guys. EVO hasn’t got anything on them either, so I don’t know what to think of them. At the very least, they ha a decent core, I guess.

MAINE TIMBERS 

Wait……… Emeka, are you sure this isn’t that Portland Timbers team from the MLS?
EVO: Yeah, they’re from Portland, Maine. MLS team is from Portland, Oregon. Easy mistake to make.
Ah, thanks.
Well, they do have AgentSmith and Bloomey in their squad, so it’s not all new to get used to, but I would still take some time here. At least CoA looks like a cool guy.

NEVADA BATTLEBORN 

If I didn’t join Anaheim as a UDFA, this would be up there as my non-Colorado landing spot. Even then, still a decent play to land in. Emeka has always been positive over Jearim and Mr. Foulke likes the work Mr. Nokozoa has put into team Canada. I think that they are capable of building a good culture there, so I look forward to seeing what Sin City will do. Even as an opponent.

NEWFOUNDLAND BERSERKERS 

Wow………this is one old core, alright. They may be the current SMJHL champions, but most of these guys will most likely be looking to leave after my rookie season……..geez. Snussu, Nhamlet and Toast are good guys, and Clean AK is the cleanest man to ever live, but again, most of these guys will be gone after a season and I don’t exactly fancy myself staying in the Canadian Far East for now. I’m probably going to have to give the Zerks a miss. Sorry.

QUEBEC CITY CITADELLES 

The other expansion J team, I think Mr. Foulke had many run ins with Evok, all of them he enjoyed. However, other than her, there is no one else that I know much of in the team. I also don’t know how Quebec, a passionately French city, will receive someone like me who has yet to have learned any French. So yeah, this team is another jab in the dark…….. sorry.

ST. LOUIS SCARECROWS 

Not only is there not much in terms of people I know, but Emeka has constantly told me that I would be stifled in St Louis’ locker room. I’d like to hope better, but I’m just going off the advice I’ve been given. It also doesn’t help that St. Louis is pretty much within Detroit territory as a city. Jeez, USA, when you have multiple cities that are the equivalent of Northampton, Sunderland and the aforementioned Luton, it doesn’t bode well. St Louis, I’m sorry, but I just don’t think that I’ll be your guy.

VANCOUVER WHALERS 

Final team, and it’s the Van City Wailords……… I just made that up, don’t ask. There are a few guys there that I’m very chill with, namely Grok and Gooney. GG there. Vancouver is also a decent place to live, with the Whistler Ski Resort close by and a good amount of snow to remind me of Hokkaido. Remember, I may play under the GB flag, but I did spend a good amount of time in Sapporo. Back to Vancouver, decent city, good players there, again, not a bad place to be in.


FINAL THOUGHTS 

Wait, what do you mean that my first write-up may as well be a red flag? Isn’t it honest?
…. Sigh
Right then. In terms of where I would like to land, it would certainly be Colorado. Again, I wish to finish my cousin’s job and I already know that he will be able to help me there. Other than there, I guess Anaheim, Maine and Quebec would be fine. Both of them have been kind to me and I respect what they are doing. But I would be lying if I say that I don’t want to land anywhere else but Colorado.

Guess that’s it for me for now. I’ll be seeing you all by the draft, which will be in a few days. Close, I know, but that’s how I like to do things.

This is Ren-Ekelemchi Shimizu-Okoli, signing off.