The most surprising thing just had to be the time when Minamino was selected at 56th overall in the SMJHL draft. Having little interaction and opportunities to connect with the various GMs and teams at the time, his name was largely unnoticed and any sort of connection to potential teams were sparse, save for Carolina having at least been aware of this young prospect. Yet, the profile of the Japanese winger caught the eye of one scout in particular in Newfoundland, and they saw fit to give him a flyer, in a class that was chock full of talent. Given that Minamino was able to then go onto win a 4 Star Cup, lead the league in points as well as other hardware along the way, it’s hard to imagine him having as much or even more success with anybody else. The tight knit connection that he developed with the members of the cup winning team in S55 has persisted and even grown to this day.