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Kimar · 11-29-2023, 08:21 AM

After going undrafted, Karter Mendenhall was disappointed and didn’t know if he’d ever find a team and a locker room he could call home. When the Yukon Malamutes messaged his agent about signing him, he agreed to the deal immediately. He was nervous to enter his locker room for the first time but when he arrived everyone there welcomed him with open arms by the players and staff. He fit in right away. When he saw his childhood friend enter the locker room after he too was signed by the Malamutes, it made his first day even better. After many great conversations in the locker room, they headed to the ice, ready to show that not only did he belong in the locker room but he belonged on the ice as well.

*Thank you Nokazoa and Squid for the sigs!

Kimar · 11-29-2023, 08:22 AM

11-29-2023, 08:21 AMKimar Wrote: After going undrafted, Karter Mendenhall was disappointed and didn’t know if he’d ever find a team and a locker room he could call home. When the Yukon Malamutes messaged his agent about signing him, he agreed to the deal immediately. He was nervous to enter his locker room for the first time but when he arrived everyone there welcomed him with open arms by the players and staff. He fit in right away. When he saw his childhood friend enter the locker room after he too was signed by the Malamutes, it made his first day even better. After many great conversations in the locker room, All the Malamute players headed to the ice, ready to show that not only did he belong in the locker room but he belonged on the ice as well.

*Thank you Nokazoa and Squid for the sigs!

northernbeastman · 11-29-2023, 10:37 AM

The first time Blant walked into the Kelowna Knights locker room, he was not sure what to expect. As far as pre draft scouting went, the Knights were not a team that reached out to Blant. Because of this, being drafted by the Kelowna organization in the draft as the 44th selection came as quite a surprise for the big Latvian. As he entered, he recognized the faces of his fellow draftees Come O'Dirga, Journey Man and Jasmin Quevillon from the draft floor and he wasn't as nervous.

Although shy at first, after talking a lot with the GM and a couple of the veterans of the club, he knew that he was drafted to the right place. Blant quickly integrated into the ecosystem of the Knights Locker room by cracking jokes, sharing memes and even playing a bit of Pokemon with some of his teammates. The current hot topic in the NHL with Corey Perry made an easy opening to get joking with his teammates.

DorkDipplet · 11-29-2023, 12:42 PM

Getting drafted to Anchorage was a really exciting time for Muon! Not only did I have previous ties with Gabe, the GM, but the locker room was incredibly welcoming, and I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of familiar faces that I was greeted with, either from the scouting process, or the players that Anchorage drafted before me that I got to know throughout the draft process, or just current and former boaties that I happened to have crossed paths with before. Overall, its been a wonderful experience and I am very excited for Muon to spend the next how ever many seasons helping Anchorage win and score goals. The community is really great, and I think that I'll really have a great time. Probably my least favorite part of the whole experience was a "tour" of the locker room, which just consisted of endless pings in every single channel. But even then, I suppose there was some use to it, as it made sure I understood my way around the locker room!

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Mushroom · 11-29-2023, 01:47 PM

Mauga arrived in North America after the SMJHL draft and was signed by Kelowna as a free agent. The massive Somoan had no intention of playing hockey buy being so naturally athletic he picked up a stick and was an instant hit. The large man walked into the Knights locker room full of energy and excitement. There was just a few guys in the room as it's still off-season but they were very kind and treated Mauga well. Mauga eats more than most families so he was in heaven when he walked into the Knights dining facility. Kelowna doesn't hold back when it comes to treated the team to great meals. Mauga and a few of the guys sat down to steaks and pasta. Stories were shared of our youth and our families. The next chapter in Maugas life is about to begin and he hopes to make some life long friendships. The SMJHL is going to have a lot of fun with Mauga. He is very happy to be a Knight and can't wait for his first battle.

***MrBojangles*** · 11-29-2023, 02:19 PM

It's been a whirlwind of emotions since being selected 28th by the Vancouver Whalers. Finally, the day has come to report to the team facility. I arrived earlier than everyone else so that I could take it all in. Entering the locker room and seeing my name and #16 I was overcome with emotions.. this is what all those long road trips to tournaments, long practice days, and excruciation workouts have been working towards the last few years. I sat down at my locker for a while, just staring at the Whalers logo in the center of the room.

Some of my teammates started to enter the locker room and Lily Jin Morrow sat down at the locker next to me. We talked for a bit, they were drafted 2 seasons ago so they gave me some advice and both being Sharks fans growing up, we commiserated a bit. Meet and greet was over, time to suit up and get to work.

r0tzbua · 11-29-2023, 04:18 PM

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Halkohol · 11-29-2023, 05:46 PM

Honestly the welcome was great and far beyond what I would have expected. Me and all of the others in the class that went to Great Falls all met up first and had a grand time getting to know each other at the hotel the team had booked for us as not all planes would arrive at the same time. There were plenty of us, six new people were drafted. But the welcoming? Something special to be sure. As we walked in to the locker room, the entire team, players, coaches, GMs were stood in the room making sounds like bears, growling like grizzlies. As we walked in, one by one, we had bear pelts (yes, head included) put on us! We were then invited out on the ice for a first lap, still in the bear pelts, and then brought back inside to actually do some meet and greets with our future teammates to get to know each other and pump ourselves up for the coming season.

Waldo · 11-29-2023, 05:56 PM

James Madison waltzed into his locker room in St. Louis excited for the opportunities that were before him. He had never been on a team like this before and was thrilled to get started with his new team. On his first night hanging out with the team, they all decided to go out to dinner at the nicest steakhouse in all of St. Louis. Of course, St. Louis is a garbage city so they could only find a Ruth Chris steakhouse. At the steakhouse, if you can even call it that, the captain of the team made a statement that instead of the traditional hazing of rookies, making them front the big bill on the first night out, he was in fact going to front the bill for the whole team. This had a huge impact on James Madison, as it showed him that the team was truly a family, and did not want to pick on one of it's newest members. The team had a great dinner and went home full, excited to take on the season.

crutch · 11-29-2023, 08:42 PM

Upon arriving in the Anchorage Armada dressing room for rookie training camp, Carter Crutchfield was met by his locker, right beside Jesus Murphy. Inside of his locker, besides a few Armada jerseys was a ton of balloons. Upon seeing this, Crutchfield laughed decently hard. When flying in for the first time, Crutchfield was mildly curious with the city and the arena. However, the arena exceeded expectations as the facilities for the Armada are beautiful. When seeing the locker room and all the displays for the rookies, Crutchfield was in awe of the facilities and how impressive it was. With that, the ice is perfect in Anchorage and everyone who was around the arena at the time, including some players was exceedingly friendly and excited to have Crutchfield there - even though he wasn't the highest touted prospect at the draft, they treated him like he was an important part of the team despite not even playing a game of him.

160.

Le Thrill · 11-29-2023, 10:28 PM

Supah entered the Quebec locker room double fisting perogies, he was thoroughly intoxicated from plane gin and had a noticeable belching issue, he made a speech in his drunken stupor that really made no sense nor did it have a purpose, instead going on long misguided tangents that at the end brought him to tears. He wiped the salty drops off his handle bar mustache, took a bite out of the left hand pierogi and proceeded to throw on his skates before rushing onto the rink, he skated like he hated the ice as he made deep indentations with every foot stroke, the Zamboni driver who was nearly just finished with their job was rather upset but after checking the glass a few times, Supah returned to the locker room where he fell asleep at his locker, his skates still firmly tied to his feet and a bombastic snore that some may describe as alarming. Although he may seem a caution, his love and dedication to hockey is unmatched, and his dedication to QCC was already firmly set.

**leafsftw1967** · 11-29-2023, 11:10 PM

As I entered the hockey locker room for the first time with the Yukon Malamutes, there was a mixture of anticipation and curiosity hung in the air. It's common for teams to have a mix of personalities, from the energetic and outgoing players to the more laid-back and serious ones. In this instance, the atmosphere was charged with energy as Slava-Ukraini Heroyam-Slava was the first round pick for Yukon. All of my teammates were friendly and approachable, introducing themselves and making an effort to include me in the team camaraderie right off the bat. In any case, joining a new team often involves a period of adjustment for both the newcomer and the existing players. Never the less, the team has left an incredible first impression on me as a newcomer to the team and has made me feel really welcomed and like I've been a part of Yukon for many seasons.

Repgnar · 11-29-2023, 11:37 PM

Slowpoke was blissfully unaware of what was happening on draft night. All he knew was evidently he'd most likely be going to a new team and was asked to dress nicely in the small chance he was drafted in the first round. Slowpoke ended up slipping which meant he'd only receive a phone call prior to his draft without actually meeting anyone from the Newfoundland organization when drafted. That made it all the more sweeter the day he arrived to the facilities. After completing the facility tour Slowpoke was left to set up his locker and meet a few of his upcoming teammates. Walking into the locker room was surreal. Teammates were quick to greet and introduce themselves and Slowpoke quickly found himself overwhelmed with all the attention. The Beserkers were quick to make Slowpoke feel at home though and he was quickly looking forward to practice and getting to know everyone better. He took a quick liking to Launchpad McQuack, a fellow rookie and the future goalie for the Newfoundland Beserkers. By the end of the day they had become quick buddies due to the similar rookie schedule and lack of familiarity in the building.

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Seb · 11-29-2023, 11:47 PM

All my new teammates in the Anchorage Armada locker room received me well, they all greeted me and one of my GM’s gave me and other players of my class the tour throughout the clubhouse, showing us the amenities, places to hang out, stay, play, and the like. He also showed us the hockey rink they use for practice, being out in the open, as in Alaska the temperature is always cold as balls, no matter the season. When the tour was done, he invited us along with the rest of the team to the finest restaurant in Anchorage in order to bond with our other teammates and to get to know the team’s staff. There, we talked about common interests, some questionable music choices made by the restaurant owners (some bad rap from the early ‘00s), and our ambition and goals as players. Obviously, as a little prank / rite of passage, they made the rookies pay for the whole dinner. Understandable. All in all, it was a great introduction to the place I’ll call home for the next three years at least.

Urq660 · 11-30-2023, 08:54 AM

Inge Baardsen had been in North America preparing for the draft, so didn’t have to travel too much farther to get to his new home, Regina. On arrival, he was greeted by team management, eager to welcome their new rookie. First things first, get some team issue threads on! A big old bag of various training gear was handed over, a lot of purple and gold in there, in line with the team colours. After picking a tasteful combination, Inge was given a tour of the facilities. Taking in the fitness facilities, where he caught a couple of the other draftees who had arrived the day before working up a sweat, the team’s video analysis team and the tape viewing facility. This is a real step up, the reality was beginning to dawn that this is the big time. The incredible food on offer was also seen and sampled, before the final stop, the locker room. Seeing his name above one of the big wooden locker areas made him feel part of the team, but not as much as the purple and gold jersey that read ‘BAARDSEN’ and the number 46!

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