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Roman Ovechkin comes out of his shadow
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Banned Banned
THE START OF SOMETHING WONDERFUL! [/b]
Hello and welcome to the world of getting to know the next SHL legend,LW Roman Ovechkin! born with a father from Siberia Russia, Ovechkin actually grew up in the beautiful town of Queenstown, New Zealand. however Ovechkin wasn't a hockey player until he was 10, and when he did play hockey he flew to Denver, Colorado where he would spend the winters with his grandfather playing for local teams and eventually a development team. Ovechkin, who signed a short term contract with Halifax and said he will join the Raiders after the playoffs start, as have recent prospects who signed up to join the SHL later in the seasons as they get a small amount of time to show off their skills and prep for the draft. "I am deeply grateful to the Halifax Raiders for the opportunity to be a part of their wonderful organization and look forward to joining them next week," Ovechkin said in a statement. "For now, however, my commitment is to training for the upcoming draft as i will spend more time with that team than in Halifax, unless they draft me of course." "I think it's great for Roman," his personal coach said following a practice on Friday. "It's a great opportunity for him. He's going to have a ton of fun over there, and I think it's going to help him a lot, playing on the big ice and also help him for the combine, prospect tourny and draft. I know he's excited about it." In Halifax, Ovechkin will wear No. 97 and play for the defending Junior champs SHL coach Vbottas in Halifax. "He'll be playing with men in the SHL that has come a long way since I played there, so he's going to a city that I'm familiar with and I only think it will be a positive experience," his personal coach said. "He's got a good coach in Vbottas. I told him this will be a really good experience." "We had a little talk about it, and I told Roman that he's going to have to really work hard to even come close to my records in the SHL," an SHL player said, tongue in cheek. "I do think he'll learn a lot under Bottas. Assuming that he treats him like a normal player, he'll play with a couple of good players. Halifax has a good team, and has been good the last two years. It's very competitive, and there are a lot of good players capable of playing in the SHL, so that's the positive I see in this. "He won't be just playing with guys his own age. He'll be a step above that so this will push him." Ovechkin, a product of a Colorado Hockey's Team Development Program, missed the cutoff for the latest SHL Draft by a few months; he was born as a 2000 player The native of Queenstown New Zealand, is the projected top choice for what is turning out to be a deep and talented S29 draft class. That Ovechkin even considered the possibility of playing elsewhere, a somewhat unprecedented move for a talented skater and scorer player heading into his draft-eligible season, is an indication just how confident he and agents are in his ability. He could become the first New Zealand player to go No. 1 in the SHL Draft. Ovechkin played a huge role in leading his development team to a gold medal at the 2015 IIHF World Championship in New Zealand, his home country, scoring a tournament-high 15 goals and tying for the lead with twenty 28 points in seven games. He was named tournament MVP and the best forward. "His hockey IQ is second to none and his hand skills are unbelievable," A World Championship teammate said "He gets the puck and does stuff that I've never seen before. He's 6-foot-4 and can skate and is strong; he pretty much is the complete package, so he's a special player." Ovechkin won world junior Hockey's MOP title, recognizing excellence in world hockey competition last season. Ovechkin set records with the Development Program for goals (100) and points (175) in a season in 2014-15, surpassing the 72 goals and 132 points that were the previous records, Sadly for Ovechkin the New Zealandese do not have an IIHF program in the SHL, so Ovechkin will be taking offers to come play for a new IIHF team. He has already heard and been in contact with one power house, but wants to hear from everyone and give everyone a fair shot. BASKETBALL INTSEAD OF HOCKEY?!? There was a time where Ovechkin almost skipped out on hockey and played basketball, Ovechkin was a pretty good ball player himself with good hops and a long reach, he had great touch from the outside but even better ball handling and passing skills. Ovechkin highlights: My Webpagehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ineP_5T0Tq8 My Webpagehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR_jLnSFWrM Of course he's big. In the NBA there have been four players who were 7-foot-6 or taller. In the SHL, there are a few taller guys 6'6 and up, but not like in the pro basketball leagues And there is Roman, a singular man. When he left Colorado for the spring and fall to go back to his homeland in new zealand, nobody at home thought he would really be a star — they told him to play basketball when he was young — and in junior heimmediately impressed alot of people, But now a teammate talks about how good Ovechkin is with his stick, its like he's playing basketball with his cross overs in hockey and a former teammate calls him "the ultimate protector of the puck." "It's impossible for one of us to relate to playing like that, but there's also a reason that the league isn't full of 6-foot-6 people, or those super tall 7-foot people," an SHL player says. "Because it's difficult to play the game at that size, and to be as nimble and quick and agile as you have to be. So I think you can't just sit there and say, ‘Wow, he's so big.' Because that's just what he is. "But what he's done with the height, how he's adjusted his game from junior until now, how he's improve his skating and his agility and his turning and all that, that's what impresses hockey players. Not that fact that he's big." SCOUTING REPORT "No one will question your talent, but what pushes you on top is determination. You become the cream and you push and push yourself to be the best. I see that in (Ovechkin)." Ovechkin is a sure bet to be a first round pick when teams assemble in the SHL lottery draft, The 6-foot-4, 215-pound left winger, who shoots right, had 33 goals and 66 points in 76 games with his Colorado high school team this season in his second year of playing in US HS elite league. Ovechkin is a game breaking forward in the North American mold that combines an impressive array of skills with speed and a hard, heavy shot. He's the type of player who lifts people out of their seat. The scouting report on Ovechkin reads like this: He is a wonderful skater who has superb acceleration. He loves playing hockey. That strength and athleticism undoubtedly was passed down from his parents, both of whom excelled in sports in their youth. His mother, won gold medals with the US women's basketball team in 1976 in Montreal and 1980 in New Zealand, and his father, is a former professional track star who is now a doctor. What makes Ovechkin the complete package is his attention to detail when it comes to the less sexy parts of the game, such as gaining position and picking up his man in the defensive zone. He likely won't have the same offensive impact some of the offensive only players have had so early in their career, but he's a far more responsible player at age 18 than they have become by the time they reach the SHL. One SHL player has heard the comparisons to a better MacLeod but says Ovechkin has a ways to go to match that skill set. "He (Ovechkin) is talented, but I do not think he is the same level of talent. There is a difference," he says. "I would say MacLeod is a step higher but this guy here is a talent. He also works and he has a great shot and great size. Then there will be an adjustment to learn the (SHL) style. Style-wise he has a tendency to over-handle the puck but that is normal. He is 17 and at times that is a positive because he is showing a lot of confidence." Rain Wilson, who runs the SHL's Scouting Service, thinks Ovechkin will end up being a different style player from MacLeod. "Ovechkin is a complete package," Wilson said. "He is a superb skater with excellent acceleration and he's creative with the puck. He has an outstanding touch around the net and I'd say he has excellent overall skill level and excellent hockey sense. He has a superb attitude. He's a finesse player, but does not mind playing physical. He can hit and take a hit. And he's a leader on and off the ice and a gentleman in private. He has all the tools needed to become a superstar." So highly regarded is Ovechkin the Halifax Raiders attempted to sign him almost right away, after a lack of offers, Roman ended up going to the defending champs Ovechkin speaks some basic English he picked up watching TV, specifically Eurosport. But once he is comfortable with the person interviewing him, he converses more freely in English. Ovechkin has been described as a franchise player and Ovechkin may not be another Macleod but there is little doubt SHL fans had better get used to seeing his name in the scoring summaries. "If (Ovechkin) is not one of the next superstars, I don't know anything about hockey," says Rain Wilson Ovechkins playing style is definitely attracting attention, and this may not only be because of his impressive black hair. 6-4 and 215 lbs towering Ovechkin brings along exceptional offensive skills and is an absolute treat to watch. Personally, I like his accurate and powerful shot as well as his ability to make plays in very tight spaces. He stays very calm on the puck and doesn't panic when under pressure. He is one of those forwards who bring a lot of skills to the game but are capable of playing the game with a skilled edge. Ovechkin is a very competitive forward with offensive upside who likes to use his heavy shot and shows decent vision. He is a good puckhandler, understands the game very well and tries to be responsible in his own zone with solid backchecking, though this is something he needs to do with more consistency. One thing he needs to work on is his checks which are not very powerful and could be more explosive. One of the telling signs of maturity is how one deals with adversity, specifically when it's admittedly self-inflicted. Since then, however, he's done nothing but crush the opposition while maintaining a seemingly mature outlook and approach. Ovechkins become the best skilled winger prospect in the prospect pool for the S28 draft, and all before his 18th birthday. He's a big-bodied scoring threat with a devastatingly accurate wrist shot and a penchant for eluding detection, so when you combine the two, you get the desired result. From a skating perspective, he's shown an improved stride, which allows him to go zone-to-zone in a hurry. But what's been most impressive about his development team campaign beyond burying the puck has been the accuracy of his passes off the rush. Ovechkins been dominating both his peers and those slightly senior in age for a while now, and by that we mean both physically and statistically. his early-season domination of a men's league should continue to shift pre-draft hype to Ovechkin, We think he's the best winger in the draft, and the closest among any amateur draft prospects to becoming a regular in the SHL. FINDING OVECHKIN A HOME: Since New Zealand doesn't have a nation to play for, i've decided to look at all teams rosters, especially the top 3 forwards and give reasons why i would like to play for them, or why i would have to think long and hard about joining their nationfor good reasons (team too stacked, or bad, like a team with minimal good players and doesn't have a bright future) AUSTRIA: Ranked last in the IIHF Rankings, won just 1 game in the most recent tournament, had the second lowest scoring total of all nations. Top 3 forwards seem to be 2 centers and a LW and i think they are all all older players so i could very well have a good chance to play in the top 6 right away and be the star forward sooner rather than later, but might not win early or at all, win-lose kinda situation. Chance to play for Austria: Above Average. Like the idea to play early and like the idea of maybe becoming the nations franchise forward NORWAY: Ranked second to last in the IIHF rankings. won just 2 games in the most recent tournament, scored just 2 goals away from being the third highest scoring team in the tournament, had a decent defense. top 3 forwards are pretty new, team has younger forwards in general so it could be a decent to good team soon, however would be hard to get significant PT, opposite situation of Austria. Chance to play for Norway: 50/50 IRELAND: Ireland is ranked 10th, they went almost .500 in the most recent tournament, had a pretty even GA/GF ratio, pretty even team all around. they dont have forwards in general and 2 players are going to be reaching over 10+ seasons played, so who knows how much longer those guys will stick around. Everything about this team screams average and probably needing an influence of young talent soon to stay alive as a country, as im guessing the less players a nation has the less likely they are to have a team. Chances of playing for Ireland: Slim to none. Sorry :( UK: the UK is ranked 9th in the IIHF rankings, they like Ireland played .500 hockey, they are another team who scored ok but didnt break the 30 goal spot. they seem to have a good amount of players, but older players, most wingers seem to be S20 or later guys, which means playing 10+ seaons so who knows how much longer some of them could be hanging around. I think they are alot like Ireland to me, pretty average, older players so who knows how long they can even make it as a nation past another 2-3 seasons. Chances to play for UK: Slim to none. Sorry :( USA: US is ranked 8th in the IIHF rankings, they played .500 hockey as well, they broke even on GA/GF, however they haveWay too many players and still didnt even play that well in the most recent tournament. im sure they aren't as bad as they were shown to be, however i would probably end up riding the bench or playing 4th line minutes. Chance to play for MERICA!: None. Slim already left the building. Slovakia: Slovakia is ranked 7th in the IIHF rankings, they seemed to do really well last year, but the most recent tournament they struggled to score as their defense looks like it helds its own. They also seem to have a goalie who's as the end of his leash and no one great to replace him with. forwards seem to be a mix of older and younger guys, and they only have 11 forwards in general so good PT could be had here. Chance to play for the Slovaks: Best so far (austria isn't far behind) Latvia: Latvia is ranked 6th in the IIHF rankings just winning a gold medal in a recent season, however they only won 3 tournament games this past year. the defense played well, but the offense seemed to struggle, they also only have 2 LW in general, and both guys are S14 and S15, so prime playing time could be had on a team that was one of the more recent gold medal winning teams. their flag looks like a toddler made it though, so that and the fact that gold medal could have been a fluke probably drops them down to third on my list, a close third though. Chance to play for Latvia: Above Average Finland: Probably the second most interesting nation for me, as they have a reputation of having high skilled forwards in real life, along with Selanne being one of my all time favorite players. Finland is ranked 5th in the IIHF rankings. Finland was another .500 team, they were also the highest scoring team on the list so far, they seem to be rebuilding a bit, unlike the smaller nations Finland is probably a country that will always have payers wanting to join them. Chances to play for Finland: High Sweeden: Another team that is interesting to me. Sweeden is ranked 4th in the IIHF rankings, though they won just 4 games this past round robin, and has the lowest scoring offense and second worst defense, they are a big nation that could attract many players, and with their recent preformance a player like mine could have the chance to get alot of PT and convince othres to join and help build sweeden up to a good team. its a surprised to see them ranked so high with a bad tournament, but its is what it is: Chance to play for Sweeden: High. Russia: Probably the most realistic fit for my players name and skill set, but they seem to have alot of players like USA. Russia won just 4 games in the round robin, but won the gold medal in the medal rounds. Russia is ranked 3rd in the IIHF Russia broke 30 goals in their 10 games in the round robin, showing a stable offense, they also seem to be a younger forward group which could mean a little bit less playing time, but alot more wining for the next few years. it would depend if i want to win, or if i want to play. Chance to play for Mother Russia: 50/50 Germany: Ranked 2nd in the IIHF rankings, this one is hard to say, IRL i just dont like anything about Germany in general and i think they are going through a leader change around here. on the other hand they had the highest scoring team by a good margin so it could mean putting up alot of points if i got good PT. but they seem to have an older team, but like Finland and Sweeden, should be a big enough country to always have players wanting to play for them. Chance to play for Gremany: 50/50 Canada: Ranked 1st in the IIHF rankings, you can basically copy and paste the report for Team USA "USA: however they have Way too many players and still didnt even play that well in the most recent tournament. im sure they aren't as bad as they were shown to be," Due to having so many players theres no chance i would want to play in Canada. Chance to play for Canada: None and slim never even called to tell them he wasn't showing up to the building. Final top 5 prefered places Finland Russia Austria Slovakia Sweeden OVECHKIN CLOSING IN ON A DECISION UPDATE! HAS CHOOSEN HIS NATION Much like the Election is closing in on their choices to run in november, the youngster Roman Ovechkin who scored 2 playoff goals in 6 games with Halifax, wants to decide on his nation for the international stages by the end of the week, though he still has only heard from 1 nation he's hoping the other 4 will reach out soon to give him something to think about and some options. Due to not hearing from many nations GMs and players, i have decided to end the process early (have only heard from 1 team in 10 days since creation) I have decided to join the Russian national team. Im excited for the chance to grow into a key player for them down the line and bring an active player in the LR and on the ice for them. Thank you to RaiN and Russia for showing the most (well the only interest) in my player and feeling a bit more welcome. Now that thats done, i will post this and open it up for questions ROMAN OVECHKIN TAKES QUESTIONS: (question in inbox) Whats your favorite pre-game song? Roman: Desperados-Andy Mineo My Webpage Lyrics below for those who dont wan to click the link or go to youtube. "Desperados" (feat. Mali Music) [Mali Music:] You know I'm a wanted man For reasons you won't understand Prices on my head, for like a hundred grand Cause I'm wanted dead or alive (Bang, bang!  You woulda thought I was whippin' and pushin' and sellin' this dope (Bang, bang! The way that they tell me to get out of town and then aim for throat (Bang, bang! They tryna ghost you boy, they pullin' the gun out the holster (Bang, bang! But I'm doin' me, I'm doin' me like I'm 'posed to, yeah! You're smart Out here like the Wild Wild West Shorty right there with the wild, wild dress They tell you can be more if you show less, hol' up I been around the block a few times, I got a new mind, I'm lit Man, I was sleepin' on futons, bread small as crutons Now my business legit How many beats do I got to poop on to prove I'm not a fluke? I want true, a true sign a growth For you find ways to refine yourself You win when you lose, aye! Seem like every team them got a Judas But I don't care Give me a snake and I'll make a nice pair of boots with, yeah I ain't tryna be liked, man, I'm tryna be a light, bang! I ain't tryna make a livin', man, I'm tryna make a life, bang! Ayo, that's way different Nowadays I pray different Used to ask for mo' blessings Now I thank Him for the ones He givin' [Hook - Mali Music:] You know I'm a wanted man For reasons you won't understand Prices on my head, for like 100 grand Now they want me dead or alive Bang! They gunnin' for me now Bang! They got they weapons drawn Bang! They say get out of town Cause I'm wanted dead or alive How do you terrify a man that is scared to die So while I got a mic, I'm a air the lies that paralyze my people I live by the fear of God I'm sick and tired of songs that don't dignify a lady But, baby we givin' them power The moment you go out and buy it and give 'em yo' dollars Why they try to define us by how many commas we got? They don't know what's inside us But let me honest, there's something beyond us Yo, homie, preach! I gotta speak on my peace Man, I can't keep it a secret The only way that you get acceptance is when you know you don't need it, yeah Freedom is a mindset, and I ain't in my prime yet Minor League and one sixteen, yeah Them my folk I prime with I think about all that time spent way before success Get to see the kid shinin', that's the glimmer from the sweat Get up and go Homie, we live by the code We don't got minutes to blow Time is more precious than gold Sharp with the flow Mix it with lyrics that fix up your soul, oh I ain't tryna be liked, I'm tryna be a light, bang! I ain't tryna make a livin', man, I'm tryna make a life, bang! Alright, now we some desperados Livin' by the motto If I die tonight, man, I'm ready for tomorrow They say get out of town The truth won't let me lie though They gunnin' for me now They know the way I go They want me dead or alive I'm wanted dead or alive I'm wanted dead or alive I'm wanted dead or alive I'm wanted dead or alive I'm wanted dead or alive I'm wanted [Hook - Mali Music:] You know I'm a wanted man For reasons you won't understand Prices on my head, for like 100 grand, Now they want me dead or alive Bang! They gunnin' for me now Bang! They got they weapons drawn Bang! They say, "Get out of town" Cause I'm wanted dead or alive Bang! send me some questions plz!!
RaiNRegistered S35 Challenge Cup Champion
Nice read man! The fun thing about the IHFs is you get to choose where you wish to play! Best of luck making a decision and good luck with your player!
 
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linsangelesRegistered S24, S26, S34 Challenge Cup Champion |
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