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DJ_THE_PROFESSOR · 02-11-2019, 02:08 PM

(Draft x2 Payout)

Throughout Fork Spoons life, he had one goal, one dream, to make it to the SHL. Spoon finally has his dream right in front of him, with a chance to make it a reality heading into the SHL Draft. Spoon was visibly excited when he sat down to have his interview with us, as his foot was tapping, and you could see the excitement in his eyes. We would like for first thank Fork Spoon for his time, as he agreed to sit down with us to talk about his dream becoming a reality, along with his thoughts, feelings, and expectations heading into the draft, and hopefully his first SHL training camp. Here we go. Spoon came into our interview looking a little worn down from the long party. He was wearing a tank-top, board shorts and flip flops. We began by congratulating Spoon on his first Four Star Cup win, as a member of the St. Louis Scarecrows. "Thanks guys, it has been a wild couple of days for me, that's for sure. It has been a crazy fun time, and my phone has been blowing up constantly from friends, family, and people I hardly even know texting me or calling me to congratulate me. I have really enjoyed the time, but man it goes fast. The whirlwind of activity has been crazy, and I'm looking forward to getting some time off to focus on my training in the off season." Lucky for us, that lead us right into our next question that we had for spoon, surrounding the draft. What were his feelings on the upcoming draft? "Well, honestly, I'm a little bit nervous I guess, mostly excited but definitely a little bit nervous. I know that I'm not going in the first round or two, but I know that I can be a big add to any team in the SHL. I have had this dream since I was a little kid, and now having it within arms reach is amazing. I think I really just need to sit down, take a few deep breaths and remember where I am, it has been surreal." When we focused on where Spoon could potentially end up in the draft, he made his goal pretty clear. "Well, I will be excited no matter where I go." He took a second to look out the large window beside him at the old oak tree and the birds nesting up in the tree. "You see that bird family up there in the tree?" We looked out and told him that we did indeed. "Well, I know that this may be a stretch, but that is like a metaphor for a hockey team. The momma bird is like our GM, she gets all the baby birds (the players) and feeds them with compliments, gives them all the tools that they need to survive, and then, after a while, the baby birds grow up and are able to take off. That's what it's like coming into a new team. You start off like a baby bird. You have little to no skills, you're helpless. The GM comes in, grooms you and helps you grow your game until you're strong enough to take off. I know I'm rambling a bit, but I have always felt deeply connected with nature, and animals. I guess what I'm getting at is I'll be happy wherever I end up, I just hope that I have a good support system of coaches and GM's to help me build up my skills in order to be the best player that I know I can and will be". Okay... at this moment, we were thinking that the hard partying might have gotten the best of Spoon over the off season. He really went out on a limb on that connection (Pun intended). I mean, who really compares a family of birds to an SHL hockey team? But you know, the more we thought about it, the more it made sense. I mean, Spoon is not a stupid kid, so maybe he had a point hidden in that big, long, convoluted explanation of how he would like to end up on a team with a good support system. Anyways, we moved on, asking him where he would plan on being on draft day. "Well, not being the most highly touted prospect, I did not get invited to the draft event, so honestly, I'll probably be at the gym watching the draft on my phone. Waiting for my name to be called". We took a moment and asked Spoon to take a second and put himself in that situation to ask us how he thought he would feel. Again, we looked out of the big bay window beside us, and all we could think was "oh gosh, here we go again". But luckily he looked back at us with a stone cold stare, his cold blue eyes freezing us as he spoke, it was amazing the way his gaze could control a room. "It will be surreal. I can not even imagine. My dream, I have thought about it hundreds of times. Hearing my name called, getting that first call from the GM telling me that he was excited how I was going to be a "big part of our future". It's going to be an incredible experience for sure. I'm looking forward to it and honestly, I still can not believe I am where I am. Sure, I work my ass off nearly every day in the gym, and I have the drive to constantly get better, but so do a lot of other kids in this game who never get the chance. But here I am, one of the lucky ones. It really is an amazing experience". The room stayed silent for a few minutes, as we took a second for Spoon to reflect on where he was. It was almost as if he could read our minds, as a smirk appeared on his face. "I can't wait. After talking about it with you guys, I'm not nervous any more". From there, we took another minute to ask Spoon if there was anything he would like to tell any potential GM's reading his interview. Maybe any things that he can think that he would bring to their team when looking to draft him. "Well, I can tell you one thing without a doubt. I will be an elite player in this league. I have the work ethic, the frame, and the skill to be a game changer. I know that some of my skills still need a little bit of work, but I know what I need to do to get to the point where I will make a difference. I have no interest in being a middling player. I have never been in that role, and I vow to never be. Whatever it takes, I'll get there. As of now, I can be a positive locker room guy. I can bring a light hearted side to the boys, keeping them all laughing and smiling, even when times are tough. I'll stand up for the boys. I'm not afraid to throw my weight around, or fight when we need a boost as a team. I'll give my all for the boys. I'll give my blood, sweat and tears for this team". Wow, quite a powerful answer to that question from Spoon. You can really see the passion and fire in his eyes when he speaks about his future. His back straightens, his eyes light up, and his tone of voice really picks up. From there, we asked Spoon about any GM's or teams that have approached him. "Well, yeah, a few teams have approached me asking questions about who I am, what I will bring to their team, and why they should take a chance on drafting me. Honestly, I just pretty much give them the same answers that I gave you. I'm guessing that you can see how passionate I am, and I just hope that I get that across in my answers. It's tough to portray who I am in just a few questions, but I have been doing my best to get the point across." Our final question was around how Spoon felt he would fit into an SHL team. How much longer he thinks he needs in the juniors to become an SHL regular, and what steps he was taking to make the jump. "Well, first off, I know that I'm going to need another few years in the J. I'm in no rush to make the jump. I think being able to be a good player down here will help my confidence, untimely making me a much better player, I really thrive on confidence. I think physically, I'm ready for the SHL, but I know that my skills need a bit of improvement. I could be a better skater, and I really need to get my scoring touch back after a slow season in the points department. As for what I will do, I think that my commitment will never be questioned. But I know I just need to put my reps in, training will be my biggest help. I want to be an all around player in the league. I know I made huge defensive jumps in the past year, now I can be a player relied on in the defensive zone, but now like I said, I need to get back to what got me here, being a sniper. I need to put a few more pucks in the back of the net. I know the Crows will give me all the tools I need to succeed, now it is only a matter of time before it all clicks again". Once again, Spoon took a second to look out the window as if to reflect. We could tell that he reflects often, and is not taking a second of this for granted. We thanked Spoon for his time, as he stood up and shook our hands, shooting us once more with that firey yet ice cold stare, that looked right through our souls. This guy really is intense to sit down with. Friendly, but intense. As he was walking through the room about to leave, he looked back and gave us a few final parting words. "Look for me to be the biggest steal of the SHL draft. I know that I'll be able to go down in league history". Well, no one can ever say he had an issue with self-confidence. Spoon clearly believes in his own ability.

Keep an eye out for Spoon, and the rest of the S45 SHL draftees coming up this weekend. It will be sure to be an exciting time for many, forever changing the lives of several young people. who look to become difference makers in the SHL. There are many amazing prospects coming into the draft, so there will be sure to be numerous draft steals, as we are looking at the deepest draft in history. We will be sure to be following Spoon's journey to the draft, as he attempts to realize his dreams of being the SHL's biggest star.

Thanks for reading.

Signing off,
DJ

WC: 1915