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Otis Boudreaux · 05-07-2022, 08:16 AM

Wow! I dont know what other word to use. It was just a few weeks ago that I was signed by the Raptors and experienced the whirlwind of the end of the SMJHL season. I mean, I was on a playoff team, but..yea...anyway. WOW!!!

It is Draft Day!!! I didnt sleep at all last night. I am back home in Ireland. I decided to use part of my earnings from being with the Raptors to fly back home. I dont really know anyone in New York or Colorado. I mean, I know my teammates there, but not really. We would hang out after practice and they were nice and all, dont get me wrong there. But they had been together all season, through a tough season, and this had helped them to gel into a tight-knit group. I was the new kid, and this is where I got my nick-name. I dont really know who said it first, or even if it was said at all. I may have just run a couple of sentences together, but in my mind at least, someone said, "Hey, there is the Irish Kid" so to me, I had a nick-name. I dont know if it will stick, but I like it. So that is how I got the name, or gave it to myself, but yea, I am The Irish Kid!

Anyway, back to my decision to come home for the draft. As the season started to wind down and everyone headed off on vacation with their friends and families, I decided to stay in Colorado and continue to practice, to try to get myself known to the other teams, to try and stay busy. I knew I was way behind most of the other people in the draft as far as being known to the staff of the other teams. I guess that sounds like a contradiction, I like being on the Raptors and I want to get drafted, but who doesnt want to hear their name called on draft night, or in my case, Draft morning?

Man, I will be able to explain this eventually. So I was slowly finding myself alone on the ice at the Raptors facility. I was hitting the ice, staying all day and then just going back to my hotel room. I just didnt know what the future was so I had not gotten an apartment yet. I did have my cell phone though and it has been ringing non-stop. I have gotten calls and texts from General Manager, Assistant General Managers, players, agents, media reps, and other jobs I have not even heard of! I thought that I would be lucky if I heard from one or two teams, but man! I will confess that not every team has contacted me about the draft. I know that they are drafting to fill holes and a lanky Irish Right Winger may not be a high need for them and that is okay. But the phone calls, the texts, it was starting to get to be just too much. I needed someone to talk to, someone to experience this with me, someone to share this with me. The team and all of the players and staff were gone, so I had to go home. I needed to be with my family.

So I bought a ticket and here I am. Yea, the draft will be starting at 2AM here in Galway. But that is fine, I am too excited to sleep anyway. I am here with my family, I have my phone so they can contact me. There is a part of me that just wants to turn it off today. The draft is in a little over 12 hours and I dont know if I want to deal with that "final draft push". But this is my life, my future, what if I miss that one call that will change my life? I have been talking to Ma and Da. They seem so proud of me. Da wants me to go to the pub with him tonight so he can brag about me being in the draft. I turned 17 while I was in Colorado, but I am still not legally old enough to have a pint, but it is our local, Da knows everyone and who knows, I might get a half, just for a pre-celebration?

I guess it is all over but the waiting now, I dont know what will be next, but I cant wait to find out.