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MuNk22 · 08-09-2024, 03:31 PM

Sometimes, there are a series of actions that fans and reporters can point to that explains the success of a general manager and therefore, a franchise. Sometimes a general manager tries for years to find the right formula to put the team over the hump. Other times, a general manager can make one singular move that proves to be a catalyst for a truly phenomenal upward change in a franchise. The self-proclaimed “worst GM in Colorado history” did just that. He struck gold by making one trade that changed the trajectory of the entire Colorado Raptors franchise.

@Jayba1t was prmoted to general manager in the off-season before S71 after serving four seasons as @Ruggsy's co-GM. Jayba1t followed a long tradition of former Colorado players going on to take over as general manager. Another Colorado alumni, @NYR73 was hired as his co-GM. Jay started his tenure as general manager low on draft picks with a depleted roster which was increasingly aging out of the SMJHL.

The Raptors were facing a rebuild in S71 because they were buyers three seasons before that. Colorado sold future draft capital for veterans and more picks in the S69 draft. It was a bold strategy to sell the future in order to win now. But it didn't exactly work out that way. The core group of players didn't perform as expected. The rentals aged out. The locker room lacked an energy and spark needed to win the Four Star Cup.

The S71 season started with drafting Burger King at pick 69, late in the 5th round and then Banana Sauce pick 83 in the 6th round. As the season went on, the Raptors were stacking up losses. The locker room was quiet. Something had to change. The team needed a fresh start.

“I decided to bite the bullet and just say I failed the playoff push so let's start fresh,” Jay admitted in a recent interview. He and his new co-GM NYR73 schemed on how to turn the ship around. They shopped some of their older players in order to get draft capital in the upcoming S72 draft.

THE TRADE

First, Oliver Castillon was traded to Nevada for a 3rd round pick which would convert into 2nd round pick if Oliver stayed down in the SMJHL in S72. Castillon was a beloved member of the Raptors but the general managers felt he would have a better chance at a cup elsewhere. That pick remained a 3rd round pick after Castillon moved up to the big league following S71.

In the S73 SMJHL draft, the Raptors used that 3rd round pick to select goaltender Tanner Pitts. Tanner went on to become a pivotal part of the team, being the starting goaltender for three seasons which included the back to back finals runs.

In another trade, Jaybait offloaded a sophomore goaltender Scary Jerry to Vancouver for another S73 3rd round pick. The Raptors used that pick to select Napoleon Dinklage, a core defensive piece in Colorado's S75 championship lineup.

There was a larger trade however that would lay the foundation for everything else that would follow in the 70s for Colorado.

The Colorado Raptors made a huge trade with the St. Louis Scarecrows which shocked the whole league. Colorado sent James Ward-Prowse and Robin Nyckel, who each at two more seasons of junior eligibility remaining, to St. Louis in exchange for a S72 first round pick and a S72 second round pick.

Coincidentally, the Scarecrows and Raptors faced off against each other in a first round match up in the S71 Four Star Cup playoffs. Colorado beat the aspiring St. Louis team with their former players in an epic seven game series. With Colorado's victory over St. Louis, the value of those two picks increased.

Colorado got even luckier when at the S72 Entry Draft Lotto. With the fewest amount of lotto balls, the Scarecrows won the draft lotto for the first overall pick. This gave the Colorado Raptors the number one pick in the S72 draft.

The Colorado locker room was ecstatic at this turn of events. A renewed sense of hope enveloped the Raptors and their fans. A meme video depicting an interview of Jay's reaction to the lotto results circulated online among Raptor alumni and fans.

THE DRAFT

The S72 SMJHL Entry Draft was where the Colorado Raptors started stocking up on players for their cup window. They had two 1st round picks, two 2nd round picks, and two 3rd round picks. There was ample opportunity to build a solid team for seasons to come. The draft class was a competitive mix of both recreates and first generation players, leaving most team's draft board wide open. And it all started with Colorado's first overall pick.

Although there was no clear consensus who'd be selected first overall, Jayba1t was strongly leaning towards first generation player Xavier Beausoleil (@Takk806) after several successful scouting conversations. In those conversations, Takk expressed interest in a leadership position on the team very early on. But Colorado couldn't afford to wait on Takk as he was quickly gaining interest from other teams with high draft picks who were willing to trade up in the draft.

After the first scouting conversation with Takk, Jay decided to confer with his co-GM, NYR73, who also spoke to Takk. They both agreed that Takk could be a potential game changer for the team and locker room. He was full of the kind of energy and enthusiasm that are common with first generation players. The pair of Colorado general managers were sold.

“With the first overall pick, The Colorado Raptors are selecting Xavier Beausoleil,”announced HFFO over the draft stream on YouTube. “A lot of GMs wanted to get their hands on him, going first isn't surprising,” HFFO's commentary continued on Beausoleil.

The Colorado Raptors swung for the fences, or I guess took a gigantic slap shot from the blue line, and took Xavier first overall ahead of a long list of recreates worthy of a number one pick. It was a leap of faith, a huge investment in the future of the franchise.

The rest of the S72 draft was also a huge success. At 7th overall, The Raptors selected Update Portal to shore up their defense. In the second round, the Raptors picked the legendary Jussi Mutou at pick 19. Mutou was a steal at 19, becoming a cornerstone piece for the Raptors. Also notably, they picked Valerija Serapin late in the third round, another key piece of their S75 championship lineup.

A great hockey coach once said, “You need guys that are willing to plant trees knowing they’ll never sit in the shade. You need guys like that.” That's what Jay did during his tenure as general manager. He was able to recognize the situation he was in and put the franchise first over his own win/loss record. As someone who insists is the worst general manager in Colorado history, just put the team on the road to a Four Star Cup.

AND THE REST IS HISTORY

Jay served as general manager for the S72 season before letting his co-GM take the reigns. Shortly afterwards, Takk was hired as his co-GM. NYR73 handled the lines and strategy in game while Takk handled recruitment and locker room chemistry. In the duo's first season, they would be tasked with running the S73 draft for Colorado, one of the largest entry drafts in SHL history.

The SMJHL S73 Entry draft is where Colorado continued adding pieces to their foundation of a team. The Raptors selected eight players in this draft, with six hitting max TPE in the SMJHL.

After a missed opportunity in the first round, the Raptors selected Oranj Konhe in the second round. Oranj Konhe was a safe choice who would become a trusted voice in locker room with his boundless leadership qualities and hockey IQ.

The Raptors found center Shadow Fenix in the third round. Fenix went on to become the franchise leader in points for Colorado in both a season and career, manning the 1st line center positon for all four seasons of his junior career. Goaltender Tanner Pitts and the gritty defenseman Napoleon Dinklage were also selected in the third round.

Colorado got two of the biggest steals in the draft in the fourth and fifth rounds. In the fourth round, Colorado selected Leonard Wood, a clutch playoff performer that became the franchise leader in playoff points. Then in the fifth round, the Raptors selected Brandon Gilleyes. Gilleyes is quite possibly one of the most underrated players in Raptors history. Together, Gilleyes and Wood rounded out the depth of the stacked Raptors lines supporting superstars like Fenix, Mutou and Beausoleil.

S73 was a rough season for the Raptors as all of these young players were growing and developing, getting used to the pace of the top junior hockey league in the world. Their youth going up against the experience of the grizzled veterans of the league was no match. The Raptors missed the playoffs.

The next season, the Raptors were off to the races. Their S72 and S73 draftees had another year of experience together and now they were firing. They added a few more core pieces to their roster with Pinli Switchbang and Andrade La Sombra in the draft; defenseman Trent Wiseman through the waiver wire.

The Raptors weren't expected to make it far into the S74 Four Star Cup Playoffs. But their determination brought them to the finals where they lost in heart-breaking fashion to Detroit in overtime of game seven.

The following off-season, Takk was the mastermind behind two trades that would put Colorado over the hump. In another trade with St. Louis, the Raptors' sent center Supreme Dalek and a few later round picks for goalie Herman Ståhl and center Charlie Slurpe. While Tanner Pitts was the go to regular season goaltender, Herman really shined in the playoffs for Colorado. With the addition of Slurpe, Colorado's center depth was elite.

The next trade added the final missing piece for the Raptors who were eyeing the Four Star Cup. Colorado sent James MacAvoy and a pair of fourth round draft picks to Kelowna for veteran defenseman Brooklyn Physt.

With an absolutely stacked roster and the Raptors at their peak, the Raptors took the league by storm. They stacked up wins, most notably at home where the Denver altitude proved to be quite an advantage. Colorado finished third in the league and subsequently received a first round bye in the playoffs.

'RAPS IN SIX' was the rallying cry carried over from previous season in the locker room. The slogan was a testament to how they persevered through adversity as they won multiple series in six games. S75 was no different as they took down the always competitive Carolina first in six games. Then the Raptors beat a favorite to win the cup, the Quebec City Citadels, in six games. And in the finals, the Raptors beat the Beserkers convincingly in five games to win the Four Star Cup.

The Four Star Cup win was the culmination of work since S69 to get the Raptors to that point. The Raptors reached the top of the mountain thanks to the hard work put in by Jaybait, NYR73, Takk, Ruggsy, @micool132, and everyone else who helped out in the war room.

The next two seasons saw that core group of players slowly moving up to the SHL. Colorado remained competitive in S76 and S77 but the playoff results started to dwindle. With a large part of their championship roster still in tact, the Raptors fell to Carolina in seven games in round two. In S77, Colorado was swept by the expansion team, Ottawa Highlanders, in round one.

THE FUTURE

S77 marked the end of an era in many ways. Most notably with NYR73 retiring as general manager. That was where Takk and @ThisSeemsFishy have now stepped up to be the next in line of home grown talent going on to run the team. With only Nathangus McExplosion remaining from the championship season, its an entirely new team with its own place in junior hockey history to carve out.

It's once again a fresh start for a new pair of Colorado general managers. Nothing from the previous rebuild is left over. It's entirely up to Takk and Fishy to build a team capable of bringing Colorado back to the finals. They've got the experience. They've been there before. And there's a room full of people to provide guidance to them.

The trade engineered by Jay all those seasons ago has come full circle. A new generation will now lead the team to Raptor Glory.

Words: 2,111

***jaypc8237*** · 08-09-2024, 03:40 PM

Wow! Amazing read! @Takk806 overrated tho.

*micool132* · 08-09-2024, 03:42 PM

well written, what a time to be a dino

Takk806 · 08-09-2024, 03:48 PM

Such a great read!

You took the Martin St-Louis quote about Jay! That's amazing!!
This S75 cup couldn't have happened without Jaybait. He doesn't get the credit that he deserves.

So happy to be a part of this group. I'm looking forward to see what we can all build together!

G O C O L O R A D O
Roar!

Takk806 · 08-09-2024, 03:48 PM

Also,

Someone should link the trade meme video somewhere.

*kahri* · 08-09-2024, 03:55 PM

i will still never forgive Colorado for taking my friends away from me and knocking me out of playoffs but Takk is alright i guess

jason97 · 08-09-2024, 04:15 PM

*Jayba1t* · 08-09-2024, 05:25 PM

Again although this trade makes me look good I still am the worst GM in COL history

***sköldpaddor*** · 08-09-2024, 05:33 PM

I'm just glad to have been a part of this

ShadowFenix · 08-09-2024, 05:36 PM

This is a sick article, mentioning all those trades/names really shows how every single move made was instrumental to the cup win. Hopefully the new Raptors can keep it going!

NYR73 · 08-09-2024, 10:47 PM

08-09-2024, 05:25 PMJayba1t Wrote: Again although this trade makes me look good I still am the worst GM in COL history

you are not the worst gm cope and seethe buddy

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