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The season ended which means it is the offseason and that means the draft is soon. Every one is talking about the draft and the hype for it is insane. It is the first draft of 2020 but this first draft of the year is special. It is not just the first one in a year but also in a decade. There of course is the pro draft where juniors players are picked by SHL teams based on how good they are and then the juniors one where the juniors teams take the new people. I want to talk about both since they both are either coming from the SMJHL or are joining it. It is quite a big deal and definitely deserves all the attention it is getting. These classes are all unique and have some real stand outs and strong players.


So in the SMJHL draft it is a reddit year which apparently means it is a big class. There was a lot of new members that did join the league and are now trying to make a name for themselves. It is hard to climb draft boards as a first gen which I can confirm from experience. I would say that snipers and defense are probably in the most demand but every team needs a few passers. There’s some big recreates including some GMs as well like Ace and ml002 who previously had some major big time players in their former career. They will probably be in the Hall of Fame and are looking to bring another hall of famer in. Recreates have a big advantage on draft day and you can expect them to be almost all of the top picks there’s just no way for a new guy to outcompete someone with experience and a good reputation. First gens have to work twice as hard for half the results and that’s just the reality. GMs want security with their picks so they would rather take a middle of the pack guaranteed player than a high risk high reward guy. Most of them are not gamblers and do not like to roll the dice with their prized picks. After all they don’t get any do overs so you can’t really blame them for being so cautious, taking chances has burned other people in the past once bitten twice shy they say.


I see a few new people in the Sweden locker room, Magnus Liljestrom and Sven Svensson. If I remember correct all are defenseman and there might have been a few other guys too. The Swedes look like strong candidates to be top first gens in the draft and of course i always root for people from my country to do well. They look like they have the possibility to be stars and that would be great for our nation. This is my first IIHF tournament, and I’m looking forward to having new people join me on the ice soon. The S53 players may be ready fast and make an impact in international play really soon. For right now they show up in the WJC and get their first taste of the international action, of what’s to come in IIHF. Actually this is their first chance to play in anything related to SHL at all other than maybe the prospect showcase, they now have a shot to show us what they got and what they’re made of.


Then you have some big names exiting the SMJHL to the SHL to start their pro careers, the draft is tomorrow actually and should be intense. I tried to find a good mock but I have no idea about this stuff but a lot of people seem to think that Simothy Drunkebird is the number one pick. The majority probably aren’t wrong there’s a lot of connected people in this community, and they also seem to think that a goalie will go in the top 10 too which is interesting and different than the usual. Goalies tend to fall a lot from what I’ve seen just because there’s not enough room for all of them and a lot of teams do not need a goalie at all. Olli Saarinen Jr. must be making a really good impression to rise that high a lot of people have them at number two which is crazy possibly the highest ever for a goalie and definitely the highest that I have ever seen in my time in the SHL. To live up to such high expectations Saarinen will have to be a god in net, but they must have been doing that in the juniors to draw so much attention from so many teams.


I don’t know who my team Texas is taking but I’m excited to welcome new people to our team and have new people in the locker room. It’s always great to meet someone new. If I had any guesses I don’t think we’re taking a goalie that would make no sense for us White Goodman is already in our system, he is going to be a really good goalie and should be strong for us for many more years to come. That’s our goalie of the future we don’t need more there’s such a thing as too much of a good thing. Maybe Cal Labovitch could be drafted by us that looks like a good pick he looks like a very solid all around forward. I trust our team to do great scouting and find the best picks. I wish I knew more but I don’t pay that much attention maybe one day I’ll be more involved with bringing new players to the team. It sounds kind of fun to scout and get to talk to all the new players and the excitement and nervousness of waiting to see if you’re able to get that guy your heart is set on. It doesn’t have quite the depth and mystery of the NHL drafts but it’s probably the closest experience anyone can get to actually being drafted to a league or being an NHL scout without actually going out and doing it. I’m sure it’s a job a lot of people want and it’s pretty obvious why you would have tons of interest.


So new players should expect a big crowd on the draft floor attendance is always expected to be high. Turnout seems to always be surprising the whole event just creates a major buzz and hype. It will be chaotic at times and the tension may be unbearable, and everyone just feeds off of that like they are watching a suspense movie or something. There will surely be big surprises as there always are and maybe even some mid draft trades, the movement and the drama is always an exciting mix. The draft will be livestreamed so SHL fans and players can watch what is going down and see the draft board as it falls into place. Commentators will talk about the picks and kill the time while waiting for teams to tell their picks sometimes they take forever and are pretty slow. I don’t know why they’re slow but hopefully nobody is too slow this year. Players after they are picked will then get to meet their teammates and possibly do some interviews with the media. Talking about getting drafted is a fun experience and really the reminder is just to stay humble and keep working hard, you don’t want to be a bust. Just because you got drafted high it isn’t a golden ticket and you need to have good work ethic and heart. It is not the end of the line, it’s only the beginning of a long and winding career. If you want it to be a good one you must be a tireless warrior. A scrapper, a fighter, a guy that will never surrender.


The work ethic is really what makes a player stand out. There are lots of guys that have skill that can do whatever you do, maybe even do it better. But you can’t teach hustle, grit and determination. Those intangibles and also the leadership qualities are what the good scouts look for and see. Being able to be a good presence for your team off the ice and bring positivity is what teams want and the big signs of a future leader. The future captain material, the face of the franchise, the guy that you will keep around for years and years, possibly his entire career until he retires. Beyond that personality, hustle and leadership, you can work on any weak spots in your game other than that. Even experience will come with time, every player can become a veteran or a mentor eventually. The other thing is you can’t know if someone is a good fit until beforehand but that’s like really important to have a guy that clicks with your team, your vibe and your game plan.The only way to get at that is to scout and talk to someone beforehand and make sure that you’re all on the same page. If you have connections to their junior teams that’s a bonus of course. Oh and of course money matters everything in the SHL is ridiculously expensive especially the equipment and media is really a grind to do so anyone willing to do that probably has crazy work ethic. Some guys write like thousands and thousands of words without even breaking a sweat and I don’t know how they do it. They are really special and those are the elite picks, the guys who have everything going for them and are just bound to be stars.


After the drafts have wrapped up then we wait for the next year to see how the reddit class grows and who the top picks are in a seasons time. There’s lots of people who want to make a name for themselves and will have plenty of time to do that, whether through media, through having impressive stats when they’re on the ice, through their hard work in training, through their commitment and perseverance at improving, or by making friends with the right people to get where you need. And even the people who get drafted to the pros this year won’t go straight up to the SHL they’ll have to practice and work in the juniors more possibly playing down there for multiple more seasons. It will be years before we see how good these picks turned out and which ones looked really smart. Which ones were able to see really far into the future. Perhaps looking back our current draft rankings will seem silly because talent isn’t always immediately seen. Sometimes it takes a little while to grow and to show up. There are late bloomers and of course someone drafted super low could end up really turning on the jets and being a major steal. You really just never know with these things. There are so many factors that go into it, so much that happens behind the scene, and it’s all very unpredictable.


But right now everyone is watching with eager eyes to see what goes down. When San Francisco steps to the podium to bring a new player to California it will all have started. That will be the defining moment of this new era. The teams all have their fates in their own hands and will have to make the right choices to bring themselves forward. The end goal is to get the right guys to win a Cup. To find the greatest players, to find that needle in a haystack. It’s a never ending quest and it’ll be exciting to see how it ends up. I will try to be tuned it before the draft tomorrow, it’s an exciting time and really a good way for me to get back into SHL. I haven’t been as engaged lately there’s been a lot of stuff that has been off putting for me but I like the offseason part and the just chill vibe of it so I’m hyped to try to get back in the game, back in the spirit of it all. We will see what changes, what last minute trades happen, and who ultimately gets selected. I wish everyone that is eligible the very best of luck with tomorrow’s festivities, all the GMs luck in making the best picks and getting whoever it is that they want from their draft board, and I hope that all the players end up with whatever team it is that their heart desires to play for. It’s a for fun league so all I can ask for is that the outcome of this draft makes as many people happy as possible. Positivity is much needed and something that I would very much like to see around here. So do your last minute scouting and sit back and watch the show. You’re in for a real treat, it’s bound to be a good draft. Be sure to congratulate all the new players when they get picked if you’re not in it. And if you’re in it, remember that it is the best part of your career, so enjoy the ride while it lasts. See you all tomorrow!