Login

***hotdog*** · 02-02-2020, 11:37 PM

(same words as last time) If things proceed as expected, S52 will be the end of an era for the SHL. We're excited about all that is to come in the future, but this, too, serves as a good time to look back and reflect on the past. The PTs of S52 will together comprise an anthology of sorts about your player's career to this point. Obviously, players are at a variety of different stages in their careers, so some people have more reflection to do than others, but the prompts will be appropriate for everyone, no matter their player's age. (end of same words part)

This week, in the second volume, take us through your teenage years as you established yourself as a prospect worth scouting. Last time was on your earliest years playing hockey, and next time will be taking the leap to the SMJHL, so focus on the intermediate time period in this one. For example: Was the 13 year old version of your player walking around like the cock of the walk or were they a modest superstar in the making? Did you play with your age group or an older one? Did you meet any other future SHLers during your youth hockey days? When did you first grab the attention of scouts? Did you have to balance hockey and school?

Write 150+ words on the time period of your player's life described above. No graphic option this week (my apologies!) but those will return next week and beyond.

THIS PT IS FOR SHL PLAYERS AND SEND DOWNS. IT IS NOT FOR SMJHL ROOKIES.

You will receive 3 capped TPE for fulfilling all requirements.

This PT will close Sunday, February 9th at 10pm ET.

Welfare claims from either PBE or NSFL are accepted! (if you’re claiming welfare and have a different username on the affiliate's site then you need to state that in your post to get credit.)

Carbine · 02-03-2020, 01:00 AM

PBE PT

**JamesT** · 02-03-2020, 01:01 AM

During my teenage years I was like most other teenagers around this time period of my adolescence and trying to get comfortable with changes in my body and emotions.

Balancing hockey and going to high school was tough on my physically and mentally because I would have classes in the early morning into the afternoon and then I would need to head to the rink after school to practice. Eventually it became a routine for me but looking back I had to turn down a lot of social activities (including getting food with girls) so I could get more work on my game on the ice.

Around the age of 16-17 was when I started to get approached by scouts about what my thoughts were about joining the SMJHL and eventually one day playing in the SHL. I entertained with this thought for months until I decided to fully commit and join the SMJHL which will be talked next week!

I owe a lot of gratitude and thanks for my high school friends who kept me sane and to allow me to get my mind off of hockey. I didn't live a typical life of a teenager in Vancouver and my friends kept me sane so I am extremely thankful for them during my teenage years.

BDonini · 02-03-2020, 01:24 AM

As previously mentioned as Lallo Selman grew older he began to get to a point in his development where he was just too good to keep playing in Switzerland. As an 11 year old playing with 15 year olds he didn't look out of place at all and so when he turned 12 the decision was made for Lallo to go live with his mother's cousins in Canada. These cousins happened to be the parents of SHL star Brandon Donini so when Lallo moved to Canada to continue his hockey development, he also had a second cousin who looked after him and became a role model for him. Lallo had a very difficult time adjusting to life in Canada as his english was not the best so it was difficult for him to have meaningful conversations with his new high school friends in Montreal. On top of that Lallo was still closeted at that age only adding to his isolation. As a result of his isolation from other kids his age he became fully immersed into hockey, while this period of his life was a difficult one socially, from a sporting perspective it was the best period of his life as he developed at an amazing rate in Canada, always punching way above his age group and still standing out despite the age difference.

When he turned 15 his then retired cousin Brandon turned him on to some SMJHL scouts who began to watch him and who could see his immense talent. It was things like this as well as all the long summer nights he spent training with Lallo and helping Lallo learn how to fit in that made his cousin the most important figure in his teenage years.

JNH · 02-03-2020, 01:27 AM

who the fuck says cock of the walk?

***Leafs4ever*** · 02-03-2020, 01:44 AM

After a rough start to my hockey career, it started to really pick up for me at 13. I moved through house league pretty quick and found my self in triple A hockey at 13. I was routinely the youngest player on my team, but still stood out among the older players. I remember, one day, I heard my coach mention there would be a scout in the stands at one of our games. I couldn't believe it. I didn't think they came out to lower league games, but sure enough he was there. They were looking to identify players that could potentially move on to the OHL.

I didn't have a big ego at this age so I never thought that they would be there to scout me. I played my game like usual and at the end of the game, my dad told me that someone in the stands really liked what they saw. Over the 3 years spent in triple A, I actually crossed paths with my current teammate Tony Pepperoni. We never played on the same team, but faced off against each other a bunch of times.

When I hit 16, I got a call from the OHL saying my application for exceptional status was approved. I was drafted at 16 into the OHL and stayed there until my move to the SMJHL.

(227 words)

Guy Incognito - D - #24
Tampa Bay Barracuda
Season 82
22-8-3
Regular Season - [G 2] [A 17] [Pts 19] [+/- +11] [PIM 22] [Hits 49] [SB 63]

DeletedAtUserRequest · 02-03-2020, 02:00 AM

In front of some to none, Mike Izzy walked into his living room, turned on his IPad Air 2, poured a #delicious beverage... and with Facebook set to 'live'... Izzy showed the world his intensions...

"Hello, can you all see me through my tablet phone? ..
I Mike Izzy am taking my talents to the SMJHL"

And there it was!... the pride of Whitby Ontario ends what had been a standout career in the virtual collegiate's to begin this new challenge in the Simulation Hockey League! But to get to that point lied allot of hard work.. many a nights a teenage Mike Izzy gave up a day walking through Value Villiage or dirty porn at night in order to practice his speed typing, or refining his 150 word media skills or to simply scour the SHL forum in 'invisible mode'.. in order to one day be the player that turned Mike Izzy into the 4th highest player build in SHL history @ 2204 TPE!

But if were looking for that defining background moment then lets rewind to S30 where a 15 year old #tyke-Izzy began seeing 'Augment' signs popping up in the stands. Known for his ability to adapt and excel through each level of play.. Izzy's abrasive game began to make noise on the net where an Actors4Izzy fandom site began the Alias. The Augment nick name caught on turning the future Kelowna Knight into a quasi celebrity within the confines of his 10 block radius. Of course these days if you follow the SHL "the Augment" should flow smoothly off your tounge.

aug·ment
verb
1.
To make (something) greater by adding to it; To increase:

|

|

|

|

*Katth* · 02-03-2020, 03:10 AM

I'm not sure how my parents look back to the days I was a teenager, but I'd like to think I wasn't as annoying and rebellious as most teens. My parents helped me alot driving me around to practices and games and I owe them a lot. So in return I tried to not be a dick. I also like to think I've never been really arrogant when it was obvious I had a lot more skill and talent than most of the kids of the same age. I think I was 14 or so that I realized I might be a professional at some point. A scout approached me one time after a game and told me I was going to be a big player some day. I could never imagine getting there at some point in my life, but there it was. I was draft eligible for the S45 SMJHL season and I was drafted 61st overall by the Kelowna Knights and the rest was history.

S50 Challenge Cup Finals Game 7
[Image: gNFVjT6.png]

**JamesT** · 02-03-2020, 03:11 AM

Woops can delete this post here

**_Blitz_** · 02-03-2020, 03:11 AM

I come from a family of athletes. Both of my Granddads and my Dad played football in college. My Dad actually coaches football at the University of Tampa. My Mom was a swimmer in high school but didn't keep up with it through college. My brother is currently in high school, playing baseball and football. As a young kid, I played soccer, football, and baseball before finding hockey. Even then, I played a couple more seasons of summer league baseball and fall football. I could just as easily, if not more so, have committed to another sport but hockey just stuck for me.
Growing up, it was always about the team. Family first because family is your team first, and then whatever teams we were playing for. In our house, sports are religion; team colors are our symbols, cheers are creeds, and mascots are icons. I look to immerse myself in my team culture and roll with it. I find myself always wearing colors or logos for whatever team I'm on. My earliest memories are bathed in red and gold, watching my Dad's team on the field as he paced the sideline. In rec league, I was in blue, white, and black Fish Hawk gear all the time. In high school, it was navy and light blue for Newsome. My closet in St. Louis is basically red, black, and yellow. I have yet to acquire many green shirts for the Chiefs.

School was very important in our house. My Mom teaches high school Biology. While she doesn't demand perfection, she makes sure that we're not slacking off academically. Homework always came before sports, and school always came before homework. I could go out skating and training for hours, but I had to have work done and I'd have to go to school in the morning. I figured out my limits very quickly, and tried to push them frequently. I wasn't a great student (Bs and Cs mostly) because I just wanted to go play hockey. Nowadays, I'm still working on a college degree in communications, and I'm thinking about an MBA.

Personality wise, between 12 and 15 years old, I was about as cocky as any teenager that's found something to be good at. My PeeWee C and Bantam B teams couldn't keep up with me, and neither could most of our league. I would show up and make kids in my age group look like traffic cones and Mites. My coach actually talked my Dad into driving down to a scouting clinic hosted by the West Kendall Platoon when I was 15 because he thought I might be able to make it to a better team. I got picked up by a U16 AAA team in Jacksonville. It didn't last a week before they cut me in favor of another kid that had been in Bantam AA. Something about a mix-up in recruiting. When it came down to me versus him, he had more experience.
I almost quit entirely. But, like I said, hockey stuck. There's no better feeling for me than game day on the ice. When I eventually went back, I wasn't focused on personal gain as much anymore. I'd seen where that got me. Instead, I tried to be a better teammate all around. I focused on figuring out how to recognize opportunities and build plays and how to rally my teammates and help them do better. I played out the rest of my teenage years playing for Newsome High School, getting picked up by the USA Hockey National Team Development Program by an amazing stroke of luck, and being scouted for college programs from there.

Mutedfaith · 02-03-2020, 03:57 AM

As I told you all before, I was 8-9 years old when I started playing. By the time I was 14, I had shown great progress on the ice. School was fine as well, but keeping a balance was hard. My parents didn't want me to go to one of those special schools for athletes, but wanted me to go to the same school as all my old friends. That was fun, and definitely helped me keep an interest in going to school and not sneaking out to hit the ice when I shouldé been studying, but it also meant I didn't have a lot of time to do anything but go to school and play hockey, and my mom had to drive me everywhere, every day.

I've always been the strong & silent type, letting my skates and stick do the talking on the ice. Even in the testosteron-filled U16-U20s games I usually went without too many penalties or fights, focusing on playing the puck and setting up my linemates for a goal instead.

RedCapeDiver · 02-03-2020, 05:41 AM

Adam grew up watching any hockey he could, hockey wasn't the biggest sport in Norway, so he was only able to catch a few SHL games here or there. The only consistent team he was able to follow was Team Norway in the IIHF. He would watch every game and go to any practices he could, he was 9 when Norway won Bronze in the S42 IIHF tournament. Growing up he always dreamed of being able to play with some of those players he watched and he mimicked his play style after some of the great norwegian defenceman he watched, Isak Ødegård and Tor Tuck.
Through his early teens he was never the biggest player and never had the softest hands or the hardest shot, so he learned to be strong on his skates and in the right position, but eventually he hit his growth spurt and was able to really start throwing the body around. But even then it wasn't his high point totals that caught the eye of the scouts, it was his ability to be effective at both ends of the ice and at any moment in the game.

***Nictox*** · 02-03-2020, 07:29 AM

Before I made it to the Juniors, I played all around Michigan. Mostly in the Detroit area. I believed for a long time I was head of everyone I played with, that I was the best. Hell, I like to picture myself as Jason Visser or Joe Kurczewski. The last league I played in before I was drafted to St Louis humbled me. They gave me an A and told me if I knew how to motivate my teammates around me, if I knew how to talk between periods or on the bench, I would have received the C. From that moment on, I started caring less about being a superstar and more of being apart of something bigger. Once I learned how to lead, my thoughts on the game changed, I saw it differently. Everyone wanted to be the next big superstar talent that gets drafted first overall and makes a huge impact on the ice, everyone was shooting to show how good they were. Me on the other hand, showed how good I could lead. Motivating the team around me made everyone better. Yeah I did well for myself, but I owe it all to the guys around me.

[201]

Co-GM of the New Orleans Specters

RIP Dangel #AD26 | RIP TDZ

Muerto · 02-03-2020, 07:43 AM

So as Goku's adventures in hockey in Iceland were fun and eventful, by the time he was hitting his teenage years a decision had to be made. There just wasn't any sort of competitive hockey league in such a small nation, but Goku had natural talent that needed structure and coaching to really flourish. The family had a number of contacts in Norway, where cousin Riko had forged the precedent of Icelandic players adopting Norway as their IIHF team of choice. His parents were able to set up housing and schooling for Goku as he started play in the U-14 Norwegian League. Goku blended in well with his new team, and the next season moved up to the U-16 division, his exceptional skating speed and puck handling abilities allowed him to shine, finishing top 3 in scoring in both seasons in that division. He was allowed to join the U-17 Norwegian national youth squad as a 16-year old, the first foreign-born player to represent Norway in the junior tournament. Goku definitely was helped through his family association, as the Muertos have been represented in many Simulation leagues, but there is no doubt that he was already forging his own destiny and would be a player worth scouting as a potential professional hockey player.

jRuutu · 02-03-2020, 08:52 AM

Ensio Kalju joined his first junior team at the age of 12 or 13, the team was TPS juniors, a local team in Turku. At the time he did not know much about the tactical side of the game and had to be sheltered even in the junior games little bit, but Ensio wanted to learn and it did not take too long for him to realize that the tactical side of hockey is just as important, maybe even more important than all the skills in hockey. Kalju asked a lot of questions in the practice and even more so during the games when he was mostly sitting in the bench, eventually, Kalju learned the gameplan and knew what he should do on the ice.

From there rest is history in a way, steadily working on the tactical side of hockey and actual hockey skills that were on some parts at a high level already, at least compared to other junior players in the team. Following three or so years Kalju played in TPS juniors, mostly with his own age group. Closer to the age of 15 he started to get calls to couple year older juniors, at first to just practice with them, but after some time Kalju even played couple junior games with the older age group.

That development caught the eye of couple SMJHL scouts. Possibility to move over to SMHJL was not even an option before that, everybody he knew was in Finland, still in school on top of that, but interest from SMJHL planted the seed, by the time Kalju was almost 16, the jump to SMJHL was a number one option.

Navigation

Extra Menu

About us