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Jiggly_333 · 02-17-2020, 03:35 PM

The jump from SMJHL to SHL was a kick to the head for Rocky. While she wasn't one of the TOP players in the juniors, there was a sort of expectation that with the extra reps in the juniors she'd be coming into the SHL much more prepared. Instead, Rocky was greeted with an incredibly disappointing start to her career. There's been talk about how the NOLA Specters are a snake-bitten franchise and Rocky is starting to believe it with how much her production has fallen in comparison to her peers in her class and TPE levels. Something has gone horribly wrong, but she won't let it get her down. The only way to overcome a handicap is to just be so good that the handicap no longer matters. While Rocky herself hasn't been doing too well, NOLA as a team look to be in playoff position so she's hoping to shine when it comes to the postseason.

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Jamie T Wrote:But I wish I'd been a little more exceptional
And I wish I'd been a little unconventional
But I was not enough, no, I'm not enough

*Carpy48* · 02-17-2020, 03:42 PM

When Harry was drafted to the Lethbridge Lions in the 5th round of the S46 SMJHL draft he had no expectations at all. He was just happy that a team had picked him. In fact, he didn't even know where Lethbridge was on the map nor that they had a team (to his defense they were a recent expansion team in the SMJHL), but he made himself at home there relatively quickly. In the beginning Harry knew his role was to be Nadeau's backup and he was fine with it. He probably had impressed the coaches after his first few games, because they gave him more than just the minimum amount of starts a typical backup would get. He played about 1/3 of the games in his second season and by his third season in Lethbridge he had not only seen a few call-ups to Toronto already (his first game ended in a win - he wanted more!) he was the Lions' starter and was starting to break some records, especially in the playoffs. Not that there were many to begin with in the team's short history. Just when he had gotten used to the city of Lethbridge, the team and the system, it was time to pack up and join the big league; Toronto was waiting. Perhaps staying down another season or two would've helped Harry's development and potentially gotten him some more awards, but which young goalie could say no to a permanent starting job in the SHL?

(250 words)

KillaScrilla · 02-17-2020, 04:14 PM

The leap from college to the SHJL has been rather different than I expected. In college I was always one of the better players on the ice. The captain of the hockey team the won a championship. Here though I’m just a regular guy by all stretch of the imagination. My rookie season I didn’t hardly play at all. That was a rough season going from a championship and captain to end of the bench water boy. This season though I’ve been able to flash some of why the Dragons drafted me 10th while also still developing my game. Next season I suspect I’ll have a more prominent role as my game keeps improving. St.Louis has been a great place to develop and I wouldn’t change a thing about my experience.

BarnabasCollins · 02-17-2020, 04:24 PM

Kata Vilde's time in the J was so very special for the first 3 seasons and absolute shite the last season. His rookie year on Kelowna the team was great and Vilde played backup on the cup winning team. The next 2 seasons in the starter's role he led Kelowna to it's incredible 3 peat. Not many if any goalies have won cups their 1st 3 seasons in the league and it's something that will always be very special and a tremendous accomplishment. After winning in Kelowna 3 staright seasons the team went into rebuild mode and Vilde was traded to the Halifax Raiders with the hope of winning his 4th staright cup in the juniors. the season was an unmitigated disaster however. Vilde played terribly and the team went absolutely nowhere. Being called up the next season was bittersweet since Vilde's career in the minors ended up on a horrible note but nothing can tarnish the 3 in a row cups that will forever be a part of Vilde's legacy in the J.

drodger91 · 02-17-2020, 04:26 PM

I have had 3 different players in this league, but Artemi Berezin was the most fun I had coming up through the SMJHL.

I was finally going to build a scoring forward, which sounded like fun, actually putting points for a team, but I was also GM of Montreal back then and we needed a top center men for our team, and instead of drafting one and hoping, I built one. It was also my most active years around the site for those reasons, and was even able to be a top ranked TPE earner, and a top 5 pick in the draft, which always helps, I couldn’t keep it up throughout my SHL career again, but maybe the next player I’ll have my moment.

I still have yet to get that elusive Four Star Cup after countless tries with multiple players, but maybe one day I will, maybe my next player will only be a junior star and then retire?!

StamkosFan · 02-17-2020, 05:49 PM

Ola Wagstrom was bound and determined to make an immediate impact for the Falcons. Detroit must have seen something in them, because they sniped him in the second round of the draft after a last minute registration for the event. Without knowing anything about him, they believed in him. Many scouts were worried that he would fizzle out, but by the end of his first year, his work ethic and skill set had impressed the brasses of many administrations. Interest flooded in, as he in spite of a poor season stat-wise, he was one of the top prospects in a shallow draft class. The Winnipeg Jets came knocking, and Wagstrom ended up as the second overall pick of the S44 SHL entry draft. He returned for one final year to tear up the juniors with the Falcons, giving them a great return on their draft investment in him. While it was encouraged for him to spend three years in the juniors, Wagstrom felt that he was ready after just two. It would be a grind, but he believed that it was an endeavor worth undertaking.

**bbjygm** · 02-17-2020, 05:51 PM

I remember when I first got drafted to Anaheim. I was excited for juniors, and making it to the pro level seemed so far away. It was a welcoming environment, with everyone so friendly, perhaps that is why I dug my heels in and fought to grow as a player. I eventually began to look solid as the juniors level, to get praise from my coaches, and then I got drafted to the SHL. And after a little while longer, it was time to head up to New England. Leaving was both an exciting and a sad moment. I knew it would be more difficult than I thought to make the leap, but I did not truly know just how difficult it would be. I had learned a lot in juniors, gotten a lot faster and a lot stronger, but I needed to grow even more. I would miss Anaheim, but it was time to move on and own my game.

Thunfish · 02-17-2020, 06:16 PM

I'll sum it up with this bit from just after the Outlaws won the Cup, as taken directly from this media piece:

Quote:MS: OK, that's enough, McCloud. I've tolerated your weirdness for far too long. I'll be leaving this team next season, my major team is promoting me and I demand, as a goodbye gift, that you behave like a proper hockey player.
The rest of the locker room remained silent, impressed.
McCloud sighed.
He placed his hands around his helmet.
The Irish Ninja took off his helmet.
They finally got to see what was underneath that helmet. Shaggy black hair, scars on most of his face, including a bad looking one near his left eye and two that made a cross on his right cheek. He had brown pupils and his skin looked slightly pale, a result of being hidden under so much stuff.
And then he cried.
YmC: ...The normal hockey player will miss you all. Let me be weird, it hurts less.
MS: ...I didn't know.
YmC: It's fine. I'll forgive you if you share with me some Swiss gold.
Seger shook his head, facepalming but with a slight smile on his face.
The rest of the team laughed a bit. For a second there, it seemed like McCloud was a wreck, a sad person, something not very fitting of the happy-go-lucky ninja they were all used to.
Yoshimitsu took a sip from one of the beer cans. Behind him, the screen of the television flashed a "You Win!" message.
MS: ...Did you just beat another scrub?
YmC: Have some respect, that was an online user and possible fan I just beat.
MR: But you weren't looking at the screen!
YmC: An ancient ninja secret.
MS: McCloud!
The Swiss shook his closed fist at his direction.
Some things never changed.
McCloud was still weird.

I loved my time at the Juniors, the locker room guys were (and still are) great lads and I feel like I will always owe them one for letting me grow and remain in the league, in spite of never being a great name or anything of the like. The jump to the majors was a bit rough, in all fairness: I played for the Pride in a bit of a lull season and was also there for a season where we topped the tables and then went down early on the playoffs. Of course, my first season with the Platoon so far did not exactly end very well but I'm happy with my teammates and just hope that we will do much better next season.

Also... yeah, gave me loads of material to write about too.

RainDelay · 02-17-2020, 06:32 PM

The SMJHL was...uh... I mean is pretty interesting. I forgot I’m still down there. Not in the big leagues just yet. This season has gone a lot different than my first though, and thank goodness. I was starting to lose faith in myself and my talent. It’s hard to come to a team in the middle of something, with people already established and I’m just the new guy. Nobody trusted me fully to do anything on the ice and I wasn’t able to live up to my potential. Now, I’m a full fledged Anaheim Outlaw, and I’m happy to be. This season I have been able to spread my wings. The management trusts me and gives me first line minutes and special teams sometimes as well. I’m grateful for it every day, because I know that without this opportunity, the SHL would be a dream I would never see attained...

Velevra · 02-17-2020, 10:38 PM

The leap to the SMJHL was an interesting one for Akira Ren. After declaring for the draft, he was unsure about where he would end up. As the draft drew near, he didn’t receive much interest from teams and was worried that he may not get drafted high. He was then reached out to by Lethbridge Lions General Manager Jordan Nugent-Hall who was a good friend of his agent Shawn Velevra. Nugent-Hall was adamant about selecting Ren 3rd overall in the SMJHL Entry Draft. Ren was blown away by this faith, no other team had talked to him about taking him in the first round at all, let alone a top 3 pick. Ren tried to convince Nugent-Hall that he wasn’t worthy of such praise but Nugent-Hall was sure Ren was the player they wanted. Ren would go on to have a fantastic rookie season with the Lethbridge Lions and be a big part of the team for another few seasons. He is currently in his last season with the team that has now moved to Newfoundland and he hopes to have a good final season in the SMJHL.

***39alaska39*** · 02-17-2020, 11:19 PM

Alex Winters (retired)
Matej Winters (retired)
Dominik Winters
S45 Jesster Trophy Winner
Challenge Cup Winning Goal Club: S52

*Ferda* · 02-18-2020, 02:16 AM

The SMJHL has been a shit show for Augustus Wang. After being paired with the infamous Gabriel Johnson on the Anchorage Armada's top defensive pairing in his rookie season, we see Wang with glaring mental issues that have stemmed from the mental and verbal abuse that Gabriel Johnson inflicted on not just him, but the entire Armada team. Wang was once a young and confident star player as he started his hockey career at the late age of 13 and has seen his play slowly decline as a result of the stain that Johnson has left on him personally. Prior to reaching the SHL, Wanger was a big partier, but would not let his off-ice antics get in the way of his own progression as a hockey player. However, Gabriel Johnson pushed Augustus into a deep depression and turned a once selfless hockey player, into a selfish puck hog that has resulted in the Armada’s downfall after a recent Four Star Cup victory.

TheHockeyist · 02-18-2020, 03:22 AM

As Igor Volkov was playing for the Russian national team, his talent quickly went noticed by the elite North American teams wanting to draft more players. Although his English was less than ideal, Igor decided he'd take a shot at the North American league. He was drafted by the Vancouver Whalers and later offered a spot in the Minnesota Chiefs, one of the few teams willing to draft him. His experience in the SMJHL was initially not ideal, but in the end, he came to dominate over the others and helped win his team the S48 Four Star Cup over Anaheim, one of his best memories from those days. Igor didn't have too many friends in Vancouver, mostly staying close to some well-trusted teammates and his coaches. Having achieved peak SMJHL glory, Igor decided somewhat last minute to immediately transfer up to Minnesota despite the scandal that was ongoing at the time.

Mayuu · 02-18-2020, 03:44 AM

There's defining moments for Hippo during his stint in Detroit, first of all he was a part of an amazing draft class and his team mates from his draft were nothing but stellar.
His rookie season in the juniors left a lot to desire but Buffalo still believed in him regardless something that lifted a weight of Hippo's shoulders the upcoming season.
It wasn't until the third season in the SMJHL that Detroit truly made a dent, absolutely demolishing the regular season only to fall short against a young Colorado. A truly heart wrenching moment as much of the team was dismantled by call-up the season after.
Hippo and Detroit still made it all the way to finals the season after but there waited Alister Cain, who promptly dismantled the offensive from Detroit.
Although Hippo never got to lift the cup in his time in SMJHL he still remembers it fondly, from angry people saying he was staying down long to gain an edge during his rookie years in SHL to WJC Gold with Scandinavia, truly an amazing experience.

Hippo got of to a better start in SHL, lifting the cup in his rookie season, the first cup in Buffalo history and slaying his demon Alister Cain at the same time!

RETIRED

majesiu · 02-18-2020, 05:52 AM

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