The SMJHL is fluid. The seasons present themselves as opportunities for up and comers to enter the stage of the premier league for prospects. Whether they are coming into juniors to showcase their talents on floundering teams, or to stand atop the league, looking down at their competitors, there is one constant for every SMJHL player; the drive to win. Not one player wakes up wanting to lose. They all want the Four Star Cup, but they also want to make it to the SHL. This creates the fluidity of the league. Players are in a constant state of flux, no one is untouchable, the teams who buy and sell seem to change every year and it feels that it’s rarer for a player to spend their entire career with a junior team than to actually win the Cup. To a lesser extent, the league has a constant influx of new members during the season--the prospective future of the SHL wanting a shot to prove themselves outside of the draft. And for those young players, the players preparing for the S54 entry draft, and the S55 SHL draft looming beyond that, the fluid state of the SMJHL could not be more apparent. They are able to join the league right now, and to some extent they choose their destiny, but that destiny is only looking like 15-10 games before they are pushed into the entry draft. These players are entering locker rooms foreign to them that they will likely only be a part of for half a season unless they are fortunate enough to be drafted with the team that signs them in the coming days. They have one of the biggest choices in their life coming up, but that choice means next to nothing for their future.

We caught up with one of those players who declared for the upcoming S54 SMJHL entry draft to ask some questions. This journey took us to Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, to the home of Axel Foley. The defenseman’s career has taken him across Western Canada, with forays into the North-West corner of the United States. He has continually improved over the seasons he’s played, and much like with the SMJHL, where he plays, and even where he’s lived, has been in flux as well. He made the cut for the Red Deer Rebels in his first year of eligibility, but they were struggling as they approached their season's trade deadline, and as a young standout defenseman he was shipped off the Medicine Hat. They ended up faltering in the home stretch of the season, even despite Foley’s best efforts, as he posted 20 points with the Tigers in a 26 game stretch, which featured 4 goals. Following the disappointment, he thought he saw a future with the Hitmen, but once again they suffered to start the season and three days after a closed door meeting between Foley and managers, he was sent north to Edmonton. The Hitmen, when pressed, stated that they became aware of Foley’s intentions to declare for the SMJHL draft the following season and believed he no longer fit their plans. They ended up finishing top of the conference, with Edmonton maintaining a .500 pace that wasn’t enough for playoffs. This has led Foley to today, where he declared for the upcoming draft. After two disappointing seasons, and the inability to find a long term home in youth leagues, he has opted to test his luck in the SMJHL. His main goal right now; to make the team, but he wants a taste of playoff hockey.

After pleasantries, we approached Axel with our questions.

Interviewer: “Before we get an idea of what your future holds, we want to know what past endeavours you have with the sport of hockey. What led you to play the sport at the level you do today?”

Axel: “Of course, of course. Well, being born and raised mostly in Red Deer has really opened up a lot of opportunities to play hockey. I mean, the Rebels are there and I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to play for them, even though they traded me down to Medicine Hat and I kinda played in most of Alberta outside of Lethbridge, they gave me the opportunity to get into the league. And even beyond them having two franchises that have been so successful for so long in the Blizzard and the Dragons have been a big influence on me getting involved in the sport. I probably have about 10 jerseys from each team [laughs], I’m not exactly the most loyal that way.”

I: “So having the influence of two SHL teams within your province has pushed you towards playing hockey?”

A: “No doubt about it. Especially since they are directly north and south of Red Deer it’s hard not to make excuses not to go see games. It’s especially big that they’ve been consistently good for as long as I can remember. If they were at all like the early days of Buffalo, or Tampa Bay or wherever the hell that franchise is today, I don’t know if I have the passion for the sport that I do now.”

I: “Now that we understand what led you to this moment, how are you feeling about tomorrow and having the chance to sign with a team for the remainder of the season?”

A: “Pardon my french but I’m fucking terrified right about now. The furthest I’ve ever gone to play hockey is about Spokane or Kelowna, so the prospect of ending up playing somewhere like Anaheim, or even out west in Detroit, it scares me. And that ain’t even the start of it, right? Because one of the things I love about this sport is the brotherhood between me and the boys on and off the ice, and the idea of going into a locker room and making those bonds for a few weeks before going off to the draft is a difficult concept to grasp. And if I don’t even get offers, I’ll be heartbroken…”

Unfortunately for Foley, at the moment of this article being written there are 44 players looking to be signed coming into April 21st. It seems overwhelmingly unlikely that he will be finding a home for the remainder of S53. For him, and much of the draft class hoping to be signed this season, they are lined up for heartbreak.

I: “Before we head out, what is one message you’d want teams looking at you to hear?”

A: “I won’t let you regret signing me. I don’t care if I don’t play much this season, I want to be on a team, and I want to get experience for next season. And every team that has a chance to draft me and passes up on that, I will make sure they regret it.”

While Axel will be busy stressing about potential offers, we are all eagerly waiting to see what kind of gameplan teams use to sign players tomorrow, and if there will even be high-profile signings tomorrow. One thing is for certain, the rest of the season is set up to have an exciting finish, regardless of if Foley, or other youngsters make the jump to the SMJHL this season.