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Tylar · 07-17-2020, 07:40 PM

Post Draft Slate Interview

****x2 Draft Media

The big night in the SHL was yesterday with the S55 SHL Draft. Coming into this draft Liam Slate was seen as one of the top prospects in terms of potential and pedigree. Slate scored 16 points during the regular season on the fourth line and was promoted to the third line in the playoffs. In the playoffs, Slate scored 9 points in 14 games as Newfoundland fell in the Eastern Conference finals. Slate currently sits near the top of the draft class in practice hours and bank. Going into the draft Slate did not hear from that many teams and teams did not seem to be interested which showed in their reach-out attempts to Slate. Going into the draft Slate speculated on where he would be picked. As the draft neared it was becoming clear Slate was not going to be a first-rounder. Slate ended up being selected by the Toronto North Stars at 18th overall. The SHL Draft is always a bit of an unknown as a rollercoaster so it is not really surprising that people fall, but the fall of Slate will likely be a big storyline of this draft. It has already been talked about a bit by some media outlets but it may be a bigger story in the seasons to come.

How did it feel to be selected by the North Stars?
Honestly, I am super excited to be in Toronto. It is the team I wanted to go to the most. They are young and upcoming with a lot of talent. They got Jones as 3 too which is sweet. Toronto is going to be an amazing team in the future, and I am excited to be apart of it. I cannot wait to get to know the guys while up in Toronto before I head back to Newfoundland for another season.

Interview

How did it feel to be slipping in the draft? Do you know why?
Honestly, I was kind of surprised. I was not really sure why it did not really make sense to me. I guess maybe the agency I am with is why. Although they have a good track record with players like Sami Owens as well as a known presence in the locker room. I would say a lot of teams are missing out I guess which is fine. I know what I am and what I will be. I doubt when they look back on this draft, 17 players will be better than me honestly, but that’s the other team’s loss and Toronto’s gain. In the end, it worked out in my favor so I can not really complain.

Interview

What is next for Liam Slate?
I will be heading back to Newfoundland and want to build on my playoff performance. I played extremely well and gained a lot of confidence. I hope to be able to elevate my game and possibly get into the top six this season if not just play on the third line and do damage there. I know our team is extremely deep and it will be tough to crack the top six but I think I can do it. I am going to continue to get better and hopefully score a lot of goals.

Interview

Do you have certain goals? When do you expect to be an SHL player?
I think my goal next season in Newfoundland is to score double-digit goals and get close to or over 30 points. I think that is realistic for me. I want to set my goals high to keep myself going. I think as a team the goal in Newfoundland is to win the Four Stars Cup. That is the end goal. I just want to be able to contribute as much as I can to the ultimate goal of winning. I think I will be for sure ready in 3 seasons but depending on Toronto’s situation I could see me being ready in two more seasons. If Toronto is competitive and going for a cup and feel I can contribute, then I would be happy to head up to the SHL. I think ideally, I will be an SHL player in S58 but we will have to see. Their roster is young and getting better who knows where it will be even after this coming season.

Interview

Your family has roots in Sudbury, how do they feel that you will be playing relatively close to home in Toronto?
They were pretty excited honestly. Obviously, Sudbury is not close to Toronto, it is like a 4-hour drive so. My family is pretty hardcore so I bet they would make the drives up to see me play. We do have some family up in Toronto as well, so it is exciting for sure. It kind of feels like home a bit so it is cool to be drafted to Toronto. It is going to be great having my family at games when I am up in the SHL. I will have to buy a lot of tickets to my SHL home debut.

Interview

What kind of player will the fans be seeing when you eventually come up to the SHL?
I like to score goals ultimately. I know my rookie season I did not really get on the score sheet as much I would like, but look at the playoffs. I had multiple two-goal games and scored 7 goals in 14 games from the third line. I have a nose for the net and the shot to match. I will score goals at the SHL level and that is what they can expect from me. I know we also got Jones who is a playmaker so he can feed me, and I will fill the net.

Interview

What parts about the North Stars excite you most when you think about joining them in a few seasons?
I would say looking at their roster it is young. They got like three guys coming up from a draft two seasons ago and some guys from the S52 draft. The team is up and coming and will likely be extremely good. I think their main core is in place and they are now building around it. I also look at their prospect pool other than myself. They got guys like Sato, Stratton, Petrikov from the last draft. This draft they added third overall in Jones along with other good guys like Panda, Wolfe, and Richards. I think the team is going to be extremely good when I am ready to play in the SHL. I honestly believe the North Stars are going to win a cup in the future and I want to be apart of that.

Interview

How would you say your rookie season went compared to your pre-SMJHL draft expectations?
I honestly set my expectations high and likely did not reach those, but I have to put things into perspective. I played an average of like ten minutes of ice time a game on the fourth line being matched up against teams tops line when they could get that matchup. I did fairly well I think. I know in the playoffs I did extremely well which I am proud of. Getting sixteen points on the fourth line is fairly good I think.

Interview

What are your off-season plans to make sure you're ready for S55?
I am going to continue doing what I have been doing. Training hard and getting better. My goal this offseason is to work on my cardio. I want to get my fitness up a bit especially if I am going to be playing more minutes. I need to be fit in order to play in the top six potentially so I need to work on that cardio. Another thing I will be doing is more on-ice training this offseason. Last offseason I worked on my strength, and this season I want to focus on skills a bit more alongside my cardio.

Interview

Do you have any concerns about the looming expansion draft? It's rumoured that Newfoundland may leave you unprotected?
I do not think I would be left unprotected but I guess we will never know since lists are not out. I have faith in our management that they will get whoever we lose back or replace them accordingly. We have a tight-knit group in Newfoundland. I know we ended up losing Nicco for a second but they traded back for him so our team is still intact. I think it was smart to keep us all together and I am happy to see it. The next step is to bring the cup home next season.

Interview

Initial opinion on the management team in Toronto?
I enjoyed my small chat with them before the draft and since being there I enjoy them. They are extremely nice and have been welcoming. When I talked to them initially, I felt like they liked me and were interested. Originally when I found out they were passing on me at three I was kind of disappointed but was thrilled to have them pick me at eighteen.

Interview

Toronto scored huge by announcing the signing of Keith Lee. What are your initial thoughts having played him last season in the SMJHL?
He is apart of the current Four Star Cup Championship team which I congratulated him when I saw him for the first time today. During the regular season, I played against him a lot as Carolina tended to match up to their first line against our fourth line a lot especially when we played at Carolina. He is tough to play against and I am happy to see him playing for Toronto. I would not be surprised if he ends up putting up a solid rookie season and is in contention for the Jesster, if not even the winner. I know he only signed short term so hopefully, he stays around for when I come up to play in the SHL.

Interview

The North Stars have one of the best goalies in the league in Harry Carpet. It must be exciting to be in the same system as him?
Yeah, I was pretty happy because Carpet is a Newfoundland, or I guess Lion’s alumni. It would be an honor to play in Infront of the great Carpet. I know he is one of the best and I have talked to him a little bit before. I know the Lions have quite the goaltending pipeline so I am not surprised he is one of the best.

Interview

The WJC is just about done its round-robin. What are your thoughts on your tournament thus far?
I think we (British Isles) as a team have struggled. I have struggled as well. I wish I could have contributed more offensively thus far honestly. We have a big game against Canada in the quarters though, so I am just trying to focus on that rather than the disappointment of not putting up points.

The SHL Draft for Liam Slate was both a bit disappointing but overall was a good night. The fall of Liam Slate may turn out to be good because Slate now gets to play for a young and up and coming team that should be good by the time Slate is in the SHL. Slate got picked by the team he was most interested in too which is another plus. With the offseason starts, Slate can focus on training now and proving teams wrong. Next will be the SMJHL preseason where Slate will try to work his way up the stacked Newfoundland Berserkers line-up in hopes of winning a Four Star Cup in S55. Will Liam Slate be able to prove he is worthy of a high draft slot and be a major riser in future re-drafts for the season 55 draft class? Did Toronto steal one of the best players in this draft class? It will be interesting to see how Slate fares with the rest of the class or if he was just a good junior player who never puts it together in the pros.