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HydroRaven · 07-20-2020, 03:37 AM

Entry drafts are always stressful for the young players attending, partly due to the fact this is one of the first major developments in a player’s career, and partly due to the scale of the event itself. This year, we decided to follow a young goal tender hailing from Montreal, Marcel Laflamme.

We met up with the young man at his home about a week before the draft, where we caught Marcel getting ready to head to the gym. He had come back from a morning practice, which he attends religiously. Today, he explained, was a day dedicated to breakaway drills in the morning, and some video training sessions in the afternoon. The young Mr. Laflamme also explained stretching and flexibility exercises were a staple of his daily routine, doing those regularly every afternoon. One has to wonder if he gets any time for himself. “At the moment, I don’t often go out because I’m tired at the end of the day. But I always try to hang out with my friends on the weekends, and I sometimes play video games at night before going to sleep. It helps my mental focus to be able to unplug and think of nothing.”

For most players, the week leading to the draft is usually very stressful, and support from friends and family members can be invaluable. The players, who already have busy work schedules as demonstrated above, have to squeeze meetings with their agents, meetings with GMs from potentially interested SMJHL teams, have to deal with the stress of scouts in the stands, an sudden increase in popularity, etc. For some players, this can lead to tremendous mental pressure and unhealthy coping mechanisms. Marcel, however, seemed to be dealing well with this, and even his parents and sisters were amazed at his mental fortitude. “We are proud of him” simply said his father, Jean-Guy. “He knows we are behind him 100%” added his mother, Ginette.

We caught up with Marcel once more on the morning of the SMJHL draft. The young goal tender was smiling the whole time our reporter was with him. His phone seemed to constantly vibrate with encouraging messages from everyone, from extended family to acquaintances. Marcel himself seemed to take things well, and when asked where he thought he was going he said “I don’t know. I have talked to so many people, I don’t even know what to think anymore. I would love to go to Quebec City because it would be close to my family, but as long as I’m drafted, I will give it my 110% to whatever team decides to take a chance on me.”

Once the draft was over, we met Marcel (drafted 17th overall by the Colorado Raptors) and asked his thought on how the draft went. “I am just shocked I was picked!” were the first words the young goal tender said. “I don’t remember anything about the other players. Goalies don’t usually get picked so high. Once my name was called, my brain reset because I was so happy.” When asked about his new team, he had this to say: “I think Colorado has some good chances this year. I think I remember they took Strong in the first round. And I always admired [Emiko] Spector’s time in Colorado, I feel their presence in front of the net made the team very competitive. Hopefully I can do the same and help them get the Four Star Cup during my time here.”

Our reporter asked Marcel what he planned on doing, to which he responded “I don’t know, I think I’m going to go home and eat and do my stretches.” His parents also seemed in high spirits. “It will be a bit of a commute, but we’ll try to visit him as often as possible. We will definitely watch all his games though” said his father, who seemed very emotional.

Only time will tell if the young Mr. Laflamme will have an impact on the Colorado Raptors. It seems he will start his career at the backup position, but if he makes the most of his chances, he could quickly be in the conversation for the starting position. With Mertin Broduer being placed on the IA list, Jerry Huuveri is the favourite to start in net, barring any injuries or unfortunate circumstances.

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LordBirdman · 07-20-2020, 10:18 AM

Great read! Colorado is ecstatic to have Marcel Laflamme as our goalie of the future.

Here's hoping Jean-Guy and Ginette can make it to Colorado for a few games!

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