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Matteo · 09-14-2020, 11:47 PM

[2x draft media]

We sat down today to talk with Quebec City Citadelles and now Chicago Syndicate goaltender Mat Smith now that all of the draft buzz has died down and asked him a few questions. Here's what he had to say about his new home:

Q: First of all, welcome to your new SHL team, how are you feeling about being drafted by Chicago?
A: Thank you! I'm feeling really good about being taken by the Syndicate, obviously they're a relatively new team but I feel like they have a really bright future ahead of them and I'm looking forward to being part of their future success.

Q: You were the second goalie to be drafted, in the 2nd round, 30th overall. Were you at all surprised to be taken here?
A: I wasn't too surprised to be taken here, most mock drafts I looked at also had me here. Everyone had Philip Weaver being picked as their first goaltender, including me, so I definitely wasn't surprised to go after him, and after that I thought that either me or Chimkin Tendy would be the 2nd goalie to go, so no huge surprises there.

Q: None of your previous teammates from Quebec City will be on your team in Chicago. How are you adjusting to this?
A: Of course I'm gonna miss playing with my teammates from the Citadelle and it will be weird without them, but I'm also looking forward to getting to know a completely new set of teammates. I'm also probably still gonna be in Quebec City for another couple seasons at least, so it's not like I'll be saying goodbye any time soon. I think what's gonna be most weird though will be playing against them in a few seasons, especially players like Alexander Roach that play on divisional rivals.

Q: The Chicago Syndicate also drafted another goalie in your draft, Damien Vertigo from the Kelowna Knights, in the 4th round, 55th overall. Does this intimidate you?
A: No, Chicago is just covering their bases and I completely understand it, especially after the goalie they picked last draft suddenly stopped progressing. Vertigo is a great goalie from a great team, and I'm looking forward to us pushing each other to be better. I'm also no stranger to sharing a crease with a goalie in the same draft class as me, as David Danielson played with me in Quebec just last season.

Q: After your team's training camp and paying an $8.5 million visit to your new SHL coach you're only a few TPE away from the 350 cap. Does this make you happy or are you upset that it looks like you're going to reach it before your sophomore season even starts?
A: To be honest I'm a little bummed out that I won't progress at all as a player this season, but with that said I'm happy that I reached this milestone almost as fast as I could have. Now in season 56 I'll be playing my best hockey possible for Quebec City and by the time season 57 rolls around I probably will have already hit the 425 cap as well, which means that I'll progress then.

Q: You're running a little low on money now that training will cost $1 million per week and coaching will cost $8.5 million per season. How are you going to make enough money to afford all of this?
A: Right now I'm focusing on pumping out a lot of media and graphics, right now I'm waiting on a bunch to be graded so my bank account should be up another figure in no time. Besides this I'm going to keep tweeting using the hashtag "#SHLHockey," and maybe if a job gets posted that catches my eye I'll apply for that.

Q: Where do you see yourself after graduating from the SMJHL in a couple seasons? What about when you hit your peak?
A: I don't expect to be anything more than a backup or "1B" tandem goalie in Chicago after I graduate. Gotta earn my place on the team and keep progressing to earn every start I get. Eventually I'd like to have full starter responsibilities, and at my peak maybe be in the conversation for top 3 goalie in the league. It'll be awhile before then though, all I can do right now is keep getting as much TPE as I can and keep improving.

Q: Last season you weren't part of the SMJHL draft, can you speak a little more to that and how it affected you?
A: I think the biggest thing was that I started later than everyone else and so missed a few big TPE earners like the SMJHL training camp, interested prospects thread, and team predictions. Though if I had joined a few days earlier and was part of the draft, there's a good chance that I wouldn't have gone to Quebec, so in that way I'm happy that I came in as a free agent and was able to pick which team to sign with.

Q: You joined the league at about this time last season, what has been your biggest takeaways from your first professional season?
A: My biggest takeaway by far has been that the most important aspect of a team is to have a good locker room and success will come later. I know it sounds cheesy, but an example is that everyone thought that Quebec would be a bottom team and would be absolute garbage in our first season, but thanks to everyone keeping each other engaged in the locker room, many players stayed active and kept updating, and so Quebec finished ahead of two other teams in the regular season, including one non-expansion team, and made it to the 2nd round of the playoffs.

Q: Thanks for sitting down with us. Is there anything else you'd like to add?
A: Not really other than I'm really looking forward to my future with the Chicago Syndicate. Everyone I've met in the locker room has been really nice and I can't wait to win some Challenge Cups with them.

Word count: 1087

DeletedAtUserRequest · 09-15-2020, 12:22 AM

Well done.

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teztify · 09-15-2020, 02:01 AM

Wow we draft absolute kings

JNH · 09-15-2020, 02:14 AM

It's like Matteo sat down and was like "how do I give all the right answers to every question" and then did it.

Phenomenal.

Super happy to have you in Chicago!

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