Amiens, France

It’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon and I am joined by Jacques Bisset. Bisset, as you may remember, is the goaltender for the Lions. I personally saw him play and become a brick wall and shut everything down. I was a little worried at first as he let in two early goals but he quickly redeemed himself and impressed this agent. As I am still learning the language, and he knows very little English, I have hired a translator to help us through this interview.

Nic Tox (NT): Good afternoon Jacques, how is the day treating you so far?

Jacques Bisset (JB): Very well and you?

NT: Well myself, tell me a little about your morning routine. Would you say you’re an early riser or are you the guy who hits the snooze button 15 times?

JB: I would say that I am neither, really. I wake up at a decent time and rarely ever use an alarm. I do have studies every day of the week after all.

NT: Right, it’s hard to imagine a 16 year old not being in school. Is playing hockey in a major league important to you? Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

JB: Yes, hockey is very important to me. I would like to one day play in the SHL in North America. I am hoping to be good enough to go there next season. Well, to join the SMJHL first anyways.

NT: Do you follow the SHL and or the SMJHL? If so, what teams do you root for?

JB: Ah yes, I follow both leagues actually. I am a fan of the Quebec City Citadelles. As you can imagine, the French Canadians are easy to understand for me and make it easier to watch. When it comes to the big leagues, I’m liking the Calgary Dragons. They seem to be very popular worldwide and have had success for such a long time.

NT: Are those the teams you are looking to go play for?

JB: Not necessarily. I’ll play anywhere, those are just the teams I follow the most. I am looking forward to the future where I can talk to scouts, hopefully that is soon.

NT: Of course, part of the reason I am here is to help young prospects find their way overseas. Any players that inspire you?

JB: Yes of course. I like the big name goalies the most. Kata Vilde has been very inspirational to me. I credit him for the start of my career. There are also tenders like Aleister Cain who have played very well and deserve a little spotlight.

NT: I am very aware of Mr. Cain, as I represent his teammate Nicholas Williams. Those two are always hanging around each other. One last question before I let you go. If you decide I am your guy, what do you want to do first?

JB: Well, I haven’t thought that far ahead yet. Maybe work on my draft eligibility?

NT: Sounds good. It was very nice talking with you and I hope to see you real soon.

JB: Au revoir.


While we had a very nice chat, I do not know if Jacques is weird enough to be a star goalie. Everyone knows that goalies are weird, maybe he was hiding it? Anyways, he is still on my list of prospects but I think his chances have fallen a bit. My next interview is with Nicolas Guillaume. Guillaume is the scoring defender I watched along with Bisset yesterday. He has a hard slap shot that he is not afraid to let loose.

NT: Good afternoon Nicolas, how ar-----

Nicolas Guillaume (NG): Please call me Nico, and my afternoon has been wonderful so far.

NT: Of course, Nico. You seem to speak english well, have you always sp---

NG: Yes of course. My mother was from England and taught me it along with French. I have been bilingual since I was a child.

NT: Can you tell me about your future? Do you see yourself playing in the SH---

NG: Yes yes, of course. I am more than ready to make the jump to the SMJHL and eventually the SHL. I believe it will only take me one season to make the jump from the SMJHL.

NT: That is a pretty big statement. Do you think you are capable of doing such a thing?

NG: Yes. I am the best defenseman in this tournament. Why would I not be the best in the SMJHL and the SHL?

NT: You seem very confident in yourself, that’s a good thing to have. I think players can always improve and should always improve. You have to be a student of the game itself and alwy----

NG: Nonsense. You can get by on raw talent alone. Did I work to be where I am today? Yes. My raw potential helped me get there more so though. As you can see I am not the biggest person on the ice but I can evade hits and take away the puck from any forward who tries to get past me.

NT: The SHL, and the SMJHL, are a whole different animal. Are you sure your skills can transfer over? I’ve been doing this a long time and I can see the difference in each league, what makes you think you can instantly be a star?

NG: I am already a star. I will be first overall in the SMJHL draft this season, and first next season in the SHL. There is no stopping me.

NT: Confident might have been the wrong word to use. Different leagues have harder competition where every player is trying to go first ov---

NG: Yet only I have the skills to do so. I think this interview is finished.

NT: Au revoir.

NG: Goodbye.


Well that did not go as planned. Confident was the wrong word to use for him, clearly. Overly cocky seems like a better fit. I am scratching him off my list, there is no need to watch him any further. That leaves me with 3 players, with one of them being a bug maybe. After many hours of research over my notes and game clips, I think I can safely say that I will not be going after Marseille either. He is a very talented player, but not what I am looking for. That leaves me with two players. Jacques Bisset and Jean-Locke Zidane. Zidane was not available for a full interview as he was helping out at a youth hockey center, he did allow me to ask him a few questions on their lunch break.

NT: Good evening to you, Jean-Locke.

Jean-Locke Zidane (JLZ): Good evening to you as well.

NT: How long have you been helping out in the youth program?

JLZ: I have always come here as a child and just never stopped. I am from Amiens and this is our local center where everyone starts. I learned from some older players who also went through the program. Now I teach kids too. Not a lot of hockey players come from France, so when a child shows interest, we bring them here.

NT: Sounds like you have your hands full.

JLZ: I do, but it is well worth it. I am a firm believer in giving back to the community that brought you up.

NT: On the ice you tower over most and are not afraid to get under other’s skin, it is a little bit of a shock to see you teach kids to play.

JLZ: Ah yes, I am a bit of an agitator. That does not mean I cannot help out the youth.

NT: Very true. Do you have any plans to go overseas? Join the SMJHL and potentially the SHL.

JLZ: It has been a dream of mine for a long time now. I was first introduced to the world of hockey about 10 years ago when the SHL expanded. My buddy who is also playing in this tournament, was a fan of the sport and got me into it. He is a die hard Platoon fan. When I would go to his house he’d watch a game and tell me all about it.

NT: Glad he did that, you are looking to be one of the better defensive defenseman prospects in the class.

JLZ:I have not decided if that is my path yet.

NT: Sorry, I didn’t mean to assume.

JLZ: It is okay. I do not think of myself as one of the better prospects. I think I have an okay chance at being drafted by an SMJHL team, but not so sure about the SHL.

NT: From my understanding you train a lot, and even that is an understatement. It looks like kids are coming back, one last thing. Would you like to have another chat about how you can potentially make it to the SHL?

JLZ: Yes of course. I look forward to it.

NT: Thank you so much for your time, enjoy the rest of your night.

JLZ: Farewell.


That was probably the best chat I have had in a long time. At 16 years old, the kid has a mature head and is looking for ways to improve the hockey community in France. That is a lot on his plate, but he seems to be handling it with no problems. With all my interviews complete and my research done. I think it is time to start making my case to be an agent to someone. I have it narrowed down to either the goaltender Jacques Bisset, or defenseman Jean-Locke Zidane. Both have an incredible storyline in front of them, but I can only represent one. As I prepare to get some rest before my busy Sunday, I flip through some news channels. It seems I am getting some buzz around town. The news anchor, who I cannot understand, begins and interview with Nico Guillaume. I see my name pop up in the English dub that I quickly turned on. It seems young Nico thinks I am going to represent him this season. Which is very weird because he ended the interview with me before I could even talk future management with him.

I woke up the following morning feeling well rested and ready to watch some hockey. As I enter the hotel lobby the desk clerk waves me over. I have a letter from Mr. Zidane. He wishes to tell me that after our talk last night, he will pursue a career in hockey in the SHL. This is great news as I have him very high on my list. Before I make it to the rink my phone buzzes in my pocket. I text from Mr. Williams appears. “When you get back to the states, we have to have a talk.” I do not like the sound of that, but he could be trying to catch dinner and talk about his future again. I watched a few games today that featured both players I am scouting. It seems my mind was made up last night and the rest only cemented it in my brain. I will be approaching Jean-Locke Zidane and hopefully, will be getting him ready for the SMJHL draft.

I sat in the parking lot for what seemed like hours, but in reality it was 25 minutes. Jean-Locke walked out of the arena and spotted me instantly. He asked what I was doing around here and if I needed help finding some place around town. I smiled and said, “I think it is time you started prepping for the SMJHL draft, and I think I am the right guy to help you get there.” He nodded in agreement and asked, “When can you start?” What he didn't know, I was already contacting scouts from around the SMJHL to come talk to this kid. I answered, “I already have.”


I flew back to the states with all my notes and research. Home sweet home, I thought to myself. I landed in Detroit where I am from and made a call to Nic. He wasn’t available to talk just yet, but did leave me puzzled. I know he has playoffs on his mind, so maybe he was just getting ready for that and not thinking about the conversation we were to have. In my next report, I will be talking to Jean-Locke some more and getting him ready for the SMJHL draft. His team was the runner up in the tournament, second only to the Lions, and he of course led the tournament in shots blocked and hits. Au revoir and see you all next time.

(2112)