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Nictox · 10-22-2020, 10:01 AM

Road to the SMJHL Draft pt.1

As I sit here at Detroit Metro Airport, waiting to board a plane to New Orleans, I begin writing my list of things to do. First on my list is to go visit Williams and see what he has to say. Next, I have to speak with Jean-Locke again about getting his Visa set up. I am incredibly lucky that he decided to declare for the SMJHL Draft. I believe he is going to be a huge addition to any team that drafts him.

The plane arrives twenty-five minutes late, but that doesn’t bother me. I always schedule flights early just in case something like this happens. I spent the entire flight going over ways to get Zidane noticed by the SMJHL and the SHL scouts. I have good connections to the GMs in St Louis, where Williams played his junior career. I am sure they would love to get a look at Zidane for sure. As soon as I unboarded the plane I sent a text to Jean-Locke about which teams he would like to play for, and which ones he would avoid. He quickly texted back saying, “It doesn’t matter, I’ll play anywhere.” That is great news for all the scouts I will be talking with soon.

As I pull into the parking lot of the arena, I notice not a lot of cars here. Today should be a team practice day, but it appears that only a quarter of the team is here. I walk through the double doors at the rear, gated area where I am greeted by none other than the legend himself, Joe Kurczewski. Joe is the general manager for the Specters and has been in contact with me since before the S42 junior draft. He used to GM the St Louis Scarecrows and selected Williams in the 6th round back then. He likes to keep up with all the players I represent just in case he gets a chance to draft them in the future. After a quick catch up chat, he informs me that Williams is in the players conference room with a few other players and having a “players only” meeting. I decided to use that time to focus more of my attention to Jean-Locke.
I decided it would be best to get the kid over here for a prospects tournament so some of the skeptical scouts can see what I see. A Visa should be secured in the next few days and a plane ticket will be bought once that is approved. We also have to figure out host parents to take him in for a season or two. I know some junior teams have player housing on site with educators and trainers at the ready. I think that is a great concept and may be good for Jean-Locke to work on getting his English better.

A text comes in from Williams, he’s ready to speak with me now. I walk into the doors and something seems off. The usually happy Nic was not so happy today. He pushed a folder towards me and said, “Read it.” I scanned the documents in front of me and could not believe what I was reading. “Doc says I’ll be lucky to play one more season.” The words every aging player does not want to hear. “What does this mean for you?” I asked. “It means that I am playing one more season after this and I’ll be forced to hang up my skates before it is too late.” “Surgery is what is needed, but it cannot be done safely yet.” The thought of a young man having to retire from a sport he loves is heartbreaking. “There is good news too.” My eyes darted up from the documents. “I’m going full time Co-GM with Joe.” He was already named the Co-GM, but now he will be constantly playing that role. “That is good news.” We chatted a little while longer. I showed him clips and notes of the newest player to join the Nictox Agency. Polar opposite of what Williams is, but the same good natured commitment.

Now on top of my already busy schedule of getting Zidane over here, I have to get Williams' retirement tour ready. Something I didn’t have to do for a long time. A press conference will need to be held soon. I’ll have more on that at a later time. For now, I will be focusing on getting Zidane over here and ready for the draft. We have arranged some temporary living arrangements with an online schooling program already, now just have to get him here. I sent a scouting package to all SMJHL teams and have yet to hear a response from anyone. I wondered if it was too early to look at things like this? I mean playoffs haven’t even started yet and I am already looking to get Jean-Locke on the radar. Of course as I type this up I get a notification on my phone. It seems one team is interested in scouting Zidane after all.

St Louis Scarecrows reached out first. They received the profile I sent and were interested in learning more. Daniel Marston himself sent me the message. Usually a scout will do this as it is way early and GM’s are busy with the season at hand. Marston trusted my ability to find players and wanted to waste no time getting to know this one. I replied back with a simple, soon.

I boarded another flight to France. This time to collect Jean-Locke and his things to help with the transition. I set his parent’s up with a laptop where they could video chat with their sons overseas. I also left them my card with all my direct contact info. I told them I would be in contact soon about bringing them over for the draft and some games. They already had their passports ready to go and were eager to watch their son play hockey. We pulled away and headed to the airport. Jean-Locke looked in awe as we pulled up to the private jet sitting outside a hanger. We boarded and headed to my home base in Detroit.

He had heard rumors that Detroit was a bad place, but that was quickly shut down when he saw the city and surrounding areas. My first thought was taking him to a couple professional games so he can see one in person. He never had the chance to witness an SHL game before, so this was a perfect opportunity. I decided to drive him down to New Orleans where I could get him better access to the arena and games. Williams always hooked me up with tickets whenever I wanted and I had a pass to get in the back areas that are behind locked doors.

We entered the back door of the arena and walked over to the locker room. This is about 6 hours before puck drop so I knew it would be empty. He stood and stared for a long time, looking at the locker cubbies, the Specters logo on the ground, and the TV’s on the walls. He was in awe at everything he was seeing. He walked over to a wall and saw some names listed, he realized it was a roster list. That is when it hit him. These people were very famous over here and he was having a once in a lifetime opportunity. He took it all in. Williams walked in a few moments later and introduced himself. “Welcome to the Nictox family, Jean-Locke. I’ve heard great things about you and I was not expecting you to be so tall.” I let Williams take Jean-Locke on a tour of the whole arena and overheard a few tips being shared. I used this opportunity to schedule press conferences for both my clients and prepared the manager at the living quarters for our arrival the next day. We stayed and watched the Specters beat the Minnesota Monarchs 3-0. We headed to the hotel that night and retired to our separate rooms. We still have to get Zidane to officially declare for the SMJHL draft, that is next on the list.

Stay tuned for more updates on the Jean-Lock Zidane saga and the road to the SMJHL Draft.

[1385]

RIP Dangel #AD26 | RIP TDZ

DeletedAtUserRequest · 10-22-2020, 02:06 PM

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