My first article here. I like money. The first and last paragraph pretty much sums up what most GMs will want to read – continue beyond at your own discretion:

GMs and players in the Simulation Hockey League are abuzz with the recent influx of young new talent entering the league. Of particular interest is the dominating defenceman Basil Sivart. A right-handed shot, Basil is a punishing defender noted for his keen defencive prowess and punishing checking. At 6 feet 4 inches, 215 pounds, he is not afraid to throw the body around and clear out his team’s crease. He thrives on grinding out pucks in the corners and feeding his teammates with crisp tape-to-tape passes. His point shot is devastating, in the fact it hits as hard as a sawed-off shotgun, with about the same amount of accuracy. It is not uncommon to see his teammates diving out of the way when the big D-man winds up for a clapper. A level-headed, ambitious team player, GMs looking at Sivart should expect a top tier earner but quieter locker-room personality. Expect a team focused player willing to put the team’s needs first, very willing to adjust training for what the team needs first. In his personal career he hopes to excel at defensive aspects of the game first, but eventually progressing into a two-way defenceman.

Basil Sivart was born outside of the small resort town of Torquay in southern Saskatchewan, 15 minutes north of the United States border. Born to father, Fawlty Sivart, and mother, Sybil Sivart, Basil’s parents were aspiring hoteliers from the English Riviera, where they ran a struggling inn for tourists and locals alike. Unfortunately, they were not very good at it. After a series of violations were brought before the Devon Trading Standards office (including allegations of the owners peeping through guest windows, serving underprepared food, incredibly demining remarks to the Spanish porter, fire safety concerns, hung items not securely fastened to the wall, and a tirade about the war to German tourists), the Sivarts were forced to sell the property and look for greener pastures – little did they know it would be more akin to frozen fields. Tales of the couple’s hotel woes had spread across the British Isles and were already beginning to propagate throughout the continent when they found out their first child, Reg, was on the way. With dreams of a fresh start for themselves and a world of opportunity for their children, the Sivarts began to look for a new home.

The dream of hotel ownership was not dead for the Sivart family, it was just dead in Europe. They had to look further for their land opportunity. From their first hotel, they learned a few key things about themselves, but perhaps the most impactful was their inability to grasp the nuances of other cultures and languages. This immediately narrowed down the list to former British colonies that predominantly spoke English. Australia terrified Fawlty with countless threats to their survival, such as deadly insects, assorted Reptilia, and dreaded drop bears. For similar reasons Africa was struck from the list – citing the oft-overlooked hazards of testosterone enraged chimpanzees. They were not even certain New Zealand really existed – it was left off of half the maps they had seen. With the competition of the ‘Taj Mahal Palace Mumbai’, ‘Taj Mahal Tower Mumbai’, ‘Taj Santacruz’, and more Taj inspired hotels, India had an established hotel market that would be nearly impossible to break into. Any remaining island nation was out, including Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Micronesia, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Bahamas, and Sri Lanka, as Sybil had developed an intense fear of water. This left the rebellious yankees, or the loyalist canucks as the remaining options for the Sivart Clan to try their luck. While both had their advantages, it appeared the option to the north offered slightly more britania than the south. So, it was off to Canada. But where? A quick search revealed a few hot spots for up and coming hotel owners. Quebec was booming, however, learning French was out - so the province was out. Out east, the Maritimes had a strong B&B market, but due to it’s proximity to the sea, it was stricken from the list (similarly for British Columbia). The north was too sparse to operate a successful hospitality business. This left Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. Out of all of them, Ontario seemed to have the largest population, and a metropolis in the City of Toronto that had attractions to attract attraction seekers. It seemed like the perfect place to lay down roots. With eager eyes they sold most of their belongings and purchased a 10 room hotel in an area called Rexdale. Things were looking promising for the couple.

It was shortly after they moved to Toronto that the Sivarts welcomed their first child, Reg, into the world. It was also around the same time they started to realize that their dream hotel was nowhere near the attractions of the big city, save for the ‘local-talent’. When they took ownership, it quickly became apparent that this was a very special type of hotel that typically charges by the half-hour. Sybil Sivart refused to accept their new life as purveyors of a place for prostitutes. After sinking every last cent the family had into renovating the shag shack, they finally had their dream hotel, “Sivart Towers”, off the ground, complete with a mounted moose head for the lobby. The problem remained that they were located over an hour away from the downtown core in a less-than-reputable neighbourhood, which made attracting new business difficult, and the existing customers were furious that they had to rent out a room for a full night. With a young child now in their care, a return to the old business model was not an option.

Over the next 5 years, the Sivarts would scrape by in southern Ontario with Fawlty taking a second job as a driveshed-to-driveshed seed salesman, while Sybil tended to the hotel and young Reg who was taking to throwing objects around the hotel in glee. It was hard on the family, but it allowed them to stay in the city where their dreams were rooted to. While they never once had to put out the ‘no vacancy’ sign, the hotel remained afloat by striking a deal with the local patrons allowing one room with its own entrance be used for shorter periods. Things had found a grove for the family, and things were finally starting to get comfortable. This was until Fawlty received a call from his boss offering a lucrative position in the heart of the best seed selling area in Canada - southern Saskatchewan. The decision was difficult, but the offer was too good to refuse. Fawlty would be able to provide for his family and would only require a couple months of work a year allowing for more time with family. Within a month, they had sold Sivart Towers and were off to the airport for their flight to Regina.

The frozen fields of Saskatchewan was not what the Sivarts expected to find when they first arrived in Regina. Being from south-west England, then moving to southern Ontario, it’s almost impossible to image just how flat and cold Saskatchewan can be. No hills to block the freezing cold gusts of wind roaring across the prairies in the winter. It was too late to turn back now. They settled on a small village that shared a name with the town back in England where they operated their first hotel, Torquay. Minutes from the US border, this was quite literally as far south as they could possibly get in the province where the rapeseed grows. Canola was the game and Fawlty was to be the person who was to provide it. For the first time in their lives, the Sivarts lived in a normal house and were not operating an inn of any sort. It was a strange change for them, but one that they hoped would be rewarded in the spring. Once the snow melted and planting season arrived, all the mega farmers in the area: the Monettes, Heides and Kabeitzs all procured their seed from Sivart’s supply. In no time, his work for half the year was done and he could return home to spend more time with his wife and young son. He’d toss the ball with Reg, and with extra time for.. other activities.. it was not long before Sybil was expecting a second child. This time they had stability in their life, free of slanderous reviews about their first hotel, or a hotel which was more brothel. Over a delicious spaghetti dinner, Fawlty and Sybil agreed that their mutually favourite garnish should be the name of their next child: regardless of gender, it was to be Basil.

It was an unceremonious birth at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Estevan. No wise men. No gifts. Just a lot of grossness and crying from both mother and child. Young baby boy Basil was embraced by his older brother Reg who was now enrolled in minor hockey and little league baseball. Growing up, the two brothers, separated by half a decade, would compete at every turn. This was only encouraged by their father who had grown increasingly complacent in his new job. An abundance of time coupled with the dark cold winters drove Fawlty to frequently chase his demons with mugs full of slightly warm gin. At first it was minor, but it was not long before Fawlty was pushing Basil and Reg to compete every moment of each day in a drunken stupor. Who was faster, smarter, or stronger in countless competitions from who could shovel a driveway faster to quizzes about British monarchs, Sybil was starting to get worried that the prairies were beginning to get to her husband. But the boys loved every second. Reg would use his younger brother as a catcher to practice pitching, and Basil would strive to be as good as, if not better than, his older brother at everything. This, in-turn, would push Reg to always try stay a step ahead. While their father’s drunken tirades only increased, the boys grew closer together. They each played multiple sports, but both gravitated to hockey during the long winters. Both eventually finding their way to playing between the pipes as goaltenders for their age groups in the Saskatchewan AA Hockey League for the Estevan Apex Bruins right up until the U18 team. During the brief summers, Reg was a pitcher, and Basil the catcher, on the Estevan Brewers AA baseball team. They had to rely on their mom for rides all over the province while their dad spiraled down the dark hole of alcoholism. It was a pitch black Sunday afternoon around 4pm in early January when the news of Fawlty Sivart’s death reached his family. Witnesses claim he was swerving before skidding off the snow covered road driving home from the local pub. Luckily, since it’s Saskatchewan, there were no trees or anything but a wide open field. He would have been fine except the crash coupled with excessive amounts of gin caused him to pass out and freeze to death. It was an unceremonious burial at St. Joseph’s Cemetery.

Through sports, both children were able to overcome the grief from the loss of their father. Reg focused in on his pitching career and Basil focused on his goaltending career, while continuing catching for the AA Brewers as his summer training. By the time Reg had decided to focus on baseball, Basil had far surpassed him in net. Basil was a strong goalie, with near-perfect positioning and cat-like reflexes. He was sub-par in the AA minor league, but held his own, especially when it came to clearing out the crease. Basil was known for his big blocker, that frequently found the back of the head of screening forwards. He eventually worked his way to the highest levels of Saskatchewan minor hockey, responsible for backstopping some of the province’s best championship teams. Unfortunately for Basil, he found himself marking shots on a sheet from the bench, rather than tracking shots on the ice. Like many young athletes in Canada, Basil Sivart had dreams of the NHL. However, like many young athletes in Canada, this was just a dream. Before his first day out of high school, his luck finally ran out. There were an abundance of goalies reaching the age of draft not only in the NHL but other leagues all over the world creating a huge barrier, while also presenting a void at other positions. Basil was not good at much other than hockey and need to decide how he could play the game he loved, out of the position he had grown up playing. As a goalie, the defencive side of the game came more naturally to him, so he made the difficult decision to swap his goalie equipment for that of a defenceman. It was not a simple transition. While he had played defence back in tyke and atom hockey, it had been some time since Basil had strapped on player skates.

It was one of the hardest off-seasons of Basil’s young career - completely relearning the skills needed to handle himself out of the net. Certain things came naturally, like defensive positioning and the physical aspects of the game. Other skills, like shooting, took much longer to grasp. Not to mention the incredibly awkward transition to player skates, continuously falling forward. The first time on the ice with them, he rolled his ankle in the first 30 seconds and went down with an ankle sprain for the next few weeks (true story). It became apparent that if he wanted to be serious about making a professional league team as a defenceman, he would need to seek out professional coaching. Working with a camp that specialized on preparing fledging young players for professional hockey, Basil spent every cent inherited from his late father to transition his game. To his coaches, and his own, delight Basil began to thrive in his new position. From clearing out the front of the net to punishing open ice hits, his skating was just strong enough to ensure he often had the upper hand in one-on-one battles. With his stick, he could expertly poke the puck away from most, a skill he had honed back in his goaltending days. A playmaker first when on the attack, his high hockey IQ combined with above average passing and puck handling made him a key facilitator from the point in the offensive zone. Even his shot, while still wildly inaccurate, had developed and become noticeably harder and occasionally catching even the most veteran goalies in the camp off guard. While strong on his skates, his biggest shortcoming was his agility and acceleration. The big man had worked on his power skating, but this seemed to be one skill that did not transfer well from goalie skates to player skates. His coaches were convinced this was just something that would require more time on the new skates to get used to. In time, they suspected he would be as comfortable on the new skates as his old flat goalie skates.

By the end of the formal camp, those entering the NHL, SMJHL, SHL entry drafts, going abroad to play in other leagues, and those playing for junior teams or universities were all off to chase their dreams. For Basil, there were no schools or scouts interested in this unknown kid that had no competitive experience in the position he would be competing for. So, Basil remained in an extended training camp, further working on his newly acquired skills while calling every junior program in western Canada. Most local junior hockey programs refused the courtesy of a return call let alone give this former goalie a shot. Until he heard back from a familiar voice – an old minor league coach now an assistant with the Yellow Grass Wheat Kings, a Junior C outfit in the Qu’Appelle Valley Hockey League. They were based in a small town just over an hour away from Basil’s hometown of Torquay. After a brief conversation, his old coach agreed to let him try out for the team. The team itself was at the bottom of the division and had given up goals at an alarming rate. There was a great opportunity for Basil to break onto the team and offer immediate support. The tryout went perfect for Basil. Even his erratic shot was finding the back of the net consistently. His 6’6 stature on blades would also be a welcome addition to the team’s lacklustre blueline. With a big smile on his face, the head coach skated up and said, “welcome to the team.” He would need to stay on the ice for an extended practice with the entire team and stay to study the team’s schemes and set plays. Basil’s first game would be the following day.

It was a glorious start to a meteoric year for Basil. In his first game as a player in the better part of a decade, he combined for 1 goal, 2 assists and a handful of critical shutdown defensive plays in what amounted to 3-1 win for the Wheat Kings. For the next month, he would average 3 points per game and amass a +15 differential before receiving a call from the manager of the higher tier Lumsden Monarchs of the HHL within the same league. After a couple calls and a handshake, Basil was moving up a division. The increased competition did not slow him down, and he played out the rest of the year constantly contributing for his team at both ends of the ice. He finished the year as the team’s leading defenceman in assists and hits despite joining them a month late. In the playoffs, the team ultimately came up short, but it was not due to lack of effort from Basil. He was ejected in game seven of the semi-finals after getting into a good tilt with the opposing team’s enforcer, down by a goal with a few minutes left in the third period. The team was unable to mount a come back. Despite the heartbreak ending to the year, Basil had finally started to attract attention from scouts and agents from all corners of professional hockey.

The upcoming off-season felt full or much more opportunity than the previous year for the young defenceman. While returning to the same camp that prepared him last season, this time around was less about getting used to new skates, and more about refining and adding to the skills used for the past season. His coach that first called him took on a mentorship role and began to endorse the young prospect to his contacts, who in turn passed along Basil’s stat sheet and tapes to scouts and managers involved in leagues all over the world. Before long, managers were getting in contact to determine Basil’s intentions for his professional hockey career. After considerable deliberation with his mentor, a professional league by the name of the SHL was standing above the others. They had a developmental league that would allow a 2nd year defenceman the ability to grow more in a more competitive environment than the teams he had been playing against. With dreams of becoming a prominent name in the SHL, Basil declared for the S58 SMJHL draft and went back to work at the off-season camp.

GMs will be watching this emerging talent intently as draft day approaches and should be even more anxious than Basil to see when and if they can scoop him up. Those that know him will know he is a blue chip 1st round talent in terms of dedication to both activity and training. In what is shaping up to be a competitive draft class, it would not be surprising to see this newer face taken lower than his value will be. This should make this draft even more exciting to watch: who will snag the potential franchise all-star in Basil Sivart? GMs, don’t miss out.