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Highhaschdi · 06-14-2021, 08:30 PM

The SHL and SMJHL drafts have come and gone, and recent draftees will be joining their new teams in the next couple of days, in no doubt it is an exciting time for both the players and the organizations. However, with todays in depth interview we are going to focus on a Texas Renegade draft pick. This player was drafted in the first round at the 10th pick and would be Texas’ first pick of the draft from the Anaheim Outlaws. Who’s the player you ask? High Haschdi! High Haschdi had had a solid rookie season putting up 31 points good for 7th on his team despite only averaging 14 minutes per game. We are going to dive into some questions with High, and see what else we can find out about him.
Thanks for joining us High, we appreciate you taking the time. You’ve been pretty quiet in the media, so we will try and target some questions to find out more about you. Without wasting anymore of your time lets get into the questions.

1) Tell us about draft night, were you with a big group of friends and family following along with the draft? Were you on laptop live streaming a second hand feed? Did you even get to catch it at all? It must have been an exciting time when you first got that call saying you’ve been drafted to Texas?

It was definitely a really exciting time for me! I had a small draft party at home with my family and some friends and we watched the draft together on TV. One of those friends that joined me was J.J. James Jamerson Angler, another prospect of this class, by the way. We hoped to go to the same team, but it didn't work out and I got a bit jealous that he went a pick before me. But it was a great moment for both of us and it was really special, when the Texas GM called me and asked me if I was ready to be a Renegade.

2) Now, when you eventually make the jump from Anaheim to Texas what are you most looking forward to? The quality of life will be much different just from a living standpoint. Both Anaheim and Texas are big cities but offering different styles of living.

It will probably be a huge change moving from Anaheim to Texas. While Anaheim is not the smallest city, Texas is really huge and it will also be strange being that far away from my family in the future. That will probably be the hardest part for me, but I'm really looking forward to make that move!

3) Anaheim is coming off a disappointing playoff loss this season, despite being the underdog no one likes to be swept. In your eyes, what area does Anaheim need to focus on for next season in order to have a better chance in the playoffs?

Yeah, the playoffs last season were very disappointing for us. We played a decent regular season, but when it counted the most, we just had way too many errors and it felt like we were too tired from the long season. So, we definitely need to improve our fitness for the next season. In general, I think there is a lot of potential for our team and I really liked the new players we selected in the SMJHL draft. We need to work on our synergy and fix some easy mistakes we made last year and then I'm really confident in our chances to compete next season.

4) The new season is right around the corner, what are your team goals with the Outlaws and your personal goals for the season? I think it is safe to say that you will take a step forward this season and receive more ice time. Are you setting up any expectations for the season, or are you going to take it game by game?

As a team, we definitely want to finish better than in the regular season last year. In the playoffs, we can only improve and the minimum goal should be reaching the 2nd round this year. But as I said, I have a great feeling that we can go further and I hope that we'll go very deep in the playoffs this year and hopefully bring the cup to Anaheim! Personally, I set up some decent numbers last season, but I also think that I can do way better. With more ice times, I want to improve my stats from last season and score more points. In the offseason, I worked very hard on my shooting skills, so hopefully I'll be able to score way more goals this season. But it's definitely more important for me that we do well as a team compared to getting some great individual stats.

5) To finish off the questions, what has your first thoughts about Texas been. There were already fans ordering your Texas jersey online despite you continuing to play for the Outlaws this season. Texas looks to be a powerhouse for the foreseeable future, what does that mean to a new player coming out of the draft?

I'm really excited to be part of such a great organisation. Winning the cup last season shows that they have a great management and awesome players, so I'm really looking forward to be a part of this. I also think it's safe to say that the Renegades fans are the best in the whole league, so it means a lot to me that they're already ordering my jersey. I'll definitely work hard and give my best for Texas. It will be hard to gain a roster spot there and I still might need one or two more seasons of development, but I'm also confident in my skills and I really hope I can soon help the Renegades to stay on top of the league.

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