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Kasterborous · 08-23-2021, 05:51 AM

CAROLINA KRAKENS SIGNS RAFAEL BOECK!

[Image: leon-draisaitl-wins-2020-hart-memorial-trophy.jpg]

A post-draft interview write-up by Jaime Sanders
10:00 GMT, 23 August 2021
Word count: 1225

Last night was a big one certainly for new prospects, with plenty to choose from when it came down to crunch time, it had been a very exciting time.

Especially for one particular draftee, Rafael Boeck.

Now, he is not a name you would have heard about on the ice as much as some of the other draftees; a junior player coming from rather humble amateur leagues in his hometown of Lübeck, Germany, had narrowly missed out on the fantasy drafts. Rafael, or Rafa as he is commonly referred to by his family and friends, was born in Lübeck to a Cuban mother and a German father (who I later found out had a past on the ice as a center for the Kölner Haie team in his hayday) and into a family of five other siblings; one older sister and three younger brothers.

Whilst we had not managed to meet up before the draft, as both of us were otherwise engaged, I had managed to arrange a moment to go and catch up with him after the drafts had all been picked where Rafael had been picked by the Krakens in the fifth round as their 57OA. It had been a long wait, but Rafael assured me that he had been more than willing to wait.

Jaime Sanders: Thank you for putting aside some time to meet me, must of been a rather long night for you.

I should put for the record that, in person, Rafael is on the smaller end of the scale when it came to hockey players, standing at a generous 5 foot 9 inches and weighing in at 169 lbs. He sported a sheepish grin most of the interview, and someone you could easily have passed by and not believed to be a hockey player if he didn't introduce himself as one, clearly unused to the attention and the spotlight being shone on him.

Rafael Boeck: My pleasure. Yes, it has been a rather long night for a lot of us but I am glad that I finally got drafted.

JS: Must be weight off your shoulders. Though before we get into the nitty gritty details, would you mind just speaking a little bit about yourself? Tell us who you are and why or how you got into hockey?

RB: My full name is Rafael Eduardo Burton Boeck, born on the 25 October 1997 from Lübeck. Germany. My older sister is thirty, and my youngest brother is turning thirteen in September. Many people probably want to know why Eduardo, or why Rafael. My mother is Cuban and wanted to retain some reminder, I guess, to her roots.

Rafael laughed, the tension seemingly running off his face now that the evening has settled and he realised I wasn't here to ask any particularly tricky questions.

RB: (cont.) My father was the man who got me initially interested in the sport and I took it up after school as a hobby at first. I had been on track to become a lawyer, actually before I realised that academics were not my thing. You know? He [Sylvester Boeck] played for his local team at the time and did a little coaching here and there when I expressed interest but he allowed me to figure out the ropes on my own. From there, I just fell in love with the sport; like an addiction.

JS: There's a surprise factoid then. You could have been a lawyer. So, how did you think of the proceedings of the evening?

RB: I'm just grateful I was drafted. Going into this, I did not have a particular team in mind. My brother, the youngest one, was trying to pick for me judging off of the jerseys that he wanted. He couldn't care about stats, he either liked their mascot, their colours or just because they 'sounded cool.' I think he's more excited than I am.

JS: Maybe it hasn't kicked in yet.

RB: Possibly. Yeah.

JS: Do you know much of the Krakens and their history?

There is a tentative pause as Rafael leans back, eyeing me with a half-smile on his face as if putting forth a challenge to say he doubted I hadn't done my research on the team.

RB: As an organisation? I've seen that they've gone through a few name changes and originally were located....Montreal? Though the recent iteration of the team as the Carolina Kraken was founded season fifty, I believe and are now in Charlotte, North Carolina. I've heard good things about the team and I hope to be able to do them proud with their pick.

JS: Of course. And we've heard good things about you as a player.

RB: You're too kind, Jaime.

JS: You predominantly play left-wing forward. Have you always been in that position or have you gone through various positions on the ice?

RB: Left-winger now, left-defense when I was twelve upwards. I've preferred the left side and whilst defense was nice, I enjoyed the aspect of getting up there and attacking - getting in the opponents faces even as a defenseman. I've tried being center for a short while but it didn't feel right.

JS: People and various scouters have recently mentioned that you have an upfront aggressive play style, combined with your speed could mean trouble for the other team.

RB: For sure. I think I like to combine speed with accuracy, and the satisfaction comes on a smaller level for me; it's not really about scoring goals but assists and confusing the opponent. That's very fun to see them having to chase after a puck that had been in front of them one moment and then we're running away with it the next.

At this point, we were joined by Rafael's youngest brother and it is heartwarming to see how close-knit the two of them are as Rafael looped an arm around his brother's shoulders. They had a lot to prepare for the move to Carolina, and certainly did not want to keep them too much longer.

JS: I'm not going to take up too much more of your time, though I certainly would like to try follow-up at a later point if you're up for it. I'm really thankful you managed to slot me in at short notice. Best of luck with your new team.

RB: Thank you, Jaime. Yeah, you have my number - just give me a call any time!

***Benpachi*** · 08-23-2021, 02:04 PM

Welcome aboard, glad to have you here!
Kraken

the5urreal · 08-23-2021, 02:50 PM

Pumped to have you!
Kraken

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