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***boom*** · 09-15-2023, 12:10 AM

[1203 words, ready for grading]

Apologies for how late this was! I started writing this in June, but then got writer's block and also simultaneously got busy, so this is from Season 71.

I should note that this chapter is introducing/leading up to somewhere that will be a heavy topic discussed more in the next Sophie chapter, and I hope that my research and representation has done it justice. I have no real-life experience with the topic, so if it's inaccurate you can yell at me. Enjoy!

Index which will be linked in every piece going forward since this is chapter #35 (wow)

The seconds ticked down on a 7-1 loss to Hamilton, the 24th in this inconsistent season for the Calgary Dragons. The team would string together several wins in a row, but would then go on big slides - 21 of their losses had been on a losing streak of four games or more. Sophie Bordeleau herself was having a strong season with 38 points in 36 games and was having a...decent defensive campaign, but her scoring touch hadn't been where she wanted it to be while she was building chemistry with hew new linemates in Calgary. Away from the rink, things did seem to be going better though. The winter was a lot closer to what her and Jamie had grown up with out in Quebec, so there was certainly a lot of nostalgia for simpler times, and being back in Canada meant it was easier for the two to go home on breaks and see the folks. The more exciting part of their year was the couple starting to go through the adoption process, and the two seemed to be getting excited about it.

It was days before the trade deadline when the big news of the season came: the team captain, Duncan Mackenzie, was traded to the Baltimore Platoon. The Dragons got a player and a couple picks for the trouble, but the bigger changes came in the locker room, as Sophie and linemate Tom Pedersen would unquestionably be the faces of the franchise with the move having happened. At this point, the season was somewhat of a write-off, and the team collapsed to lose 16 of their last 17 games and miss the playoffs by a handful of games. Sophie herself finished on the dot with 30 goals for the third consecutive season and totaled 73 points, but the team was primed for a big reset with the draft upcoming. The Dragons had the 10th, 12th, 13th, 23rd, and 29th picks in a deep draft class, and with a draft day trade the team picked up the 22nd pick as well in exchange for moving down from 13th to 19th.

~~~

It was the big day, and Sophie was watching the SHL draft on television at home. She would have flown out to be there herself to welcome the new rookies to the team in her role as a team leader, but her and Jamie were waiting for a phone call from Children's Services to set up a meeting that could come at any time, so she had to be at home. The first few picks came off the board, some of the names which Sophie recognized through the grapevine. Finally the Dragons were up at pick number ten, and the general manager, Ellie Williams, stepped to the stage:

"With the tenth overall pick, the Calgary Dragons are proud to select, from the Kelowna Knights, Arthur Kaliyev."

The big winger crossed to the stage and went through the traditional celebratory photos with the team executives, and Sophie was glued to the TV. Two picks later, the Dragons were back up and took Jaden Tanner from the Vancouver Whalers, then at 19th they added another defenseman in Sven Holmberg from St. Louis. Calgary was having a great draft, but Sophie's attention was constantly flickering to her phone as though she could will it to receive the call she really wanted.

The first round of the draft was just wrapping up when Sophie's phone finally rang. She grabbed it and pulled it close. The caller ID on the screen showed what she'd been waiting to see.

"Hello?" she said, picking up the phone and muting the TV at the same time. "This is Sophie Bordeleau, you're on speaker at home."

"Hello, Ms. Bordeleau," the voice said. "This is Children's Services." Sophie set the phone down on the table and threw her arm around her wife as the voice continued. "You'll be happy to know that your family has been approved to proceed to the home study stage. We're just reaching out to set up an initial appointment time for that stage of the process."

Sophie turned to Jamie, who had her hands up over her face in surprise and excitement, and smiled. "Thank you! We're continuously in the city together for basically the whole summer, so any time during then is good, we can organize work around the best times for you."

They talked for a bit more before the call ended, and when the agency hung up the partners embraced, letting out happy tears. Sophie's hockey family was growing with the Dragons draft picks, and now she was another step closer to her home growing too.

~~~

The second day of the draft was never going to live up to the excitement of that first-round draft night, but it was still pretty exciting. The Dragons added five more players in centres Scott Seitz and Sunrise van de Schubbekutteveen with consecutive picks at 22 and 23, defender Cheeks Klapanen at 29, goalie Nelly Celly at 51, and defender Daquavion Davis Jr. at 52. Development camp this year would be hopping with all the new rookies in town, and after a relatively boring season Calgary had young players to get excited about at last. Sophie and Tom Pedersen were back as team leaders along with Chad Nickelback on the back line and two great goalies in Hank Stopper and Brent Turnerson returning. In free agency, Lev Lebedev was a prize up front while the retired Sean Gatez was replaced by Magnus Liljestrom on his own swan song.

The rush of excitement didn't extend to the IIHF tournament. After Latvia's miraculous fourth-place finish in the last tournament, there wasn't really anywhere to go but down and the plucky squad crashed back to a 3-win tournament. Sophie was solid with 3 goals and 11 points, but her mind was elsewhere at times and it killed her to be in Scotland and away from Jamie at this time. Things did get better once she got back, as the couple were now going through the process. It was a lot of talking and a lot of interviews, but at least it was in their own house and not in a crowd with microphones in her face. Sophie had to explain a fair bit about her travel schedule, but having a long-term contract signed in Calgary was convincing for stability and both were beyond excited for the opportunity. The meetings wrapped up and the case worker went off to write a recommendation, and Sophie and Jamie hoped it would be the news they'd wanted this whole year.

To be continued...

***sliceruser*** · 09-15-2023, 02:59 AM

Keep fighting boom, a tough few seasons of rebuild but you have played well and the prospect pool is full of a wealth of top talent

***boom*** · 09-15-2023, 01:29 PM

09-15-2023, 02:59 AMsliceruser Wrote: Keep fighting boom, a tough few seasons of rebuild but you have played well and the prospect pool is full of a wealth of top talent

I hope so!

***MikeLiut*** · 09-17-2023, 04:19 PM

I love those articles, I have been reading them since joining the league.

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