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Deep Dive # 1 - Post draft interviews of 3 SMJHL GMs
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ghamssSMJHL HO Some Guy Living in Mountain Time
08-16-2024, 10:06 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-16-2024, 10:15 AM by ghamss. Edited 1 time in total.
Edit Reason: Remove Formatting
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Please note, any light jabs at the teams or the GMs were meant light-heartedly and to enhance the reader's experience. They were in no way meant to be hurtful to the teams or the GMs themselves. I greatly appreciate the GMs taking the time to reply to my questions.
—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With the draft wrapped up and the start of the season underway, I had the privilege of sitting down with a few of the SMJHL GMs to discuss how they thought the recent draft went for them and their thoughts on the upcoming season. I interviewed 3 GMs, JohnFranklinKennedy of the Nevada Battleborn, SouthPaw of the Maine Timberwolves and sve7en of the Carolina Kraken. The answers we received were far from the typical answers you hear during generic post-draft interviews and were clearly unbiased  When asked what their goals were going into the draft and if they thought they achieved them, all three GMs sat straight up, puffed out their chests and confidently said they got what they came for. JFK stated “I was able to grab everything I needed” referring to the two centers, two defenders and a goalie that was required to fill out their roster. Not to say the Battleborn LR was full of undead but JFK expressed an interest in drafting talent that made sure the LR activity was high. Sounds like the team accomplished that goal as JFK described the LR as “a lot more lively since the draft”. Whether that’s the rookies making a name for themselves or the vets trying to show everyone who’s boss, we will never know. The focus was a little different over in Carolina where GM sve7en was more focused on first gen creates. “We lost a lot (of players) to graduation recently and only had 5 actives on the roster” sve7en stated before going on to say they weren’t concerned in the slightest given the draft capital they had. sve7en did not let the pressures of the outside world get to his draft strategy. It was humorous to sve7en that the entire league thought Schwar would make her way to Carolina. Despite this, sve7en stuck to his goal of bringing in fresh faces. The Kraken managed to pick up 13 rookies in this year's draft despite conducting numerous trades. This led GM sve7en to state they “got exactly what we wanted - Canadice and fresh faces for days”. With all the new young-guns in the room, it will be interesting to see if the players can pull themselves away from tik-tok dances to win some hockey games. In Maine, the team focuses on 4 season windows with all of their picks. “We try not to focus on the team's needs right this moment but how this can impact the team 4 seasons from now.” GM SouthPaw had to say. With this perspective, the team always wants to be in contention. Who doesn’t?! Similar to the Calgary Flames, sounds like they may be afraid of the r word. A rebuild is never considered in Maine. It was clear all three GMs were happy with the results of their drafts but none of them gave themselves a perfect score. Let’s be honest, who wouldn’t say they’re happy with their own work? When asked what letter grade they would give themselves, the lowest response was a B- with the caveat that it was averaged out to an A- when considered with all aspects of the draft. JFK was the first to pat himself on the back scoring himself a “solid” A. What was holding him back from an A+ you may ask? He felt giving himself an A+ would be inappropriate given how easy this draft was. “I actually think it’s difficult to have had a bad draft with this class. I have scouted 3 classes so far and this has been by far the most enjoyable one, so it was really hard to go wrong here”. Props to the draftees for being amazing (self high-five as I had a player in the draft). Sve7en wasn’t far behind with the self-proclamation stating both the draft execution and drafted class were an A. Thanks to the help of Kahri and Jove, two instrumental members of the Kraken organization, the draft week went from a B- to an A really quick. Sve7en did finish off by saying he was a little disappointed about not grabbing another defenceman but I, GHamss, feel like they got a really solid one with pick #18 (for those of you not aware, they picked Chuck Stewart who’s agent is yours truly). Last but not least, SouthPaw was no different, giving themselves an A-/B+. Blaming the lack of picks early in the draft SouthPaw didn’t think a perfect draft was possible but was extremely happy with how successful their 4 picks were despite not picking until 34th overall.JFK has high expectations for all players on his team however one player in particular stuck out for him. “Rengoku’s (player Slava Kasyanenko) enthusiasm to get things rolling and be the best player he can be has been a joy to watch”. This joy has turned to excitement for JFK as he can’t wait to see Slava Kasyanenko go bardown. Over in Carolina, seven wouldn’t name a specific player they are excited to see step on the ice, rather they are looking forward to having active users in the locker room and throughout the lineup. Sve7en is particularly looking for an active goaltender. In Maine, GM SouthPaw is excited to see how Lucas Snyder does. “He is coming into one of the highest TPE defensive groups in the league and his experience as a recreate is going to allow him to produce from the very beginning. Nine games into the season, SouthPaw’s prediction seems to be holding true as Snyder is top of the defencemen in +/- and holding his hold with 9 points (2 G, 7A). When asked about where they would land in the standings at the end of the season, two of the three GMs continued to talk about their high expectations, stating first place in the conference and league are within grasp. JFK gave kudos where kudos is due stating a strong Maine team will be tough to top but isn’t counting his team out. Second in the league and second in the conference is where he predicts the Battleborn will finish after the regular season. They clearly won’t be done there, in his mind, as he predicts them to go on to win the cup. “With 8 players at 425, we have a really strong core, plus we just brought in 5 rookies that should earn pretty well and help us make a deep run come playoff time” stated making a strong case why his team will top them all. SouthPaw in Maine was just as confident stating “the trees will be towards the top (of the standings)”. SouthPaw did however state there were a few tough contenders to get through first including Vancouver, Devada and Detroit. The Maine GM wasn’t willing to give their prediction about who would be lifting the cup at the end of the season. Lastly, sve7en was a little less optimistic about ending at the top of the table stating they expect the team to finish mid-table. As predicted, the team has had an extremely slow start. Due to the large number of rookies on the team it appears the Kraken are struggling to stay afloat. This was expected by sve7en who said “the first week will be hard to swallow” but he then went on to say the team will be able to “build momentum and really show up for two or three seasons once things fall in place”. I’m sure the Kraken are hoping things fall into place sooner rather than later. Sve7en is predicting Ottawa to have a strong playoffs and win the cup in the end. —--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you liked this interview and would like to see more of this style, please let me know. I am considering conducting a few more throughout the season if this is well received. With that said, I’d again like to thank JFK, SouthPaw and sve7en for answering my questions despite their hectic lives. Go Kraken! 
Seany148SMJHL GM Grandfather of the Rats
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