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Ox Monkey · 03-13-2022, 02:40 AM

Hello all you homers and hand grenades!

Well, the S64 SMHJL draft is behind us, and all that anticipation has turned to excitement and determination. Tonight's broadcast saw 66 young players find new homes, where the goals and dreams of youth will hopefully come to fruition with a spot in the SHL. Before I get into the behind the scenes details, I wanted to thank everyone who made the broadcast possible. A lot goes into a production like this, so I'd like to acknowledge the time spent from all the users who made it a special night for this first gen player!

After stumbling over to the sim league from r/DetroitRedWings, I found out I was pretty late to the game in terms of timing, with the draft looming just 4 short days away. After spending a day figuring out how everything is supposed to be formatted, and getting everything squared away with help from awesome folks like @Segi, @Big Newff, @CapnCooper, @Nhamlet, @SDCore, and many more; it was time to generate some buzz. It occurred to me that in order for any kind of draft stock to rise, people would need to know who I was. I had to hit the message board, and I had to hit it the message board fuckin hard! Posted a quick back story and provided my pros and cons for each team, which you can find here. Got to meet some awesome people, and discuss the kind of game JoJo Larkin is known for. He likes to get into the Offensive zone first, deliver some big hits, win some board battles, and get the puck out to the point or into the slot. Then its into the crease to create mayhem, tipping shots nabbing rebounds, general disregard for human health and safety.

With buzz generation and scouting complete, it was time to hone in on teams that made sense. I had some awesome discussions with great GMs around the league, and to me, it really seemed like Detroit was the perfect place for a Larkin. Especially when you consider The Falcons had a Moritz Seider returning, could lightning strike in the sim world similar to the Red Wings? I dont know the answers to these questions, but I do know great moments are born from great opportunity, and that's what I've earned here tonigh... SORRY, I get side-railed into that Herb Brooks speech whenever 'great moments' comes up in my writing. Bottom line, I could not be happier with the way the draft turned out!

After the first round, I figured out those who were recreating had a leg up in terms of draft position, because they were proven and dependable users. I kept wondering, who was going to come in and roll the dice. For Detroit to come in and take a chance on a first gen user in the second round, 25th overall, was an amazing act of trust. I believe I was the second first gen user taken overall, and the trust showed in selection now has to be returned in production on and off the ice. I look forward to listening, learning, and working my ass off to help get Detroit into the playoffs.

I look forward to the 6am bag skates and the hours spent in video room reviewing, getting to know all the fellas in the locker room, and putting some backbone into it.

Thanks again to the Detroit Falcon Nation! Thanks to management for the opportunity!

-Ox

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