|
The Armada Charter: Matthew Sawful
|
KenitohMenaraRegistered Posting Freak
**1106 words - 50/50 split between @KenitohMenara and @SAwful **
“I saw some pond hockey my dad was playing when I was young and I just wanted to join in and play! As soon as my parents put me on skates I just kind of kept pushing to play more and more.” Born and raised in Chicago, Matthew Sawful was immersed in hockey culture from a very young age. He grew up watching the hometown team, The Chicago Syndicate and was inspired by players like Luke Atmey, Cameron Carter II and Corey Kennedy. He wanted to reach that highest level of hockey and would do all he could to get there. Chicago was awash with young player training programmes; each trying to tailor the next generation of great illinois hockey players. Matthew though, already had a position in mind. Since his youngest days watching his dad playing pond hockey, he wanted to play as a defenseman. Unfortunately, his programme team had too many LHD’s, with this in mind, his coach made the decision to make Matthew an RHD and play out the scrimmages. The results were startling. “It was like he was destined to play Right Handed Defenseman.” said James Channery, Matthew’s first coach. “Just watching him work from that position, it was like watching a much older player work the role. He was just perfect in that role, I had never seen a more perfect fit in my life.” Coach Channery were not the only ones who were impressed with Matthew during this time. As soon as he became old enough to try out for midget teams, the Oakville Rangers in Ontario, Canada, snapped him the young defender to further develop him into a great player. The road to that development was no picnic, as Matthew told the Armada Charter that it was some of the most brutal practice he had ever been involved with. “It was hard, coach stressed endurance and we did a lot of work to make sure we were the fittest team in AAA hockey.” The coach of the Rangers believed he could push Matthew the hardest because he had the highest ceiling of all the players on his team. If he pushed Sawful like this, the young defender could reach a higher echelon of play and could be a true force from the blue line in the Midget leagues. The coaches' instincts proved to be correct as Matthew soon became one of the premiere defenders in midget AAA. Sawful is one of the best young defenders in the world today, his high IQ and excellent anticipation of plays has led to many chances of his opponents being stopped in their tracks. He often leads counterattacks from his own end and he has a surprisingly accurate longshot, often firing shots from the blueline to incredible effect. While not the strongest player by any means, he has the stamina to last out anyone on the ice which makes him incredibly dangerous during late period rushes and last minute counter-attacks. He likes to control the pace of plays and his passing is his best attribute by a long way. “I've always been a setup guy from the back.” Matthew told us about his development. “Good outlet passes or moving the puck up the wings and through the neutral zone, feeding the offense. I just want to keep doing that, get better at that. Maybe shoot a little more from the point?” After 3 Midget AAA titles and being awarded the best defenseman award twice, Matthew declared for the SMJHL draft. Many scouts had him pinned as a late first round pick which Matthew would have been fine with. He knew where he stood and he could prove his worth later on in his career. Then the GM of the Anchorage Armada got up on the podium: “With the 2nd pick in the Season 53 SMJHL entry draft, the Anchorage Armada is pleased to select Matthew Sawful, Defender, Chicago.” For a few seconds for Matthew, it felt as though his heart had stopped. No late first round pick for him… he had picked 2nd overall in the entire draft! As he slowly made his way to the podium and took his new jersey, a huge smile broke out across his face: “A little shocked, maybe even stunned at first!” Matthew said when talking about Anchorage. “Being taken 2nd overall was a surprise, but a welcome one I had been waiting a long time to get to this point. That I was going to be a part of a great hockey club with a ton of history. These guys know their stuff and they're going to be able to help me be the best player I can. I was just so totally blown away that they wanted me.” GM Max Brannagan and Head Coach Apricot had watched some of Sawful’s games in Ontario and were very impressed with what they saw out of him. Some would call the pick a reach for sure but those two believed that if Matthew continued his current rate of development, he would be more than worth the 2nd overall pick. They would rather trust their own eyes and their own thoughts rather than people who only look at base stats anyday of the week. When Matthew landed in Anchorage, he immediately gravitated to Mitchell van der Heijden, one of the veterans of the Armada who was known in the locker room for his good treatment of rookies. “I haven't gotten to know everyone yet, but Mitchell van der Heijden is a great guy and seems like he's pumped for the season, can't wait to play with him.” From cradle to now, Matthew has worked to earn his respect in hockey. All he has ever dreamed of is to play hockey in front of big crowds, ever since he was first taken to a Chicago Syndicate game as a child. Now he has finally made it to the SMJHL and is with a team that can direct his development towards becoming the great defender he has always been capable of being. Some have called the pick too high, others have said the Armada have finally gone made with this pick, but anyone who has even shared one practice with Matthew knows for a fact that if anyone can become the next great defender in the SHL, it will be him. “It means the world to make it to the SHL. This is the first step to being everything I can be as a hockey player and I'm excited to grab on and ride this out to the fullest! I'm excited to get started and show everyone what I can do.”
st4rfaceRegistered Posting Freak |
|
« Next Oldest | Next Newest »
|
| Users browsing this thread: |
| 1 Guest(s) |
