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Salming · 09-14-2020, 07:30 AM

(Draft media X2)

Season 56 Simulation Hockey League Entry Draft was held last weekend. There were two totally new organisations who were also part of the draft, Seattle Argonauts and Atlanta Inferno. One of the players who was picked to Seattle Argonauts was William Salming from SMJHL expansion team Quebec City Citadelles. In this exclusive interview with The Seattle Times Salming will tell more about his thoughts from everything related to that historic entry draft.

Interviewer from Seattle Times: First of all, congratulations for being picked at 44th overall in recent entry draft. Before we talk about more about the draft and days before it, were you surprised that you dropped to the third round in the draft?

Salming: Actually, a little bit yeah. I think I was projected to go in the second round in most of the mock drafts because of my amount of TPE was somewhere between 30 and 40 in our draft class so that's why yes but at the same time we need to remember that those are just mock drafts and you can't never know how GM's and scouts really see your abilities and skills comparing to other prospects. In the end I think it was a great thing that I dropped to third round because Argonauts was probably the organisation that I hoped most for my destination and 44th as a draft number is very easy to remember for a rest of my life!

Interviewer: That is nice to hear. For those of you who don't know you yet, can you tell us shortly what kind of player you are and how your first year went in Quebec? I think after that it is easier to talk about expectations before the SHL draft.

Salming: Sure. So, I wasn't part of the SMJHL draft because I forgot to confirm my attending to draft ceremony. Instead, I signed as an free agent to Quebec City because its GM Evok was the first person who contacted me. Also, I am a fan of NHL expansion team Vegas Golden Knights so I wanted to be a part of unique expansion adventure in the SMJHL with a team who might not be best in its first year in the league but will have success for sure in the future. There was also a clear spot for me in the lineup in Quebec and as a young kid all you need is ice time. Before SMJHL I played only some amateur hockey in my home country Finland and was used to be the best player there in my home town team and get a lot of responsibility on the ice so starting from a 4th line in Quebec was definitely a new thing for me but as my last year in amateur league I decided to try become a professional hockey player because I know I had enough talent and just needed a fresh and more motivated environment. I am grateful for Quebec that they offered me a contract and starting from 4th line wasn't a problem for me because I really wanted to start grinding from the bottom towards the success.

At the beginning I played about 8-9 minutes per game but in the end me and my regular linemates Jst Maro and Zach Dolphin played about 14 minutes per night in the playoffs as a third line. I managed to collect 18 points (6+12) in 50 games with plus-minus rating -7. The plus-minus rating was the best among those who played all 50 games in Quebec and overall third best in the team. Of course our line played against other teams weaker lines but still I was proud of that achievement because I want to be a reliable two-way winger like Reilly Smith is in my favorite NHL team Vegas. I want to score points but also kill penalties, if needed. In Finland I was known for mostly scoring points because of my passing, puckhandling and shooting accuracy stats were all 13 but in Quebec I have developed my defensive skills and physical attributes more. The highlight of my rookie season was a seven game point streak in the middle of season. I think that is a franchise record so far. I also scored 1+1 in our second regular season game and was named the second star of the game as a first QCC player to be named one of the three stars of the regular season SMJHL game. In the future I want to achieve more franchise records but most importantly help the Quebec to win Junior Cup. We already managed to won one playoff series as an underdog against Anaheim but lost then to championships team Newfoundland. However, I was happy that I scored five points in ten games (2+3) and was tied second in scoring in our team in playoffs. All my points came against Anaheim so I am hoping to play better against stronger teams in the future.

Interviewer: Wow, that was a very detailed answer, thanks for that. After the season ended, what did you do before the SHL Entry Draft?

Salming: After the season ended in Quebec, I came back to Finland. First, I rested a couple of weeks and went for a short holiday in my home land before I started to train towards next season. I focused with my personal coach to boost my physical attributes this off-season even more. I am a average guy when it comes to for example acceleration, strength, balance or agility but thanks to my backyard gym I was able to train every morning to improve in those areas. I also ran some intervals to boost my endurance and explosiveness in the athletics field near my home.

Interviewer: When first SHL teams contacted you about the upcoming draft?

Salming: If I remember correct, it was on the second day of September so about 10 days before the draft. Of course, already before that I had filled some paper work beforehand because there were some teams who had open questionnaire in their website for prospects.

Interviewer: Can you tell us how many teams in the end talked to you before the draft? Any names?

Salming: I don't know if it is fair to tell which teams contacted me but in the end there were nine teams out of 18 who talked to me before the draft and one team in the middle of draft when they saw that I dropped to third round. I was positively surprised about the attention that I got. Of those nine teams five were from Western Conference and four from the East. The team that contacted me during the draft was also from the East so in the end there were five teams from both conferences which were interested.

Interviewer: You told that Seattle was the team you hoped most to draft you. Did you have any special demands about the team which ends up drafting you?

Salming: My only hope was to get picked by a team who has not won the Challenge Cup yet or has not won it many years because I want to be a part of building process towards success instead of going to a table which is already ready and served, if you know what I mean. I prefer some tough years before success because then success feels much better and meaningful. Of those teams who scouted me, maybe one or two teams had had success in recent years but I was still ready to serve those teams too if they had ended up draft me.

Interviewer: Well, it was Seattle who drafted you. I assume they talked to you before draft?

Salming: Yes, I can admit Seattle's GM Tig was one of the persons who talked to me before the draft. I had already beforehand filled their questionnaire because I love expansion teams and especially making history with expansion teams so Seattle was that's why the team I hoped most to draft me alongside Atlanta Inferno. We did not have a long talk, just a couple of questions and answers but I guess I made a good enough impression in our short talk. Tig said that is important to have people that really want to be a part of expansion team because expansion definitely has its challenges and I am not afraid to face to challenges in long-term. I actually enjoy a lot to be in tough situations with a lot of pressure.

Interviewer: The clock was 01.00 at night in Finland when the draft began in North America. Were you awake or at sleep?

Salming: I slept one hour before the draft began because I felt pretty tired but immediately when my alarm clock rang, I was full of energy and opened my laptop to follow the draft virtually. Because of virus situation I was not able to travel draft event but it was fine for me to follow it from Europe from my own bed, haha.

Interviewer: How did you felt during first round?

Salming: I was mostly nervous in behalf of other QCC players. I was at the team chat with them and together we were excited who will go when and where. First off the board was Jasper Maksimov who went to Winnipeg at 9th overall. After him Teylora Petrov went to New England at 14th overall.

Interviewer: The end of first round was very interesting from Seattle's perspective. They picked at 15th overall Dee Centerman IV who became the first draft pick in franchise history. After him Seattle took your teammate Zdenko Beranek with number 18. Did you have any idea at that point that you would be future teammates also in SHL?

Salming: No, because there were so many teams who had shown interest towards me in addition of Argonauts. Of course, I secretly hoped to have same faith as Mr. Beranek (going from expansion team to another).

Interviewer: Well, let's talk about second round then. You was supposed to be picked but nobody picked you. How that felt?

Salming: I was shocked, disappointed and angry. Just kidding. After the first three picks of the round, it was Atlanta's turn to draft at 22nd overall. From that point on I thought that now I can go off the board anytime soon. However, Atlanta and after them Seattle drafted Michael Withecheck and Vaseline Poscalzone so I needed to wait more. 24th pick belonged to Baltimore but I felt that they are not interested about me in the end but next in turn were San Francisco, Los Angeles, New England, Texas, Chicago and Calgary with picks from 25 to 31. I felt that one of those teams really might draft me but it never happened. I don't know why. They just preferred other options. I was fine with that because the range were I belonged in the mock drafts was from 30 to 36. Chicago picked our goalie Mat Smith with number 30 so I was at least happy that he ended up to a great city.

Interviewer: Minnesota, Buffalo, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Tampa Bay were the five last teams to draft on the second round. They did not picked you either. Why?

Salming: Like I told, I don't know but maybe there are some GM's who fear Finns or Europeans like in old days some GM's in the NHL were afraid to draft Russians. I am not saying that same kind of behavior is true in the SHL but it you ask me about the reason why I dropped to third round, that is the first possible explain that comes to my mind. Of course, maybe some GM's just didn't liked my player profile and it is totally fine. And in the end it does not matter when you get drafted because the hard work still continues after the draft. The most important thing is to just be picked by one team so you can update your Eliteprospects page with a mention of being picked in SHL draft.

Interviewer: You mentioned one team contacted you during the draft when you dropped to third round? Did the contact happened between second and third round or when?

Salming: Yeah, one team sent me a message between the rounds and asked if I am interested about them if I drop to their pick in third round. I answered that I am fine with everything at that point because I already wanted also go back to sleep because it was already 2AM in Northern Europe. Well, in the end I did not ended up to that team because Seattle picked me.

Interviewer: Yes, but there was still seven picks in the third round before Argonauts' turn. Talk us through third round.

Salming: I still expected to go anytime soon. Calgary, Toronto, Minnesota and Atlanta preferred other options but Buffalo took with 41st overall my linemate and center Jst Maro. I was very happy for him because we build a great chemistry on ice last season. From the first four teams I secretly hoped that Atlanta would take me because they are other expansion team. Of course, now I will assume they are our biggest rival from this point on so that's why I don't hope anymore that they would love me, haha.

Interviewer: I understand. San Francisco and Edmonton were still in turn before Seattle. Please continue your story.

Salming: Well yeah, after those two teams passed me, I really hoped that Seattle selects me with 44th overall because it would be an huge honour to be a part of first draft class of new organisation. They did what I hoped and selected me. Our team chat went crazy and I shouted out loud my favorite word "VAMOS" with a caps lock. I received some congrats from my teammates and management staff. They also laughed that now I can go back to sleep finally. Shortly after my pick was announced in the stream, I got a message from Tig. He said welcome and I said thank you very much. Then I joined immediately to Argonaut's team chat and got some warm welcomes from my future teammates.

Interviewer: In addition of you and Beranek, Seattle drafted also third person from Quebec City, defender Yuuto Kira Cloudera Jr. with 77th overall pick. Is Quebec now officially a farm team of Seattle?

Salming: Haha, probably not but it is for sure very fun to have some familiar faces in the same team also in the future hopefully. Beranek is another gifted winger. We played a couple of games together on last season but didn't find a good chemistry so I was returned to same line with Maro and Dolphin but maybe next season we will get some more minutes together and learn to understand each other's playing style. When it comes to Cloudera Jr., he scored very well for being a rookie defender. I was very surprised that he dropped to fifth round and consider he is one of the steals of the draft. I am hoping to prove too that I should have picked earlier for sure. I am not afraid to admit that I will do everything that GM Tig will get later a lot of credit and appreciation to select me on third round.

Interviewer: It has been a very pleasant talking session with you, Mr. Salming. I have two more questions left. You were selected to Finland's WJC squad. How does that feel and what do you expect to Finland achieve in the tournament?

Salming: It was one of my goals to get WJC invitation after my rookie season. That wish happened so I feel extremely proud to represent my country on international stage. Since a child I have loved national teams in every sport (hockey, soccer, basketball, volleyball etc.). I love when nations compete against each other. I even prefer that over club games. If I had to choose, I would take World Championship gold medal over Challenge Cup trophy. Maybe some might think that is crazy but it just tells me about a person and my passion towards national teams. I hope to help the team to achieve at least a medal and who knows how far we can go. We started the tournament with a win and loss. I was not able to score yet with an average TOI of 10 minutes but I hope to get at least one international goal in some point during the tournament and help my team to win that way.

I began the tournament on the same line with Santtu Rasanen and Taisto Jutila on the third line, I guess. I was on the ice when defender Jutila (Tinke) tied the game against British Isles in the first period but they were stronger team and beat us 5-1 with a couple of empty netters. I played 10:08 in my first international game and blocked two shots. I had also one giveaway in the first period but luckily Britts didn't punished me. In the second game we won Canada 1-2 and I think that win will give us a huge confidence boost from this point on. I played one second more than in the first game, 10:09 and managed to shoot twice on goal. I also missed one shot. All goals came in the first period. Canada scored the first goal on power play but we answered immediately thanks to goal by Seppanen. Game-winning goal was scored by defender Jutila on the 15th minute. I had my first shot on goal two minutes earlier from the left corner but goalie Philipp Weaver saved it easily. Well, luckily Ti. Jutila has been in good form and we have at least one win so far in our group.

Interviewer: One last question. How do you see your future in Seattle? When the fans will get to see you here and enjoy your solid two-way game?

Salming: I focus at the moment to have success in Quebec. I want to win the Cup there before I come to SHL. I also want to be as ready as possible as a complete player before joining tough adults tough pro league. SHL is not a league for kids and youngsters. I want to develop my physical and defensive attributes before coming to Seattle. I trust already my puck skills and cleverness but I need to get stronger and faster so I am able to show those skills regularly in Seattle. Maybe I will spend maximum years in juniors. In addition, Seattle drafted some forwards like D. Centerman and Beranek before me in the same entry draft so I don't feel pressure to come up help the Argonauts immediately because those guys are probably ahead of me at the moment in forwards prospect rankings in our organisation. But we will see what happens in the future. I am sure that at some point I will eventually come to Seattle and hopefully bring the glory with me.

Interviewer: Thank you very much for the interview and all the best in Quebec Citadelles

and Seattle

.

Salming: No problem. Thank you for this opportunity to open my thoughts to the fans of Argonauts. I also need these interviews to practise my media skills so it was awesome to talk with you.

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