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Luke Thomason Pre-Draft Interview
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(This post was last modified: 07-07-2018, 08:19 PM by luke.)

It is 24 hours before the draft and we are here to interview Luke Thomason, a playmaker winger from Czechoslovakia.

Welcome to the interview with Luke, it is nice to have you with us. How are you feeling less than 24 hours until the draft?
Thank you for having me. I am feeling a little nervous but calm and ready for it. I am really excited to get drafted.

So Luke, The Czechs lately have had a huge push of young prospects, especially this season with 8-10 Czech prospects so far in the draft. What makes you stand out as the best Czech to draft?

Well, I must say that it is really good to have a high number of skill prospects that are also Czech. I feel that I am not better than any of the prospects, but rather that we will be complimenting each other in the next couple years at the WJC and the international competitions. That being said, as a high amount of prospects are forwards, what makes me different than others is that I am one of the few Playmaker Forwards. I always feel that if I can get it to my teammates and have them get the goal, that is how we win the games.

Why should SMJHL teams look to you as their solution for a playmaker? What makes you stand out this draft, as we have a large number of draftees.

That is a really good question thank you for asking that. What sets me apart from the wingers, and specifically the left wingers is again is my playmaking abilities. I constantly improve my skills and I am working with some of the best trainers in Czechoslovakia to improve my skills. I will try to get better at my shooting and defense in the next couple months so I can become a well rounded player. A good amount of my peers in the left wing have a lot of shooting skills and the ability to get the puck into the net, but for a lot of reasons they could not get the puck in the net if there isn't a playmaker to pass it to them. I also have a hard work ethic. I want to be the best hockey player I can, and I will do anything to achieve that dream.

Have you had a lot of junior teams reach out to you this week? Is there anything you can say about that?

Uh, Yeah I can talk about that a little. I had a good amount of teams reach out to me, and I would imagine a couple more reach out tomorrow as the draft gets closer. The talks I had with the teams though were productive. I talked to some about the future of the team, and it seems like if they drafted me I would be apart of the rebuilding or the continuation of domination in the league. They gauged what I had to offer to them, and what they need from me. I got to ask some questions about the league about things I did not know about. I am very excited for tomorrow, even if I get drafted last or first I will fight for my spot on the roster and by next season I will be a solid left winger on their team, I promise you that.

I also see here that you have been talking to a lot of the Czech hockey players, both prospects, and veterans. Have the veterans gave you any advice that is helping you during this time?

Yeah, of course, all of the Czech team have been amazing to talk to, their locker room attitude is some of the best I have seen. They really want to see the prospects grow and succeed at this level. A lot of them are excited for years to come for the international league and the WJC, but they also told the prospects to not worry about where you land at the draft, but just to work hard and that we still have time to develop. Their GM's have been welcoming and I am excited for the future of the Czech team, in the next couple years you will be seeing us having deep runs hopefully. We got some star defensemen and forwards that are on the come up.

Where do you see yourself in a year before next years draft going into the SHL?

Well, that really depends on what team I go to. If I go to a team that is rebuilding like Halifax, I would have more time on ice, meaning that I would get more experience and points during the season. I think that would help me with my draft spot.
But if I go to an already dominant team like Vancouver, I would probably get less playing time, but better coaches and better potential points and playing time as I get better.
It could go either way really, but it will be an honor if anyone drafts me and sees the potential in me.

Do you have anyone you really want to play with, or and prospects you have met that you would like to play with?

Well off the top of my head I do not know anyone that I want to play with, a lot of people that are on the teams deserve to be there and are very talented so I want to learn from any experienced junior player. I have not met a ton of prospects other than the ones from Czechoslovakia, but I have seen Leshaun King a lot, he seems like a good dude to play with, but he is a left winger so we can't really play on the same line as him. I would like to play with a fellow Czech as I would feel like there is an unwritten chemistry with them, as we try to get better for the international games.

Well thank you for sitting down and talking with us, I wish you good luck in this draft. You seem like you got a good plan going into the draft tomorrow night.

Thank you for having me.




1030 words. x2 SMJHL media week

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Czechoslovakia PROFILE || UPDATE || RAGE. Rage 
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