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bamba1jl · 07-09-2018, 10:44 PM

We are now on the phone with new Anchorage Armada prospect Ryan Mason

Hello Ryan, it’s good to talk to you again. Last time we talked, you were talking about how you would prefer a cold weather city. Do you think Anchorage is going to be cold enough for you?

(laughs) Oh yeah, I think this will do. I honestly always have loved winter, it meant time for hockey. This is really going to put me to the test though. Even now in the middle of July, its supposed to be in the mid 60’s all week. I suppose, that is more comfortable than the mid 80’s I’m used to this time of year. The man sized mosquitoes are actually a bigger adjustment than the temperatures are so far.

So, what do you think of the city itself so far?

I haven’t had a ton of time to explore with training camp going on and all, but I have liked what I’ve seen so far. I went to Lake Eklutna yesterday and it was awesome. I’ve never seen scenery like that in my life. I think I can get used to seeing these mountains all over the place. It just puts you in a good mood. I really can’t wait until the fall here to go on a bear excursion and see some of these grizzly bears. That and the insane salmon fishing of course. If I catch a 40lber, it’s going up on my wall.

How IS training camp going so far?

It has been quite the experience. Coach Mdubz and my GMs Spooky and ML have been great getting everyone acclimated to Major Junior hockey. They’ve got me working mostly on my skating and defense right now, which I really didn’t see coming. They say focusing on defense will lead to better positioning and more goals on offense. I’m just trusting the process and hoping for the best. These guys know their stuff though so I’m not worried.

What is the locker room like in Anchorage? I imagine it’s quite an adjustment from what you are used to.

Oh, without a doubt. It’s kind of strange going from being one of the best players and a leader in the locker room to being the guy at the bottom of the totem pole. Every veteran player and my fellow rookies have been great though. I actually talked to our captain, Muhammed Mclovin on draft night and he let me know to come to him with anything I might need. I’m not going to have any trouble fitting in with these guys.

Since you brought up your teammates, I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask you about #1 pick Jax Aittokallio.

Jax is the real deal. You can tell just from the little time we’ve spent together in training camp. The guy is super dedicated and is constantly working hard to improve his game. He’s pretty humble too for a guy like that. He has been very helpful to the rest of us rookies giving us tips where he can

How is the rookie class for Anchorage looking?

That’s the thing, Jax was the story, and rightfully so, but I think this rookie class for the Armada is filled with hidden gems. Tucker Baloo for example was the last pick I believe and he has constantly been working hard to get some ice time. You can’t take any time off here or there is someone chomping at the bit to get on the ice and show you up. It is a great environment for pushing yourself.

How long do you think it’s going to take for you rookies to gel with the vets and make a run at a four star cup?

I believe the pieces are there right now. Like I said, these rookies have been outstanding and we have some really good veteran pieces here too. I think the fans are going to be very happy with our inaugural season. We’re in a good position too to take the entire league by surprise. We have everything to gain and not much to lose. It also helps that our goalie is a brick wall. Seriously, I can’t hardly score on the guy. That’s going to keep us in every game in my opinion

Let’s talk about draft night now. What can you tell us about 50th overall, were you expecting that or was it a surprise?

I really didn’t know what to expect going into it. There isn’t a ton of information to go on for guys like me that were expected to go in the later rounds. I had been contacted by a few GMs, so I knew there was at least a little interest, but I never really got any indication from any of them about when to expect to be drafted. The funny part is that ML isn’t one of the GMs that contacted me so I never really thought Anchorage would be a landing spot. I’m really glad things worked out the way they did though.

It has to be pretty nerve wracking waiting to hear your name called knowing that it could be anywhere between round 2 and round 10, if at all

Nerve Wracking is the perfect way to describe it. I was pacing my living room like a caged animal. (laughs) I had to be driving my friends and family nuts. It could’ve been worse though, I only had to wait 50 picks, I had some buddies in this draft that are awesome players and they had to wait right until the bitter end. I wouldn’t have had any fingernails left.

There has been a lot of talk about Anchorage’s relocating and rebranding, some good and some bad. You have any thoughts on it you want to share publicly?

(laughs) oh man now you’re just trying to get me in trouble. I’m just going to say it, I absolutely love it. I would much rather live in Alaska than St. George, and we now have the coolest jerseys in the league in my biased opinion. I can’t wait to put that jersey on and go and make our home fans proud.

Well, we’ve taken up enough of your time Ryan, go and get some sleep and get ready for camp again tomorrow morning. I hope we get the chance to talk again soon

Thanks, and don’t worry, we will

1067 words and 2x media week bonus

JVMjrDOT · 07-10-2018, 12:18 PM

Great interview!

ml002 · 07-10-2018, 12:47 PM

Great stuff my dood Armada

Credit to Copenhagen, Wasty, FlappyGiraffe, InciteHysteria, and caltroit_red_flames
[Image: MM4nqx6.png]

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