Hello! My name is Bert Lyte and welcome to this edition of Know Your Crow, where we try to get to know members of the St. Louis Scarecrows organization. Today I was lucky enough to be joined by rookie center for the Crows, Nikolaj Boyle. At six foot five inches tall, this young Latvian doesn’t seem to have any trouble making his presence known on the ice. The Scarecrow brass seem to agree, selecting Boyle with the 39th pick in the S42 SMJHL Entry Draft.
 
So Nikolaj, what’s the experience been like so far with the Scarecrows organization?
Oh it’s been really great so far. Everybody has been so welcoming from the beginning. I walked into the locker room and immediately felt like part of the team. The staff and alumni have done a great job of getting me and the rest of the rookies up to speed. Everybody seems to be operating on the same page and the enthusiasm has been contagious. We’re all just really excited about the upcoming season.
 
That’s something that a lot of players that come through here seem to agree on. It must be exciting to get a chance to be a part of the storied Scarecrow history. Tell us, what was the experience of being drafted by St. Louis like?
It was like a dream come true. I got a chance to meet with Joe (Kurczewski) before the Draft and it seemed to go pretty well. He left a very strong impression on me and I guess I did the same for him. I went into the night really hoping they would pick me and, in the fifth round, I got my wish. Things could not have gone better.
 
Speaking of your draft position, players that end up going in the fourth, fifth, sixth rounds and so on don’t typically come with a lot of buzz surrounding them. Help us fill in some of the blanks. Tell us a bit about your game.
(chuckles) Well I was pretty late getting into hockey. I didn’t start until I was about ten years old, but I did fall in love with the game rather quickly. Today, I play center and I try to do so responsibly. One of the main things that I pride myself on is playing a strong end-to-end game. I may not have an elite scoring touch just yet, but I can make plays happen anywhere on the ice. There are a lot of facets to the game of hockey and I want to be the type of player that can handle any situation thrown at me.
 
That sounds like something that fans will love to hear. There were some concerns for the team going into the Draft without a center on the roster. Those concerns seem to have been squashed with the addition of four rookies at the position. Does competing with three other rookies for ice time affect the locker room dynamic? Do you feel added pressure to perform or has it helped bring the group closer together?
I think competition can be a really useful tool. We are all here to improve as players and to win as many games as possible. Everybody has spent all of training camp working their tails off to get ready for the season. It takes four lines to make up a hockey team. If I end up on that 4th line, I am going to do my best to be the top 4th line center in the league. At the end of the day, I support these guys completely. Goku, Dale, Steve, these guys are true professionals. It won’t matter how the lines shake out because we are especially solid down the middle.  
 
Well if the aforementioned concerns weren’t squashed before, they definitely have been now. With all that confidence, are you feeling any nerves about your first preseason game tonight?
Oh for sure. Well maybe nerves isn’t the right word for it. I am just really excited to get back out there on the ice for an actual game. Everything has kind of been a blur since the draft. We have all had to make a ton of life changes to be here and to be doing what we’re doing. It feels like the only thing we haven’t done at this point is actually play a game. (laughs)
 
Well we’re just a few hours away from puck drop so you won’t have to wait much longer for that. Looking ahead though, what are your personal goals for the upcoming season?
Honestly, my goals are pretty simple. I consider myself to be a very competitive player so naturally, the Cup is my top goal. Aside from that, I am mainly focused on absorbing as much information as I can from my coaches and teammates. I recognize that they have been around the game longer than I have and that the knowledge gained from them can be invaluable to my ultimate dream of one day playing in the SHL.
 
Sure, but how many points are we talking here?
Oh at least 30. (laughs)
 
That’s more like it! So now that that’s out of the way, why don’t we dial things back a bit and talk about the city of St. Louis? How has the adjustment been for you so far?
The city has been great. It is much less busy than I am used to. I love that about it. Oh and the toasted ravioli! Why didn’t anybody tell me about the ravioli? We don’t have this back home. It’s so good.
 
Who doesn’t love toasted ravioli? I’ve seen a lot of players react similarly to their discovery of it. It’s always nice to see. But how about the Arch? Have you made it up there yet?
I told my mom I would, but have you seen that thing? It is way too high up. You won’t catch me up there anytime soon.
 
Fair enough. I don’t blame you for that. I’m not a big fan of heights either. What I am a big fan of, though, is locker room pranks! So for my last question, I know you’ve only just arrived here, but do you have any prank stories to share?
After practice a few days ago, somebody filled my gloves with shaving cream. I returned from cleaning them out to find my skates also filled with the stuff. Everybody had a good laugh over it, but I’ll get my revenge. I’ve narrowed the list down to a couple of suspects and I’m starting to zero in on the culprit. You know who you are and I’m coming for you. (laughs)
 
There you have it. Nikolaj was a good sport throughout and he seems to have a great head on his shoulders. I think this young man has a bright future ahead of him. Tune in next week to learn more about another of your beloved Scarecrows.