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+---- Thread: Geoffrey Allen: Road to the SHL Entry Draft (/showthread.php?tid=54607)
- Allen - 08-08-2015
The confetti had been cleaned up, the champagne had been washed off, and the feeling of immense satisfaction still lingered within the Whalers locker room. Geoffrey Allen stood at his locker, packing his bags to head back home to Buffalo, New York to start the off season. This was a season that had tested him mentally, physically, and emotionally and looking back on it, he wouldn’t have had it work out any other way. The Whalers were Four Star Cup champions after a season that saw them ascend from the bottom of the playoff bracket to the very top of the SMJHL. His play on the ice and his conduct off the ice had garnered respect from his teammates and opponents alike. He had cemented himself among the top players in his draft class, and that feeling would drive him through the off season, the draft, and eventually, next season.
Leaving the building he was standing outside waiting for his taxi to take him to the airport. He saw many familiar faces. Lundqvist stopped by to have a chat. They talked about their experiences that season, and Allen was very vocal about his appreciation for Lundqvist’s mentoring throughout the year. They talked about Allen’s draft stock and Lundqvist’s impending season for the Los Angeles Panthers. It was a very light-hearted conversation until they got to the goodbyes. They would no longer be teammates, but their relationship would carry on. Despite both of them knowing this, it seemed as if goodbye carried a weight far heavier than any that may be in the Whalers training facility.
Hoover and Durden came out of the building and the ball busting seemed to immediately begin. Hoover was heading back home to Arizona and Durden would be heading to Disney World with his wife before heading back home to Allen’s hometown of Buffalo. Despite knowing each other for less than a year, the three of them were talking like they had been best friends for years. Hoover recalled fondly on the number of times he had dragged Allen from a bar or had to intervene whenever Allen overstepped his bounds with a young female. Durden even piped in, recalling a time that all three of them found themselves amidst a party full of people dressed like clowns, in which Durden allegedly got into a physical altercation with one of them, resulting in a mess of clown makeup all over the three of them. These three parted ways amicably, as they would all be line mates for the Whalers in the coming season. It was more of a ‘See you later’, than a goodbye, and Hoover and Durden left the team’s facility.
There were other players that came out who spoke briefly. Patrikov Bure had a short conversation with Allen in very broken English where Allen found himself mostly nodding along, trying to make heads or tails of what Bure was saying. Vlad McZehrl also came through and sent his well wishes to Allen, who would be entering the S25 SHL Entry Draft. There was also Beau Ballard, Jordan Uptuck, and Fife Gibbs who came by and handshakes and well wishes were exchanged after some brief, lighthearted conversations. This was a new beginning for Allen, and it seems as if those who had picked him up would continue to support him in any and all future endeavors, as he would support them.
The flight home was long. Despite having a layover, which had Allen sprinting through the terminal trying to get to his connecting flight, he made it home in six hours and 45 minutes. He had passed through two different time zones on his way home, and when his head hit the pillow on his California king sized bed, he was out like a light.
The draft was quickly approaching, and the next morning proved to be a very busy morning for the young hockey player. He began his day with a 3 mile run, and came home to make himself a smoothie and an entire carton of eggs. After that, he answered a phone call from his agent, Robert Spezza, about his potential draft position. Not much was known at this time about where, exactly, he would go, but it seemed certain that Allen had elevated himself to a first round selection. Allen hung up the phone, with a satisfied look on his face, took a shower, and drove off to the gym. The SHL draft combine was coming soon, and Allen would have to be in peak physical condition to perform for these teams.
His training regimen was intense. Allen was a gym rat, and his 6 foot 2 inch, 200 pound frame was mostly muscle, with little body fat to be found. He warmed up with some light squatting, and proceeded to dead lift, bench press, chest dips, and some overhead press, before cooling down with some work on the bike. It was about 2 hours before he exited the gym, refreshed and ready to enjoy the warm summer day.
A few days passed and the SHL draft combine had descended upon Allen. His workout regime had been rigorous over the last few days, and his diet was equally as strict. He was prepared for both portions; the physical and the team interviews. Allen had kept a mostly open mind about which team he was hoping to play for in the SHL. Nothing was off limits and he wasn’t going to limit himself to any preconceived notions that seemed to hinder some of the other draftees. He was largely hoping to wind up on the same team as his Whaler teammates Zach Hoover and Jack Durden, but that was a pipe dream, and he seemed to know it.
Allen performed very well in the physical portion of the combine and took marks in the top 5 of all the tests. There were other prospects who did very well, including Evandrus Jesster, Robb Wind, Jasper Clayton, Maria Maximova, and Lord Pretty Flacko. Allen did not seemed bothered by the fact that he was projected to be drafted behind these players, rather, he was invigorated. Allen’s motivation in all aspects of his hockey career have been largely motivated by doubt of those around him. He had strived for greatness despite those saying that he couldn’t, wouldn’t, or shouldn’t. Despite being a vice for many, this was one of the traits that made him so special. Excelling in the face of adversity was a strong suit of the winger, whose 38 points during the SMJHL regular season were good enough for fourth on the rookie points list. He accomplished this, despite being a fifth round SMJHL draft pick, when most people thought that he could. Allen was satisfied with the marks he received on the physical portion of the combine, and eagerly awaited the interview process to show that his personality would fit in marvelously with whichever team chose to draft him.
There were quite a few teams that contacted Allen. The Edmonton Blizzard were the first to reach out to Allen. His responses were very poised, very mature, and very professional. He was letting them know he was committed to preserving the integrity of the organization, and he would do what it would take to become an essential piece of their organization. He had similar interviews with the Seattle Riot, who possessed the first overall pick, and would likely be unable to selected him, the New England Wolfpack, the Calgary Dragons, the Toronto North Stars, and the West Kendall Platoon. The team that stood out to Allen the most though, was the Texas Renegades. His interview with them was not quite like the others, in which his answers were straight and proper. This was an interview in which he shared great candor with GM Deener, and the two seemed to hit it off swimmingly. Deener talked to Allen about the Renegades, and what they were trying to accomplish moving forward. They were trying to preserve their current talent while establishing a young core with which they could build for the future with. Allen understood, thank Deener, and the two parted ways. The contents of the meeting stayed with him, and it seemed as if Allen had found his destination. The real question was, did Texas share the sentiment?
Allen was sitting in his home watching another episode of the popular Showtime television show "Californication" when the mock drafts began to come out. He got a text message from his agent and Allen opened them up on his phone. As he was browsing through them he seemed to be unable to really pinpoint where he would go and when he would go there. They all seemed to vary. Some had him at 6th overall, some had him falling as far as late in the second round. There were even some that omitted him entirely (not by design, I imagine). As they continued to come out, the growing consensus seemed to be that Allen would be taken at 11th overall to the Renegades. That was fantastic to hear that some people would have him go there, but was that what the Renegades wanted at 11? Why would he fall out of the top 10? Were there that many other prospects that were seriously being considered better than him? All of these questions swirled about his mind as he absentmindedly continued to watch Hank Moody defile yet another beautiful woman. The very beautiful naked woman on the screen was not enough to detract Allen from his thoughts, and he turned off the television to go for a run.
The flight to the draft was short. Allen took a shuttle from the airport directly to the hotel where he was staying. He threw his overnight bag on the bed and went to take a shower. He was supposed to be meeting Durden and Hoover for dinner before heading to the draft together. He put on his suit. Nothing fancy, just a black suit with a black tie. He didn't anticipate wearing the coat and tie very long, so it might as well be something simple. He went down to the lobby and called a cab to meet his Whalers teammates at the restaurant. When he got there, they were already waiting for him. They all stood up and shook hands and had a very lengthy discussion about the dress length of the hostess and whether or not it was appropriate. They would finish their meal and head outside where a black limousine was waiting for them. Their chariot had arrived.
They strolled into the draft together. Posed for pictures with fans, shook hands with other people wearing suits, and eventually found their seats. There was an air of anticipation and excitement that swarmed the building. Everyone in attendance was beyond excited for what the night may hold. It was an opportunity and the culmination of a life's work. Allen sat patiently, looking cool as ice as the pageantry of the draft had begun. Eventually, the Commissioner of the league walked up to the podium.
Quote:Originally posted by Leafs4ever+Aug 5 2015, 08:00 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1' id='QUOTE-WRAP'><tr><td>QUOTE (Leafs4ever @ Aug 5 2015, 08:00 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Hello everyone and welcome to the Season 25 SHL Entry Draft!
It's an exciting time for our new SHL prospects and we can't wait to welcome them into the big leagues.
The Seattle Riot are now on the clock...[/b]
This was it. The moment everyone had been waiting for. The draft had officially begun and the place seemed to be electrified. Everyone knew who would be drafted first overall, it was practically a foregone conclusion at that point. grimmster made his way to announce the first pick.
Quote:Originally posted by grimmsterj@Aug 5 2015, 08:04 PM<br />First things first, on behalf of the Seattle Riot I would like to congratulate Tanner, LVShark, and the entire Hamilton organization on their successful season and being Challenge Cup Champions!
[b]Now, with the first overall selection in the S25 SHL Entry Draft, the Seattle Riot select....
.....all the way from Buffalo, NY
EVANDRUS JESSTER!!!!
Welcome to the team![/b]
And just like that the draft was underway. The next picks all seemed to come and go as expected. The top five players of the draft had been set in stone for a while now and they seemed to fall in place just as predicted. Jasper Clayton had done quite a bit to elevate his draft position to the number two pick after a lot of work in the weight room in the media, amassing a bank account unparalleled by any of the other rookies entering the draft. The Buffalo Stampede took Robb Wind with the third overall pick. Wind, like Jesster, was seen as a generational talent who could step into the SHL from day one and make an impact. He was projected anywhere from second to fourth, and nobody was surprised when the Stampede took him off the board third overall. The West Kendall Platoon were next on the board and used their, seemingly, only pick of the entire draft to choose defense-woman Maria Maximova from the Kelowna Knights. Maximova was a strong prospect whose skill and locker room presence were equally as strong as one another. Maximova, like Wind, was slotted anywhere from the second slot to the fourth slot depending on who you asked. Her selection was another that did not garner surprise. Lord Pretty Flacko was selected at fifth overall by the New England Wolfpack. Flacko possesses elite skill that is only bested by Jesster and Wind, but he has a lot of character concerns and was known to be very confrontational about the league, which led him to drop to fifth overall. Beyond the fifth pick, nothing was a crap shoot. The experts analysis varied, and this was where the draft was going to get exciting. Allen inched forward in his seat, in anticipation of having his name potentially called. The Calgary Dragons were on the clock at sixth overall. Allen had some meaningful dialogue with the Dragons and felt they could come for him at the six spot. Stellhead made his way up to the podium.
Quote:Originally posted by Steelhead77@Aug 5 2015, 08:14 PM<br />[b]With the 6th Overall Selection in the S25 SHL Entry Draft
The Calgary Dragons are thrilled to select...
From the Detroit Falcons!
Michael Burch!!!
Welcome to the Team!!!
Allen let out a little sigh. He had hoped to go sixth, but was not certain his impression was lasting on the Dragons management. He sat still for the Edmonton Blizzard's pick. This wasn't the first team that Allen had wanted to go as he knew hardly anyone there and wasn't certain about the future of the organization. Mixed feelings washed over him as Ivan Koroviev's name was called. He was satisfied that he hadn't gone to Edmonton, but a bit upset that he had been passed up. The Texas Renegades were on the clock. This is where it would get tricky. A lot of people had Allen mocked at eighth to the Renegades. Some had Allen at eleventh and Travis Kudleychuk at number eight. It was strange and Allen's leg began to bounce from anticipation. He was playing with his hands, and for the first time tonight his cool and calm demeanor had dissolved. He was anxious and nervous. Was this it? Had his time come? Deener made his way to the podium and looked out over the crowd. After a second he announced;
<!--QuoteBegin-Deener@Aug 5 2015, 08:20 PM
First of all thanks to everybody for being here tonight. We are going through some major changes in Texas but are excited to bring on some new champions.
With that being said,
<div align="center">[b]With the 8th overall pick in the S25 SHL Entry Draft, the Texas Renegades are proud to select... From the Prince George Firebirds..
Travis Kudleychuk!
Welcome to Texas!</div>[/b][/quote]
That wasn't unexpected, and Allen kind of sunk back into his chair for a second. Maybe the Renegades didn't want him? He was certain he had made the best impression with Renegades management, but there was a twinge of doubt that washed over him. It infested every part of his body, and within that moment he was consumed by it. He snapped to and shook it off. This was a great day and he was not going to be deterred. The next pick belonged to Calgary. Allen thought that he may go off the board here. Calgary walked up to the podium and wasted no time in announcing Leon Webb's name. Maybe his dialogue with Calgary had not been as meaningful or in depth as he had thought? Again, the doubt began to creep in. Winnipeg was on the clock, and Allen recalled that Luke Fleming was slotted to go here, and Allen had not had any dialogue with the Jets at all before the draft. He did not think he would be drafted here, and he wasn't. Luke Fleming was drafted at number ten overall, and just like that, all of the hard work Allen had worked for to put himself into the top 10 of the draft had dissipated. At this point he would simply be satisfied with being a first round pick. Texas was back on the clock. Was this it? He had thought about texting Deener early in the day to say something along the lines of, "come get me", but he refrained. Allen decided he would leave whatever was going to happen alone and just enjoy the draft ride. He sunk back into his seat. A feeling of now or never came upon him, as he furrowed his brow and examined Deener's gait to the podium. Deener stepped up to the mic and said;
Quote:Originally posted by Deener@Aug 5 2015, 08:27 PM
<div align="center">[b]With the 11th overall pick in the S25 SHL Entry Draft, the Texas Renegades are proud to select... From the Vancouver Whalers...
Geoffrey Allen!
Welcome to Texas!</div>[/b]
At that moment, a spotlight brightly was brightly shown on Allen and he could feel millions of eyes upon him. His face lit up and he immediately stood up to give his Whaler teammates hugs and thanks before heading down toward the stage. On the way there camera shutters and handshakes were plentiful. This was it. As he walked up to the stage he took a mental snapshot. He would remember this moment for the rest of his life and he would tell his grandchildren about the day he had finally realized his dream of playing for a real SHL team. He crossed the stage and approached Deener and Shevy who shook his hand vigorously and said, "Welcome to the show, kid!" Allen took off his sport coat and put on his Renegades jersey. He looked great in black and silver. He put on the hat supplied to him, and they all posed for a picture. After all the cameras were exhausted, they made their way offstage toward the back of the arena. There he finally got to meet his new teammate, Travis Kudleychuk. The two were rivals with Travis playing for the Prince George Firebirds, whom the Whalers knocked out in the first round of the Four Star Cup playoffs. They were all smiles and had some great conversations about what brought them to this point in their careers. Allen was still talking to Kudleychuk when he saw his SMJHL teammate Zach Hoover come through the curtain. Allen let out a very boisterous, "HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOV", and ran up to congratulate him. Hoover would be playing for the New England Wolfpack and would likely be sent down to play in Vancouver for another year. A member of Texas management came to greet Kudleychuk and Allen and told them that their was a limo waiting to take them to their hotels, and then the airport. They would be heading to Texas tonight and training their for the remainder of the offseason. Allen congratulated Hoover again and left to get his SHL career started.
They touched down at DFW only a few hours after they had left. Allen had received a call on the way to the airport that Durden had been drafted by New England in the second. He texted his friend to congratulate him, and let him know that he could always come to Texas in FA after his rookie contract was up, with a winking emoji. Allen was wisked into a Lincoln town car and taken to a hotel in downtown Dallas for the night. The skyline was absolutely gorgeous, as the city was alive with nightlife and the skyscrapers slept, biding their time til morning when they would be bustling. Allen turned on the TV and didn't watch. He stared off into the horizon for quite some time. This was going to be his city. He was going to make his mark on the world here, and it was only a matter of time before he would do so.
The next morning was highly eventful. Allen arrived at the team facility around 10 am and was shown around. He came through the locker room and had the pleasure of meeting some great Renegade players like Maxim Horvat, Oliver Pettyfer, Liam Kinsler, Chris Partlow, and Vladimir Lindstrom, to name a few. They were all very excited about having him aboard and let him know that if there was anything he would need, he could always come to them and ask. Allen spoke with many of the Renegades players for a long time and seemed to develop a great rapport with them very quickly. By the end of most conversations he was laughing and joking with many of them and they seemed genuinely happy to have him around. Allen continued with a tour of the rest of the facility, and was amazed at the great environment that the Renegades had developed here over the many years. He stepped out onto the ice at American Airlines Center and took a look up into the rafters. The championship banners stood their, transfixed like soldiers standing at guard. They dominated the areas they beheld with such an air of triumph. There were also the retired numbers of Armia and Carlzner, both members of the Renegades Hall of Fame. It was Allen's hope that his play would warrant him a spot in the rafters here. That some day, a rookie would look to the rafters and take not of his name and number, and tell themselves that they would be the next to write their legacy with this great franchise. Allen looked around the arena at all the empty seats and imagined them packed to the brim on game day. Eighteen thousand five hundred fans, on their feet, chanting hysterically for the black and silver. Allen took a very deep breath, closed his eyes, and said out loud, "home". Here he was, and here he would stay, a Renegade.
The next chapter for Geoffrey Allen begins now. The time leading to the draft was a tumultuous experience which ended in almost the greatest way imaginable for him. He had found a new home in Dallas, and was hopeful to cement his legacy here in the future. Nobody can say for certain what the future holds for this young man, but, if his work ethic to date does not inspire confidence, I don't know what will. Allen is a great prospect that will be integral for the Renegades in the years to come. His personality and character will mesh will with the core in Texas, and through hard work and dedication, that core will lead Texas back to a Challenge Cup Finals so that they can hang a fourth banner in the rafters of the AAC. Allen has worked his whole life to achieve greatness and his path begins here. Texas has given him the opportunity and it will be entirely up to him if he will lead them to success or dissolve into mediocrity.
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4011 words- GroupMeIsKindOfOkay - 08-08-2015
Another 1st round steal for the Renes (Kins, Knight, Vliddy) =D>
- Allen - 08-08-2015
Quote:Originally posted by Shevy Shev@Aug 8 2015, 08:42 PM
Another 1st round steal for the Renes (Kins, Knight, Vliddy) =D>
- Jesster - 08-08-2015
Is Clayton from buffalo as well?
- Allen - 08-08-2015
Quote:Originally posted by Jesster@Aug 8 2015, 09:30 PMHe's a Buffalo fan. Not 100% sure where he hails from exactly...
Is Clayton from buffalo as well?
- Jesster - 08-08-2015
Quote:Originally posted by Allen@Aug 8 2015, 08:39 PM
He's a Buffalo fan. Not 100% sure where he hails from exactly...
Right on. I was speaking of his player. First 2 picks from Buffalo if so
- carousel182 - 08-08-2015
Quote:Originally posted by Jesster@Aug 8 2015, 09:40 PMHe is from Buffalo, but his player is from the UK
Right on. I was speaking of his player. First 2 picks from Buffalo if so
- Durden - 08-09-2015
Amazing article my friend. You get an A- (and the D later)