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Dickbutt19 · 12-03-2017, 05:05 PM

As early as Samuel McVay can remember, he has always loved hockey. Whether playing underage for his Scottish Junior Hockey League team, or watching his idols in the Elite Ice Hockey League, Sam has always been fascinated with the sport.

"It just always seemed like the most complete sport in the world to me." he told me, reminiscing about his earlier days. "It has this beauty and elegance to it, yet the toughness is on another level too. And it's fast. Just the pace of play, especially in the higher level hockey you play, it's unlike anything else."

This enamoration with speed is what ultimately swayed Samuel McVay to the SHL. The desire for greater challenges against the best in the world drove him to work towards the SMJHL, and ultimately the greatest hockey league in the world.

â€œI think I can not only survive in these hockey leagues, but thrive.â€ Sam tells me. â€œI think with my positional play and passing, I can create a niche for myself that few others have managed to fill. While I may have a weaker shot, if I can get some players on my line who are in a â€˜shoot firstâ€™ mentality I think we be a threat in every zone on the ice â€

Being drafted by the reigning champions is an exciting prospect, and when the talk turned to that, Sam was visibly excited.

â€œOh yeah, itâ€™s really exciting.â€ Samuel grins â€œI didnâ€™t really talk to them before the draft, but they obviously saw something in me, and Iâ€™m grateful for the opportunity. Now I have to prove myself, and show them that Iâ€™m worth the draft pick. Iâ€™m ready to get started.â€

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tweedlebrumm · 12-04-2017, 01:31 PM

While my Father Patrick Brumm Sr, was never the best player in the SHL, he is probably the reason I was given a shot in the SMJHL. Just a few short weeks after bombing the NHL combine, the SMJHL came calling just hours before the S39 SHL Entry draft class, draft. When I thought I was going to have a long career of flipping burgers at In-and-Out, I was given a second chance. If I wasnâ€™t going to give credit to my Father Iâ€™d be truly mislead as he had to have pulled some strings.

Draft day was hectic just two short hours before the draft I got the call that my paperwork was processed, and I was approved. Being it was so close to the draft I didnâ€™t hear a peep from any of the SMJHL GMâ€™s prior to the draft. This wasnâ€™t surprising at all, as this years draft was packed to the gils with talent. As I sat patiently I heard several HOF potential playerâ€™s names get called. As the draft moved forward at a rapid pace, I realized my bombed combine must have been worse than I thought. As I sad in my home in San Jose, CA it was hard watching 34 names get called before my name.

TimmyP17 · 12-04-2017, 02:30 PM

Most people have trouble pronouncing Liechtenstein, let along finding it on a map. But growing up in the capital city of Vaduz was a blessing in disguise. I was surrounded by ample opportunity for winter sports in Switzerland and Austria, but after seeing ice hockey on TV for the first time, I was hooked.

I had two loving parents that scoured the nearby cities for the opportunity for their only son to pursue his dreams of one day playing in the SHL. Countless hours of driving to and from practices and tournaments paved the way for increased family bonding as well as love for the greatest game on earth. Nobody on my teams had traveled as far as I had to every day, but nobody had two parents cheer as loud as I did either. I want my successes to reflect back on them for the tremendous sacrifice that they made to allow me to be here today.

When I was notified that I had been drafted 47th overall by the Detroit Falcons, I was over the moon with joy. I am, as far as I know, the first person from my country to make it to the SMJHL, and I'm hoping that it's the first of many firsts for me and my country. Being a part of such a great organization will provide me with the leadership and growth that will allow me to become a complete player, and hopefully one day make it in the SHL.

pkpaching · 12-04-2017, 03:25 PM

Hockey. This word has been my life since I was 10 years old. After going to the ice rink for a birthday party, I saw some kids playing some pick up and thought it looked pretty fun. I know 10 years old is a little late of a start to dream of playing professional hockey but I wasn't thinking of dreams, I was thinking of realities! I shoveled driveway after driveway all winter long to buy my first set of goalie equipment.

After I got some goalie gear i could finally play some hockey instead of hitting up public skates. Every day without fail I would go play after school and get lit up hard. It didn't matter to me, because every day I would stop more and more shots.

After playing for around 6 months straight I got my first shot to play on an actual team! I was so pumped to go to team practices even though I was just a back up. I didn't get any playing time until the starting goalie tore his acl Â¾â€™s of the way into the season. To say I was ready would be an understatement. At this point I had been eating and breathing hockey for what seemed like a lifetime. I wasn't turning back anytime soon.

Hoodlumpr · 12-04-2017, 10:11 PM

Keenan · 12-05-2017, 12:09 AM

Big Shoes to Fill

A new name has recently made rounds in the SMJHL. A name that should sound familiar to SHL fans: Kyle Keenan, Jr.

Kyle Keenan is a Hall of Fame player who spent his career with the Manhattan Rage and Edmonton Blizzard. He retired the Blizzard's all time assists leader, and was inducted into the SHL Hall of Fame. Kyle Keenan Jr, however says his dad's success doesn't weigh on him however:

"I'm sure I'll get asked a lot, but I gotta say I'm not intimidated or anything about living up to his name. That's the man that taught me everything I know, definitely my greatest influence. Any time I see the comparison I can't help but laugh, and hope I'm even half the player he was."

The comparisons may be much at this stage but the two do share a similar pass first style of play. And while Keenan was drafted as a winger he did spend time at center in Edmonton as well, his son's natural position. When asked about his goals he had this to say:

"I hope to go out there and make my own legacy, it would be amazing to see my name in the hall right next to dad's, but I know I gotta work hard for that dream to come to fruition."

Dangles13 · 12-05-2017, 01:47 PM

If you read my introduction then you would know that I hail from Kilkenny Ireland. The Storm was our hometown team and the players that played on the team gave up their Saturday mornings to teach us young lads a few of the finer points of stick puck. I lived for those morning sessions where we would all do our best Bambi impersonations while listening with rapt attention to the professional players. I remember thinking about how there was no chance I would ever become a hockey player due to my terrible struggle on skates and how you seemed to need to learn so much at once. Now it seems too easy, I am almost embarrassed that I struggled at one point.

You may have also known about my journey to the draft if you read my previous entry. My childlike wonder has never left me so I always seek out new or novel experiences. I could have taken a plane right to the draft but I had the time to hop on a train. I loved that journey but now I want to take a ship across the ocean next time. Perhaps I can make that trek in the offseason after Vancouver wins the Cup...

galatix · 12-05-2017, 03:11 PM

Max Poulin has two home towns: the one where he was born and the one where his parents raised him. St. Petersburg has had an incredible influence on Max these last few months as the debate rages on about the state of his citizenship. The move to Kelowna was, at least, a little less intimating than traveling to Colorado with the mounds of paperwork that explained his legal status as a Russian citizen.

If Max ever had to hear the Soviet National Anthem again and fumble over Russian to prove that he was Quebecois through and through, he was going to lose it.

Montreal, however, that was home. It was home because he remembers his parents bringing him to the public rinks and teaching him how to skate. He loves it because of every teacher's damn insistence that his name is Maxime Poulin rather than Maxim Poulin-Cleary since that is all harsh letters and not flowing French. He loves how the city was appalled with the idea that one of it's young talents had to deal withe the legal paperwork of proving that he is of La Belle Province.

Kelowna is thousands and thousands of miles away from all of that but Max is excited to find himself outside of all the drama. Max Poulin, 8th Overall, decent baker is ready to find out what kind of Knight he is going to be.

701 aka YUNG GUAP GOD · 12-05-2017, 03:28 PM

gaby · 12-06-2017, 04:22 PM

Ti-Guy had just been selected in the 7th round of the SMJHL draft. He was able to meet with Incite and Toe, the two GMs of the Colorado Mammoths. They told him they were quite excited to have been able to get him so late. For Ti-Guy, it was quite important for him to know. He didn't really have talks with this team before the draft so he wasn't too sure what to expect. But it seems the organisation has plans for him and that's all it mattered for Ti-Guy.

There were not many journalists left when Ti-Guy got selected. But, a reporter from QuÃ©bec City working for RSN went to him to ask for an interview. Ti-Guy didn't mind at all but he was expecting that the journalist would ask about his dad at some point and he wasn't so sure what he would respond. Ti-Guy is the son of Guyslain, former superstar forward who supervised his training until he was 14. When Ti-Guy started playing hockey, he wanted to be one day be as good as his dad. But an incident during the International QuÃ©bec Peewee tournament led him to never see his father again. His dad made him hate hockey, something he didn't think was possible. When he moved with his mom and brother in RiviÃ¨re-du-Loup, it gave his hockey career a second wind. It's there playing for the Midget AA team that Ti-Guy went from playing forward to switch to defense. He turned out to be a much more effective player as a d-man, he would have never make it in the SMJHL as a forward.

Ti-Guy was pretty relieved when the interview was done and no mention about Guyslain. He went back to his mom and brother in the stands and they were ready to leave. Even though it's a day he would never forget, the toughest part has yet to come. As a late pick, he would have to battle hard to make the team. Pre-season would start pretty soon and he couldn't wait to prove himself.

mdubz · 12-07-2017, 01:39 PM

Mikhail came into the draft with high expectations, and boy was he disappointed. Sitting in his hometown of Volgograd, Russia, staying up late to watch the draft, he became more and more frustrated as he fell down the draft board. As team after team passed him by, he began to pace the room. Then his loving mother came up to him and said, "Misha, sit down and be calm. It doesn't matter where you go, you still get to go play hockey in America. Enjoy the opportunity that you have been given." Petrikov sat back down, and right after that interaction his phone rang. It was the Prince George Firebirds, telling him that he had been drafted in the 3rd round. Misha told his mom where he was going, and they both were excited. "I never heard from the General Managers at Prince George." "Its alright, they still are a good team, you will have a great time there."

Mikhail's parents are definitely his rock, even though they split up when he was young. They remember how tough things were in the Soviet Union, and even though it doesn't exist anymore, they want nothing but the best for their baby boy.

Leoben · 12-07-2017, 05:05 PM

My journey here was described last week in an article but they focused more on my brotherâ€™s antics. I did not have much interest in going pro and I wasnâ€™t even playing in the minors. I played mostly pickup games wherever I happened to be living at the time. Then I just decided, why not? My brother is retired and just won a silver medal for our country. Iâ€™d like to bring home a gold medal one day. He also won a Cup with Montreal, and this is something Iâ€™d like to do too. Montreal were pretty much the only team to reach out to me and Iâ€™m not sure if other GMâ€™s had no interest or if they just knew that I wanted to play in Montreal first. So that happened and it was great getting picked up by the Militia in the third. We have been off to a rough start but I anticipate us to get better as the season goes on. We are still figuring everything out but I have full confidence in the team.

So I guess what led me here was my brotherâ€™s small legacy. I want to eclipse it and go down in the books myself. I have never really had any support. I just let a few people know that I was interested in playing a few months ago and to keep an eye out for me. Here I am.

GrilledTwinkiez · 12-07-2017, 11:47 PM

Growing up in Canada I was surrounded by hockey all the time. With so much talent all over Canada it was hard to be noticed, going pro is every Canadian kids dream but not many get to experience the feeling of being drafted. The rush of waking up on draft day is like no other feeling, but with all the excitement opens the door for extreme heartbreak... Unfortunately I was not selected in the draft, but being considered is an experience in itself. When I wasn't selected in the draft I was so bummed, I lost so much motivation to keep going, what was the point, no team even wanted to take a shot on me. but I was taught as a kid to work hard and good things will come. So that's what I did, I got up off my ass and got to work. Every day on ice off ice, doing whatever I needed to do to become the best player I could be, then I got the call. I'm about to sign my first contract and I couldn't be more stoked. I wanted to prove to everyone you don't have to be the best player in the world but good things happen to those who bust their ass every day for what they want, and that's what I did. you have to prove yourself every day, stay motivated and I cant wait to get my name on the cup one day...

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