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KillTheArchitect · 07-13-2018, 11:50 PM

Jonáš Seagull

C.H.E.W. (Czechoslovakian Hockey Entertainment Worldwide)
July 13th 2018

After a busy draft, a whirlwind in free agency and the starting foundation of a potential championship team I was able to catch up with @TheDangaZone the Halifax raiders GM and get some insight into his draft and training camp.

You had a very good draft with 4 picks in the first round. Despite a tough season ahead for the raiders many have said this was a near perfect draft. What can you tell us about the picks you made and how important this draft will be going forward for the organization?

Quote:I think we absolutely nailed our entire draft much less the amazing talent we brought in with those four 1st round picks. Each pick of those four was made to shore up our top 6 for a long time to come here in Halifax and we love it. With our 2nd overall pick we took Leshaun King who we think will be an absolute stud at center for us. We expect big things out of him and can easily see him leading the league in points for multiple seasons. With our next 3 picks we went all out and created an amazing line combo that we will see coming into this season. Crush Cile, Oliver Kovacs and Kristof Kovacs. Crush was a big name player who we had a top our draft board in the early scouting. He dropped to second on our board but we couldn't be happier grabbing him fourth. The Kovacs brothers we also knew we had to have. A young set of twins with the intuition and athleticism they have just doesn't come by every draft. We definitely see a young version of the Sedin’s here and by putting them with Cile we hope to create a super line from here on out.

Building upon an already busy draft it wasn’t long until you made your next moves to improve the team. Adding 2 FA signings days ago and as we are just hearing it, now a third! What did you like about the signings and how do you feel these additions help the team’s depth?

Quote:I think FA signings are vastly underrated in this league. A lot of people look to build through the draft and while we did that we also made sure to trade for the necessary cap space to make moves that we wanted. We were able to bring in a young defender on the blue line in Craig Finley. We have high hopes for him and think he can quickly move up our line up to shore up our top 4 and make a name for himself. Then we snagged a pair of wingers in Vince Rieper and Richard Metcalf Jr. Both can plug right into our lineup and give us incredible depth throughout the entire roster. I have no doubt both could be bonafide stars in this league and really give us basically 3 first lines.

You made a trade earlier this week to give the team some breathing room with the cap. The trade saw Greg Connors and Kelowna’s S43 2nd pick traded to back to Kelowna. Some pundits around the league questioned the trade. Can you explain your motives behind the trade and how you feel this will help the team in the short and/or long term?

Quote:Yes as I mentioned as well we were able to grab some extra cap space for these prized FAs. We won't have many weaknesses or holes to fill going into a draft next season where we had 4 picks in the top 2 rounds. I was able to package one of those picks and an older veteran Defenseman to Kelowna for some breathing room. I then immediately turned around and signed Connor's replacement in Finley and could see him being the same skill level in a very short time. So we basically stay the same skill wise while getting younger and still have 3 high picks next season to fill any potential holes.

I won’t keep you much longer I know preseason is underway. So before I let you go let me ask, you have had almost a week to see the newly drafted kids do on and off ice workouts, you’ve seen them interact which each other. How excited are you for the organization and coming months?

Quote:I couldn't be more excited for this season to see our young guns shine. While we are young and there will be growing pains as there are with any young team I do think we have the talent to surprise some people this season. Am I saying we're going to win the Cup? Definitely not. But I do think we can make playoffs, and if we make playoffs then anything can happen. I know this group of kids are hungrier than anyone I've ever seen and I want to set them loose on the rest of the league. They're ready to feast and I want so bad to ring that dinner bell.

Thanks for your time TDZ and best of luck this season we hope to speak soon!

We also caught up with a few of the free agent signings and were able to get some questions in!
Here they are!

Quote:Congratulations on signing your contract! You narrowly missed the draft and had the opportunity to choose where you went to unlike the rest of your rookie class.

Did you speak to many GM’s about the possibility of a contract? What was the conversation like with TDZ Halifax’s GM? Ultimately what was the main reason in your decision to sign with the Raiders?

If you would have been in the draft where do you think you would have gone?

What have you worked on at training camp?

@Lazyeye Richard Metcalf Jr. (RW)

Quote:Honestly, TDZ was the only one that reached out to me. It took a couple days of free agency to get contacted as well, but with such a deep draft class and the abundance of wingers, it was to be expected. I assume a lot of GMs are still organizing their team and cap space. I chose not to contact GMs in regards to playing until the dust from the draft settled down, fortunately I didn't reach have to reach that point.

It was quick and straight to the point. We went back and forth a couple times on some details but it was a painless process. I like what the Raiders have, in their leadership and their locker room. I talked to a few guys beforehand, especially King, and it seemed like an awesome atmosphere to start a career.

Most likely middle of the pack. A lot of talent in this year’s draft.

Biggest thing is defense. Something I’ve neglected through my career and that isn't going to fly in the SMJHL and hopefully the SHL someday.

@hats_4_days Craig Finley (D)

Quote:First and foremost it’s great to be wearing a raider’s sweater. I’m honored that gm TBZ offered me a contract knowing I’m not the most experienced player but sees my amazing upside that I know I have. When I first joined the league I had a few others reach out and speak to me

When TBZ first reached out to me it was more of a conversation than anything. Showing me what all I had to do to succeed in the league, which I value. I’d rather be playing for someone who not only cares about winning but also a relationship with the player. which is why I choose to play for Halifax in the end.in the end we all want to win a championship and the way he was speaking we have the chance to go one a good run in the next few years. So why not choose here? Lots of young players here with tons of potential, including me, who will be key pieces for what I see a few runs at the cup in the next few seasons.

As far as the draft goes... I’m not sure where I would slot in to be honest. I know with my potential id be a first rounder but with no history I can’t say. But that’s the past. I can’t control that but I can control now and I’ll have my eyes set on bringing back the cup to raider nation and with the young group of players TBZ has assembled I don’t see us waiting that long.

This was my first training camp and I know I have room in all areas to improve my game but I felt that if I had to choose one part of my game to improve the most it would have to be my overall defence. You know how the saying goes... scoring sells tickets but defence wins championships.

That’s going to wrap it us here for us folks. There is lots of great coverage of the Raiders so far. Be sure to check out @King most recent article as it is full of great details.

word count: 1500 x2

NH4JP · 07-14-2018, 01:16 AM

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