COVID-19 ends Hunter's hopes

[dshervill 45]

Just like that, as quickly as this season has come and gone. Braxton Hunter's hopes of playing in the VHL playoffs with the Prague Phantoms were dashed when upon arrival in Prague Hunter tested positive for COVID-19. 

 

 

"I was in shock, I did my best to stay socially distant and not go to any get togethers or even be around my family before I left to come here." Hunter told us over the phone while isolating in a hotel in Prague. " From hearing back home it was one of the employees at the hotel I was self-isolating at before coming here. Super unfortunate and super frustrating that I can't even be with my teammates, I'm just all alone in a hotel room 5000 miles away from home. But hey, at least my view and the food is unreal here." 

 

What a way for Hunter's season to end, upon further investigation it was confirmed that one of the employees from the hotel in Saskatoon where Hunter was self-isolating before coming to Prague had an outbreak among the employees that was not told to any of the guests at the hotel or the general public. That business has since been fined and closed for a cleaning and sanitizing, we reached out to the business for a comment but our emails and phone calls were never returned. When asked about his experience in Prague so far, Hunter had this to say; 

 

"Honestly, the hospitality here is unreal. Some of my teammates have dropped off some things from the team for me already, they've delivered me some local cuisine. So far I'm really enjoying Prague, the staff at this hotel has been incredibly welcoming and have made my 'quarantine' enjoyable."

 

As for the Phantoms, they were eliminated in the VHL playoffs and Hunter was unable to be cleared in time to play a single game. Since the offseason has started it looks as though Hunter is going to be staying in Prague for the forseeable future as he plans to spend his offseason with the Phantoms;

 

"I'm already here, so why wouldn't I stay and start to get involved with the offseason program here? Just makes sense to me, I've already been stuck in this hotel room for a long time already. Once I'm cleared one of the first places I'm going is the facility to get everything figured out and start getting to work. I want to win a championship here."

 

Some bold words from Hunter, shortly after our interview with the newest member of the Phantoms he was cleared to start offseason activities and was cleared of COVID-19 after 6 negative tests that spanned 2 weeks. The Phantoms already gave us word that Hunter was one of the first guys to report to the offseason program and has been consistently in the gym or in the medical facilities getting treatment. It is looking as though this offseason will be one of Hunter's best as an anonymous source from the organization told us:

" Hunter always comes in with a smile on his face and says hi to everyone and tells them to have a great day, doesn't matter who they are. The security guard, the scouts, the coaching staff, heck even the janitors who clean the locker rooms and gym facilities. I wouldn't be surprised if Braxton could tell you their names and something about them. He is always the first guy to arrive here around 4:30am, he gets here before the coaches and the coaches have to kick him out to go back to his hotel. The guy lives here, he doesn't leave unless he's forced to."

With that coming from our anonymous source from the team it is looking as Hunter has already made a good first impression with the Phantoms, what remains to be seen is how effective Hunter will be in his first VHL season and whether or not he can make an immediate impact in the big leagues. 

 

From the Prague Post, this is Ondrej Svoboda. 

 

 

[jRuutu 2,467]

10/10

 

 

Great article. The covid part of the story is believable and feels accurate. I also liked how the story progressed towards the end, Hunter getting ready to work. The story gave some insight into what type of player Hunter is, which is always fun to read. The picture is great. The addition of colors for different speakers was a nice touch and made the article easier to read!

 

I can't think of anything to suggest for potential improvements.