Sakamoto Waiting for the Draft

[der meister 2,939]

"What? Why would I care who wins the VHLM Championship this year?" Fleet-footed defenseman Ryuji Sakamoto is obviously confused by the question. "I mean, I've caught a few games here and there. I saw San Diego absolutely murder whoever they were playing. What was it, like 8-2, 9-2? It was gross. But mostly I'm just doing my own thing, trying to get quicker, trying to get ready for next season."

 

When asked about his time in Halifax, Ryuji had nothing but positives to say about his experience with the team and with General Manager Jardy B. "I had a lot of interest when I first expressed a desire to play in the VHLM," Sakamoto said. "I was able to start with a lot of responsibility, which isn't something I'm used to, but I think I handled it pretty well. There were a lot of panicky moments, but at the same time, a lot of personal highlights. I feel like I grew a lot as a player during my brief time in Halifax, and we'll see what the future brings when it comes time for the VHLM Draft."

 

Sakamoto is well known for his blazing speed, but indeed, his time in Halifax with the 21st certainly helped his defensive game as well. "He had nothing but speed to burn," a VHLE scout said late last week. "Working with the 21st coaching staff and the defense group, Sakamoto quickly became - well, I don't want to say 'excellent' or even 'good', but he became a competent VHLM defenseman."

 

Heading into the Draft, it's clear what Sakamoto brings to the table: speed, attitude, and a lot of raw potential. "I still haven't figured out if I like to shoot or pass," Sakamoto admitted. "I have gotten in three fights in four games in the Junior Showcase Tournament. Couple assists, too, but the fights were interesting. I've gotten into a lot of fights back in Japan, but never on ice. That was pretty wild. It's like, I threw my first punch and almost fell on my face. For real!?"

 

The 5'7" blueliner may be undersized for hockey - he only weighs 145 pounds, and having seen this guy in the locker room, that number might be with all of his equipment on - but in his 16 games with Halifax, he scored 4 power play goals and added 6 assists for 10 points. He also registered just over 1 hit a game, finishing with 18, along with 25 blocked shots. Those final statistics are quantifiable indicators that his defensive game has indeed developed over the past month. 

 

"I know Halifax was the worst team in the league last season, so maybe I end up back there," Sakamoto added, scratching at his chin. "I think the way the Draft normally works, the worst teams get the earlier picks, right? And there's I guess a couple of really talented centers in this draft, so I don't expect to go first overall or nuthin' like that, but I'll play wherever I get drafted. I'm from Tokyo, so it would be cool to live in a place like that, that felt comfortable, nice, big, clean city with arcades and shit. May I'll try Gun About and see how it goes."

 

 

[Baby Boomer 572]

9/10

Wow great text, really nice to read about the experience of your player with Halifax and how he feels about the incoming draft. I like to see that where ever you will play next season, you will be happy and you will give everything for this franchise. Maybe add some colours, but other than that great text.

 

[CowboyinAmerica 2,731]

Review: 10/10

 

I'd be a bit concerned - if you spend all of your free time in the afternoon practicing, you'll never get any of your relationships beyond like three hearts. And hanging out at arcades only gets you so far, you'll need a bit more ramen to beef up for the VHL. All in all a good story, pretty straightforward. I appreciated the writing in Ryuji's voice, definitely brought some personality to it and made it a more fun read. A clean read as well, didn't notice anything off grammar-wise. I usually ding for presentation if there's not a headline/lead image, but you've got the photo at the end, and thought it was engaging enough elsewhere. Good stuff here.

[MetalToday 266]

Very well written article, I liked the interview, I think its too bad you were on a bad team, but from what it sounds like, you might get to another level when you move on. I would love to hear where you'd expect to go, and what you are looking to getting to. I think the separated paragraphs are nice, but it could be better viewing if there were titles too. 9/10

[atw2592 286]

reviewing: me and you are a lot alike right now, in terms of waiting for the draft. It was nice to get a look inside your players skills and what you're looking to build on heading into the draft. If you get drafted on the same team as me, I hope you decide to want to pass first, because I will need people to pass me the puck to show off my scoring skills. 10/10

[WildfireMicro 370]

REVIEW 

You get bonus points for using Ryuji as a render from a Persona 5 fan! Overall this media is a good read. I could totally picture Ryuji saying a lot of that stuff as well. Plus you putting the render on the bottom helps us picture who's talking. This does come with some bias, but I love stories that involve renders like this do I will give you a perfect rating 

 

10/10