Pre-draft excitement for Sakamoto

[der meister 3,250]

               With both the VHL and VHLE Entry Drafts scheduled for this week, Japanese defenseman Ryuji Sakamoto is positively bursting with excitement. Last week, the young blueliner had no time or patience for interruptions, aside from scheduled interviews by request, instead choosing to focus his time on video games, reading light novels, and some occasional video chats to friends in Tokyo. This very morning, April 4^th, a familiar rap on the door woke me from my sleep at 5:15.

 

               "C'mon, man!" Sakamoto sounded almost petulant. "Time to get to work!" When I opened the door, bleary-eyed and half-naked, Sakamoto handed me a travel mug of strong black tea and half a bagel with a fried egg messily adorning it. It didn't occur to me until later in the day what a generous gesture that was from the boy. "I've been up for an hour already, man."

              

               "Where are we going?" I asked, punctuating the question with a jaw-creaking yawn. I looked toward the window and the blackness outside it, speckled with streetlights. It had been a cloudy night, threatening storms, though none emerged.

 

               "Where are we going?" Sakamoto exclaimed, eyes bulging. "The gym! It's Draft week!"

 

               I'm not much one for physical exercise; I'd rather play chess than squash, rather read a book than pump iron. But Sakamoto's enthusiasm is infectious, and I've found I can write these articles on my laptop while walking on a treadmill, setting the laptop rather precariously on the LED screen with its large, blocky pixels. Sakamoto busies himself moving from station to station like a bee collecting pollen from a carefully arranged bouquet. Ten minutes of leg presses is followed up by eight minutes of butterfly curls, then a 2-minute VO2-style bike ride where Sakamoto pushes himself to his absolute limit. After that, it's a gulp of water and chest presses. He continues the cycle while I observe, listening to the music that thumps in my earbuds, and type away.

 

               Heading into the pair of Drafts, I can now report that Sakamoto has had interviews with nearly half of the teams, mostly teams picking in the first half of the first round. I've tried to share with the youngster how impressive it is to be considered amongst the top players of his age group, but the reminder typically only serves to irritate him. "If I'm not the best, then what am I doing this for?" Sakamoto grumbled on the way home from the gym. I let the comment pass, for now, but already I'm working on my counterargument.

 

               Even as an admittedly-biased reporter, I know Sakamoto will not be the first player selected in either draft. He had a remarkable season with Mexico City and was the backbone of the Kings' defensive corps. There's little doubt he's one of the top three blueliners in this draft, along with Houston's Hammar Voss and AirRig GoodBrandSun, but the fact of the matter is Sakamoto began his ice hockey journey a year ago. Players like Scotty Sundin and Mexico City teammate Brandt Fuhr have been on skates since they were 2 or 3 years old. Sakamoto is a kid from a non-traditional hockey country who spent his high school days running track, until an injury derailed that activity, and then took to lurking in hallways and on the school rooftop. Ice hockey was a whim for the lanky youth, and yet here he is, determinedly grinding and clawing his way as close to the top as he can possibly manage, never accepting the idea of "good enough".

 

Perhaps the most relatable "gym" gif on the internet.

 

[BOOM 8,823]

From what I'm hearing, expect to hear ".......selects Defenseman, Ryuji Sakamoto" quite early, and it will be well deserved.