Freedom McJ Bio [Final 10/10]

[CoachReilly 688]

Biography – Freedom McJustice

 

 

Name : Freedom McJustice

Position : Left Wing

Age : 21

Height : 6'4

Weight : 225lbs

Handness : Left

Birthplace : Springfield, IL 

 

Team : HC Davos Dynamo

 

Early Life

Freedom was born in the heartland of America, central Illinois.  Although he was born in Springfield, the McJustice family picked up their roots and moved north to the northern suburbs of Chicago just a few weeks after he was born.  Although the move occurred due to a change in business and career for Freedom’s father, it also proved to be beneficial for his hockey outlook.  Although we will never know how things would have panned out for this player had he stayed in Springfield, let’s just say the pools of talent are starkly different.

 

Growing up around the excitement of the re-invigoration of the Chicago Blackhawks (and Stanley Cup wins in 2010, 2013 and 2015), McJustice laced up his first pair of skates at age 5.  Soon after, he began excelling at the Youth stages, moving up from one travel organization to another, from one age group to the next.

 

Although his father never played hockey, the sport came naturally to Freedom.  His mother’s side of the family was more acquainted with the sport, his uncle playing hockey at the University of Notre Dame and his grandfather playing at Yale.  McJustice was regarded as one of the more physically impressive players, stronger and faster than most his age.

 

 

High School / Juniors

McJustice enrolled at Fenwick Academy, a school well-regarded for its academics and hockey program.  For his first few years, Freedom played on the Varsity team – a rarity for an under classman.  He was able to play meaningfully with the Friars top line, leading the team deep into the IHSA playoffs and ranking among the team leaders in goals as well as assists.  In his sophomore season, McJustice was named an alternate captain and led the state in goals scored.  Freedom netted two goals in the state championship, including the game winner with just 43 seconds remaining in the game.

 

After his sophomore season, Freedom participated in the AAA hockey organizations, playing for Team Illinois at an age division two years higher than his class.  Playing in AAA hockey disallowed him to play at the high school level.  McJustice later called the decision to leave high school hockey, “one of the toughest decisions [he’s] ever had to make.” 

The young forward went onto excel with Team Illinois, drawing attention around the nation in different scouting circuits.  Throughout the next few years, McJustice established himself as one of the top prospects in the United States.  His next move would to the USHL for some prep league action.  In the USHL, he was drafted first overall by the Waterloo Hawks. 

 

“Moving to Waterloo was tough for me,” Freedom reflected, “Waterloo was a pretty small town without a ton going on.  Living with the host family was a new experience; they were super nice, but it’s difficult to be away from family and friends.  The only people you really know are the guys on the team and then your host family.  I did a lot of growing up in those formative years.”  McJustice struggled in his first season in the USHL, but grew into one of the best players in the league during his second campaign.  In his final season with Waterloo, McJustice was voted as the Most Valuable Player by league coaches.

 

Moving to the Professional Ranks, Pt I

 

When looking at his option for a professional move, McJustice took a look at a few leagues, but settled on taking his talents to the Victory Hockey League.  As a way of entering the VHL, McJustice first had to prove himself at the minor league level.  During his first season, he declared shortly after the trade deadline and was able to be acquired by the Oslo Storm in the waiver wire alongside future teammate Bismarck Koenig.

 

McJustice struggled to acclimate in the minor leagues, scoring only 4 points in 15 regular season games.  The playoffs didn’t go much better, as Freedom only mustered 1 point in 6 games in a series the Storm would go onto lose.

 

The next season, McJustice bounced back with an impressive 125 points with the Yukon Rush [2 Gud].  Unfortunately, the Rush succumbed to the Bratislava Watchmen in the Founders Cup Finals, but McJustice was able to contribute 9 points in 12 games with an overall solid series.

 

 

Moving to the Professional Ranks, Part II

 

The 21 year old was acquired by HC Davos in the S42 off-season, and came in with high expectations as a player.  During his rookie season, he put up moderately respectable numbers, posting 50 points in 72 games with the Dynamo.  Unfortunately, HC Davos missed the playoffs in his rookie season, but Freedom picked up some useful notes along the campaign.  “I thought I had a solid first season,” he said after the year wrapped up, “Playing with guys like Sundberg and Koenig on the first line was a tremendous experience.”

 

At the start of the S43 off-season, HC Davos parted ways with the longtime linemate of McJustice, trading Bismarck Koenig away to the Cologne Express in exchange for arguably the top defender in the game.  The second-year forward had a moderate improvement in his production, posting 56 points with a +31 rating on the ice – impressive for anyone in the VHL.  The Dynamo were able to make their way into the playoffs, but were taken down by the Cologne Express, who went onto sweep the Stockholm Vikings before being upset in the finals by the Seattle Bears.

 

Heading into S44, HC Davos was expected to start making some serious noise – which they did – in one of the more competitive EU seasons in history.  All three teams at the top – Cologne, Stockholm, HC Davos – were tremendous from the start of the year to the finish.   The way the season finished, The Dynamo were the third seed in the regular season standings, looking up at Stockholm (2^nd) and Cologne (1^st).   He saw an undoubted uptick in his third season, averaging nearly a point per game with 69 on the season.  McJustice also had an overall solid playoffs, posting five points in seven games against the heavily favored Stockholm Vikings.  The Dynamo came ever so close to pulling off the upset, and the team was able to keep their chin up as they skated once again into the off-season without a trophy.

 

Looking toward S45, the ever-improving Freedom McJustice is viewed to be a top candidate at Most Improved player.  HC Davos also had a productive off-season, maneuvering some difficult waters in cap trouble, and the Dynamo have a solid roster looking into this season.  Hopefully for McJustice, he’ll get his first major trophy.

 

 

[atw2592 286]

Hey! I live in Illinois too! Grew up near Iowa but now live in a suburb of Chicago

[CoachReilly 688]

which burb? i'm in the West Loop of Chicago

[atw2592 286]

That's sweet. I'm about 20 mins from the south side in a town called Lockport. Going to school for another year then who knows where I'll be. Just cool to see someone talking about places I'm familiar with

[Toast 887]

Overview: 5/5 - Looks really good to me. The McJustice last name would be something that gets a kid bullied throughout highschool probably, especially with Freedom as a first name. At least that didn't faze him though.

 

Grammar: 3/3 - I didn't spot anything, so good work here!

 

Presentation: 1/1 - Pretty stuff.

 

Over 1000 Words? 1/1 Yep

 

Overall: 10/10