Beginnings and Endings

[TMI 20]

Last night the VHL Minors held a dispersal draft, basically meaning that all VHLM players are no longer on their teams and all players would be up for grabs in a draft format.  Kyson Blake entered not knowing where he would end up, but after it was all said and done, he was eventually picked with the first pick in the fourth round by the Ottawa Lynx, the very team he helped Saskatoon sweep in the finals of last season's VHLM playoffs.  Now it seems though that Blake is in a bit of a precarious position as he waits to find out his VHL fate.  Blake will be a member of the Lynx for at least 48 hours, but the team that selects him in VHL's entry draft may choose to block his return to the minors.  Blake had this to say about the situation:

 

It's definitely a weird spot to be in.  Every VHLM team I'd spoken to before the draft I had let my intention known that I'd be playing down next season, but I know I'm right on the cusp and that a VHL team may feel I can help them out this season.  I'm going to put in the work next season regardless of team or league I play for and I'll hold no ill-will or animosity towards a VHL team if they choose to block me from playing in the minors this next season.  For now though I'm a Lynx.

 

Blake certainly does make for an interesting case as he has put in a ton of work and even though he joined later than some of the other players in his class, he still ranks very highly among his peers.  There might actually be some VHL teams who feel like he has the potential to play meaningful VHL minutes in the upcoming VHL season and in such a case force Blake to stay up.  Looking back at his season it took a while for the youngster to get his feet under him as it would take 5 games for him to find his first point, an assist on a Burnt Toast goal, and 7 games before his first goal.  Hard work is nothing new to Kyson though as he was always either on the ice, in the weight room, or working with any of the Saskatoon coaches that'd work with him.  Over the course of the season Blake got better and better and at one point even had a 9 game streak where he recorded a point.

 

Kyson worked his way up the Saskatoon lines and by the time the playoffs hit he would become a vital member in the rotation.  As the Wild went down three games to one in the semis Blake continued to be a rock for the team as he managed to record a point in every game of the series.  If you were to ask him about it though, he'd probably deny any of it and instead point towards his teammates.  After the season was all said and done and he had celebrated with his team he had these parting words in regards to Saskatoon:

 

It was probably one of the best experiences of my life.  I loved all my teammates, playing with them, and growing with them.  We'll be bonded throughout our days because of this journey and Saskatoon will always be a special place for me because of it.

[Peace 1,562]

It was a pleasure to both be your acting General Manager, and a player alongside you. Good luck in Ottawa! 

[BladeMaiden 1,807]

We will all miss having Blake around the locker room. We were lucky to have a fun bunch. Good luck as a Lynx @diamond_ace was smart to snag you!

Edited December 17, 2018 by BladeMaiden