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Draft Day: The Youngster's View [1/2]


Bonzaijoe

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Name after name after name being called during the VHLM dispersal draft that recently happened, and Joe Nixon sat down with us after each one went by.

 

Nixon was eventually selected in the 5th round by the Las Vegas Aces, and the relief and happiness he felt when his name called was an experience like no other. Nixon, who has done interviews with us in the past few weeks, sat down with us one final time as a prospect before he was picked in the dispersal draft.

 

"It's nerve racking to be here, to know that people were looking at me and that my name might be called by the end of the night, but never really knowing when," Nixon told us before the draft had started. We asked him where he thought he should go and he answered nervously, stating "First overall," Nixon laughed, "I mean that's what my ego wants it to be! I know that's never gonna happen, so I'm realistically hoping maybe third round or so? To a team that I think needs me and can utilize my game in the future? I mean that's all I can ask for really, I just want a GM who believes in me."

 

Nixon waited a little longer than he had wanted, but that didn't get him down in the dumps. He told us, after the third round ended, "My prediction was off but maybe I'll get the call soon enough. I have my doubts, but I know that my game is at the level to play in this league, or at least will be soon enough. I have confidence that someone believes in me. I just can't wait to find out who.... I hope." Nixon said he was anxious about the upcoming rounds, but if he did eventually go to free agency, that he would make sure he would pick himself back up and show the GMs what they passed on.

 

This was all before his name was called though, and his demeanor changed a little after he picked up that Aces hat and sat back down with us. "Okay wow, now the pressure is off. I feel great!" Nixon exclaimed, sporting his new Vegas gear. "The GM of the aces took a shot at me and that's so special. It's so amazing to know that in a league like this where the entry for talent is so high, at least one front office of people took a look at my films and said 'I want this dude in our jersey' and just even the thought of that is so incredibly flattering! I know what I said earlier about showing up teams who passed on me and stuff like that but that's just draft talk, heat of the moment talk. You know how it is. When you spend that time waiting you start to get angry and motivated to make yourself better to make sure that next time, you don't have to wait as long." Nixon was able to talk on and on about his future with the team and how the draft went overall, but he left to run over to the Aces press conference table, where he spent some time answering questions with the Las Vegas media who took their time to show up at today's draft.

 

Nixon's view and complete turnaround of emotions really shows what's going on through a player's head as the draft is going on, but the special part about the process is the kids being able to leave this building with a smile on their face and knowing that their dreams of playing in the league are coming true, and all their hard work in the past is paying off to give them a future in the great sport of hockey.

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  • 2 weeks later...

REVIEW: A nice article detailing Nixon's thought process leading up to the VHLM Dispersal Draft. I feel like after the 2nd round, there isn't always a ton separating the prospects selected, so I wouldn't take it as too much of a slight that Nixon wasn't selected until the 5th round. My brother @eaglesfan036's first player wasn't selected until the 3rd round of his first VHLM Dispersal Draft, and that was during a time when the only players left by then were inactive who never amounted to anything. Good luck with the Aces this year and hopefully you can prove the VHLM GMs who passed on you wrong!

 

@Bonzaijoe

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  • DollarAndADream changed the title to Draft Day: The Youngster's View [1/2]

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