Chico Smeb: Eager to Prove Himself [2/2]

[xDParK 81]

Chico Smeb: Eager to Prove Himself

A Biography by xDParK

 

This is a biography about young superstar Chico Smeb of the Minnesota Storm. We'll be looking at his struggles moving from South Korea to Canada, as well as his general upbringing, High School days, and how he was able to sign in the VHLM.

 

Young Chico Smeb

         Chico Smeb is the son of great VHLer Chico Salmon. His father, who hooked up with many Korean women during his time in Korea, had a baby with a beautiful Korean girl in Seoul. Chico Smeb was born in Seoul on February 5th, 2001 - the same Birthday as his mother. He's got 3 other full brothers, as well a half-brother, all of whom currently playing in the SHL. Kit Smeb, Daniel Smeb, Parker Smeb, and his half-brother Steve-Craig Smeb.

 

Hockey isn't big in Korea at all, but with his father to guide him, Chico got into some hockey programs in Seoul around the age of 8, but before that he was put in speed skating at the age of 4. Speed skating is absolutely massive in South Korea, so it's no surprise that he started early. Right away he absolutely dominated all of the other children, he was bigger, faster, and way more aggressive than the other children. He dominated in this sport until the age of 8, where his parents realized he was one of the best skaters in the country, and had a shot at becoming like his father. When he was 8 he started his first season in children's hockey in Seoul. It wasn't nearly as good as some of the leagues in North American, but at least it was something. Again, Chico just completely dominated this league and his family knew he had the potential for much bigger things.

 

          This is when his family moved to Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada around the age of 9. Now his development could really begin as he was put in some of the best little leagues in Canada. He started working with one of the best coaches in Canada on skating, puck skills, and off the ice training.  This was a big help as he continued to do well even with some of the best kids in North America, winning multiple Ontario Championships from the age of 9 to the start of his High School career. 

 

Chico's Struggle With English

         The biggest challenge for young Chico was the language barrier. Although his father speaks fluent English, their household spoke fluent Korean in Seoul, so he didn't know English too well. When coming over to Canada it was hard for 9 year old Chico to communicate with anyone other than his parents. Along with all of the on the ice work Chico began doing, he also was motivated to study English hard. He was homeschooled until age 11, while his family did everything they could to help him learn the language. After 2 years of studying hard, Chico was finally able to join a real school, where he could learn like a normal Canadian student. It took Chico until the age of 13 before he was fluent in English, this helped him so much as now he doesn't need his father to translate with the coaches he works with. 

 

High School

          Chico started High School in Owen Sound where his family moved to when he was 9. At this point he was comfortable with English, and was starting to make a lot of friends. Hockey was still a massive part of his life, as he was playing for his High School team. Although the team was quite small and unknown compared to other schools in the Toronto area, Chico made this school known similar to how Lebron James made his school big in Akron Ohio. Chico played with his 4 brothers creating one of the best lineups a High School has ever seen, in all of Canada. They were big, mean, and fast. Chico on the left with, his brothers Daniel at center, and Parker on the other wing. His other 2 brothers Kit, and Steve-Craig on the backend, this lineup absolutely reeked havok on every team they faced. Big news came out of Ontario Hockey, as it was announced the Smebs would all opt out of the OHL draft, in order to continue playing for their High School.

 

          Chico went on to win the Ontario High School Championship every single year he attended the school, from grade 9 all the way to grade 12. A massive accomplishment for the Smeb family, who really wanted to finish school together as one. 

 

Chico Gets Offers From the VHLM

       Chico thought for sure that opting out of the OHL Draft would completely kill his chance at ever playing in the VHLM. It was more important to him to focus on his school and finishing it together with his family as one. He knew some of his brothers, mainly Parker @O4L wouldn't be able to crack the OHL, as his skill level is much worse than his brothers. With that being said, Chico was so dominant during his High School career that he had VHLM scouts noticing. Chico wasn't eligible for the VHLM draft, but apparently after talking to some scouts he would have gone high in that draft had he been eligible, I was hearing top 10 quality. 

 

         After the draft Chico got calls from every single VHLM team, as he was now eligible to sign. This completely shocked Chico as he wasn't even aware these teams were scouting him throughout High School. Being the only Smeb going the route of the VHLM, Chico was finally alone, so it was a tough decision for him on where to sign. With his father's help he ultimately decided to sign with Minnesota, although both Ottawa and Philadelphia were close 2nds. Minnesota was close to Canada, and looked poise to compete for a championship right away. Chico would go on to be a solid depth player for the team, and is looking like he's going to go in the first 2 rounds in the upcoming S66 VHL Draft. 

 

Words: 1009

Edited April 8, 2019 by xDParK

[leafssteen 50]

Review: Overall, a great bio that looked very appealing. However, one or two more photos would have made this bio even better. This was well written and I can defiantly see you put time and effort into this. Great job and good luck with your career. 

 

[Big Mac 310]

Review: Good bio, and it’s nice how you did your research. As leafssten said maybe add some photos here and there. I think it was nice how you added his struggle on English. Something that not many people do. Overall good luck.