Artair McCloud S75 Preview

[Hoopydog 195]

With the 75 VHLM season upon us, it’s time to check back in with Las Vegas Aces forward Artair McCloud. We’ll hear from him a little later on but for now let’s have a look at how his game had developed and what this season could look like for him.

 

The Las Vegas Aces head into this season with a relatively new roster. Some of their players graduated to the VHL, the likes of 1^st line forwards Rhynex Entertainment, Chris Reynolds and Gary Rush, as well as game 4 hat-trick hero Nick Sunderburch all moving on to the VHL. Goaltender Drew Minnott also moved on to the majors. Then quite a few of the Aces roster were entered into the VHLM draft, which Vegas didn’t have a pick in till the 7^th round, meaning lots of depth players such as Nero Endrizzi, Kaladin Kvothe and backup goaltender Trent Gibson. But what does this mean for Artair McCloud?

 

McCloud played 3^rd line minutes for Las Vegas last season as he was stuck behind elite wingers such as those mentioned above but, they aren’t on the team anymore. He is currently the top total TPE winger, and 2^nd top forward, on the roster ahead of the likes of Conner Sim, old line mate Kelly Power and Angel Wachuire. Could he potentially be looking at a huge increase in ice time this season?

 

He’s definitely put the work in over the off season to deserve it. Last time, when we did a review of his rookie season, we said McCloud had some work to do over the off season and boy has he been busy. We travelled to watch him play in a mini round robin tournament in Scotland, where he was back playing for his old team to keep him ticking over into the new season. We noticed significant improvements to his shooting and puck handling, as well as his defensive zone game. So, with the potential increase in game time and his refined technical abilities could he be a real force in the league next year. Riga GM Hedgehog definitely seemed to think so, as he selected the forward 28^th overall in the VHL draft, along with fellow Vegas D-Man Linus Zetterstrom the pick before. 

 

Now its time to have a chat with Artair McCloud and hear about how he’s feeling going into the new season:

 

Reporter – “Artair thanks for taking the time to speak to us, it’s lovely to chat to you again, how have you been during this off season?”

 

McCloud – “It’s great to talk to you again. I’ve been good yeah, I decided I’d come back home for the off season and catch up with family and friends. It’s nice to be back home and just getting myself ready for the new season.”

 

Reporter – “You mention getting ready for the new season, what are you doing to make sure you are in top shape for coming back?”

 

McCloud – “I’ve been working on refining my skills quite a bit and making some improvements in some key areas. My old team reached out and asked me if I wanted to come play for them in a round robin tournament and I was like ‘Hell yeah’. It was really good for to get back out on the ice and it’s helped me get match ready for game 1 of next season.”

 

Reporter – “What kind of improvements have you made to your game, that is going to give you an advantage heading into next season”

 

McCloud – “I wasn’t happy with my point production last season at all, so I’ve put a lot of time in my shot and my puck handling so that when I get those scoring chances, I can put them away and hopefully earn my team some points. I’ve also been working on my defensive zone game and I’ve really tightened that up as well.”

 

Reporter – “What are your expectations going into next season? Any milestones or goals you have set for yourself?”

 

McCloud – “I wouldn’t mind scoring some goals next season I can tell you that. But eh, I try not to focus on that side of things too much. Obviously, I want to play as well as I can for the team and put points on the board but, I’m taking it one game at a time, just trying to be the best that I can be every time I step out onto the ice.”

 

Reporter – “So we’ve talked about all that you’ve done on the ice during the off-season, but what have you been getting up to off the ice to make the most of your time back home?”

 

McCloud – “To be honest, I’ve spent most of time at the rink but mostly, just trying to catch up with friends and family. Done many trips to the pub with my old mates that I grew up with, just having a really good time. I was out last night as well, came to practice with one hell of a hangover.”

Reporter – “What sort of occasion was it that you were absolutely done in this morning?”

 

McCloud – “The Scotland game was on last night, football that is or soccer my North American friends. They playing for a spot in the euros last night and they won so, it’ll be the first time they have made a major tournament since 1998. As you can imagine, that sort of achievement warrants and equally big celebration.”

 

Reporter – “So we’ve spoke to you about your preparation ahead of the upcoming season, what we haven’t spoken to you about is the VHL draft that has recently passed. You were selected 28^th overall but the Riga Reign. Talk us through what draft day was like for you.”

 

McCloud – “Yeah draft day was a really exciting but also quite a nervous day. Since I was back home when the draft took place, I had to stay up till the early hours of the following morning jus to catch it. I’m really happy to be drafted, especially by Riga. I had a long chat with hedgehog before the draft, he was one of the first GMs to reach out to me. There was a lot of talented players in that draft so, I would just like to say thank you to hedgehog for drafting me and I look forward to putting on a show in Riga.”

 

Reporter – “That’s all we have time for Artair, thank you for taking the time to speak to us and we wish you luck next season.”

 

McCloud – “It was a pleasure guys, thank you.”

 

So, there are Artair McCloud’s thoughts ahead of the S75 VHLM season. It’s definitely going to be an interesting one and we can not wait for it to get under way. That’s all we have time for tonight but we’ll see you next time. Thanks for tuning in.

 

1141 words, Claiming for weeks 16-22 Nov and 23-29 Nov

Edited November 16, 2020 by Hoopydog

[Hoopydog 195]

Claiming week 1/2

[Ledge 1,131]

Review: There's come great content here, lots of varied questions and even more varied answers. I love the way you used bold, italic, and coloured text to it's easy to read. Nice short paragraphs, and a pretty good article overall

9/10

[Crstats23 342]

Review another great article easy to read with various  questions and a variety of answers allowing to segway to a different question, love that you have the color to tell the difference between McCloud talking and the reporter talking 

rating 10/10

[Hoopydog 195]

Claiming week 2/2