Two Minutes for Hooking

Chapter 25

James

Months passed and the next thing I knew the rookie exhibition week was on the horizon. Jocelyn and I were nervously hanging out at my house while I packed. Neither of us really talking or in any mood to talk. This weekend we would find out for sure where I was going and since the last analysis came out I had jumped from top 50 to top 5, which meant I suddenly had a lot less time on my hands and even more pressure. Detroit and New Jersey were my top picks but they held the first and 4th picks respectively. So my chances were slim unless I worked my ass off and proved my value during exhibitions. I had been running, working on endurance training, resistance training, increased weight training, and private training and skating lessons with a local retired khl player. I had my diet dialed in and I was feeling like a fit, lean and mean professional athelete. My plus minus at the end of the season this year was a personal best of 57 and we had finished out our season with both a championship and I had earned the mvp trophy for the league. I was hoping all of those things plus my increased off season training would help me to get a higher draft position. The potential number one draft pick was a kid from Nova Scotia I knew from camp who had one of the most deadly accurate one timers I have ever seen and who could likely out skate Connor McDavid and out finesse Nathan MacKinnon. The number two was an extremely well rounded left winger from Finland. I had played against him at the world juniors this winter and had been eliminated.
"I can't believe it's already time." Jocelyn said quetly, picking at a lose thread in my comforter.I grabbed her hand and brought it to my mouth in a kiss.
"Hey, we'll be ok. It doesn't matter where I end up, we'll make this work. Ok?"
She nodded with watery eyes, trying not to let the tears fall. I opened my arms and she fell into them. I could feel tears burning the back of my own eyes and I held onto her like a life line. I had to believe we would be ok. Before we knew it, it was time to go. Jocelyn drove me to the airport and we said a tearful goodbye with me reassuring her, and myself, again that everything would be fine.
The flight was easy and uneventful. I took a taxi to the hotel and got checked in, showered and ready for the orientation. I gave everything I had in the exhibitions, I felt really good about my chances and I was as ready as I could be for whatever came next. I was sitting in the crowded auditorium next to my parents and Ryan, who had shown up at the last minute for exibition in the hopes of getting drafted. He looked green with nerves and kept messing with his tie.
"Dude, relax. You'll be fine." I told him.
"Easy for you to say Mr. Top five," he growled.
Shifting in his seat again, "no one is really looking for goalies this year."
"That's not exactly true and you know it. Are they looking for them for their main teams, not necessarily, but they are looking to build up and stack their ushl teams, absolutely. So calm down and stop fidgeting. You shut down the top prospects during exhibitions so someone is bound to be looking at you,"
"I hope so. If not, I guess I'll have to start going to camp after camp until someone either notices me or I'm too old to continue." He gave a self deprecating laugh.
We botht sat up in our seats when the lights dimmed and the presenters came out onto the state.
"Ladies and gentleman, welcome to this years NHL draft. We are honored to be hosting this years best talent and these fine young individuals. And now, with no further adeiu, let me hand you over to the commissioner for this years draft."
I would be lying if I said I paid much more attention to the top two picks ohter than to ocnfirm that they were who I thought they were going to be. When they announced the third pick and the fourth pick I felt my stomach drop to my feet. Those were my only chances to be close to Jocelyn. I would have to beg, borrow and steal time to make something work with long distance. "And for our fifth pick we turn you over to Calgary ,"
"On behalf of the Calgary organizaion we are proud to announce our first round pikc for this years draft, James Collings,"
I stumbled onto the stage in a state of disbelief. Before Jocelyn , Calgary was my top pick. It's where I had always wanted to go, always wanted to play. And now, I was about to shake hands with their coach, gm and captians, and put on my first professional jersey. I was filled with so many conflicting feelings. Joy, disbelief, dread, trepidation. I joined the other draft picks in the lounge and excused myself to the bathroom, I noticed I had a text from Jocelyn.
"Congratulations! I am so proud of you. Enjoy this moment and don't let your fears ruin it. We will figure this out and everything will be fine, I love you and I am so proud of you!"
I swallowed against the lump in my throat, we would be fine. She was on board and we would make this work.I spend the reminder of the evening chatting with the other guys I knew who had been drafted and meeting my fellow rookie teammates. I even spent some time talking to the Calgary captain who, to my surprise, had actually watched me play and was excited to have me on board. The eveninf was almost over when I saw the Colorado organization calling their final pick of the round and I was amazed when they called Ryan to the stage. He looked white as a sheet and I could tell he was shaking when hec shook hands with the gm and captain. When he walked into the lounge I let out a whoop and jumped on him. "Dude! Congratulations! Colorado is a crazy good place to be going!"
He just swallowed and nodded and his wide eyes showed he was still trying to process what was happening.
He walked off to join his new teammates and talk to his captain. I let out a sigh holding all of the nerves I had been holding onto for months and let a smile take over my face as I rejoined my new teammates. I was ready, this was going to be epic.