Claimed: A McAllister Love Fest xoxoxo <3 [1/2]

[CowboyinAmerica 2,708]

 

McAllister and What He Likes About Current Lottery Teams

Why do a team rankings when you can keep it positive, top prospect asks

 

If I were a betting man, I’d say that Gabriel McAllister, the third player in the Warren agency, will be on the Toronto Legion, Seattle Bears, Cologne Express, or Riga Reign at this time next season. Now, it’s certainly possible that McAllister slips out of the top four, or some team tanks and wins the lottery, or there’s a trade for a top pick, or he gets hit by a bus. But for all intents and purposes, McAllister’s probably a lottery pick with one of the teams currently in the lottery.

 

Now, many prospects going into the draft create a top list of teams they’d most like to play for. However, when the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix reached out to McAllister to do the same, he said that’s not his style. Honestly, he’d play with most franchises in the VHL, including all four of those in the lottery. As a result, he decided to share his thoughts about each current lottery team and what excites him the most about each one. In alphabetical order…

 

 Cologne Express: The Local Star 

 

Gabriel McAllister: I’m a student of history in the VHL, but out of all of the league’s franchises, the Express is probably the one whose history is least written. The team has one title, but all the stars of that S42 team – O’Malley, Richardson, Brookside – are more associated with other franchises than with Cologne. In fact, the team only has two retired numbers, and only one of them, Kameron Taylor, is a Hall of Famer.

 

More than any other team, Cologne would be an opportunity for me to establish a team legacy and perhaps become one of the best players in team history. Especially given the current talent on the team, I think I’d be one of the stars and top scorers from day one, and if I were to stay with the team all eight seasons, perhaps I could even pass Taylor as the team’s all-time leading scorer. There haven’t been many Cologne-centric stars; the fans there need one. I'd have a great opportunity to be one of the first real ones.

 

 Riga Reign: Unfinished Business 

 

GM: I’m the third player from my player agency, and given the success of the last guy, I have a lot to live up to. [Hans] Wingate, of course, won titles with both Calgary and Toronto, and he’s beloved in both cities. But I think some people already forget that there was a middle team – the Riga Reign, with whom he had high hopes, but only managed one playoff win between two runs for the cup.

 

Since then, Riga and my agency have had success separately, but not together. A return to Riga for the agency would be an opportunity to right some wrongs, and to bring success to a place that has previously been a spot of bad luck. And especially given some of the players on the team like Krigars, King, and Bogdanovic that I think I’d have fun with, it’d be entertaining to try and piece together a run for the Cup with those guys.

 

 Seattle Bears: The Team and Franchise Fit 

 

GM: I’ve spoken a lot with Wingate in the past couple of months, especially about his Cup runs in Calgary and Toronto. And in our chats, one common thread has come up: fun. Not only was he able to win in those cities, but he was able to do so with some players that were similarly motivated and hadn’t won much in the past. Players like TebowGow, Hurley, Hill, Jakobssen, Molholt, Parechkin and World Peace dotting his championship teams rather than the “old guard” of the league made those wins that much sweeter, he said, because many thought they couldn’t do it.

 

That’s already informed my thinking in my young career and was a big reason why I signed with Saskatoon last year over Vegas or any other team. And I see a lot of that same potential in Seattle and players like Laflamme, Perought and Raven who it’d be fun to bring to success. Also – and I’m being straight here – I think I’d rather play for Seattle’s management and GM than any other in the league. He’s put in his time for seven seasons, even retiring his own players for the good of the team, and I’d like to see him have some success in turn.

 

 Toronto Legion: Getting Them Cups 

 

GM: Bo Boeser, Verner Reinholdt, Daring Do, Roman Sokolov, Dexter Lane and Torstein Ironside. Now, add me to that mix. Forget down the road, could that team take on an aging Americans franchise and a Quebec team that’s going to have some hard cap decisions here shortly? I think it could. Straight up, if my goal is to experience championships, both in the beginning and as the start of a potential dynasty, I don’t think I could ever find a better landing spot than Toronto.

 

And that’s not to say that I’d be piggy-backing onto a title team either; I feel like I could be an integral piece. Already, I’m right there is Boeser and Reinholdt in terms of practice hours, and I’d be expected to help score right away. Boeser and I already showed we can play well together last season in Saskatoon, and with Reinholdt and Lane being pass-first players, I feel like I’d get plenty of scoring opportunities here. The talent mix is all there, but will I be?

[Gudnason 607]

Nice twist on rankings, Cologne would love for you to be the Franchise Cornerstone!

[Banackock 7,638]

Best of luck with the rest of the season! Next year? Maybe teammates. This year? Oslo's gotta get that cup, man. Sorry!

'

 

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

Review

nice change of pace from usual draft rankings and talking about your past players and the time you've spent there. I dont remember your first player but of course we all know Wingate. Too bad Davos is trying to get better and moving out from the Lottery teams because I'd love to have you on the team. Good luck buddy, I can already tell McAllister is going to be a great player