For mid-level OHL prospects like Ryan Erickson and Marco Lizotte, the minor midget season can be a harrowing experience.
The all-or-nothing exultation or crushing disapointment of being drafted or not provides a stark contrast of the reality of life for these teenagers who have lived the hockey dream since a very young age.
As luck would have it, these teammates from the Sudbury Anmar Minor Midget Wolves last year have remained teammates, for now. Both local players were selected by the Niagara Ice Dogs during the 2011 OHL Entry Draft in May, with Erickson selected in round eight and Lizotte joining the fray two rounds later.
Recently returned from a mid-summer rookie orientation camp in St Catherines, the pair noted slightly different perspectives as they reflected on the year that was in minor hockey, as well as their thoughts moving forward.
"You really don't know" said Lizotte, a lifelong defenseman converted to forward during the most important year of his hockey career. "You get calls, you get letters and you get excited."
"But with my role, not being a goal scorer and moving positions, I wasn't sure whether I was going to be drafted or not," Lizotte said. By contrast, Erickson, also a forward, approached his campaign perhaps somewhat more philosophically.
"I really didn't feel any extra pressure last year," Erickson said. "I was just going to play as hard as I could and leave everything on the ice. I found that was the way I dealt with the pressure, so I really didn't think about it as much as some players would."
Ironically, both players share some tendancies with regards to their own personal scouting report. "They (Niagara) like me more as a forward, which I like too because I have more fun as a forward," Lizotte said.
"It's more my game - get in the corner, lay some hits. I'm not against dropping the gloves, but mom's not a fan," he acknowledged with a smile. "In my early years, I was probably more of a goal scorer, playing "AA" hockey," Erickson said.
"Now, I basically play a hard working game. That's what the team that drafted me told me - it was my work ethic they noticed," he said. "I'm also a bit of a playmaker - me and Tyler (4th round Guelph pick Tyler Bertuzzi) like to go back and forth."
"I like to finish my checks, go in the corner and battle as hard as I can." While Lizotte was somewhat surprised with his eventual destination in Niagara Falls, thinking there was more interest from a couple of other teams, Erickson conceded that the Ice Dogs were the first team to make contact with him, and the one which showed the most interest.
Still, when it came down to draft day, both Lizotte and Erickson insist that they were no different than the hundreds of other minor midget prospects across the province hoping to see their name pop up on the computer screen, as the OHL Draft is carried live.
"I was refreshing my page every two seconds or so - I really wanted to see my name come up," Lizotte said. "I really didn't sleep very much the night before - I was watching movies all night," confirmed Erickson.
"I woke up in the morning, got on the computer and sat there all day," he added. "I'm not going to lie." And while both players stated that it's an absolute honour to simply be drafted, they also understand that it is a long way from a given that players selected in the eighth round and beyond ever see the light of an OHL game.
Longshots to crack the lineup in their inaugural season at the best of times, the local tandem happen to be heading to a Niagara Ice Dogs' team that has been consistently pegged among the Eastern Conference elite in every OHL prediction article that one can find on-line.
So while their goal is to showcase all that they have in training camp at the end of the month, both are fully aware that the 2011-2012 season is not likely one which will see them donning an Ice Dogs' uniform.
As for their probable destinations, the pair differ once again, to some degree. "I would prefer to play junior - I'm really over minor hockey," Lizotte said.
"I think it will push me harder and make me a better player." Erickson shares the same opinion when it comes to making the jump beyond the midget hockey ranks.
"I want to move up a level and compete at a higher level of play." If the word on the street holds any credibility whatsoever, it is likely that Marco Lizotte will join the Sudbury Cubs of the NOJHL come this time next month, looking to develop his game under former OHL coach Bryan Verreault.
Erickson, meanwhile, appears headed down a different path, having committed to The Hill Academy in Vaughan. The school's hockey program is headed up by well-respected long-time junior coach Lindsay Hofford, with former Sudbury Wolf forward John Winstanley and Stanley Cup champion netminder Frank Pietrangelo also among the coaching staff.