It’s not goodbye, it’s see you later

When I first started following the Hurricanes’ prospects back in 2015, I never could have imagined that I’d be doing what I’m doing today. Back then, the future of the team was all that I could get excited for. It started as something that I enjoyed following on the side and quickly became a passion of mine. I loved watching the future of the Hurricanes unfold before my eyes. Seven years later, and here we are. I’ve been writing for Canes Country for a little over a year now and I’ve covered two drafts, ranked players numerous times and provided my biggest scouting project to date.

I’ve loved every second of my time at Canes Country, but it’s now time to step aside. It’s a bittersweet moment, as I’ve truly grown to love covering the team’s prospects and more, but I’ve accepted a role with a junior team that will take up the majority of my time and prevent me from dedicating an appropriate amount of time to writing. I’ve never been one to mail it in, especially with my prospect coverage, and I’ve always felt that this fan base deserves nothing less than the most in-depth prospect coverage that I can provide. With my new job, that won’t be possible.

I have loved getting to cover the prospects for Canes Country over this past year. Getting to profile our drafted prospects, doing some interviews with the players, covering two prospects showcases and ranking our prospects have all been some of my favorite articles. I’ve been lucky enough to have two editors that have given me free rein as to what sort of content I provide, too.

Before we get to the exciting news, I feel that it’s only appropriate to send some ‘thank you’s to people that are incredibly deserving. First, a huge thank you to Andrew Schnittker for bringing me on last season. Within five minutes of me tweeting that my old site was shutting down, Andrew was on the recruiting trail. Shortly after, I was on board here at Canes Country.

Secondly, a thank you to Alec Sawyer for taking the torch that Andrew passed to him and being a great person to write for. Not everyone would jump at the chance to edit the system overview, but he was incredibly supportive and it’s something I’m truly grateful for. That system overview was a daunting project and he stared it in the face, despite its many taunts.

Thirdly, my wife, friends and family all deserve love. Balancing scouting with a full time job has its challenges, and I’ve had nothing but the full support of all of my friends and family since I started working towards this. I’m also incredibly thankful to all of you. Without you folks, I’m just some nerd shouting into the void about hockey prospects.

As for what’s next, I’ve accepted the role of USA Regional Scout for the Coquitlam Express in the BCHL. I’m thrilled for the chance to work with Tali Campbell, Jeff Wagner and the rest of the Express, and I’m so ready to get started. Without getting into too much detail, this will take up most of my time in hockey this year. To say that this opportunity is a dream come true might be underselling it a bit. My goal since I started this was to work for a hockey team, and the fact that that dream is now a reality is incredible.

Luckily, I won’t have to move, so I’ll still be around. I’ll be in my usual spot at Hurricanes games, so you all know where to find me. Writing for Canes Country has been an incredible experience and I can’t say enough good things about my time here. It’ll be weird not writing about the prospects as much. I’ll still be covering them on Twitter, but I’ve been writing about the prospects since 2016 or so. This is a brand new adventure for me, and one that I’m excited for. I’m searching for whatever will bewilder me, and I’m thankful for all of your support along the way. I hope you all continue to follow the prospects because after all, they’re the future of the team.

Once again, it’s truly been a pleasure. For one final time, it’s a great time to be a Carolina Hurricanes fan.