The first time I had met Thranduil, which was a bout a week ago, was an incredibly motivating experience. On my past teams in the Burnaby Winter Club, I never had somebody point out the little intricacies to my game. I just knew that Thranduil will be the guy to push my game over the line after that interview. He had showed me the facilities here in Halifax and I was amazed. The gym, the recovery area and the theatre for game analysis was incredible!
I originally had Boston College in mind due to the great goalies that come out of there, such as Cory Schneider and the young Thatcher Demko. Their facilities were amazing as well but nothing could touch Halifax. The small city, the fans outside the practice arena and the fact that I could stay in the country as well were all too hard to pass up. I just knew that this team was the one for me.
The day had finally come for my first practice, I had missed most of the preseason due to the big decision I had to make but I’m so glad Thranduil didn’t rescind his offer. This day I had finally met Thorvald Gunnarsson, the starting goalie on the Halifax 21st team. He too, was a young goalie, and I could tell that he was ready to fight for his spot. He stopped everything in practice, literally quik as lightning. I mean he stands at 6’6” and is 225lbs. I was just 6’3” and weighed 210 lbs soaking wet. This does not deter me though. I know that my shot is there if I take it, if the opportunity arises. When I met Thorvald, he was competitive but friendly. We both knew what kind of situation we were in but we also understood that we would spend plenty of time together. We were quik to make friends and even though we’re in the predicament, I very much hope he gets drafted high in the VHL. He’s big, he’s smart and he can be a franchise goalie in the future.
I also met with some of the other team members. The captain, Blake Gaudette, was an absolute help. See, he’s from the area and mentioned all the great areas to look for a home to rent. He also introduced me to many my other teammates.
Nacho is an absolute gent and Blake had mentioned he has a wicked shot and gets back on the d a lot. I also spoke with Papa Gage who is our top defensemen. He was telling me what his expectations of me are during certain situations which was an experience of its own. His expectations alone were challenging, but I was up for the challenge. Another teammate that I had met was Acyd Burn, a left winger on the team who happens to also be a rookie just like me. We made good friends and went for lunch after everything was wrapped up from the video room. I genuinely believe he’s got future captain written all over him. He’s engaging, commanding yet you can easily talk to him.
Here I am, in my hotel looking at RentFaster and Kijiji for places to rent for this season and I thought, what a great set of guys. These were just some of my teammates I’ve met this week. I can’t wait till I get to know the rest of my team.