Nils Tallinder's Rookie Experience

[Patrik Tallinder 1,073]

Thanks to @Jubo for this one!

 

There are a lot of emotions that go into a rookie season. Anxiety, excitement, and a barrage of other sensations flock together to form the butterflies in a rookie’s stomach before their draft, their first VHL training camp, and their first game with the big club. It is definitely overwhelming at times. And yet, there is a certain beauty that comes through in all of this madness. These moments stick with you for the rest of your life; They are nothing to take for granted. Calgary Wranglers forward Nils Tallinder knows this all too well, who has been told time and time again to enjoy this process from his older brother Patrik. Selected 10th overall by the Riga Reign 9 seasons ago, Patrik Tallinder had experienced everything Nils was going through and noticed just how fast everything went by.

 

In some people’s eyes, the 16 year old Tallinder brother has a lot to live up to. Along with the expectations that follow a first overall selection, Nils has a brother whose footsteps will be hard to follow. It’s a lot for a young kid to carry on their shoulders, but he feels that he can handle it. His whole junior career was preparing him for this moment; From a magnifying glass being placed over his development in the SuperElit system when he was just 14 years old to a 2nd overall selection in the VHLM Draft, Nils has always been in an uphill battle with reaching lofty expectations. He is more than accustomed to this, and this type of situation no longer bothers him in the early days of his VHL career. He is trusting that his work ethic and love for the game will bring him to the heights that he wishes to attain.

 

After making the Wranglers straight out of camp, Tallinder tallied his first goal and his first assist within the first 3 games of his young career. In a season that is bound to be a thrilling one for the team, he hopes to make a real impact every time he hits the ice. There will be many highs this season, but there will undeniably be many lows to accompany them. Nils knows that no matter what, he always has an irreplaceable foundation of support to fall back on. His new teammates, his new GM, and his brothers Lucas and Patrik are all there to help him succeed and he is playing his absolute hardest to thank them for that.