Ready or not, here he comes! - Sigard Petrenko Rookie Experience

[SlapshotWrangler 864]

Ready or not, here he comes! - Sigard Petrenko

 

I was drafted seventh overall by the Seattle Bears.

 

When I was first drafted, I was in Houston finishing off a surprisingly solid season with the Houston Bulls. I was surprised that I was taken in the first round, especially considering how late I arrived on the scene. For those who didn’t know, I signed in the Victory Hockey League Minors halfway through season 78. 

 

Either way, the Bears organization was great to me from the start. They were very welcoming and told me how excited they were to have me. Of course, I was excited to be part of a Victory Hockey League franchise. I wondered what made them put such high hopes on me. Was it my decent goal totals? My physicality? Or maybe even my prior experience being an NHL draftee? No matter what the reason was, I knew that I had a role to play here.

 

However, I did not feel nearly ready enough. I decided to take another development year in the Minors so I could improve and hone my skills before taking it to the next level. The Mississauga Hounds took me in as the 20th pick and we had a great run. I won’t touch on it much but we finished first in the regular season and were inches away from a championship. That team was a stacked and truly unified team.

 

The VHLM championship was never my main goal, however. My main goal has always been to play in the VHL and win the championship in the big leagues ever since I joined the system as a fresh faced prospect. So I worked hard to get myself ready for the VHL pace this season. Yes, while many decided to join and play in the new Victory Hockey League: Europe, I aimed to play for the Seattle Bears in THE Victory Hockey League. Getting called up validated my decision to do so. I got bonuses to get my salary to the rookie cap, which I am really thankful for my General Manager offering. This means that I have more responsibility to be the top tier player they drafted me to be. Being a first round pick, bonuses, and just how connected this team is makes me feel like I need to do well for the team. And I plan to do exactly that.

 

Of course, I am not expecting to become a VHL all-star overnight. Heck, I think I’ll be lucky if I’m even close to being an all-star at all in my career. But I expect that I’ll be good enough to be at least a second line player. This season is a chance for me to prove myself. So I think I'll either reach my goals or be a complete bust. All or nothing. The pressure doesn't make me nervous though. In fact, I think it makes it a bit more fun.