A New Beginning

[Ledge 1,131]

     

A New Beginning (In the VHL)

 

 

 

    It was 10 years after he retired, but Linus Zetterstrom was still heavily involved in the game of hockey and the Victory Hockey League, where he has spent his professional career. After he hung up the skates, the serenity of a quiet, peaceful, hockey-less life quickly faded, revealing an everlasting urge to be at the rink. Zetterstrom quenched his hockey thirst by scouting, getting hired by VHL Central Scouting, and assigned to Toronto, Ontario, where he lived with his family. He was also a very avid follower of his oldest son, Mattias, and his hockey career. Mattias was 15 now, and playing for the U16 AAA Toronto Red Wings of the GTHL (Greater Toronto Hockey League). It was on that fateful day where Zetterstrom was taking in one of Mattias’ games that his life and the future of the VHL changed forever.

 

          It was a crispy cold day in the middle of December, and the GTHL season was ripe. It was all the players’ OHL draft years, and the tension was high at every game knowing there were scouts in the stands. This wasn’t a scouting day for Linus Zetterstrom, however. As he trudged through the snow, freezing cold slush seeping into his boots, watching his son, Mattias, enter the building with his team, he was ready to enjoy the game for what it was, not be on the job. Once he was inside, he stomped off his boots in an effort to rid them of snow, and gazed around the lobby. 

The Red Wings’ opponent today, the Don Mills Flyers, were all gathered in the lobby as well, not-so-patiently waiting for their dressing room to become available. As the squad stood together, talking loudly together and checking their phones simultaneously, Zetterstrom noticed something. One of the players was about six inches shorter than most of his teammates, and way skinnier. Curious, Zetterstrom tried to get a better look at the kid, but before he could the Flyers clustered into the dressing room hallway, blocking his view. He shrugged, sure it was no big deal and he would see him on the ice soon. 

 

          As he climbed the concrete stairs into the stands, he was approached by a friend, Casey Marleau, who’s son, Caleb, played for the Flyers. 

 

 

          ‘Hey Linus, how’s it going, man? Should be a good game today, I heard you guys are on fire’
 

          ‘Oh, hey Casey, yeah, should be a good one. I looked at the standings earlier and it should be an important game too’

 

 

          They shook hands, and sat down in the top right corner of the arena, Linus’ favourite spot for scouting. Even if he wasn’t on the job, he still liked to view the game from a certain angle. 

 

 

          ‘Hey Casey, do you guys have any OHL interest yet? Of course there are scouts, but interviews and showcases? Just wondering since Mattias is starting to talk with teams.’

 

          ‘Yeah, there’s been some activity. We have a few guys who are projected to go top 10, like Freddy Rockua and Keaton Wulfstone, keep an eye out for those two today. Caleb actually got his first interview yesterday, with Sarnia, but I haven’t heard about any showcases quite yet.’

 

          ‘Interesting. We have this one kid, called Massimo Cortier, who is just incredible. From a scout perspective, I have no doubt he will go top five. He’s on an OHL level physically and his vision and hands are already NHL caliber.’

 

          ‘Yeah, I’ve heard of him. I think it’s really starting to become apparent which guys are going higher and which guys might have to consider other options.’

 

          ‘Absolutely.’

 

         Casey and Linus both trailed off, as both teams exploded onto the ice for warmup and ‘Hells Bells’ by AC/DC started blaring from the speakers. Both men, fathers at heart, leapt to their feet to cheer for their sons. After they sat down, Linus’ eyes were once again drawn to the scrawny kid on Don Mills. He watched as he danced around the ice, slowing down then accelerating while cupping a puck and scanning the ice ahead of him. Once he shot around the net, he pivoted backwards and, without losing the puck, pulled off a series of tight turns and mohawks that impressed the VHL veteran. He slowly took off his backpack, reached in, and grabbed his pen and a sheet of lined paper. Marleau watched this unfold and chuckled.

 

 

          ‘Can’t resist the urge, can you, Linus? Always on the lookout, eh.’

 

          ‘I try not to while watching Matti’s games. I just have one question. Who’s that tiny kid on your team?

 

          ‘Oh, that’s Rhett, Keaton’s little brother. He’s playing a year up. Most of the parents initially figured it’s because our coach is Brent Wulfstone, their father. But he’s held his own out there. I hear he’s gonna apply for exceptional status in the O.’

 

 

            Zetterstrom chewed on the cap of his pen. How could he not scout such an amazing talent? He reached back into his bag to nab his glasses to get a better view of the ice. Casey watched attentively and nodded. 

 

     

            ‘I can go sit with the other fans for a while if you want to just sit and focus’

 

          ‘Sure. I’ll come and talk with you during the intermissions.’

 

          The two men shook hands one again and Marleau stood up and strolled over to where the rest of the Flyers fans sat. Linus was left alone with his own thoughts as the buzzer sounded to signal the end of the warmup period. Truth be told, he thought it would be a pretty one-sided contest. He figured he’d humour Casey to be nice, but the Wings were the better team. Cortier, Zetterstrom, Tucker Bolton, and their goalie, Ali Roswell, were all top OHL prospects. 

          The Wings’ starting line included Mattias centering Cortier and Kingston Raner, with Bolton and Janssan Mortimer on the blueline, and Roswell between the pipes. The Flyers countered with Milo Pellier centering Rockua and their secret weapon, Rhett Wulfstone. The elder Wulfstone as well as Caleb Marleau patrolled their defensive line, with Gifford Shock (@JardyB10 )  in the crease. As the puck dropped and the play began, Linus’ eyes locked onto Rhett as he performed his magic.

 

           Pellier tied up Zetterstrom at the faceoff, giving Rockua a chance to swoop in and knock it back to K. Wulfstone, who took a step towards the boards, gave a shoulder fake, then fired it back to Marleau behind him. R. Wulfstone, his eyes flicking between the puck and the ice in front of him, curled around center, presenting himself for a pass. Marleau sauced the puck over some sticks and off the boards, right in front of Rhett. Mortimer, torn between pinching and busting his balls backwards, hesitated for a split second, which would prove fatal. Rhett picked up the puck at full speed, gave a little fake towards the boards, turning Mortimer’s toes, and cut right back inside, leaving the poor defenceman in the dust. He was now on a 1-1 against Bolton, with Rockua sprinting up ice to support the puck. Hearing Rockua’s skates ripping up the ice behind him, R. Wulfstone pulled the puck back on his forehand, giving the impression that he was shooting. Seeing this, Bolton left the middle of the ice and lunged for Wulfstone, trying to deflect the puck into the glass. At the last second, Wulfstone flipped to his backhand, spun around, and feathered a pass onto the tape of Rockua in the slot, who kicked a backchecking Cortier’s stick out of the way, threw a forehand fake, freezing Roswell, pulled the puck to his backhand and put it top shelf. The Don Mills fan section erupted in cheers. 

 

        Linus Zetterstrom put pen to paper; ‘Rhett Wulfstone - ‘ but paused. How could he form an opinion after only one shift? He glanced at the clock. Only 8 seconds had passed. He put his pen down in his pocket and eased his glasses off his nose. He was here to watch his son and that was what he intended to do.

 

        When the two starting lines returned to the ice, perennially matched up against each other, the faceoff was to the left of Shock in the Don Mills zone. Zetterstrom and Pellier once again lined up for the draw, but this time, Zetterstrom won it back cleanly to Bolton at the point. Bolton absorbs the pass, gives a little head fake to try to shake off Rockua, who is sprinting at him from the hash marks, and jolts around him before dishing it off to Raner, who is set up on the other dot for a one timer. The slapper careens off the blocker of Shock, and is picked up by K. Wulfstone, who curls back around the net. Raner guards up the ice while Wulfstone assesses the situation from behind the net. After a few seconds, he lunges one way, then turns back the other and wires a bank pass to his brother, who turns up ice, takes a stride, and bumps it back to Keaton, who takes the pass and flies up the ice at full speed. As he drives by Mortimer, Rhett slyly steps in front of the defender and lifts his stick, rendering him unable to defend the rush. 

 

          Linus is still unable to believe his eyes. He did not come here to scout, yet his scout sense is tingling like Spiderman’s was when he saw the Space Donut in Infinity War. This kid has something special, and it would be a shame if Linus didn’t at least document it. At least, Matti’s line was matched up with Rhett’s, so he could watch both at the same time. He leaned back in his seat, content he had found a healthy alternative. He grabbed a piece of Excel gum from his pocket and popped in his mouth, and as the strong, minty taste flooded his taste buds, Rhett Wulfstone got back on the ice.

 

          R. Wulfstone pops back on the ice just in time to catch the rear end of a successful Red Wings regroup. He carefully skates parallel with Zetterstrom as he rushed it through the neutral zone, before extending his stick and steering him into the boards. At the last second, Zetterstrom flicks it over Wulfstone’s stick to Cortier, who streaks into the zone. Wulfstone throws his body into Zetterstrom, but bounces off without much effort, the physical difference between the boys never as evident. Nevertheless, he tracks him into the zone as Cortier drives through the stick of Marleau Josh Anderson-style and gets a soft shot off which is kicked away by Shock. Marleau, reacting quickly, grabs the puck and looks up for options. He hits Pellier, who is swooping down to receive it at full speed, and carries it up to the Flyers blueline before hitting a flying R. Wulfstone cross ice. Wulfstone drives the outside of Bolton before dropping it to Rockua behind him, now with plenty of space and only one defender in Mortimer. Unfortunately, Rockua fails to see Pellier tucking in behind him and attempts to dangle around Mortimer, but gets rightfully knocked on his ass. Bolton picks it back up and begins skating it up the ice. R. Wulfstone, tracking him, follows him to the red line before lifting his stick, driving his knee between the puck and Bolton’s hands, and popping Bolton with his shoulder. The puck squirts loose, where it is picked up by Pellier and dumped into the Red Wings zone for a change.

 

        Linus pulls out his notepad once again. He turns to a new page and notes the good plays that Mattias made to talk with him afterwards, but eventually flips back to his Wulfstone page. He starts jotting down all of the things he has seen Rhett do that have impressed him. ‘Elite backhand passing, solid angling, fantastic acceleration and speed, super high hockey IQ, unafraid of contact’ and some things that he could work on, ‘Struggles physically, doesn’t shoot enough’. He put the notebook down and glanced at the clock. 2 minutes left in the period. Linus packed up his backpack, lifted it onto his back, got up, and wandered over to where Casey Marleau stood with a few other parents. He stood silently behind the group as the period winded down, and when the buzzer sounded to signal the end, he tapped Marleau on the shoulder. 

 

          ‘Hey Casey. Enjoying the game so far?’

 

          ‘Yeah, Linus, it’s looking like a close finish is ahead. Your boy is having one hell of a game, eh?’

 

          ‘I could say the same about Caleb. Unfortunately, I have a call to make, so I cannot watch at least this next period. Would you mind sending me updates on Matti? I would very much appreciate it.’

 

          ‘Yeah, for sure, man. See ya soon’

 

          Linus nodded, and began walking towards the stairs. As he descended, he pulled out his phone. He dialed a certain number, one he hadn’t dialed since the last VHL draft. 

 

 

          ‘Hello. Is this Mr Euron Leonidas of VSN Scouting? Yes, this is Linus. I called because there’s a certain kid I wanted to tell you about…….’

 

TO BE CONTINUED

TL;DR: My next player is going to be called Rhett Wulfstone

 

2201 words, claiming for 4 weeks (lesgo)

 

I guess I have to ping @Spartan too

[Ledge 1,131]

All of the names I used are apart of my possible recreate name list that I put together a while ago in hopes of using in the VHL someday. 

[Grosgars 44]

This is so nice is like I’m reading a book. It’s a great mix about the retirement of Linus and your new players you are going to use in your recreation. The story is very interesting and the game analysis is very well done. I’m super exited to read the rest. That deserves a 11/10. 

[Kisslinger 372]

10/10

Wow, this was a great read! Love the time and thought you put into this article! It is formatted super well and is such an easy read. I love that you used names that you came up with for possible recreates in this story. Grammar and spelling seems to be well done. I like the use of different fonts at different times in this article, well done!

[Ledge 1,131]

Claim 2/4

[Ledge 1,131]

Claim 3/4

[Ledge 1,131]

4/4