Nico Pearce Rookie Experience

[Spartan 4,514]

 

Lofty Expectations' Best Friend is Pressure

 

Pressure. Say that word a few times over and over again, and it soon ceases to feel like a real word. It's a feeling, however, that doesn't ever seem to go away for Nico Pearce. Widely heralded as the top prospect in the S81 VHL Draft, the pressure and the spotlight was always on Pearce to perform to his pre-draft ranking. After his stint on the Minnesota Storm, critics were quick to point out that he wasn't even the top point scorer on his team, with Barry Bonds Jr., Nils Godlander, Nezuko and James Glove Dropper all recorded more points in S80. During one late season press conference with teammate Nezuko, reporters asked the Japanese winger how he felt about his scoring.

 

"I'm outperforming 1st overall Pearce. EAT MY SHORTS"

 

A lighthearted jab at his teammate who chuckled along with it, but the draft night showed that some teams had an eye on the duo's production with Nezuko going 1st overall, and Pearce sliding to 10th overall. Reports from around the league stated that Pearce seemed shaky and unconfident in himself during predraft interviews, preferring not to be the keystone piece of a team, but to be a key supporting member on teams with playoff aspirations. 

 

"You know, I've never seen a prospect with that little self-confidence in my time as a VHL scout. He was completely unwilling to be someone a team could build around, and it just seemed like he wasn't ready for the expectations of a first round pick in the VHL. While he was the unanimous top prospect coming out of college, and had an impressive season in the VHLM, he lost some of his confidence somewhere along the way and just seems to be totally averse to being in the spotlight. Most prospects build up their brand, grow their presence online, go viral somehow. No one's heard from Pearce at all. He doesn't post on social media, no one reports on him, no one knows what he does. It's like he just shows up to games and then goes home."

- Excerpt from a VHL Scout

 

 

Despite the harsh criticism, Moscow seemed to feel confident enough in selecting Pearce, seemingly to fill their hole at winger in their top 6. It's an ideal destination for the 21 year old, with superstar winger Duncan Idaho, fresh off an MVP win, to mentor the young forward. Veterans Lexi Glass and Brian Strong Jr. are also quality wingers to learn alongside and Paul Atreides and The Seabasstard are quickly becoming household names. If there's a place for Nico Pearce to find his game, it'll be in the bitter cold of Moscow, Russia - where there's no choice but to play hockey and hope you don't turn to the vodka.

 

Through 9 games, Pearce has been tossed on the first line to play alongside Atreides and Idaho, as the team seems to love playing Strong and Glass together due to their chemistry. With only 4 points so far, it's fair to question how long of a leash GM Euron Leonidas has given the rookie, and at what point Pearce's minutes will get reduced if he doesn't start to produce. Up through now,with the Menace sporting a 7-1-1 record and tied for the league lead in points, it seems like the Menace are in no rush to change up their lines, and would rather be patient with their highest first round selection since goalie Papa Emeritus in S79. It's up to Pearce now to determine if he can return to his coveted form, or if he'll continue to hide in the shadows, fearing the spotlight and the pressure that comes along with it.