Rookie Experience - Landon Wolanin

[jacobcarson877 2,549]

 

Landon Wolanin has certainly been through a lot since joining the VHLM 2 seasons ago. He has been training as hard as anyone, and although he hasn’t seen the offensive outburst yet that one might expect from someone working this hard, he has built a foundation that should make him a force in the VHL for many seasons to come.

 

Transitioning to the VHL, Wolanin immediately becomes a top threat with the Calgary Wranglers, alongside reigning Mike Szatkowski and Dustin Funk Trophy Winner Saku Kotkakoivu, Daniel Janser and other notable rookie forward, Leandro Goncalves.

 

Wolanin hopes to bring strong 2-way play and finishing touch to the Wranglers, and help build their identity as a perennial championship contender. Wolanin has been a locker room leader at all levels so far, and has even begun a career in management.

 

This rookie season will be huge for Landon Wolanin and the Wranglers, as their core is complete, and they have invested into additional talent to bring them over the edge in a top-heavy NA Conference.

 

Wolanin has a lot to prove still. He hasn’t had a strong offensive showing since his stint with San Diego in the VHLM, and looked absent on the scoresheet for the first half of the season with Istanbul. If Wolanin can get off to a strong start and maintain that momentum, he can be a crucial piece for the Wranglers. Otherwise, he has shown he can simply be a body on the ice, and not in a positive way.

 

Some suggest Wolanin might have a HOF-calibre ceiling, and one could see why, with his constant training and his total commitment to the game of hockey. But in order to do that, he will need to take the reins and wrangle his way into many wins, and prove to the world he can be a game-breaking talent. That is a lot to ask for from a mid-first round pick, but after hurtling up the draft rankings post draft, the expectations on Wolanin are now of a top-5 pick as opposed to a mid-first rounder. As he grinds his way closer to the top 5 in his class, Wolanin must stay true to his love of hockey and the teachings of his mentors before him.

 

Time is too fleeting to be wasted. The play isn’t dead until the whistle blows. Outliers should always regress to the mean.

 

Can’t wait to look back on this in 8 seasons and see how funny this will all seem.

Edited June 24, 2022 by jacobcarson877

[Daniel Janser 2,211]

1 hour ago, jacobcarson877 said:

the reins and wrangle his way into many wins

I see what you did there...