Tomas Sogaard | Veteran Presence

[Brandon 426]

 

The transition from rookie to veteran happened pretty quickly for the Moscow Menace Season 83 draft pick, Tomas Sogaard. After putting up 72 points in 72 games in his first year, led by exceptionally strong teammates, changes needed to be made in the Moscow roster in order to fit the team under the salary cap requirements. Moscow's number one winger, Henri Le Massif, one of the most vital players in Tomas Sogaard's rookie season, was on his way out. From that moment forward, the number one winger on the Moscow depth chart was Tomas Sogaard. A signal of faith by General Manager Euron Leonidas as the keys were silently handed to Tomas Sogaard to be the new go-to winger for the foreseeable future. Pressure was on for the young Dane, after a strong rookie season, there were real questions around the league if Sogaard could actually drive the play at the level needed for Moscow to be competitive. Luckily for him, he was supported by fellow linemate Sergey Preobrazhensky, a cornerstone of Moscow's offense the last few seasons. When paired for the S85 season, the two meshed extremely well together.

 

Sogaard quickly realized that Preobrazhensky had elite scoring, puck handling, and skating, but lacked a top level defensive game. So Sogaard made a conscious effort to spend his entire season training around the weaknesses of Preobrazhensky in order to create a perfectly synergized line that excels in all zones of the ice. Each day, Sogaard laser-focused his practice time on making sure he could be the best defensive player possible. If Moscow needed someone to carry the puck up the ice, Prebrazhensky could do that, and if the team needed to matchup the opponent's star forward and shut him down, they could rely on Sogaard to do that. The result, surprised most people around the league, including Sogaard himself. With 43 goals, 48 assists, and 91 points in his sophomore year, Tomas Sogaard finished 9th in points, and 6th in goals league-wide, while also leading the Moscow Menace in goals, points, plus/minus, and shot percentage. To say they meshed well is an understatement, and looking into Season 86, they are both looking to continue their dominance. 

 

When asked about player accomplishments versus team accomplishments, Tomas Sogaard had few words to say.
"Any personal accomplishments are achieved because of our team and the players around me. Continental Cup, it's the only thing that matters, and what the Moscow franchise deserves. "

 

Although not quite like Moscow-legend Duncan Idaho in terms of point production, Tomas Sogaard hopes to continue paving the winning culture at Moscow as a new veteran, and bring home the Continental Cup.