Landon Wolanin - Biography

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Landon Wolanin, United States Outlying Islands’ greatest achievement. A VHL superstar borne on an island in the middle of nowhere, with not a rink in range. The people on his island did bond over hockey however and joined together daily at the ball hockey rink to play. Landon was holding a stick from an early age, but never really had the competition to develop in any meaningful way as a kid. He was also a multi-sport athlete, as there wasn’t much else to do but play sports. He learned basketball and football, and played really whatever the other kids and even adults were playing at any given moment.

 

Hockey was his true passion though, and he always tuned in to watch VHL games. He grew up watching the greats like Mikko Lahtinen, Aloe Dear, Taro Tsujimoto and Duncan Idaho. He aspired to get on the ice, and see what he could do.

 

It wouldn’t be for many years that Landon would learn to skate. After moving to Canada he took his ball hockey talents to the rink and began the rigorous battle to stay standing on a slippery surface. Even after that, learning to handle a puck the same way as he had handled the ball before was a challenge. But eventually he made progress, overtaking the other kids his age and getting some attention from travel squads. It was San Diego that finally caught his attention however, the squad hailing from the VHLM, the premier league for VHL-aspiring talent.

 

He had a lot of work to do, and he immediately set aside everything for his dream. He would outwork everyone, and overtake like he always had, and always would. He started rather low in the draft projections, but over time worked his way up and up, showcasing his work ethic, and scoring touch along the way. It was Calgary that took interest in his talents, and assembled their core for the future.

 

But all that time, it was a little boy from an island you couldn’t even see on a map. A future World Junior and World Cup player, a world class winger, and a force to be reckoned with on both ends of the ice. He was taught at a young age that if he put his mind to it, he could accomplish anything. And his mind has only been put to one thing, and that was making an impact in the VHL, and hopefully becoming the best player of his generation.

 

So far he has found himself playing with lots of legendary talent. Ivan Retoslav was his center during his time as a Marlin. He played alongside the great Pete Mitchell, PJ Daniels, Fraser Wallace and VHLM legend Juan Ceson in his short stint in Las Vegas. He found himself on a star studded roster with Siyan Yasilievich, Ryuji Sakamoto and Tomas Sogaard as he took his talents to Europe. And now in Calgary he has already played alongside Saku Kotkakoivu, Erlantz Jokinen, Luc Tessier, Daniel Janser, Leandro Goncalves and AirRig GoodBrandSun.

 

There has been no shortage of talent for Wolanin to work with, but as time goes on, he remembers he will have to work even harder than his teammates to become the best. This doesn’t mean he won’t work with them, in fact he wants to work such synergy that he can stand above what he could alone.

 

He has a goal of winning a championship, and has so far been unable to do so in his first few  seasons. He never had the chance to play for anything meaningful as a kid, so he has a lot of pent up competitiveness lying in wait. He needs to win, more than wants to. Calgary provides him with this opportunity and he has committed to that cause for a long time. There is no end in sight for their chances, so one of these times he will get to fulfill his boyhood dreams.

 

It is hard to wait, especially after having to wait to even get on the ice for so long, and he knows he doesn’t have forever. He has already experienced too many heartbreaks, particularly in the first round. He knows he has been more than just a first-round-exit level talent and he has so much more to prove.

 

Landon Wolanin has finally joined the top of the league in scoring, battling old teammates and bitter rivals. His team is dominating, as they should be, and Wolanin is becoming a household name. Back home his family cheers him on, as they always have, and one day he will bring a cup back to them, to reward them for their years of effort, and the years he has spent away from them. It has been hard for everyone, and soon, in a couple of years he will return, hopefully with a large trophy case, to return to his humble roots. An Island man, and the pride of his people.

  

Edited November 29, 2022 by jacobcarson877