Just the Beginning for UghSike

[UghSike 221]

Born in Ireland, and touching down in Saskatoon by way of Pennsylvania, I feel ready to make an impact in the VHL. Of course, there's a bit of anxiety tied to moving to an unfamiliar place and joining a new team, but I think most of my nervousness is derived from not living up to my expectations. I set the bar high for myself, and I'm well aware of the competition in this league. I know I have to make my mark early in the league in order to uphold my end of the bargain as far as expectations are concerned. I didn't sign the contract for the money as much as I did out of respect for the Saskatoon organization. The Wild settle for nothing less than 110%, and I'm motivated by the coaching staff and my teammates to give them that. This team has a rich history of success, and I want to be a part of that success. After all, I've worked very hard prior to my contract offer to be noticed. Why would I stop there? My only intention is to progress, and contribute night after night. To me, anything less is unacceptable. So far, my rookie season has been amazing. As a team, we're just familiarizing ourselves as we have a strong rookie prospect presence along with outstanding veteran presence that provides some really stellar leadership in and out of the locker room. There's always work to be done, and everyone is going above and beyond the call of duty as far as making me feel welcome and helping me to adjust to my new environment. So far, in my first 2 games, I have managed to tally two goals. I'd say that's a good start. With notable passing skills, I expected to have more assists than goals, but clearly I'm in an unselfish team. So, I'd say I'm excited to be a part of The Saskatoon Wild organization. I think we're going to surprise a lot of the doubters out there. So far, we're 0-2, but like I said earlier, there's always more work to be done. The team as a whole seem to be on the same page. Recognizing our strengths and weaknesses early on so that we can address the adjustments that need to be made. As long as we keep on pushing, and don't get too complacent then I believe everything else will fall into place. I think one of our secret weapons is that we don't take any team for granted. I'd suggest the rest of the league give us that level of respect as well because we may be down, but we're never out.