Tyler Lawson gears up for VHL Draft

[Nyx 68]

 

    The loud crack of a hockey stick rang out through the empty arena, echoing off of the walls as the only sound in an otherwise silent stadium.  Shortly after that, the sound of skates on ice could be heard as the player skated off the ice and onto the bench. His helmet dropped and rolled around the concrete flooring, the pants of the player loud and frequent. Tyler Lawson threw his head back, wiping sweat from his brow, as he took in his surroundings. Having been cut from the Houston Bulls as he was entering the VLHE Draft, he asked a favor of the staff to let him skate around in Houston for one last time. Lawson had broken his hockey stick out on the rink, taking it as a sign that maybe his time on the ice here was ending. Having spent the better part of a year living here, he felt an odd, almost indescribable feeling creeping up on him knowing that after the draft, he could be playing god knows where. After getting so accustomed to the culture in Houston, he frowned thinking of how it was almost like a reset for him. Not that would be a bad thing necessarily, but he'd enjoyed his time here and the change worried him. 

 

    He tossed aside his stick, letting it bounce with a clang against the metal bench, before pulling out his phone. He scrolled through a folder in his gallery app, compiled of all the memories he'd made with the team through many various photos and videos. He would take a few more - of the stadium, a selfie on the ice, just taking it all in as he never knew when, or if, he'd be back. He found himself smiling as he scrolled through the media, and looked back on all the team dinners, the pranks played, and the charity events. Enveloped in nostalgia, he had to remind himself to be happy of everything he started here - as his time in Houston was slipping through his fingers, he wanted to end it off on a high note. After all, he would hate to have to look back on his times here and only be able to remember moping around about leaving. His eyes scanned the stands and his mind was filled with the roars of the crowd, the wins and the losses, everything that'd led him to that point. Shaking himself out of it, he let out a small grunt as stood, finding his footing.

 

    Letting out a small sigh, Tyler knew he'd overstayed his welcome. He'd scoop up his immediate belongings, before turning to make way for the locker rooms. On the trip over, he made sure to take in the arena he'd grown fond of over the past season. He'd almost felt like he had taken it all for granted - deep down, he knew he was off to bigger and better things, though, that didn't stop the heartache he felt leaving his teammates behind. As he stepped into the locker room, he read the nametags above every locker before making his way over to his. He scooped the rest of his items, placing them in his bag, before shouldering the bag again. 

 

   As he made his way for the player's exit of the arena, he made sure to thank the staff on the way out for allowing him to check the arena out one last time, as well as for their contributions to the team. Finally exiting the arena, he made his way for a black SUV he'd rented ahead of time that would be taking him to the airport. It only made sense, in his eyes, to watch the draft from home with his family. Lawson wasn't exactly top-pick material, and as such, he decided against attending the draft in person. This way, it allowed for him to spend time with his family without killing his pockets, he thought. 

 

   He pulled out his phone, checking social media to ease his nerves. Call it conceited, but recently, Tyler had been watching the VHL mock drafts, he was unsurprisingly anxious about the whole ordeal. I mean, whoever drafted him, that very well could be his home until the wheels fell off and he was to retire. He didn't really mind where he was going - well, that was untrue, he'd prefer somewhere a little warmer in climate. At the least during the summer, he thought, as he couldn't think of a ton of places in the world where hockey was played that were quite as hot as anywhere he'd lived before. He'd also secretly hoped to be drafted alongside a few of his teammates - I know, something of a pipe dream. It was highly unlikely, and he didn't honestly expect as much, though it was a fun thought.

 

   As the ride went on, Tyler found himself often looking out the window - watching on as they passed his favorite local restaurants, murals across the city, museums, and loads of places he'd spent his free time the last year. He'd loved especially visiting the Rangers during their regular season games, as every time he'd go, they tended to throw him up on the jumbotron, and he'd meet a few players ever once in a while. He did love the attention, honestly, but it was freeing to get out someplace where he wasn't the center of attention. Sure, he'd get asked for some photos every once in a while, or maybe some fan of the team would strike up a conversation, but for the most part - he was left alone, the other bystanders were there to watch the game the same as him. He even visited a few of the World Series games, rooting for the Rangers. If not for the fact he was playing for Houston's hockey team, then because of Arizona being the ones to knock out his favorite team, the Dodgers.

 

    As he recovered from his thoughts, he looked down in surprise as the driver thanked him and announced they were at their stop. Lawson shook his head in disbelief before getting his stuff together and exiting the car. He wouldn't dwell on it, but he was confused as he hadn't thought he'd been stuck in thought for quite so long. Entering the airport and making his way through TSA, he found himself waiting for his flight to LAX. He'd taken this same trip not too long ago during the playoffs, and now here he was, heading back home once more and preparing for the draft. He was surprised at how fast things changed - just a year ago, it seemed like his hockey dreams were over - nobody cared about him as a prospect or took him seriously barring his injury at UCLA, and when Houston took a chance on him . . . well, he wouldn't let it go to waste. That much was evident now, but reflecting on the situation, he didn't think he could blame them. He had just taken one of the most serious injuries an athlete can have, and this was coming off of an already shaky injury history back in high school. Now wasn't the time to reflect on that, though, he figured as he stood up to explore the airport.

 

   Taking a few photos with fans and grabbing something from the airport for lunch, it wasn't too long before his flight was scheduled for boarding. As he took his suitcase, and his duffle bag slung over his shoulder, he walked down the jet bridge before boarding the plane. He smiled and greeted the attendants before making his way to his seat in first class. He cheaped out on his last flight and had grown to regret it, as a baby crying made it pretty difficult for him to get any rest. As he took his seat, he rummaged through his bag reaching for a pair of noise-cancelling headphones that he'd toss on. Buckling his seatbelt, he'd cross his arms and close his eyes, nodding off not too long after the fact.

 

    As he awoke, he groggily rubbed his eyes before checking the flight tracker ahead of him. '30 minutes,' he thought, 'not too bad'. Reaching into his bag once more, he retrieved a book that he'd bought at one of the airport shops back in Houston. He decided that he could get a little bit of reading in before disembarking, and it helped to ease his nerves a bit. Despite things going alright last time, this was only his second ever flight and he was stil . . . somewhat nervous about the thought of the plane going down. The book had managed to be a successful outlet for distracting himself, as before he knew it, he was exiting just as quickly as he'd boarded the flight. Lugging his belongings behind him, he met his parents outside near the front and after helping him with loading his belongings, they'd make the two-hour trip to take him to his childhood home, where he'd set up shop for the next week or two as they awaited the results of the draft to see where he'd be living for the foreseeable future. 

 

    Much to the dismay of many of his friends ("Dude, you seriously didn't want to attend live?"), on draft day, he opted to watch the whole thing from the comfort of his family home in Poway, California. Surrounded by his loved ones, he took in the atmosphere and cherished the environment as, to be honest, he didn't know when he'd see a lot of these people again. He had childhood friends, cousins, uncles, grandparents - you name it. He found it really heartwarming that so many people cared to make such a big deal of his accomplishments - he didn't think it was all that serious, but he was clearly in the minority.

 

   "With the first pick in the VHL Entry Draft, the HC Davos Dynamo select . . . Antonia Bucatini!" The room erupted with claps and cheers - he had been teammates with Antonia, after all. A smile crept on Tyler's face as he celebrated for his teammate. He hadn't spent too much time thinking about it before, he had been too nervous about his own position, but he was going to be interested to see where his teammates would end up. He hadn't known Antonia for all too long as he was sent to Houston nearing the trade deadline, but Tyler had looked up to the guy who'd been essentially the consensus number-one pick this draft. 

 

    To the surprise of nobody, it wouldn't be too long before another of his former teammates would fly off the boards. "With the third pick in the VHL Entry Draft, the Riga Reign select . . . Lucy Leiter!" Again, the room seemed to fill entirely with celebration. He wasn't all too surprised, honestly, she was a lock for the top three in nearly every analyst's mock draft, and he could see why. Having played alongside her for so long, her impact in the locker room and around the league as a whole didn't go unnoticed. Her drive was really unlike anything he'd seen before. He was really excited for her alongside Antonia, and he looked forward to seeing the two again in the future.

 

    He hadn't been expecting a phone call or anything all too soon - he didn't really know where he'd land, but he was guessing somewhere in the second or third round given the deep talent pool. He anxiously began to pace, he knew he'd be left on the board for awhile and the thought made him sick, honestly. The tenth pick just came through and Ecker, another of his teammates, had just been selected. 'Bulls just flying off the boards, huh,' he thought with a small laugh. A few more picks would come in, and he jumped unexpectedly as his phone on the counter began to ring. Everyone in the room turned their heads towards him and the room went dead silent. Tyler scanning the room felt white as a blanket, and walked back over to his phone. He let out a small gulp, "I . . . uhm, I . . . I gotta take this," he just managed to let out before taking his phone and sprinting up to his room upstairs. He recognized the number as one belonging to his agent, who'd break the news for him. 

 

"Son, you've just been drafted to the Helinski Titans."

 

 

* 2,059 words

[ace_five_ 429]

So well written! Your descriptions of everything made me really feel the emotions Tyler was feeling every step of the way. I actually almost started tearing up when you said the phone started ringing because I got so invested in the story. The anxiety that was portrayed throughout the piece was beautiful and captivating. I look forward to reading anything you write in the future. 
 

Congratulations as well on being drafted! Good luck with your upcoming season with Helsinki! 
 

Review - 9/10

Edited March 10 by ace_five_

[Nyx 68]

9 hours ago, ace_five_ said:

So well written! Your descriptions of everything made me really feel the emotions Tyler was feeling every step of the way. I actually almost started tearing up when you said the phone started ringing because I got so invested in the story. The anxiety that was portrayed throughout the piece was beautiful and captivating. I look forward to reading anything you write in the future. 
 

Congratulations as well on being drafted! Good luck with your upcoming season with Helsinki! 
 

Review - 9/10

 

Thank you so much! My favorite part of these sim leagues is world building with my players so it's really awesome to hear that. Hope all goes well for you in the upcoming season as well!

[Nyx 68]

Second claim for week ending in 3/17

[LucyXpher 1,480]

I had this marked to read when I had some time to do it right and it’s so beautifully written!  I really want to see more pieces like this on the forum and I really hope more people see it and get inspired!  I think Helsinki is getting a great one in Tyler Lawson and I’m low key jealous that you’ll get to play for Sam (not that I am anything less than excited to play in Riga btw).  A complete steal of a pick for the Titans and I’m really happy for you!  I can’t wait to see how far you go and what you can accomplish with this player, especially writing pieces like this!  

[Misty 73]

This is simply amazing! I loved reading your piece here, the depth of it and how it's easy to envision the scenes and what's happening. It's almost like I'm reading a piece out of an autobiography book and can't wait to read what happens next for Tyler Lawson. Well done, I'm excited to see what you write next!

[Nyx 68]

10 hours ago, LucyXpher said:

I had this marked to read when I had some time to do it right and it’s so beautifully written!  I really want to see more pieces like this on the forum and I really hope more people see it and get inspired!  I think Helsinki is getting a great one in Tyler Lawson and I’m low key jealous that you’ll get to play for Sam (not that I am anything less than excited to play in Riga btw).  A complete steal of a pick for the Titans and I’m really happy for you!  I can’t wait to see how far you go and what you can accomplish with this player, especially writing pieces like this!  

 

This is really high praise coming from you, thank you so much! Playing for Sam is going to be really awesome, but I can say the same for you with Riga - they've got an amazing user in you, it's almost crazy the amount of accolades you have under your belt in such a short time. I can't wait to see what else you end up doing for this community, I feel like you've already accomplished a lot and made a huge mark with both your player and your multiple GM gigs and I'm honestly very excited to see your future in the league.

[Nyx 68]

8 hours ago, Misty said:

This is simply amazing! I loved reading your piece here, the depth of it and how it's easy to envision the scenes and what's happening. It's almost like I'm reading a piece out of an autobiography book and can't wait to read what happens next for Tyler Lawson. Well done, I'm excited to see what you write next!

 

Thank you very much! I really love to write longer forms of media over here as I feel it allows more cohesive storytelling than if I were to split it up over a few weeks or just through writing shorter pieces. I'm happy you enjoyed it, I appreciate you taking the time to read it  

[tcookie 906]

Awesome article, really well-written

[Nyx 68]

Third claim for week ending in 3/24

[UghSike 221]

Amazing work. This is some pure storytelling with all of the highs and lows. Great work. I picture this coming effortlessly. Starting with an initial idea or framing for the article in its entirety, and then the words just rolling across the page. It has a real organic feel to it, like I was watching it unfold on the big screen or something. Also, congratulations on getting drafted. It's a great time and exciting experience. I wish you the best in your future here!

 

Easily a 10/10. 

Edited March 20 by UghSike

[Nyx 68]

Fourth and final claim for week ending in 03/31