Lightspeed: Lucy Leitner

[LucyXpher 554]

As our flight touched down in Stockholm, I couldn’t help but be reminded that I was a long way from home. Having spent most of my life and professional career as a writer in Houston, the prospect of crossing the pond and living in a new country for any extended period of time was admittedly quite mystifying.  Opportunity calls-- or at least that's what I told myself as I disembarked the aircraft and began making my way through the terminal.  After a nearly 12-hour flight, my destination was still an hour's train ride away-- Vasteras, one of northern Europe's oldest cities, approximately 100km west of Stockholm.  Stepping outside, I found myself instinctively buttoning up my coat and folding my arms.  In contrast to the humid heat of Houston, even in the month of March, the air here in Sweden tasted fresh, brisk even, if not a little chilly.  It's a change, no doubt about that, though not an entirely unwelcome one.   

 

Last season, writing for VHL.com, I covered the story of the Houston Bulls, chronicling their rise from an early season underdog to a playoff favorite.  Having privileged access to the locker room, the players, and staff, I grew quite fond of the team, experiencing the excitement of their first-round playoff victory, as well as the pain of their semi-final defeat.  The loss was made to sting all the more as I knew that I would be moving on from coverage of the Bulls at the conclusion of the playoffs, not unlike the players who would be moving on to new teams for S93.  Only yesterday, my next assignment was confirmed-- the Vasteras Iron Eagles of the VHLE.  I had known I'd likely be heading to Europe to cover the E, but the city I'd be calling home for the duration of this next season remained a mystery until what seemed like the final hour.  When I finally got the call on Monday evening, my bags were already half packed and I scrambled to put the rest of my life together in short order—coat, scarves, boots, hat... I don't live in the real world and my life is chaos, though I suppose that's half the fun.   

 

And while I could go on about my hectic travel schedule, my lack of sleep, or prepping for a feature interview while on an intercontinental flight, this piece isn't about me so I'll spare you my melodrama.  Suffice it to say, the whirlwind that was my weekend surely cannot compare to the experience of recent VHL and VHLE draftee, Lucy Leitner.   

 

I had the opportunity to follow Leitner's first professional hockey season in Houston and was impressed with her level of play and commitment to development on and off the ice.  She got off to a flying start, quickly dispelling any doubts that her success at the junior level wouldn't translate to the minor pro ranks.  Finishing the season with 76 points in 72 games, collecting 60 assists in the process, Leitner impressed scouts enough for Riga to select her 3rd overall in the VHL draft.  In the VHLE draft, it was Vasteras that collected the smooth skating defender with the 2nd overall pick.  Notably, in both drafts over the weekend, it was Leitner's Houston teammate, Antonia Bucatini @CowboyinAmerica, who was selected 1st overall, completing a trifecta of 1st overall selections in the VHLM, VHLE, and VHL.   

 

Vasteras, Sweden

  

I slept through the hour-long train ride from Stockholm to Vasteras and, groggy-eyed, I caught a cab from the train station to the hotel and turned in early (it was only 4pm local time).  The next morning, I met Lucy in the hotel lobby at 9:00.  She was in a chipper mood, almost glowing as she crossed the lobby and greeted me warmly.  She had arrived in Vasteras the same day as I had for a short visit and already had plans to leave in less than 24 hours to fly back to the US—to Salt Lake City, for the World Junior Championships.  Today, she had the morning free to explore the city and I was more than happy to tag along.  

 

Unlike Houston, Vasteras is a walkable city. In Houston, if you don’t have a vehicle, you’re not going to get far. If you want to get anywhere, you’ll need to put on your game face, grit your teeth, hit the freeway, and hope to hell you don’t encounter the infamous Houston driver. Sure, there are bike paths down by the bayou and the city has got some nice parks, but it’s hot, horrendously humid, and sweatier than hyperhidrosis if it isn’t one of those precious few temperate weeks in the middle of February. Sound like your cup of tea? At least make sure it’s iced and unsweet, you psycho. By contrast, Vasteras has a beautiful historical district called Bondtorget. With quaint and colorful buildings, cobblestone streets, outdoor markets, a picturesque plaza, and bridges that cross the Svartån river, it doesn’t feel like life is coming at you a million miles a minute. In the chaos of the last 48 hours, taking in these relatively quiet streets with Lucy was a breath of fresh air—and I mean that literally. Back in Houston, it’s muggier than a stein of bulldog-branded root beer... Look, I’m tired and I’m trying, do with that odd analogy what you will. 

 

Walking through the narrow streets, we stumbled upon a small bridge over the Svartån with hundreds of locks hooked on the railings. I had seen bridges like this before in Europe and in North America, but Lucy seemingly had not.  

 

“Why are all these locks here?” she asked, curiously. 

 

“They’re called love locks,” I replied, “Look, you can see the initials inscribed on them. Couples leave them as a sign of their unbreakable love.” 

 

Leaning in closer to examine the locks, Lucy had an air of fascination about her, like a kid in a candy shop, a youthful curiosity. I had to remind myself, she was still only 18 and this was the furthest she’d ever been outside of the US. For all of her maturity and composure on the ice and in the locker room, this was all still new to her. Europe was a new world. Moving on from the lock encumbered bridge, we continued picking our way through the winding streets and found ourselves a quiet coffee shop where we could sit and chat. And while I fought back yawns and gulped my coffee down, fiending for caffeine, Lucy apparently had all the energy in the world.  

 

“Are you sure you only got here yesterday?” I asked, marveling at her excitement. “How are you not exhausted after all you’ve been through this past weekend? I mean, you were just drafted to the VHL and the VHLE, you’ve been playing in the Junior Showcase Tournament, you’ve flown across the Atlantic to a place you’ve never been, and you’re flying back to Salt Lake in less than a day to play against some of the best young players in the world—what's your secret? How are you not crashing?” 

 

Lucy laughed, “I don’t know. I guess I never really thought about all that. I’m just taking it all as it comes and it’s all been so much fun!” 

 

“Tell me about that experience, though-- the VHL draft was on Saturday and you were selected by Riga. Did you expect to get picked 3rd overall?” 

 

“Not at all! If I’m being completely honest, I didn’t even know Riga was in Latvia until after I got off the phone with the GM when I was drafted. I was just like, ‘where on earth is Riga?’ I guess I had it in my head that it was in Switzerland or something.” 

 

Amused, I asked, “Did you know Vasteras was in Sweden?” 

 

“Yeah, I knew that because I had a couple of former junior teammates who had been here, actually, for a tournament.” 

 

“So how do you feel about Riga? Is that where you would have hoped to get drafted?” 

 

She shrugged, “Honestly, I didn't really have any expectations, I was just happy to get picked. The organization has been nothing but great to me so far. I mean, I kind of knew they were interested because they interviewed me before the draft, but so did a bunch of other teams so I was totally shocked when I heard my name at 3rd overall with all the other great players that were still on the board. I’m just super honored more than anything else.” 

 

“No, that’s so great to hear,” I say, drinking in her luminous demeanor—and another slurp of my coffee, “And so you were picked 2nd overall by Vasteras in the VHLE draft on Monday, tell me about that experience.” 

 

“Honestly, I was still on a high from the VHL draft and when they picked me at 2nd, I couldn’t believe it. It was just such a surreal moment realizing that I could kind of see my future, like, where I would be playing next season and for, hopefully, many seasons after that in Riga.” 

 

“What does your family think about you moving to Europe? I’m sure there’s a bit of mixed emotion seeing you move so far away to play hockey.” 

 

“Yeah, definitely a little bit, like you said, obviously they’re all super supportive, but, you know, obviously, there were some tears when they dropped me off at the airport. I’m sure I’ll be able to see them a fair bit if they travel here for games. They’re already planning on coming to my first game here in Vasteras so we’re all super excited for that.” 

 

“What will that mean to you—your first game in the E with your family in attendance? I remember last offseason we spoke about you making the jump up to the M and I think you proved pretty quickly that you belonged in that league. Do you have any nervous energy going into this season?” 

 

“It’ll mean the world to me to have my family there. They’ve been with me throughout the whole journey so having them there for the first one will be super special. Like, I guess I’m maybe a little bit nervous, but, like, nothing crazy. I mean, a little bit of nervousness is good, right? Like, it kind of gets you going and I think it really helps me focus. Like, if I’m not nervous, maybe I’m not taking it seriously enough. So, yeah...” 

 

“Do you put a lot of pressure on yourself to perform at a high level?” 

 

“I guess, yeah, I definitely have high expectations for myself, but I also just love to play, so I obviously want to be at my best and I expect to play well, but if things are kind of off, I guess I don’t beat myself up over it too much. At the end of the day, I’m just so lucky to be playing this game.” 

 

“I think that’s a great mentality to have. Just take it as it comes and enjoy every moment.” 

 

“Exactly!” Lucy smiled brightly. 

 

“I wanted to ask you about your new teammates—particularly, an old teammate who will be playing with you in Vasteras. Ondrej Vencko @Mutti was also selected by the Iron Eagles, as well as a couple of rivals of yours from the Reapers, Jorgen Lovstrom @Pifferfish and Yermolai Nabokov @fonziGG. On top of that, another high VHL draft pick in Gianfranco Del Rocco @Victor was also drafted by Vasteras. What do you think of being teammates with all of them now?” 

 

“I can’t even tell you how happy I am, honestly! I’m so glad Ondra is here. He’s just such a funny and amazing personality and an incredible player, and to have Lovstrom too? Like, our goalies have to be the best in the E, right? I also heard that they’re kinda drinking buddies in the offseason when we’re supposed to be in ‘training camp’, so maybe now that we’re all teammates they’ll let me join them! Nabokov, I don’t know too well, but I’ve heard great things about him too, and he was obviously incredible last season so I’m super excited to have him on the team.  We were actually both drafted to Riga as well, so I’m sure I’ll get to know him pretty well in future. —And Del Rocco! I was honestly surprised Vasteras didn’t take him at 2nd overall, what a player!” 

 

“It must be nice that you’ll have at least one other former Houston Bull on Vasteras with you after so many were picked in these drafts.” 

 

“Absolutely! I was honestly hoping that there would be more, but of all the people it could have been, Ondra is the best—no offense to anyone else! I love them all!” 

 

“What do you think of the team’s chances to compete for the VHLE championship this year?” 

 

“I mean, with all the talent that Z @Zetterberg brought in with the draft, plus the players we already have on the roster, I really like our chances! It’s obviously a long season and a lot can happen, but right now I absolutely believe we have a chance, and talking with some of the others, we’re all really excited to get started!” 

 

“Yeah, so with the season starting in less than a week, how are you preparing for the start of the VHLE season? I know you’ll be attending the World Juniors for Team USA, but do you think you’ll be prepared once the regular season starts?” 

 

“Definitely, I’ve been training all offseason to get better, really working on my defensive game and trying to play bigger. I’m obviously not the biggest person on the ice, but I know the levels go up in the E, including physicality, so I’m just trying to do everything I can to be ready for that. But I’m feeling really confident that my game is in a much better place now than at the end of the playoffs. I’m just feeling ready.” 

 

“And what about the World Juniors, how do you feel about your chances in that tournament? It must be an honor being able to wear your country’s colors, right?” 

 

“Yes! Oh, I can’t wait. I’ve wanted to play for the national team my whole life, so this is like a dream for me. It’s gonna be so cool putting on those jerseys and skating out against Canada in game one—like, I just can’t wait. I think we have a good chance in the tournament too, like, we’ve got a solid lineup and it’ll be great to be on the same team as Abenduct again for this tournament. I think he and Gul Dukat are going to be a monster pair if the coach puts them together!” 

 

We continued our chat for a while longer. I ordered a second coffee in the meantime, still trying to keep up with Lucy’s energy, though it seemed no amount of magic bean juice was going to get me to that level. Just before we concluded, I asked her, “Now that you’ve finished your first full season of professional hockey, have your goals changed at all? When we spoke in the last offseason, you were focused on helping the Bulls win. I know it was a disappointing end to that run, but do you feel you accomplished what you set out to do? And what is your goal for this season?” 

 

Lucy seemed to think for a few moments before answering, “Wow, yeah, I’m definitely still getting over that loss to Philly. It was heartbreaking, honestly. I mean, we didn’t get the Founder’s Cup like we all wanted—like I had hoped, I guess, but I don’t think the season was a failure. Just seeing how far we came is so incredible to look back on and I think it’s really kind of changed my perspective. I still want to win— I want to win this season, of course, but I kinda feel like how we came together as a team was even more important in the end. I’ve never had a season quite like that run with the Bulls and I really hope it’s not the last. It would have been so much sweeter if we had won, and I’m not satisfied with losing, but that’s the game, I guess. So, like, not much changes this season really, but I feel like maybe my first goal is bringing the same team energy that we had in Houston here to Vasteras. I really think if we have the whole team on the same page that way, the sky is the limit to what we can accomplish, and a championship will kind of take care of itself. I don’t know, it’s a good question.  

 

“Last one, where do you see yourself in five years?” 

 

“That’s easy,” Lucy smiled, “I’m having my day with the Continental Cup in Riga.” 

 

Riga, Latvia

 

For a player with only one season of pro experience, her goals are lofty, but her self-expectation is higher. Certainly, the road to a Continental Cup in five years will be a difficult one.  Still to play her first game with Vasteras, Leitner has a long road ahead of her just to get to that opening faceoff as she heads back to the US for the World Juniors this week. While she exudes the energy of someone who takes every minute as it comes, allowing the moment to shape her experience, her long-term goal is set in the stars. Whether or not she reaches it remains to be seen. 

 

Saying our goodbyes, I caught myself exhaling tiredly. I think Lucy noticed it too as she flashed me a knowing grin, leaving the coffee shop for a waiting cab. 

 

Light travels fast. 

 

 

 

Lauren Lambert for VHL.com

3/14/24 - 2938 words                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Edited March 21 by LucyXpher

[ace_five_ 126]

Review:

Beautiful piece of writing. This truly felt like something that would be published on a big sports website. Easy to read and very professional writing overall. I like how both voices in the piece were unique and you could tell the difference between them easily. Even if you hadn’t said any names before or after a quote, you could tell who was speaking by there tone, cadence, and vocabulary. Incredibly well done, I look forward to reading Vasteras’ journey this season!
10/10

[UghSike 198]

Who wrote this?

Just kidding. Unmistakable.

Are you claiming the next 5 months with this?

Also, kidding. Great work! Deserves like ALL the TPE EVER!

[LucyXpher 554]

17 minutes ago, UghSike said:

Who wrote this?

Just kidding. Unmistakable.

Are you claiming the next 5 months with this?

Also, kidding. Great work! Deserves like ALL the TPE EVER!

Thank you! You’re too kind lol.  I don’t think I can even claim next week with this since it’s a career pt but it’s cool, I’ve got other plans for next week.

[LucyXpher 554]

1 hour ago, ace_five_ said:

Review:

Beautiful piece of writing. This truly felt like something that would be published on a big sports website. Easy to read and very professional writing overall. I like how both voices in the piece were unique and you could tell the difference between them easily. Even if you hadn’t said any names before or after a quote, you could tell who was speaking by there tone, cadence, and vocabulary. Incredibly well done, I look forward to reading Vasteras’ journey this season!
10/10

Thanks so much for your review!  I’m glad the dialogue was easy enough to follow. I lie to avoid naming characters ever time they speak, but I’ve also read pieces where that makes dialogue very confusing. Glad to hear it worked out here!

[Crstats23 328]

Oslo vs Vasteras Is: the Houston war