Hello Europe. It’s me, Wladyslaw Mintus.

[mintusaurus 36]

Hello Europe,

 

It’s me, Wladyslaw Mintus, but you can call me Wlad.

 

When I was first drafted 37th last season by Oslo, I could not wait to join them. Of course I was excited to start my VHL career with Houston in the VHLM last season, but I was eager to get to Europe. It wasn’t just to further my career though, I mean it was a big part of it, but the other part was much nerdier. In high school, my favorite subject was History. I was fascinated by the politics and battlefields of World War 2. I knew that once the season got underway, it would be incredibly difficult to explore, so that is why I got into Oslo much earlier than necessary after my VHLM season in Houston. I stayed a short time state-side and left early for Oslo, planning to have my own Eurotrip, with a few of my buddies from back home.

 

Since Europe is a big place, I decided we should check out the area of each team in the VHLE. Since I mentioned Eurotrip earlier, I thought I would start with Bratislava, where Miami Vice was no longer the number one show. It had been replaced with House M.D.

 

Vasteras was an excellent time. Just walking around in the same town where one of my favorites, Nick Lidstrom, had played. Rome was so full of ancient history, it was hard to take in all at once. I did a brief overview of some of the top spots. I was very excited about Cologne. World War history was all around. Imagining how life was like pre-war, then post-war. Getting to see some of the pre-war buildings that were still standing was like looking back through time.

 

Stockholm was beautiful. The scenery is simply amazing. It was great to learn more about the viking history of the area too. Finally, we got to Oslo. We got to experience more viking age history and found some more great museums. My favorite was the Norway Resistance Museum, which cataloged the Norse resistance against the Nazi’s who occupied Oslo from 1940 to 1945.

 

I said goodbye to my friends, and now that I had a historical off-season (sorry about the pun, it was not intended), it was time to get down to business. Meeting my new teammates was great. I got to meet people from all over and learn new things. Even though we were not having a great season and would miss the playoffs, I had a great time. I came in with no expectations, just wanting to play a game I love and hopefully get better at it. I was able to accomplish both of those goals. Make no mistake, the hunt for a ‘Ship is still on, and I am still leveling up to get it.

 

I am not going to say goodbye,  just,  "I’ll be seeing you around"!