leafssteen 50 Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 The Beginning Cap’n Crunch was born Sept 23rd, 1996 in Riga, Latvia. At a young age he discovered his love for the game. At the age of 4 he was playing road hockey most nights with his father or watching hockey at the local rink. At the age of 5 his Dad signed him up for a recreational hockey league. His Dad quickly realized he made a great decision as his son had pure talent and would go on to play competitive hockey the next few years. Although there wasn't excessive amounts of talented players in Riga, Cap’n had something special and stood out. Cap'n playing hockey at a young age High School / World Juniors In his first year of high school he tried out for the hockey team and easily made it, as a first line defenceman. In his first season he did spectacular as he picked up 27 assist and 11 goals in 40 games. However it’s what happened early in the season that may have been the biggest impact on his career. In mid-October he received a call from the head coach of Team Latvia, telling him he had been selected to play in the upcoming world juniors. This was the first time he realized that he had a special talent. He knew this was his big chance to show the scouts across the world, the talent he had. He did not disappoint, He scored 2 goals and picked up 6 assist in only 5 games. Team Latvia was eliminated early; however this could be something much bigger for superstar Cap’n Crunch. A few days had passed then he received a phone call that would change his life forever, He would be in the QMJHL draft. This was a big change, as he would have to move to Canada. However he knew this was his big opportunity to make it to the big leagues. Cap'n scoring for Team Latvia Junior Hockey The big day had finally arrived, Draft day. The Halifax Mooseheads drafted Cap’n Crunch in the 10th round. He had heard good things about the Mooseheads and the city of Halifax, so he was excited for the journey. However from that point on he spent most of his time training, to make sure he was ready for the beginning of the season. On September 23rd he played his first regular season game with the herd and he did not disappoint. In his first game as a moose he recorded 3 assist. This was the beginning of a legendary season for this 2nd line defenceman. He would go on to have an impressive rookie season as he scored 13 goals and picked up 31 assist in 64 games. All eyes were on Cap’n, the fans, the coaches and players loved him. Unfortunately the Mooseheads fell 2 points out of the playoffs. The next season would turn out to be a terrifying. In his first game he would put up 1 goal and pick up 2 assist. However it’s what happened in the 2nd game that could have ruined his career. Cap’n was skating through centre, when he was blindsided and hit the ice hard. He remained on the ice for a while after, and then was taken off on a stretcher. The next day the Halifax Mooseheads released, that he had suffered a serious concussion and would mostly likely miss the remaining of season. They were indeed correct; He missed all the remaining games. The fans, scouts, teammates and family were hoping to hear some good news in the future. He was nervous that this could be the end of his career or could ruin his chances. However a miracle happened and he was cleared from the Injury reserve 3 weeks into his 3rd season with the Halifax Mooseheads. With all the time he had missed, everyone hoped he would come back and put on a good show. He did not disappoint, he would go on to score 26 goals and pick up 37 assist for a total of 63 points in only 57 games. Then came the playoffs, It was a hard played post season by the Mooseheads but they fell short late in the QMJHL playoffs. However Cap’n played his heart out as he scored 3 goals and picked up 9 assist in only 8 games! This was the end of his career with the herd, but some his best moments to date, were with the Mooseheads. One of few Cap'n fights VHLM The next stop was the VHLM draft. This was the next step to his dream of someday playing in the VHL. The Turku Outlaws drafted him in the 2nd round, 19th overall. However this is not where he will play this upcoming season. A few days after the draft, Cap’n Crunch was traded to the Minot Gladiators in exchange for a Season 43 3rd round draft pick. He was thrilled to be joining the Gladiators as an old friend from junior hockey; Paul Ready would be his teammate. In less than a week, Cap’n Crunch will make his VHLM debut with the Minot Gladiators. Cap'n Crunch & Paul Ready in junior Pros His best feature would have to be his outstanding shot. He has a very hard and accurate shot that many goalies find hard to stop. When he played in the QMJHL he was said to have the hardest shot in the league. This is a shot you should be afraid of; if you block one of his shots you may not get back up. Another one of his great strengths is his skating. He has always been a very fast skater, which is very important for a two way defensamen. He can skate the puck up the ice to create a chance or he can skate back to make a nice defensive play. However he is lucky he worked so hard on skating in the past because at 250 lbs, that is a lot of weight to be carrying around. Another big thing scouts love about him, Is his ability to see the play before it happens. Just like Wayne Gretzky he can read the play and position himself in an effective way. This is a talent a lot of players don’t have and should not be taken lightly. This is something that makes him stand out among other defenseman in the VHLM. Cons One thing he needs to work on is his physical play. Playing defense is often a very physical job, he needs to find a way to play more physical hockey. I feel if he becomes more physical it will make him an all-around better defenceman. However with this being said he has to be careful, he cannot be so physical to the point where he begins to take stupid penalties. Another thing he has to work on is his puck handling. He does not have horrible puck control but it could use some improvement. Puck control for a defenceman is a key aspect because you never want to lose control of the puck in your own zone or even worse in front of your own net. This could make a big difference in his game, if he takes the time to work on it. Another con is that he has very little experience. Before being drafted in the VHLM, he only actually played 2 seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads. This is something that will come with time, he will have to adapt to playing professional hockey. If he continues to train hard and play his heart out, I think he will have a bright future. 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701 309 Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Great job! leafssteen 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leafssteen 50 Posted December 4, 2014 Author Share Posted December 4, 2014 (edited) Thank you !!!! I worked on it all morning lol Edited December 4, 2014 by leafssteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3vilsfire 132 Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I read through and overall it was good. A bunch of grammar/punctuation errors was really the only mishaps i saw. You do seem to like to write in simple sentences which is fine, but kinda felt abrupt. If i was grading id give u a 0.5 off for grammar but that should round up to the full points. Now my opinion doesnt matter, but im bored and dont want to do hmwk, and u were complaining so i gave it a read.. Now why im still typing idk.. Probably to just make the ending seem less awk.. *mic drop* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Admin Will 4,616 Posted December 10, 2014 Senior Admin Share Posted December 10, 2014 Overview: 3/3 Nice job with this overall. What held it back was the minor grammar issues but other than it was a concise, informative, and well written overview of your player and his career up to this point. Grammar: 2/2 There was a lot of minor issues with grammar but really nothing too serious and based on the length this took to be graded it doesn't need to be docked. Presentation: 1/1 The tiny pictures don't really do much do help the look of it, but you have headings and boldings. Pros: 2/2 All good. Cons: 2/2 Yep. Overall: 10/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank 4,832 Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Claimed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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