A Sit Down with Arnie [2/2]

[bluesfan55 103]

Today, the Iceland Monitor is pleased to announce that we have been able to snag an interview with Icelandic VHL player Arnor Sigurdsson. Our very own Thörbjorn Gunnvaldsson flew out to Riga to interview the 18-year-old rookie after practice. 

 

TG: Arnor, it’s a pleasure to meet you! Do you mind if I ask you some questions? 

 

AS: Go ahead! Fire away. 

 

TG: It’s well understood that you struggled in your first stint in North America with the Ottawa Lynx of the VHLM, going scoreless in 15 regular season games before not even registering a point in the playoffs. What are the factors that contributed to this lack of production? 

 

AS: Well, I think it was just me getting adjusted to the North American game. I’d just come over from Sweden, where the rinks are larger and the players are a bit less physical, so getting adjusted to the smaller rinks and more physical play was a bit of a struggle. I mean, I was able to register 19 hits in those 15 games with the Lynx, but I wasn’t able to control the game as well as I did back in Iceland and Sweden. That was a huge factor. 

 

TG: I remember watching the VHLM Dispersal Draft before last season and watching your face slowly get angrier and angrier after you were passed on by almost every team until Yukon snapped you up with the 19th pick. Were you angry over your draft position?

 

AS: YES! I felt that my TPE production had spoken for itself despite my lack of scoring in the VHLM in S64, so I was hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. I still ended up in a good position, as Yukon was building a very good team, and we’d make a playoff run, but I was fuming during the draft and told myself to make a point: prove every single team that passed on me wrong for doing so. 

 

TG: Now, to that magical S65 VHLM season for you. Yukon has a great team, with Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Anthony Matthews, and you. And you have a great season, averaging slightly over a point per game as the Rush are eliminated in the second round. How did you feel during that season?

 

AS: It was truly a magical season, as you said. I was just feeling it the entire season. I played most of the season with Matthews and Sami [Van Den Dreissche], and we all had fairly good seasons. I scored 77 points, Anthony had a staggering 101, and Sami had 31. Let’s not discount HHH though. The man scored a massive 125 points, won league MVP, and carried my ass to a point per game status. 

 

TG: And now you play with HHH and Matthews again with Riga, who’ve had a great start to the season. They’re currently third in the Europe Division, 1 point behind Helsinki in second and 2 behind Malmo in first. What’s it like to play with them again? 

 

AS: It’s fantastic. HHH and Matthews were two of my favorite teammates, even though they seem to have a bit of a friendly rivalry. I myself am playing with Tony on the “All-Rookie” line (My man Chico Smeb is there too), and he’s been back to his old tricks. While he only has 4 points, he’s been a key guy on our line. I have 5 points, which is pretty good in my opinion. HHH has 10 already! He should be a lock for Rookie of the Year. Chico Smeb, my other line mate, actually leads our line in points with 6. He’s been really good since we got him from Davos in a trade. I love playing with them. They’re so much fun to play with, and I really love Riga. 

 

TG: Well, thanks for taking time out of your hectic schedule, Arnor. The entire country is rooting for you and Bjorn Scorringson!

 

AS: Thanks, Thörbjorn! It was a pleasure!

[Mr_Hatter 1,608]

Review: Really good work with this interview! The formatting looks great, and I really like your writing style, it feels very natural. Keep it up!

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

Review

A nice quik interview that flowed well. Obviously, some color and a pic would go a long way. Other than that, I have nothing else to say. Great work!