Lesieur's Jitters - And Determination

[KC15 340]

Guy Lesieur is overjoyed by the trade that sent him from the Riga Reign, who had selected him as the 6^th pick in the recent VHL draft, to the D.C. Dragons. But that joy is also tinged with some concern. D.C. gave up a couple of extra draft picks in order to ensure that Lesieur came to D.C. and he has some butterflies in his stomach when he considers, “was he worth it?” A player is always hoping that he measures up and the bar has just been raised for what “measuring up” means. He can’t just be as good as a number 6 or 7 overall pick – enough pressure as it is – he has to be that good, plus the value of those other two third round picks.

 

And with the respect he has for his GMs, captain, Aaltonen, and assistant captain, Jerwa, his concern to not let them down mounts. True, he has the same normal concern that any player has to not let down his coaches and teammates, but already looking up to the leadership before he even heard his name called in the draft just ups the ante.

 

And of course, there is the issue of playing in the VHL after only one year in juniors. This is made possible by the nature of an expansion team in its early years, but while he was gearing up to play against others his age and level of experience down in the juniors, and maybe having a better than 60 point season, now he is playing against grizzled veterans of the VHL. Will he measure up or will he be a liability to his team?

 

Lesieur’s response to these concerns, of course, is simply to work harder and glean every bit of knowledge he can from his coaches, captains and teammates. He will not let his team down!

[zepheter 586]

You'll live up to the hype I'm sure of it. D.C. could surprise a lot of people this season or next.