Story Of A VHL Backup

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Life Of A Backup

 

This is the story of a Austrian goaltender who has made a career as a backup in the VHL. In S66 Clayton Park was drafted 27th overall by a rebuilding Seattle team. Due to the fact the team was in a rebuild with a promising young goaltender they made him the starter in his first season. It was a tough season for the Rookie as his record was 19-30-9 with a 3.59 GAA.

 

The following offseason he waved his no trade clause & was dealt to Riga. However, Riga had a starter they believed in so Park was rewarded the backup position. In his first season with Riga he showed slight improvement as his GAA decreased to 3.01. In S68 he had his best year putting up a incredible 2.01 GAA & getting slightly more opportunities to play.

 

Coming off his best season of his VHL career he decided to part ways with Riga & signed with Malmo! That brings us to this season (S69), where Park saw a huge decrease in playing time & finished the season with a 3.05 GAA. However, Malmo did make that playoffs so he will have an opportunity to be part of a potential cup run.

 

In terms of Park’s VHL career it’s been a struggle with lots of ups & downs. It would appear that the Austrian only has 2-3 more seasons left, but he says he determined to keep improving & earn a starting position. Will Park remain a backup for the rest of his VHL career? Will he finally earn a starting position again? Will he be part of a championship winning team? Who knows... time will tell but I know one thing this guy doesn’t quit! 

Edited December 23, 2019 by leafssteen