The Thomas Landry II Rookie Experience

[Doomsday 4,130]

The Thomas Landry II Rookie Experience

 

Although I've always enjoyed playing in the VHLM, we don't aspire to spend the bulk of our careers there. I had great experiences with Halifax and San Diego, meeting guys like Jaxx Hextall, Uhtred, and Ike Bennett, along with developing into the player I always knew I could be. Winning the Matt Bentz Trophy and being named First Team All-VHLM isn't something that pro scouts put much stock in, but I couldn't have been more proud to receive those honors. It was physical, undeniable proof that my hard work was being noticed and was paying off. 

 

Draft Day was such a surreal experience. I didn't get interviewed at all before being drafted into the VHLM, so it was a bit of a surprise when a good 2/3rd of the league general managers spoke to me leading up to the draft. I'd definitely been noticed, and those teams were comfortable with making me a future piece of their teams. However, I had heard from one general manager before all the others, and that was Jason Glasser of the Prague Phantoms. I was still with Halifax back in Season 69, and already he had his eye on me. Yet, I couldn't help but be surprised when the Prague Phantoms made me the fifth overall pick a season and a half later. 

 

 

Prague wasn't exactly loaded with draft picks, so Mr. Glasser was placing a lot of faith and expectations on me by taking me with his only selection in the first two rounds. While he also selected a goaltender named Woody McPine that I had met previously, he wouldn't be ready to join us just yet, and well, if his play this season is any indication, the VHL will know who Woody is very soon. But as the only rookie up with the Phantoms in Season 71, I found that I fit in much better than I thought I would. The atmosphere was still somber from their defeat to the Moscow Menace in the playoffs, but I did my best to instill energy into the team, just as my father had done years ago in Davos and Calgary. The Phantoms' locker room needed life, and hopefully I could provide that.

 

Guys like Roll Fizzlebeef, Willie Dredge, and Seabass Perrin were very welcoming and really did their best to make me feel at home. Wolf Stansson Jr. is the type of guy that you feel like you've known your entire life, and we're blessed to have a guy like that. Cinnamon Block is similar in that regard, she's a hell of a woman both on and off the ice. Joel Ylonen joined us before the season, a crafty veteran that turned out to be exactly the type of player we needed. But, to me, it's undeniable who the glue of this team is, and that's goaltender Brick Wahl. It really sucks that it's his final season, because he's been such an invaluable presence for this team on and off the ice. Brick has really been the ideal teammate, always keeping spirits up and bringing us together as a team day after day. As the playoffs roll around, the pressure is on for us to send him out on top with a Continental Cup victory. 

 

 

As the season began, I really wasn't sure what to expect. Rookie scoring has been down, but on the second line, I had plenty of opportunities to contribute, and I certainly did. Being able to go out and play the physical game I did in the M was instrumental for building confidence, and with that, the points came. I consistently was getting a point every other game or so, although it took a while to get that first goal. Being in the top ten of the entire VHL in hits and being at or near the top of the rookie class in scoring was fantastic, as the Phantoms surged out to first place in the conference and the league. The peak of my season was for sure scoring four goals in one game against the Helsinki Titans, which put me into the international spotlight. 

 

From there, though, struggles followed. Not only my offensive game, but seemingly the entire Prague offense seemed to dry up. Brick and Cinnamon proved how valuable they were to this team by continuing to carry us while we searched for answers. Willie Dredge left us through a trade, while Blake Laughton returned through one and we acquired Ondrej Ohradka in the trade in Dredge. Ondrej has been a great addition for us, as he has been a phenomenal teammate and we can offer him the minutes Calgary simply never could. Our team make-up had changed, but somehow, some way, we kept finding ways to win. Once on pace to score over 60 points, I scratched and clawed just trying to hit 40 by season's end, although the wins were what mattered most. In the end, both myself and Prague fell a point short. I missed scoring 20 goals by one, finishing a point shy of 40 at 39, and Prague missed out on home field advantage by a single point, which we could have gotten by winning the shootout in our final game of the season against Helsinki. I'm going to need to be at my very best if I want to accomplish my ultimate goal of winning the Continental Cup this season, and sending off my friends Brick and Joel as the champions they deserve to be. It's time to dig deep and show the VHL who the Prague Phantoms really are.

 

 

Has it been a successful rookie season? I don't know, it's not over just yet, and I don't know if I can ever consider this season truly a success without sending Brick Wahl and Joel Ylonen out on top with a Cup win. But, before the season, I thought 40 points was a bit of a reach for a rookie in this era, yet I nearly did it. The physical element to my game that made me so successful in the VHLM continued, leading the Phantoms in hits with 223. But there's still a lot of work to be done, both with my own game and with this season for Prague. Ask me in another month or so if this season truly winds up being a success, because the story isn't over yet. 

Edited April 29, 2020 by Doomsday