Miami Marauders' New D-Man

[ahockeyguy 110]

               “With the 29^th overall pick in the Season 72 VHLM Draft, the expansion Miami Marauders select…Wolf Stansson, defenseman, Iceland!”

 

               At that moment, it didn’t matter to Wolf Stansson if anyone heard or even reacted. “It was such a great feeling. It was like I couldn’t hear or notice anything else,” he said, gazing off into the distance as he answered. Waiting at home and watching the first two rounds of the draft go by, Stansson was confident his time would come. However, each new pick brought a nagging sense of worry—maybe he wouldn’t be picked until much later, or not at all, he wondered.

 

               “There’s always that feeling—you know what the prospect board says, and all the projections, and all of that. But there’s always this feeling that maybe they got it wrong. Maybe I wouldn’t make it in the  VHLM after all. I didn’t really start thinking to that particular conclusion until the second round ended,” he recalls.

 

               But at the end of that second round, Stansson found he didn’t have to wait any longer. The Miami Marauders were up and, as everyone knew, they needed people at all positions. When they drafted him, the Marauders were just thinking, probably, that he would be a good second-pairing D-man, able to play two ways and a lot of upside. What Stansson was thinking was that he was relieved, and ecstatic, to be picked. “There’s something truly exciting about playing for an expansion franchise. You get to set the tone. You get to be first!” Stansson explained.

 

               And there’s more. While he might still be second pairing, there’s a chance Stansson will end up first pairing before it’s all over. The Marauders don’t have a lot of defensemen, and Wolf ranks second on the team in several categories. How the Marauders want to run their tactics may end up dictating where Stansson ends up. Either way, he is sure to get minutes this season. When asked what his expectations for the season were, Stansson replied, “I expect to learn a lot, and grow a lot. Maybe to be humbled as a player. I am used to playing well, and that may not happen to me right away.”

 

               When probed about who he most looks forward to playing with in Miami, Stansson is deferential to his teammates. “Look, we’ve already hung out in the locker room a little bit after the draft,” he says, kicking his leg out gently as he speaks. “These are good guys, good hockey players. Everyone’s really excited to get going and to see what we can accomplish, and what we can set up for the future. Obviously, I’m looking forward to playing with my fellow blue-liners: Kramerev, Johansen, Auzins, it’s gonna be fun.”

 

               This inaugural season is going to be very difficult for the Marauders rookies, as it contains many more games than they are used to. It’s going to try them mentally, emotionally, and physically. Some of them may not make it through unscathed. This group of draftees, headlined by first-round pick Andre Lebastard, should be a very interesting one to watch. How they interact with Wolf Stansson, whom I have covered since he arrived in North America approximately a year ago, and what degree of success they have—well that remains to be seen.

Edited May 19, 2020 by ahockeyguy

[Andre LeBastard 112]

Im liking this article very much. The waterfall has me transfixed. I enjoyed reading this article as well. The writing style makes me jealous, so im just going to copy n paste anything you write for my own point tasks. seriously though it is very conversational and easy to parse. Me like.

 

The formatting is professional, complete with indented first paragraphs, oh my! One thing: I have noticed that many writers, when mentioning other players, tag them - I guess is the right phrase. Like this: @ahockeyguy, I think it would encourage more people to read the article and it adds a little contrast to the text.

 

One other thing I would do is bold and/or increase the font size of the title quote...as it attracts the eye and makes thing stand out a bit.

 

Other than that it was a great read and I was impressed with the style and composion, Top stuff man!

 

8/10