Andrew Su - A Rookie Experience

[Da_Berr 219]

 

The VHL, I mean everyone, who's ever played hockey in their lives has the dream of playing on one of those rinks. I was no different, just being scouted and being able to play in the VHLM was already a dream come true. Not to mention being an impactful player on the cup winning team. Entering the VHL entry draft, I was expecting to go the top 10 overall for sure. After all, I was the second-best center right after the first overall pick SS-Hornet. Hell, I was so sure I made a meme about retiring right after being drafted. Looking back, that one comment may have cost me my top 10 draft spot. Coming up to the draft, I was starting to get worried as the only two teams that had contacted me were VAN and DAV. Even with that, I was still confident in myself. When I dropped to the second round, I was devastated, but I've been working hard to prove all the GMs who skipped me that they were wrong. 

 

So far, it has become a dream come true. Being able to play with legends that I watched on TV when I was younger has got to be one of the greatest experiences of my life. HHH and Smitty both were great mentors while they were still with the team, and I learned a lot from them. I expected to come into the league struggling as the majors are a completely different game than the M, but obviously, I didn't expect myself to have this rough of a rookie season. It was also a shock for me to come out only playing 15 minutes a night, but as a rookie, I guess I shouldn't have expected more. Seeing some of the leaders of the locker room and legends get traded away was also a tough sight personally. I honestly wanted more time to learn from people like HHH, Freeman and Smitty, but unfortunately, the team just wasn't performing. I appreciate the other young guns that came into this team with me and have formed a bond with them after all we had to go through hazing together. But, I sometimes feel like I'm not contributing as much as the other guys. It hasn't helped that the team has gone through a few scandals lately, with Gino being cancelled on all media platforms and Proto announcing him quitting the league. Recently it has become better though, even with some of the mentor figures on the team leaving we've been slowly climbing towards a playoff spot. I've even picked up my game recently with a couple of points in the last 5 games. Overall I'm looking forward to the future I have with VAN and all the other great guys on the team.