Gabriel Akerstrom | Rookie Experience

[Mason 81]

 

 

Gabriel Akerstrom - Rookie Experience

 

There's no denying that the prospect of playing his rookie season in the VHL is something that’s been weighing on the mind of Gabriel Akerstrom during the recent weeks. After having been a surprise first round pick for the Helsinki Titans in the S74 draft, he spent the previous season back playing in the VHLM before finally getting the chance to try and show them that he was worth the draft choice that they used on him. When it comes to setting expectations for the season, Gabriel has made a point of trying to be as realistic as possible. Being a defenseman at the professional level is a hard task to grow into, and in order to avoid falling into a trap of self doubt if he cannot reach overly lofty expectations, Gabriel decided that a more pragmatic approach would be in his best interest.

 

His most basic goal is to not make his team worse than they would be without him. If he can avoid making mistakes and being a liability when he’s out on the ice, that’s enough for Gabriel at this stage of his career. The chance to learn from those around him and work hard on improving with every game is something that he’s certainly looking forward to. Gabriel has also decided that it’s important for him to make sure that any mistakes he does make are used as opportunities to learn and improve in the future, that’s fine with him. Nobody comes into the league knowing everything, and the most important thing for him at this stage is building a foundation for future success.

I wouldn’t say that Gabriel has any reservations about making the jump to the big league at this point. He’s spent a lot of time mentally preparing for this moment and the pressures that come along with it, and as such, he’s glad that he had the extra season spent in the VHLM to improve on various aspects of his game before being thrown to the wolves. He isn’t the biggest name player we’re going to see make their debut this season, but he’s hoping that he’ll be able to help his team out and show just a little bit of the flair that lead to them drafting him. He’s got a lot to learn, but everyone has to start somewhere and Gabriel Akerstrom is incredibly excited to face the challenges that his rookie season is going to bring.

 

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