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TMI · 08-07-2018, 04:43 PM

I had no expectations or idea as to what I was getting myself into when I signed my papers to enter the SHL. At first it was exciting, the prospect of getting to play professional hockey on a major stage. Then in an instant it was a bit terrifying, being herded around with all the other prospects like cattle, being shuttled from place to place to get inspected by a bunch of independent doctors. All of that was followed up by rounds of interviews with various teams, asking anything and everything, trying to find out all they can about us in order to try and make an informed decision on who to draft. There were a ton of us and I'm not saying that out of hyperbole, there was something like 100 or so of us all trying to prove we were better than the next. It was easy to get lost in the crowd and I feel like that's kind of what happened to me. I ended up being drafted with the last pick in the seventh round by the Vancouver Whalers. Obviously that's a bit later than I had wanted to be drafted, but I was still drafted nonetheless and there were still 26 others who were drafted after me. That didn't matter though, it was on to Vancouver.

When I arrived in Vancouver, it was overwhelming. I had made quick friends with Johannes Leitner, a fellow countryman from Austria, who was chosen with the exact same pick as me, but one round before. We didn't really know what was in store for us, but we figured it would be a good idea to stick together. I was dead set on coming in and working as hard as I could and was hoping that'd lead to getting in good favor with the coaches and in turn lead to a good amount of ice time.....at least that was the plan in my head. On the first day of practice, the first thing I noticed was that there was a lot of guys out on the ice. It just so happened that a lot of guys from last season were being sent back down to work on their game. So not only were there seven new draftees, but also guys with a year or more under their belt. That didn't matter too much to me though, "just work hard" is all I kept saying in my head. After the first week of practices had concluded the head coach pulled me aside. I wasn't sure what our conversation was going to be about, but I thought I had put in good work so I was optimistic. I was told that due to the amount of players on the roster there was going to be a rotation that was going be put in place and that I was first out. That was about as big of a crushing blow as could have happened to me.

At this point I was starting to question myself and my abilities. I had put in good work and here I was being a healthy scratch as the preseason games started. I convinced myself it was ok though, I'd just have to prove myself with what little ice time I got. The preseason came and went, however, and I had still yet to even get on the ice even for a minute. "Ok, well maybe I'll get some time in the real games now," I had said to myself trying to stay positive. Then regular season games came and went and I was still a healthy scratch. Admittedly I had no idea what the actual rotations were supposed to be and at this point I had lost track of all of that, but surely I would have seen the ice by now. Bad thoughts started to creep up and I had even contemplated just retiring all together and going back home to do something else completely. That was kind of the tipping point. That's when things took a sharp turn. I knew I had to speak up, so I went to one of the coaches and let him know my displeasure. Maybe it wasn't in the best of ways, but I'm not one to just sit by and watch when I feel something needs to be said. Maybe it's also the fire that burns inside me that drives my passion for this game. Either way it was now known by my coaches. From that point I had actually started getting into games, but something was off. I feel like it was just the lack of game experience from sitting so long that made me rusty. That's not really an excuse for poor performance though. Nevertheless after 15 games played averaging 9.61 minutes a game I became the first SMJHL player to be traded this season.

This was quite a bittersweet moment for me. I was glad for the time that I had spent in Vancouver learning from the other players and coaches and thankful they found an opportunity for me to move on to a place that I would be able to see more regular ice time, while in turn they were able to swap a player who had been drafted in the 6th round for a future 2nd round pick. It was also a bit of a sad moment as I was leaving my friend Leitner, but in the end it was mostly happy as I was ready to head to Detroit for the opportunity to contribute.

Upon arriving to Detroit I found the guys on the team to be very welcoming and it felt like a great place for me to be from the get go. It was a quick process when I got there as I had to get acquainted with my new teammates and coaches, as well as get my living situation sorted out and all of that. It was a bit of a whirlwind process, but by this time I had become a bit more used to it and it was a little less painful. I was able to get a few practices in with my new team before I laced my skates up as a member of the Falcons for the first official time. I was excited and nervous as it felt like my very first game all over again. I played 10 minutes and 36 seconds that game, but it was really exciting as I found myself on the ice to start the third quarter and found myself on the receiving end of a great pass that I was able to smack right past the goalie. A goal on my first shot with the Falcons after I had 1 goal total in the 15 games in Vancouver. I got off to a pretty hot start for the Falcons to say the least, and while things may have slowed down a little bit recently, I think that I'm showing what I am capable of given consistent ice time. So far I've put in 5 goals and added 2 assists to my total and I'm just genuinely happy about what I've been able to accomplish so far.

I have nothing but love and respect for Vancouver and their coaches and am grateful the way that things have worked out for the both of us. For now I'm just focused on continuing to get better each and every day and learn from all my teammates and coaches and am eager to do good things for the city of Detroit. I have no idea what the next step in my professional journey will be, but each and every step has brought me to this point so I'm grateful for all of it. I promise you this though, I'll only be getting better from here and one day you will definitely know who I am if you don't already.