Oh wow, St Louis? I had never been here before. Should I admit that I had to even look it up on Google maps to see where it is? Probably not, these players seem intent and passionate about the Scarecrows. I feel really intimidated…I have never played on a team that has players of this quality. He has never been on the ice with people that were even close to his size, let alone as big, if not bigger than him.

What would they think? Would they chuckle at my lack of SHL gear? Would they wonder about me as much as I am wondering about them? What about my fellow draftees? What kind of guys are Mathias and David? I mean, I did briefly speak to them, but it is tough to gauge who a person is in one of those short meetings.

Here it is, the first day. As I walked into the locker room, I realize that I am the last one to get there…great…wonderful first impression. I had gone to a short “training” session with Alexa and Mathias where I realized that I still has much to learn. But how was today going to be, with the rest of the team? Mathias and Alexa came up and greeted me, big smiles, handshakes and pats on the back…yea, felt really welcoming for sure.

I am shown to my locker, right beside my fellow rookie defender Mathias. We chatted about the team, the stars who were returning to the team and the free agents who were joining for the first time.

Alexa explained the history of the team, that from this point on, no matter what, we would be part of the Crows. They would support us in our development, share their knowledge with us and push us to excel.

Yea, I feel overwhelmed, but damn, what a ride this is going to be for sure!

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