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*Otrebor13* · 07-21-2022, 11:07 AM

I’m going to rewind a little, all the way back to Season 46. I decided I would come back, give the SHL another chance after taking a very long hiatus. The SMJHL just happened, and I was a free agent, ready and willing to sign for a team that wanted me. There was some interest in me, but I think my username was long forgotten, and all the new guys around the league had no clue who I was, so finding an SMJHL team was going to be interesting. Luckily for me, the Vancouver Whalers had Daco on their team, someone who was around in the early years of the SHL and remembered me from when we used to be teammates. He put in a good word with Luke and Glyc (Then managers of the Whalers) and they signed me. Little did I know, this would be the beginning of something great.

I knew what it took to be good and make an impact, and that was consistency. Sure you might miss a couple of PTs here or there, and you may not even earn as much as your peers, but if you stuck it out the longest, and continued to update, you’d be a stand out player, and that’s what I did. I was very fortunate to be put on a team with such a desire to win, that we continued to go out there and try to get a cup, before eventually winning the Four Star Cup with Vancouver in Season 48. That feeling was unbelievable, finally getting that trophy right before getting the call to the big leagues.

Fast forward a little bit to Season 56. Expansion in the SHL had just happened, and I made the decision to test the Free Agent market. It wasn’t an easy decision, as I had just come off a Jay McDonald trophy campaign with the Edmonton Blizzard, but I wanted to see what was out there. Some nostalgia eventually pulled me in the direction of signing with the Hamilton Steelhawks, and little did I know what was to come from that. I was starting to hit my peak, and Hamilton just knew how to deploy me and the rest of the team that I became a force in the league. With their help I was able to break goal records, win numerous league MVPs, win Challenge Cups, win Jay McDonald trophies, playoff trophies, and even became the first SHL player to reach 100 or more points in a single season. While none of my 66 game era records stand today, what I was able to accomplish was incredible, and this was from me just wanting to try the league out again. I wasn’t the highest earner in my draft class, but I was one of the most successful.

With my new journey beginning now, and so many new recruits joining the league, this serves as a reminder that if you are consistently earning, you will eventually make an impact in the SHL. I was extremely fortunate to have my peak align with a time where Hamilton was consistently one of the strongest teams in the league, which may not happen for everyone. However, if the effort is there, the rest of the stats and accolades will follow.