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Dextaria · 04-04-2020, 08:33 PM

Almost the first quarter of the regular season has come to an end and it is about time we catch up again with the Vancouver Whalers’ rookie defenseman, Ryosuke Sato. The first couple games are always a wild ride for incoming rookies to the SMJHL, especially since they are all trying to adjust to the fast paced game compared to the various leagues that they came from. Players shoot harder, skate faster, and these rookies for the most part are no longer the dominant players on the ice. Although, things are a little different for Ryosuke Sato since he was thrown into the top defensive pairing for the Vancouver Whalers. We ask Sato to comment on his experience so far, especially the primetime game against the Anchorage Armada for his first regular season game.

“Oh man these first games, it’s been quite the experience. That first game against Anchorage was a wild one and it was great to have my first game be a primetime game. I recorded my first goal in the SMJHL so that was an amazing feeling. Although, that goal was an empty-netter so I’d like my first real goal haha. As for the rest of the games, I’d say it was a great start but kind of trailed off in intensity as they went along. I know for me personally, I felt as if my stamina wasn’t good enough so I’ve been working with our trainer here to improve that.”

The Whalers so far have a 4-2 record at away but a not so great 1-4 record at home. We wonder what is the difference between playing at home and away for the young rookie, and how he plans to improve his game overall on home ice.

“Yea that record at home is not looking the best. We really gotta play for our fans at home for all their support. The feeling of playing at home is like no other with all the fans cheering and being able to hear our own goal horn when we score. Speaking of our goal horn, the team likes it, management likes it, and most importantly the fans like it. The sound of whale noises really pumps up the crowd and the team, so hopefully we get the volume issue fixed quickly for the remainder of our home games. Maybe that’s all we need to improve our home record haha, and playing harder would help of course.”

Looking at all the rookies on the team, it seems like everyone is really pulling their weight. Especially rookie goaltender, Cal Covid, who is on a remarkable run so far with a 2.74 GAA and a 0.921 SV%. Sato had this to comment about Covid’s amazing play so far.

“Covid’s play has really got the locker room going. He has been keeping us in all the games we’ve played so far and we wouldn’t be where we are without him. I really hope he can keep it up and the team can support him more with a couple more goals. And this is not speaking any less of the other rookies. The team just signed another rookie free agent and all of us have been playing well. I’m surprised you didn’t mention Snail, this guy’s on a hot streak right now. 1 goal and 7 assists, tied for first in points on our team. I really hope he can keep it up as well.”

In a blink of an eye, almost a quarter of the season is done. With the remaining time in the regular season, we ask what else Sato plans to work on to improve his game. He has already mentioned before that he has been improving his stamina.

“In terms of what I’d like to work on for the remainder of the season, definitely the defensive side of my game. Yxskaft has been improving himself offensively so it’s time for me to step up as the defensive partner in this pair. This means I gotta be better at reading the play and correctly positioning myself to best be able to defend the other team. Of course I need to improve my stamina overall for any of this to be effective.”

Well again we’d like to thank Ryosuke Sato for joining us, it has been a pleasure talking to him.

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