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KenitohMenara · 05-18-2020, 01:25 PM

1233 words - 50/50 Split between @KenitohMenara and @Wearingabear X2 Draft Media

“I got started in hockey as a kid, my Dad played for the Tampereen Tappara, so I was always at the rink, hanging out, loving the game from such a young age. It was only natural for me to start playing hockey and share the game that my Dad loved.”

For over a decade, Aatami Victory starred in top flight finnish hockey as the face of the Tampereen Tappara. Tampere was a city that he loved so much that he moved his family there.

“My father won with the Tappara in 2003, it was amazing to be around the team during that time. Such a surreal experience. We were also there at the last titles they won in '16 and '17 as he now works in an advisory role to the team.”

The Victory’s had a proud legacy of hockey in their native Finland but one question that always dogged them was this:

“Could they make it in the SHL?”

A question that the family couldn’t shake, no matter what success they achieved in Finland. Now, the youngest member of the family sets off on his mission to find out just how far he can go in the greatest league of them all.

Born and raised in Tampere, Finland, Igor Victory was born to play hockey. His father would take him into the Tappara locker room for the first time when he was just 5 days old. Practically growing up at the hockey rink, Igor would tie his first pair of skates at age 2 and formally start taking lessons at age 4. Always bigger than other kids his age, this natural size led his coaches to convincing him of what position he should play.

“He was always one of the bigger boys on the ice.” said Siimon Pukki, Igor’s first junior coach. “So I sat down with him and I told him that his size is a gift and he could use it as a defenseman. I truly believed that if he could become a defender, he could be a star.”

It took a lot to convince the youngest Victory to make the change. All finnish born ice hockey players grow idolising the great Teemu Selannie and Igor was no exception. He wanted to be a winger but he wasn’t as fast as other kids at that position. At first it felt like his coach was trying desperately to make him shelf his dreams. Finally, his coaches convinced him to give it a try and he would play in a local scrimmage. By the end of it, he had recorded 3 primary assists, helped the goalie record a shutout and he went back to his coaches saying:

“I’ll be your defender!”

“I don’t know how to describe it but it just felt… right.” Igor said when he sat down with us. “I so wanted to be a winger but then they convinced me to try defending and... I was really good at it! It just fit me like a glove. I wanted to have that feeling every time I played.”

From then on, Igor continued playing as a defense in junior camps and smaller scale teams until he got a phone call from the Tampereen Koovee of the Mestis League, the 2nd tier league in Finland. So impressed they were with the junior defenseman that they were willing to bring him on even as a 16 year old.

“We just had to pick him up before someone else got him.” said Sakarias Markkula, the head coach of the Tampereen Koovee. “We saw how he had become a force on the blue line and given the right training and support, we believed Igor could become the next great Finnish defender.”

The coaches were right to bring on this young defender. Standing 6 feet 4 inches and weighing 228 pounds, Igor is a giant presence whenever he’s on the ice who knows how to use his weight to get his way. His exceptional sense of where the play is going makes it so he is rarely if ever out of position and his accuracy has many fellow players in awe, shooting long range bombs that very few can defend. He may be slow to get up to top speed but once he’s there, Igor is astonishingly quick and his naturally high stamina and strength do the rest of the work for him. While some aspects of his defensive game could use some fine tuning but he is a true gem defender just waiting for the right team to turn him into a star.

After two years of playing with the Koovee, Igor declared for the SMJHL draft and headed off to America to attend the draft in person. He wasn’t sure where he would land but he was just happy to be there.

“Draft night was a lot of fun, it was great hanging out and seeing all my peers get picked. It was a real experience.”

After a couple rounds went by, Igor began to wonder where he would land as the picks were starting to run out. It was then when Anchorage Armada GM Max Brannagan stepped to the podium.

“With the 48th Pick in the Season 54 SMJHL Entry Draft, the Anchorage Armada are pleased to select Igor Victory, Defenseman, Tampereen Koovee.”

For a moment, Igor could have sworn time had stopped. He had done it, he had stamped his claim on an American team. He had made it to the SMJHL. He told us about how that experience was almost too good for words.

“I had no idea what to expect when I went into the draft, so hearing my name was like an out of body experience. I was relieved to be picked by such an amazing team with a strong history and ability to win through adversity.”

The Armada has always been a “build from your blue line” type team so Max Brannagan picking up the Finnish defender is definitely not out of character. It is worth remembering that this is the same GM who drafted Matthew Sawful at number 2 overall last year. As Igor made his way to Anchorage for his first training session, he shocked everyone with his alarming strength. At age 18, he nearly broke the Anchorage Armada weight lifting record with his workout session which made the whole team stop and take notice. Igor’s Secret? Freestyle Kayaking.

“I really enjoy kayaking, my cousin introduced me to Freestyle Kayaking. You basically flip yourself in and out of the water, I'm nowhere near as good as he is, but I'm hoping to be at that point some day.”

The question of making it in the SHL has dogged the Victory family for years. Their record in Finland is undeniable but now Igor has put himself in a position where he will either succeed, leaving no doubt of his family's hockey legacy… or fall apart and leave the questions answered with a resounding no. However, that question hasn’t even entered Igor’s mind. He has his mind set on one thing, making it to the SHL and cementing his own place in history.

“Making it to the SHL is the ultimate goal, playing in the world's top league is a childhood dream. So I'm going to make the best that I can while I'm here in Anchorage.”

***bluesfan55*** · 05-18-2020, 02:04 PM

ty to @High Stick King @EvilAllBran and @Ragnar for the sigs

Wearingabear · 05-18-2020, 02:20 PM

***honkerrs*** · 05-18-2020, 10:59 PM

Amazing writing as usual Kenny and welcome bear!
Armada

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