We had our first real practice since the weekend today. I wouldn't count the bag skate on Monday as a practice... To be honest, I didn't play very well; I was a little off with my passing and fell pretty hard once when I caught an edge. It was a little funny. But I'm realizing that it's going to be hard to improve without playing in games. It's tough to make passes at game speed when I have yet to experience a full game, and add on the fact that the whole rest of the team came back from this weekend with 3 recent games under their belt. It's a timing thing, and after this weekend, where I didn't really make any passes to anyone because I was on the ice with only one other player, it's just hard to jump right back in to a practice when everyone else is in game shape. I didn't do terribly, but I'm being hard on myself because I'm anxious to get out on the ice during a game. I think I'm ready, and I can't wait for my chance.
After practice, I went into Coach's office to check in on how I'm doing. I told him I think I've improved a lot, and he agreed with me. He said he's noticed how hard I've been working, going out on the ice early and going to the gym on off days. He told me he wants to try to get me playing in the next few weeks if he can get the roster worked out, but he wants me to bear with him as he tries to work out some kinks. If he can't get me playing in the next two weeks, he told me that he wants to trade me somewhere I can play. Here are my thoughts on the situation: There are 3 young defensemen playing in front of me, '92 and '93 birth years, and another player from Bismarck, a defenseman who played in the USHL last year but got injured over the summer, will be on the roster soon. If he's made commitments to these players, and I'm going to be the odd one out all year, this is not somewhere I want to be. I want to play, and I need to play to improve and get looks from colleges. I don't want to fill water bottles all year, especially when there are younger players playing in front of me. But, if Coach gives me a chance to play, I want to stay here. I'm very comfortable living at my billet house, and I really like all the guys. I know I can play here, but if I don't get the chance, then I don't get the chance, and I will want to get a chance somewhere else. I'm going to keep talking to Coach often and stay updated on what's going on, but, personally, I think it'd be a mistake for him to let me go. I've improved in just a few short weeks, I've shown I am willing to work and work really hard, I have the talent to play at this level, and I'm 6'4", 220 pounds when some kids playing in front of me are barely 170 pounds. I know size doesn't really matter, but not to toot my own horn, I'm the perfect size for a defenseman... OK, I'll stop ranting now, but I'm excited I might get a shot soon, and just a little stressed about not playing.
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