Christian Volesky is headed to Halifax one kilometer at a time

While Nova Scotia digs itself out of another snowstorm, Christian Volesky — the newest member of the Halifax Wanderers — is on day two of a 4,294 kilometer road trip.

His route will take him from Colorado to Halifax, roughly a 40-hour trek if you avoid traffic and sleep. It's a long drive, as admitted by Volesky from the driver's seat of his Jeep Grand Cherokee, but his career has been punctuated by many such drives, a rite of passage to mark the beginning of almost every season since he turned pro following his time at university.

"I do it all the time, man," he tells the Wanderers Notebook during an interview. "It's just another step in the journey."

Originally from Nevada, Volesky's journey began as a star American striker at the University of Denver. He went on to transfer to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) before being selected 32nd overall by the Portland Timbers in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. He eventually signed for the Rochester Rhinos in the USL, hopping into his car and hitting the road towards his first professional season.

Almost 10-years later, he says there's still something special about driving towards your impending football destiny.

"It helps mentally to get yourself in line with what you want to accomplish in the season and throughout the year. I definitely think it helps," he says.

Built to win

Volesky has 67 goals and 23 assists to his name from stops in the USL Championship and Iceland. He describes himself as athletic, a striker capable of dropping down to play a false 9 in a possession-based system but equally as adept at playing the poacher and making runs behind. He says he enjoys scoring goals, is good at it, too, but what he really values — above all else — is winning.

And that's why he decided to sign with the Halifax Wanderers. From the first conversation, Volesky says he and head coach Patrice Gheisar shared the same vision.

"To me, the most valuable thing is winning," he said. "In America, I've gotten into some tussles with other clubs because I want to win so much. Some people see that as sometimes problematic but when I said that to Patrice, he's like 'That's not a problem.' He has the same vision. He just wants to win, whether that's in the USL, CPL or MLS. To be honest, it's hard to find coaches that want to win more than anything else. There's other things that go on in the football world but Patrice has the same vision I do."

Volesky admits he was surprised by how taken he was by the Wanderers' pitch and soon enough, he'd put pen to paper. The idea of playing and competing to be tops in the CPL was something that resonated with him.

"My vision and what I want aligns perfectly with the many talks I've had with Patrice, ownership and the general management. It's something I've been looking forward to — being part of a winning organization."

Leadership and chemistry

Volesky says his early discussions with the Wanderers included providing leadership, especially to younger players like Tiago Coimbra. At 31 years old, he feels he can bring what he's learned over his career and help buoy players trying to cut their teeth in the league.

However, he's equally as excited to be reunited with Aidan Daniels as they both suited up for the Colorado Springs Switchbacks once upon a time. Their built-in chemistry is something he looks forward to showing on the pitch.

"We've got really good chemistry already, which can be really difficult to find in football. I've played almost 10-years and I'd say he's in my top five in terms of players I really like to play with. That says a lot," says Volesky.

He adds he wasn't without his suitors — he had interest from other USL clubs — but ultimately decided he liked Gheisar's vision and going to a place where he could win now; winning is something Gheisar and Volesky have in common.

But all of that is yet to come, thousands of kilometers separating Volesky from his future and if everything goes according to plan, a trophy-laden season.

"I figure it's a little bit until I get to Halifax," he jokes.

Cover Photo Credit: Monterey FC