Renomitsu

now we have as many defensemen as we do forwards

sup, can manage

smh the defense bromance is the #1 VHL story in my heart

Oops I'm a big goof and already claimed this

This one gets a big ol' "hmm..." from me

One of the serendipitous constants of the VHL is, despite how much things change with player turnover - inactivity, retirement, free agency, trades, changes in philosophy with new management - there are a tremendous number of constants. And, for better or for worse, since returning to the league in S65, the New York Americans have been consistent. It's not 'normal' for me, at least in this run, to have an even semi-competitive Americans team because of GM Esso's dreadful luck in STHS. But this season (or at least for the first 40 games or so), the New York Americans are in the thick of the playoff race. They're competitive enough, in fact, to do a trade close to the deadline to bolster a last-gasp playoff push, obtaining Kosmo Kramerev in exchange for a couple of picks and Shawn Andrei Zyuzin. This is a weird phenomenon, and it scares me. NYA as a basement team is one of those few, precious constants, and it makes me uncomfortable that this is changing as I'm more deliberately planning a step away from the league (in the future obviously, not now). The VHL world is upside down and I don't like it. The next thing you'll tell me is that New York actually made the playoffs, and that would send me in a wild spiral to insanity. Or it might be a little weird for a week or two. I dunno.

1. First in the league (as of writing), what’s got us to this point so far? I think we have excellent team cohesion and depth. The first line has done very well versus the best the VHL has to offer, and I think our second line is crushing the competition so far; it's a testament to the quality of both lines. 2. Currently we have 3 players in top 10 scoring (Lamb, Dear, Glass) and Uhtred just outside. How many do you think finish the season there? Two, but I'm not sure which of the four will stick. STHS tends to ebb and flow from day to day, and I suspect this Dear/Glass combo is on a very hot streak that could end at any time. I don't mind who ends there so long as we're winning. 3. There was a couple trades this past week, what are your thoughts on them? Some were pretty low-impact, so I wasn't terribly interested in them. Helsinki getting James Rose will be huge for their competitiveness in the European Conference, which is concerning because they're already so good. 4. Do you think the trade market remains active or does it die off as usual at deadline? Die off. There hasn't been a ton of movement at the trade deadline for several seasons now, and while there may be a big move or two I suspect there's something of a buyer's market going on. 5. Seems as though there are too many players for teams and the league plans to do something about it. What would you do to solve this problem? E X P A N D. No seriously, increase the number of teams. There was a very thoughtful article perhaps a week ago in VHL or SHL that considered adding a line vs. increasing the number of teams, and ultimately it was decided that the number of lines would be rather difficult logistically to implement - as it would mean pulling up a number of prospects that just aren't ready. 6. As soon as the world is back to somewhat normal, where is the first place you want to travel? No time to do that, my friend - there is work to be done!

Warsaw, Poland - Although they're at the top of the standings, the Warsaw Predators don't find themselves in a comfortable position - in fact, with Helsinki and Prague trailing them by just one point, there's significantly more pressure on Warsaw's regular season performance than there might be if they were a few points down from the first spot. And although they've had their fair share of split series (1-1 vs. Davos, 1-2 vs. Prague, 2-1 vs. Helsinki), one particularly confusing matchup for the Polish squad has been the D.C. Dragons. "It doesn't make much sense to me," Aloe Dear said of Warsaw's matchup against the Dragons, who are tied for last in the North American Conference with the Calgary Wranglers, "but clearly they've figured out something that exposes a weakness of ours, and that makes it exciting... or at least interesting!" The team is led in scoring by none other than first line centerman Dakota Lamb, who's accrued 45 points on the season with a hefty +17 to accompany it. He's had pretty considerable influence on the team thus far, leading them to a championship series before losing to Chicago. Warsaw looks to be on the same path this season around, but with Helsinki and Prague presenting themselves as exceptionally capable opponents, little is guaranteed in this tumultuous European Conference.

1. Warsaw is off to a good but not great start so far, how do you feel about the team performance thus far? There is still definitely some room to improve. We're narrowly first over Prague and Helsinki, and we've dropped games to each (some of which were pretty ugly). A good seed in the playoffs and a deep run are what I'll use to judge the team performance. 2. How do you feel about your individual performance? I feel better about it than expected. The transition to center has been about as good as it could be, I think, and I'm feeling like I might be able to adjust to it properly. We'll see how things go as the season progresses. 3. Are there any other teams that have surprised you whether good or bad so far this season? The Americans are doing surprisingly well this season. I fully expected them to be basement dwellers again, yet here they are as a borderline playoff team (for the moment). 4. Who do you think is our biggest competition this year? Chicago, LA (unbelievably), Prague, and Helsinki. Chicago for obvious reasons, LA because they've upgraded considerably over the offseason, and Prague and Helsinki in our own conference because they've both beaten us *and* have a chance of taking first away from us. 5. How important is it to upgrade Gino this year, or do you think we have a chance with no moves? I think it's important, even if we've shown that we can take first in the conference with him (and I only feel comfortable saying this because they've gone largely inactive). I wonder if we can beat teams like Prague/Helsinki and Chicago with him, or if upgrading would even make a tangible difference. 6. What is your favourite chocolate egg? Chocolate egg!? I've heard they're delectable but absolutely terrible for you. I don't particularly enjoy super-sweet chocolates, personally.

Review This is a monster of an article. But the effort in producing content, describing your process, and keeping your writing engaging is clearly on display. You've made a generally-subjective process relatively objective, which has its positives and negatives. It's executed well and I don't have many concerns about grammar or usage; however, I would keep your bolded entries consistent between similar passages (e.g. at the start, "The forwards," "The defense," "the Goalie" -> "the goalie") for a slightly cleaner look. When commenting on a team directly as the primary subject, you can use "this" instead of "that" (e.g. in the Davos entry, "In fact, this team should be the home of 9 rookies this season"). I think your rankings are well-reasoned. There are a couple of lines errors in the way some teams are described, but I think that's natural - it's very difficult to know which teams are running different lines than what's written on the player. Plus, you have Warsaw ranked 2nd - what's not to like?

Review I agree with Smarch. Riga was a perennial playoff contender up until a few seasons ago, but I'm confident hedge will right the ship as he has before. First generation players as a whole will generally have a tougher time, but keep at it and you'll see results correspondingly. Young players will always have frustrating production early, but the payoff later in your career is always a great boon. Content-wise, I think this is an important article that gets played out more in team locker rooms than on the forum, and I like the fact that it's a bit more formally presented here. We always want to cheer our teammates on, but it can be frustrating to have a small role on a team that is performing badly - you always want what's best for the team! I think this concern is well-communicated here. A few comments on grammar; keep your tenses consistent when referring to past events ("He brings up that he is has been/was the scapegoat the past 2 seasons..."), and be careful with your punctuation ("Is this just poor defensive play or just a string of bad luck with the backup goalie, Matthew Sovick Jr., in net, Matthew A Sovick Jr.?").

Warsaw, Poland – Aloe Dear’s gradual position change to center has been met with some… interesting results, to say the least. As Warsaw’s 2C, she’s had the ability to lay low a bit while she adjusts to the new role. It’s been a tumultuous switch, with Dear nabbing one of the five worst shot percentages among the top 50 point scorers (5.50%) as she’s let loose with an onslaught of shots with just 6 goals to her name through 15 games. In spite of her lack of efficiency, she finds herself 27th overall in points, as she’s managed to facilitate a marginally effective offense en route to 20 points and a +/- of +2. In terms of center-specific stats, she’s managed a FO% of just over 54%, good for top 15 in the league among centers (min 40 FO taken). “Without a doubt, it’s been a challenging transition,” Dear commented in a recent presser, “I’m pretty far behind some other centers in terms of point production and efficiency in shooting, but I’ve always kind of been a player to let it rip from the winger position.” “I suspect I’ll need some more time to get used to playing center. Nobody becomes a great one overnight, right?”

1. The season has finally begun! What are your predictions for the team this year? Predictions? Strong playoff contender. I don't want to jinx us though! 2. What are your personal statistical goals for yourself this season? Wins. That's all that matters to me. I can have 20 points for the entire season if it means we get a championship. Oh, and also preferably to win more than 40% of my faceoffs, maybe. 3. Out of the bottom feeder teams for the past few seasons (Toronto, New York, LA, Davos, Riga) who do you think is mostly likely to make the playoffs? LA. Their roster is way too talented not to make the playoffs again. I don't know what happened last season, but it sure shouldn't happen in this one. 4. Which team has you most nervous to match up against? Chicago. We've beaten them once this season, but obviously we have cup aspirations and they dashed them last season. 5. New season coming off a cup finals loss, are you changing anything in your routine or keeping it all the same? Lots had to change for me, because my role is so much different! I'm taking way more pointers from Dakota, because playing centerwoman is very, very different from being a winger. I have a lot more possession of the puck and need to be way more responsible on defense. 7. Does your toilet roll pull from the underside or the frontside? Front side. I am not a monster!

Review 10/10 from my perspective, Warsaw is 1st and that's all that matters, boss! Just kidding. This had plenty of research put into it, and I think your predictions for each team are very much reflective of an offseason that upended a few teams and certainly thrust others in the spotlight. Teams like LA and Helsinki take significant steps forward (which is quite the statement for Helsinki, who already made the playoffs last season!) and those like Moscow and Calgary will have to sit in the doldrums after their respective runs. Overall there are a couple of odd phrases, e.g. "but will he score or try to push [the] 400 hits mark?"; however, this shows significant improvement compared even to your last media spot. Lovely work!

Review It's always tough to take a loss in a championship game - be it as a veteran member or a relatively newer one. But take heart - you made it to a championship game as a first generation player, and whether that's for the VHLM, WJC, VHL, or WC, it's all a very positive sign for your career (heck, it's a positive sign you were selected at all!). You have an astute eye in looking at the shots per period, as they're well-correlated with goals and victory (unless there's a large gap in goalie quality), and I love how this media spot captures the frustration associated with seeing that difference. I'm glad you came out of this experience with an overall positive impression, and I suspect you have a bright future ahead of you! I don't have significant concerns re: grammar or usage. Keep up the good work.

Warsaw, Poland - Just as soon as Danish forwards Aloe Dear and Venus Thightrap appeared to be on a crash course to play together in Poland, their chance meeting vanished. A strong move by the Warsaw management traded the hefty price of two future 2nds and 3rds (each) to Vancouver for her FA rights made it seem, at least from the outsider's point of view, inevitable that the two would be playing together for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately for the Polish team, that would not be the case - unconvinced, Venus left in free agency. "It was a bit of a shorter conversation than I thought we'd have, but business is business," Aloe commented shortly after a skate-around with the team, "I still would love to play on her line in the future and harbor no ill will. A single professional decision doesn't change our friendship from my perspective." While their personal relationship seems unaffected, the decision did force the Predators into a scramble for a serviceable forward - leading to a shakeup in Warsaw's lineup. "I'm a little further into my career now, and it was important to me that I fill the needs of the team. Admittedly I haven't played center since... I don't know, maybe peewee or so," Aloe said with a laugh, "that may be the best English equivalent. It will be quite the adjustment I think! But I understand that with each new season calls for new responsibility. I'm not a rookie anymore, and it's important that I step up and become a good role model for our new draftees and younger players alike!"

1. Offseason didn't quite go our way this year, but our roster is complete and kept our main pieces from last year, how do you think we fair this season? I think it'll be tough to tell. We have some key pieces moving around. I haven't played center before, so it'll be a challenge! 2. Who in the league do you think had the best offseason? Chicago, probably. Jungkok was a significant edition and they just about kept everyone else. 3. We added bluesfan and Alex Bridges to our team through the draft, were you able to welcome them to the team? I actually already knew bluesfan (from Riga in a previous life) and Alex from prior teams! So it felt more like a homecoming than meeting a stranger. 4. Personally I've been relaxed with my exercise lately, have you been able to get to the gym much during off-season? I've gotta keep in shape! I did more faceoff exercises this offseason alone than I did in my entire life prior, and being hunched over so much means I need to work on my back and hip muscles. No time to laze around here!! 5. You're hosting movie night for the team tonight, which movie do you put on to make everyone happy? I'm quite fond of The Fifth Element! I think Milla Jovovich is so charming in it. 7. Do you play any instruments? Well, as a child my parents insisted I learn piano, but I've fallen off the train since. (IRL I love playing all strings & piano!)

BELIEVE IN YOSELF F - Aloe Dear

I'm not taking a forward and I'll be gone for the next ~24 hours, so I'm going to go ahead and pick. D - Chicken Wing G - Jean Pierre Camus @leafsman

F - Jim Bob F - Robin Winter @leafsman back atcha'!

A Sit-Down With Aloe Dear - Free Agency & Warsaw's Future “Free agency didn’t go so hot, huh?” “No. Free agency kind of didn’t go at all.” Just a couple of days before the deadline to sign or extend pending free agents, Aloe elected to go against her previously stated career aspirations in favor of loyalty to a team that had gotten her to where she was. Indeed, she’d been very public about testing free agency in the majors even shortly after being drafted to her minor league team, the Houston Bulls. And in spite of an errant announcement suggesting she’d be leaving for free agency at the end of Season 75 – an instance where she still had a year left on her deal – she never even saw a second’s worth of the open market. “It was important to me that Warsaw has a degree of continuity; I had and have full confidence that the management of the Predators will continue to advocate strongly for its players and do what is best for the organization,” she commented at a presser shortly following her re-signing. “The organization has moved heaven and earth to ensure that I will feel comfortable here, and I am happy to say that it has continued to make a positive impression on me.” The organization recently came under fire for its decision to trade assets for the rights to longtime teammate Venus Thightrap, who elected against signing an extension with Warsaw and signed with Helsinki in short order. The cost? Two second round and two third round selections in the upcoming drafts. “I was pretty excited to see Venus in the building,” Dear commented, “but ultimately our career goals differed and she was well within her rights not to sign here. I’m disappointed, of course, but ultimately this is an organization that has done well and retained a great majority of its core players. I'm confident about our future going forward and can rest well knowing that we’ll right the ship; after all, we were part of the championship series only a week or two ago, were we not?” As with any team centered around a couple of specific seasons’ worth of players, Warsaw has leaped headfirst into cap trouble – as signing several players even at their minimum as all of their salaries ascend with TPE eventually comes to a head. But Warsaw now finds themselves without a second-line center after being turned away by a handful of other free agents and the retirement of former second-line center Dagmar Havlova. “It’s a tricky spot we’re in, though I’d hardly say it’s a bad one,” Aloe said, smiling. “It would be a pretty boring league if everyone improved linearly. The main difference? I’m expected to help lead this team rather than just adjusting to league life alone; I plan on helping this team be successful, and that will continue by whatever means I find ‘right’ on the ice.”

Transaction ID: 20561198296171034 Claim Week Ending 3/14/21 $1M Player Store Cash 5 TPE Uncapped Doubles Week (6 TPE uncapped from a PT being done)

D - Latrell Mitchell @leafsman

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