Dangles13

F - Ryuu Crimson @rjfryman

Seattle 3-2

Riga Reign @ Moscow Menace 22 Helsinki Titans @ Calgary Wranglers 23 Toronto Legion @ HC Davos Dynamo 24 Seattle Bears @ New York Americans

F - Marvin Harding @Radcow

D - Shawn Glade @rjfryman

G - Tristan Iseult LW - Veran Dragomir @Radcow

Podrick Cast @Radcow

"...Yukon Rush." the man booms out over the PA system. It finally happened, me, Valeri Morozov, had been drafted eleventh overall in the VHLM draft and I could not be happier. The huge weight that had previously been on my body has now lifted and I can focus on my future as a hockey player. Even getting to the draft is a huge honour and I now realize that at the moment you lose sight of that and that is advice I would give myself if I could go back. I have a few players that I model myself after and one of the more obscure players is Asher Donovan. My agency had once dealt with this player and my agent has told me some stories about him. Asher could have been one of the greatest power forwards in the league but he lacked the drive required to rise to the top. If he had not been lazy it is not inconceivable that he would be a household name today. My agent tells me that I have even more natural talent than Donovan did and if I am willing to work for it there is nothing I cannot accomplish. The season should be starting up next week and I am very excited to hit the ice with my teammates and show them what I can do. Training camp is always a blast as it is the first time you see all of your teammates again or you meet them for the first time and people break out some amazing feats of skill. You see some very crazy things in training camp, players do some wild things and show off new tricks they may have learned over the summer. The other side of training camp is that we are all competing for our jobs and the battles can become quite heated. As a big man, I always have that target on my back, they all want a piece of the big dog in the park. That is good and bad because I get to show off my talent and strength to my coaches but boy does it tire me out. I would love to show that I am a top line player and can compete with the best of them. I don't really know all of the prospects in that we drafted but I feel confident in saying that Yukon had a magnificent draft and other teams better keep an eye out for us. Our management has been top notch and the rebuild should be over before you know it; drafting a beauty like Justin Cole means the worst is over for the Rush. Can we go from worst to first? I think so, with big banging forwards like Morozov and Sigurdsson to create space for Helmsley and Matthews the production should be off the charts. The one area that we may see the Rush struggle in is their depth, they have some nice pieces but they also have a lot of raw players that need some serious work if they want to win a Championship. Lockwood, Foxxx and Ristau are three such players who can make or break things for this Yukon team. Here's to hoping they start hitting the gym as soon as they can.

I like winning

Imagine if you can, feeling completely alone for several hours as you wait to join a new family in a new city. The hours that lead up to a draft can be the most lonely time in your life, even surrounded by a large throng of your peers. As you wait in the green room and hear names called over the speakers in the arena your brain starts to play tricks on you. "Was that my name? Did they just call me? Oh boy, if I wait here they will call again, right? What if I go undrafted, is that possible?" In the end, you almost always hear your name called as long as you are a capable player. You trust your agent to get your name out there and you trust your coach to give you good reviews and most importantly, you have to trust yourself to have put your best foot forward at all your interviews. You spend your whole life preparing for moments like this and if you can't handle it then you will struggle for the rest of your career. The stress in the green room is palpable as a bunch of nervous and sweaty teenage boys wait to find out where they will be moving to and whether or not they can see their family more than once a year. Not too many people talk, most have their heads down and only occasionally look around. The select few who know they are top picks, those guys who piss charisma and wear their panache like a superhero wears a cape who are chattering and looking at the other prospects. They likely are laughing under breath at how foolish we are all being but we cannot focus on that, we have our future to dream about. I have not yet spent much time dwelling on what team I will end up on, I merely hope to land on any team. Had I not been nervous, I would have likely thought about how exciting playing for an expansion team would have been. I may have hoped to land back with the boys in Saskatoon and try to build on what we started late in the season. At the end of the day, I am here to play hockey and set myself up for the VHL draft in the near future. As I think about that, I realize that I can play hockey and I have been doing it for a long time. I reminisce about some of the bigger games I have played in, some of the championship games in Russia were my proudest moments. I start to gain confidence, my knees stop knocking and I stop shaking; I pick my head up and look around at the remaining players and they all still have their heads down. The top guys are off the board and I feel like now I have a bit more room to breath, I smile and then it happens. "We are happy to welcome Valeri Morozov to the..." 505 Words

Ew, Philly or gtfo imo

Part I - Pick em' (Pick the correct winners of all three games for 2 TPE) Game 4 - Las Vegas Aces @ Halifax 21st Game 5 - Halifax 21st @ Las Vegas Aces Game 6 - Las Vegas Aces @ Halifax 21st  Part II - Predict the Score (Predict the correct score and winner of this game for 3 TPE) Game 5 - Halifax 21st @ Las Vegas Aces Vegas 3-2 Part III - Player Predictions (Predict the correct player for each category, 1 TPE for each correct answer) Series leader in points: Hunter Hurst Helmsley Series leader in goals: Kyson Blake Series leader in assists: Hunter Hurst Helmsley

Part I - Pick em' (Pick the correct winners of all three games for 2 TPE) Game 3 - Toronto Legion Game 4 - Toronto Legion Game 5 - Helsinki Titans Part II - Predict the Score (Predict the correct score and winner of this game for 3 TPE) Game 5: Toronto Legion - 2 Helsinki Titans - 3 Part III - Player Predictions (Predict the correct player for each category, 1 TPE for each correct answer) Series leader in points: Arroyo Series leader in goals: Adam Warlock Series leader in assists: Tzuyu

While Valeri Morozov awaits the upcoming dispersal draft, he reflects on what he heard on his exit interview with the Saskatoon Wild. The words of the GM constantly playing in his head as he runs through some drills on the ice his agent was able to rent for him. Morozov is a hard worker but it takes an extra gear to get yourself into the upper echelon of the professional ranks, can he rise to the levels that he wants to be? "You didn't get to play in too many games but we figured we would be remiss in our duties if we did not do our best to provide constructive criticism. We would love to have you back next season but if you end up on another team we want to see the best version of you and that means working on a few things. As a big man, you really need to keep working on your foot speed and getting your skating to an elite level. While you were dishing out some big hits we felt that there were chances where you could use your size and strength to get the puck and start the offence instead of clobbering a poor guy. Work on your awareness and you will flourish, best of luck in the draft and we hope to see you soon."

SBA PT

Valeri Morozov has a chance to suit up for either of the new expansion teams, as well as the relocating team from Oslo, in the upcoming Dispersal Draft. Valeri was asked his thoughts on the teams at a recent press conference, he was very candid and spoke well about the teams. "Well, let us start off with the team that is moving, the Oslo Storm will be moving into North America to become the Minnesota Storm. The team is steeped in Scandinavian culture and Minnesota is a good fit as that is where many settlers made their home when they sailed West. I like the name Storm but the logo leaves something to be desired and looks more like a trucker than any kind of storm. Colour wise, I don't mind it but I think they could step their game up. I like the idea of the Philadelphia Reapers but not the execution. Reapers are a name steeped in horror and mysticism and should inspire fear on the ice but I feel like the colour choice missed the mark. A reaper is typically shrouded in all dark or black and the blue, red and yellow seems too futuristic. It reminds me of one of my favourite Yu-Gi-Oh cards, the Buster Blader, who while cool is more badass than scary-ass. Houston Bulls hit their mark for me. The branding is bright and vibrant and it really makes me think of bulls and their aggressive nature. The logo itself is odd in that the bull is rocking a goat-strap beard but otherwise I would be happy pulling that sweater over my head."

Position: Left WingShoots: LeftHeight / Weight: 6’6, 225 lbsBorn: Yekaterinburg, Russia Valeri Morozov is a big-bodied winger who creates space and can bury goals with aplomb. The Russian forward hopes to carve out a spot in the VHLM and then the VHL in the very near future. Not much is known about the youngster so far but we set out to learn what we could from his earlier days with HC Avtomobilist in the KHL before he made the jump to North American hockey. Comparing what we learned from his tape to the several games he has played with Saskatoon, we learned the following: + Speed: Morozov is rather fast for a large man, his legs pump like pistons and his top-end speed is enough to rival any player in the league. While Valeri has tremendous North/South acceleration, he does not have great agility or East/West skating, which will hamper him in the smaller rinks. Morozov will need to keep working on his agility but the speed and size of the winger will lead him to score breakaway goals while also allowing him to backcheck well. - Vision: Valeri is known more for banging bodies and scoring goals than passing and this is due to his limited vision. With the puck, Valeri is dangerous as he can score from anywhere and has the strength to bring the puck to the net but good players will key on the fact that he is not a dish master. Morozov will need to address this before he hits the VHL if he wishes to evolve into a complete player. + Forechecking: The Yekaterinburg product is a tenacious forward when chasing down the puck and his imposing figure can back off defenders. The reach and strength of the man-child are huge assets when the puck is in the corners, 50/50 puck battles are really more like 60/40 when he is involved. Skilled forwards will benefit from the Russian's puck pursuit and a coach will have the ability to make some interesting line combos. - Puck Handling: The big man does not have the ability to deke around players and while it may seem like his strength should lead to better puck protection, his hands are not there. As he learns to utilize his body and muscle to shield the puck he will become formidable but right now he is too prone to turnovers. + Leadership: The Russian exhibits character that belies his age and has worn a letter with almost every single team he has played for. Morozov was cited as having superb maturity and easily commands the locker room when he wishes to. Not known for being a chatterbox, Valeri has a way of saying what needs to be said and making sure people hear it. Character still has a place in this numbers-driven game. - Discipline: Morozov's aggressive playstyle leads him to the penalty box more often than most coaches would like. Whether it is boarding, charging or hitting from behind, Valeri takes his fair share of minor and double minor penalties that set his team back. It is unfortunate because Morozov is a skilled penalty killing forward and the sloppy play takes him out of the game. This is will need to be cleaned up before he hits the big time.

Sounds like a turnstile.

Well done, Bloos

A classic Friday night circle jerk.

Valeri Morozov, the young Russian power-forward from Russia is currently playing for the Saskatoon Wild but after the playoffs end, he will enter the dispersal draft for the VHLM draft. Entering any draft is exciting but this draft has an extra element of excitement as there will be two new teams in the league. The Philadelphia Reapers and Houston Bulls will join the VHLM and try to carve themselves a role in the league. Morozov is very new to the league but so far he has enjoyed his time with the Wild, yet, there is a slim chance that he returns. With 8 teams vying for players, it will be difficult for Saskatoon to nab all of their post-trade deadline free agent signings. While Morozov would be happy to re-join the Wild if the draft shakes out that way, he would be quite pleased to be selected by an expansion team. Morozov showing off his shot Being from Russia, Valeri has no chance to join a team from his homeland, even Oslo will be moving to Minnesota at the conclusion of the season. Morozov would prefer to play in a location that can offer similar climate to his home city of Yekaterinburg, teams like Minnesota, Ottawa, Saskatoon and Yukon. While the weather is not the most important thing but it can help with the young Russian's transition into North American hockey. Valeri will need time to learn how to play in the smaller rinks and while his English is passable, he could stand to learn some of the idioms used in North America. Church of All Saints, Yekaterinburg Morozov was asked about which of the expansion teams he would prefer to play for and gave the following answer: "I like to play anywhere, I have no preference. I am thankful to play hockey and I don't feel that I have the power to dictate where I am drafted. I am unknown to most at this point and it will be some time before I show the league what I can do." The young man gave a pretty textbook answer and whether that is due to the language barrier or just a mature young man we had hoped for more flavour; we will push for more next time. The hulking portside winger also gave his thoughts on the teams: "I really like reapers and Philadelphia is a very storied city that I would be proud to play for. I do not care for the colours as they are bland to me but I think they have the ability to put together a nice branding. The Houston Bulls are the opposite, they have very vibrant colours that speak to me. Red and yellow are my favourite colours and the combo of them can really turn into beautiful jerseys. I think Houston would be too warm for me but I still would be proud to lace up my skates for the Bulls. Both beautiful teams that will make the league a better place in the long term, very excited for the future". Will the comments about Philadelphia's branding show up as a red flag on their scouting board? Guess we will find out. Words: 519

Pick me!

Player Name: Valeri Morzov VHL/VHLM Team: Saskatoon (Unassigned atm) Cash you have: $1,500,000 Purchase Name: The First Generation Cost of Purchase: $500,000 Cash Left: $1,000,000

+4 Valeri Morozov

Player Information Username: Dangles13 Player Name: Valeri Morozov Recruited From: Member (Word of mouth) Age: 18 Position: LW Height: 78 in. Weight: 225 lbs. Birthplace: Russia Player Page @VHLM GM