Mr Bohannan

At least got nominated and got 1 vote hehe Good achievement for me and great award ceremony!

My Christmas tree is with a blue theme this year! Fun Fact in Russia Santa Clause or Winter Grandpa if translated directly from Russian actually wears Blue outfit, not Red like we're used to!

One of the things, but there is a bigger clue when it comes to the whole build, not just one stat.

Thank you my fellow Londoner @VattghernCZ for inspiring the format! FROZEN POND PODCAST Hello and welcome to FROZEN POND PODCAST where we try to give platform and talk about the new and young uprising stars from the FROZEN PONDs all over the country, before they step into the big rink. This time is no different and we have a special guest. A young and talanted forward from the small country, unknown to a lot of people, but yet a country with very strong and passionate ice hockey culture. Please welcome to our studio - DROSMIS SARKANIS! First off, congrats on being drafted 12th overall! How did it feel when you heard your name called by London United in Season 95 VHL Draft? Thank you for having me and boy, what can I say. It was such a relief and excitement running through my body. Usually the first picks know that they're going to be called, but I had no clue and that added to that experience! Can you tell us about your journey through the minors? What was the most challenging part about getting here? Well I was late for my seasons draft, so I was not drafted and got signed as a free agent by Saskatoon Wilds. I'm very grateful to the team and the management of the team because they really have been great to me and with them I managed to get my first cup. After that went to VHLE and played for the Eagles, almost won, but got eliminated in the finals and after that we all found out that VHLE is being scrapped. That was an interesting experience as I was unsure what to do next. I felt like I wasn't ready for the big league yet, so I decided to go back to the M and yet again I was picked up the Saskatoon. This time the team was already in a rebuild, so not a contestant, but close to the end of the season they traded me to Ottawa and I got the second chance to go for the cup. Unfortunately same as the previous season in E league, we got to the finals and got eliminated. I hope I don't have some finals curse that is going to follow me to London. London United has a pretty dedicated fanbase. Are you feeling any extra pressure stepping into this environment for your rookie season? I will say no, not really, because I believe that every team has a dedicated fanbase and you don't want to let down no one. We all humans and mistakes are made, so all we can do is to try and do our best to make our fans happy. Who were some of your biggest influences or idols growing up that inspired you to play hockey? It has always been our Latvian pioneers in the big foreign leagues. From the recent players that I look up to it's Bryce Woodworth @SirRupertBarnes. I know you might be surprised as there are so many other stars and Bryce might be an odd choice, but I have my reasons. What’s been the most surreal moment so far since being drafted to the VHL? I think it was the moment I found out about E being abolished. I've never experienced nothing like that and it made it surreal because it in a way destroyed all the plans how I imagined my career to go. Do you remember the first time you put on skates? What made you fall in love with hockey back then? I dont remember the very first time as I probably was like 2 or 3 years old, but I remember where it all started and funny enough it started on a Frozen Lake back home. My dad took me and my brother to the lake to skate and eventually play with stick and puck, every winter. A lot of players talk about adapting to the speed of the VHL. Do you think this will be a big adjustment for you? That is something Im going to work on because the players in VHL are no joke and you cannot afford to be behind them, otherwise you will end up just chasing the puck and players, never being able to actually have the possession. Your minor league stats were really solid. What part of your game are you most confident about heading into your rookie season? It is going to be a big jump and most likely it will take me couple of seasons to actually be able to compete par to par with the best in the league, but right now I'm confident in my offensive vision and defensive coverage. Those are the things Im going to rely on while slowly working on other skills. Is there a particular skill you’re working hard to improve before the season starts? As mentioned before - Speed. How do you think the London United coaching staff has helped you so far in your development? Oh the coaching staff in London is great, they are definitely people that know what they are doing and so far been a great help in assisting with identifying my weaknesses and things to work on. What’s it like knowing you’re playing for a team in such a major city? Are you excited about being in London, or is it intimidating? Well I can only compare my time in Saskatoon and Ottawa at the moment and coming from a small country, I am not really keen or used to yet to the busy city life, so I liked Saskatoon better than Ottawa. It will take some time to get used to London as this city cannot be compared to the other two, but that's part of the game and I'm not really thinking much about it right now. Have any of the veteran players on the team reached out to you to welcome you or give you advice? To welcome yes, but to give a specific advise - no. I think they yet have to see me play in the big league to give me any advice. On the flip side, what’s your first impression of the competition you’ll be facing in the VHL? Crazy! That's all I have to say - Crazy! Every player has rituals or habits before games. Do you have any unique pre-game routines or superstitions? Me personally not really and if there is anything I always do, then I'm not aware of it. I just follow whatever traditions and rituals the teams have as a group. It’s your rookie season, but do you already have specific goals for yourself—like points, assists, or even making an all-rookie team? All-rookie team would be great achievement, but we have some fierce class coming in, so will see. Point wise not really, as I always say that it would be nice to have 1point per game, but I dont see that happening in my rookie season. I just hope for a good overall performance by me and my team. We’ve all heard stories about rookie hazing or initiation traditions in sports. Are you nervous about anything like that? Wow, did not think about this and never heard London doing anything like that, but now when you asked I'm bit worried. Hahha If you weren’t playing hockey, what do you think you’d be doing instead? Oh, not sure, probably something like construction or something as I've always liked tinkering and fixing stuff. Not sure really... How do you handle pressure, especially knowing all eyes will be on you as one of London’s most anticipated rookies? Well I've been in playoffs three seasons in a row, so I think I can handle pressure quite good. I'm confident in my capabilities and I'm realist, I understand my limits and how far I can push them. Do you feel like being drafted 12th overall adds a chip on your shoulder to prove yourself, or does it just fuel your confidence? In a way I guess, but yet again, I'm cool with myself and I don't think much about it. Finally, what message would you want to share with London United fans as you prepare for your first season in the VHL? Last season was rough, we all know that and we all saw that, but don't worry, we backup is here and we will make sure we put London back on the map again! Well - Thank you Drosmis! - for coming to our little FROZEN POND and sitting down with us and answering our questions. To our listeners, we will be back next week with another rising star, so stay tuned! (Words: 1431)

As always a very strong submission and overall looks good. Still sticking with the same 2 player renders that gives that nice different emotions/side of the player feeling and by now probably is one of your signature traits in every signature you make. Great job on the jersey and logo swap for both renders and also simple, but still amazing job with the text. I said simple as there isn't much for the font, but that is exactly what is needed in this case. Love the grunge type of effect on top of it and it just makes it look nice. The only thing for myself at least, Im not fan of the background, While the effect and the flag is a nice touch, I would like to see something else as it feels that's the part of the signature that was not really worked much on compared to other times. Overall: 8/10

Always love to see different type of graphical art work as it also challenges me in giving the reviews on them. I like the overall badge shape of the logo for the draft. I guess the little diamond ornaments that look like little crowns are because of the local team - Mexico Kings - as a representation which is a nice touch, the only thing is that they are bit weirdly placed, not sure for the reasoning, but feels bit out of place for me. Default and the expected font for the word "DRAFT" which is totally acceptable considering the usual style of these logos, but I love the font chosen for "Mexico City", very nice and good looking one. The only thing I would say I most likely would have added is some Mexican flag colours as there is literally none of them in the logo. Rating: 7/10

ANSWERS: 1) Super early Continental cup champion prediction, who do you think it will be and why? Always going to believe in my own team! London all the way! 2) Are you following the world cup of hockey? Predictions for who you think will win the gold? Confused are we talking about IIHF World Championship or Field Hockey. Anyhow always going to believe in my own team! Latvia all the way! (Probs Canada if IIHF) 3) If someone told you “This sentence is false.” Is it true or is it false? From perspective of the correctness of the built sentence, then it is built correctly, therefore the statement is false. QUESTIONS 1. - When do you remove the Christmas tree? 2. - What would be that one gift you would actually hate to receive on Christmas? 3. - Do you believe your player have more or less points this season compared to last season?

Here ya go!

Wow, ok, the more you know haha. Because even the socks felt like coloured over, but now I see they are the originals as well. Crazy haha

Now this is new for me and very cool. You have done an amazing job in reforming the original picture into this PSA graded player card. If I would not know better I would actually thing that this is a picture of a legit card. If usually I would say something about quality of renders, pictures or in general of the whole piece, then this time any quality issues here actually works as an extra as it gives you the feel of the authenticity of the card. Very good work on the logo swap, colour swap as well. Obviously the top bit with the red paint is a giveaway that you're hiding something there and maybe there is a better way how to achieve what you wanted without just painting it over with red, but nonetheless I love it as a whole. Review: 8/10

This is a solid signature that would make a lot of people happy to have. The colour choice of the background is obvious as it is based on the teams colours. Also the imaging used for the background, same as colour choice is obvious - Vegas in the background for the player from the Vegas team. I like the aspect of the cards between the background and the player render, but I would like to see a better choice for the vector used as you can see that it is cut due to the white frames around the black lines of the cards. I bet there are some free resources with transparent background that you could have used to increase the quality of the signature. Good render choice and quite solid job on the jersey colour and logo swap. Text is done well as well - good colour choice and easy to read. Well done! Review: 7/10

ANSWERS: 1) What is your favourite hot drink during the holidays? I guess hot chocolate, but as Im diabetic I cannot have much of that, so I will stick with some nice black tea with lemon 2) What was the most meaningful or memorable Xmas gift you ever received? When I was a kid I got gifted a radio with a cassette player, that was the one gift I was so excited for! 3) What kind of festive activities do you do during the holidays? Not sure is it festive activity, but we always play board games after the dinner and gifting. QUESTIONS: 1) Name you favourite Christmas Movie. 2) What is that one meal or food item that never changes year by year and is always there? 3) Is socks still a good gift during Christmas?

Okey this is interesting and fun. On the first glance it seems like there is nothing to it, but to be fair sometimes it doesn't matter, because with little effort or by just adding small accents to the image with the goal it to look neat and nice is all you need. I love the vibe that the graphic is giving as it just screams "poster" and for some reason I could imagine such poster being on some young players wall. Also such image would be nice picture on what to get an autograph as there is good amount of space to sign. I love the little particles that are added on top of the poster, gives that little different look to the whole poster. Text font used is chosen very well as well. Overall it is a very simple, but nice and neat piece. Review: 8/10

Answered your press conference questions, might as well give you a review on the graphics haha. Out of the gate it is interesting because the graphic is nothing I've seen before. It's not as ignature, banner, wallpaper or players card. Im not even sure what this actually is as it gives me almost a business card vibe. To be honest it is hard to review this one because I have nothing to compare to, but I will do my best. Let me start with the fact that I like that you thought about making sure that the background is something more than just a solid colour. You adding the name of the player with lower opacity to make the effect on the background is great. While me personally Im not fan of the text effect, I still can appreciate the work put into it and it definitely not bad. Well done on the logo swap and the only thing I could point out is the player render itself. I would love to see the render to be more combined with the whole piece as right now it just feels like it was split on top of the card. Review: 7/10

Questions from @Oatex 1. If you could only watch one TV series for the rest of your life, what would you choose, and why? The original MacGyver, because at some point I would be in position where I know the show from A to Z, so then I actually could start replicating what he did in the show and learn new skills in life, rather than watching some drama where it's just the entertainment factor and nothing else. 2. Who was your role model/favorite hockey player as a kid, and do you still like them? All our Latvian NHL players in 90's - Artūrs Irbe, Kārlis Skrastiņš, Sergejs Žoltoks and of course Sandis Ozoliņš! Love them still, unfortunately only 2 are still with us 3. Do you follow the NFL? If so, what's your favorite team and what are your thoughts on their season so far? I do not follow NFL, so I wont be able to comment on this question much. But I have Titans cap and Steelers winter jacket haha (Im not from US) QUESTIONS 1. What is that one vegetable/fruit that you don't understand how people can like it? 2. Do you find it easier to answer these random questions here or your teams press conference questions? 3. Has your season already ended or are you still in the fight?

DROSMIS SARKANIS SCOUTING REPORT BASIC INFO Name: Drosmis Sarkanis| Age: 24 | Weight: 212 lb. | Height: 6.3 ft | Home Country: Latvia | Position: Right Wing CAREER REPORT Drosmis Sarkanis joined VHLM after his brother joined the league little bit earlier and unfortunately because of the late joining he missed the draft and was signed as a free agent by Saskatoon Wilds. The Saskatoon Wilds team saw a good potential into Drosmis Sarkanis and immediately started mentoring him. He came to the league as a winger, built to score, but unfortunately his skills were coned towards full attack and that was not ideal. After receiving the training plan from the coaches he started to intensively work on his defensive coverage while still polishing his attack skills. Due to joining the league late he played only 24 games during VHLM S94 regular season and scored 6 goals and earned 9 assists, totalling in 15 points. With 98 shots made, it left Drosmis Sarkanis with around 5% success rate which is quite low rating. During the playoffs Drosmis Sarkanis managed to play 16 games, almost the same amount he played in the regular season, and win the cup. In these 16 games he scored 7 goals and earned 4 assists, totalling in 11 points. In the playoffs Drosmis Sarkanis made 64 shots with doubled the success rate comparing to the regular season, around 10%, which is on a top level performing players. While not being drafted into VHLM, he was drafted into VHLM and VHL. The massive improvement of Drosmis Sarkanis in such a short time was impressive enough to be drafted 15th overall by VHLE The Vasteras Iron Eagles and 12th overall by VHL The London United. Immediately he was called up to VHLE to play for the Eagles and S95 he spent as part of the team by playing all 72 games, scoring 29 goals and earning 37 assists, totalling 66 points, almost point per game. During these 72 games he made 395 shots with around 7% success rate. While the success rate is low, you could see that the work that he started in Saskatoon around his defensive coverage allowed him to play more strategic role on the roster therefore he assisted more than he scored. He, with his team, made into playoffs and managed to get to the finals and played in total 10 games, scoring 3 goals and earning 3 assists while attempting 57 shots at the net. In the last season of VHLE Drosmis Sarkanis had a good run, but unfortunately fell short to win the league two seasons in a row. After hearing that VHLE will be closed, Drosmis Sarkanis wanted to return to VHLM and have another shot at the cup while he still could. He was not the only one so he also got a chance to be actually drafted in VHLM 9th overall by Saskatoon Wild in S96 Re-Dispersal Draft. He played 50 games as part of Saskatoon Wilds and scoring 21 goals and earning 18 assists, totalling at 39 points. After the trade he played 22 more games, but part of Ottawa Lynx. With Lynx's he scored 5 goals and earned 8 assists, totalling 13 goals. Overall in s96 Drosmis Sarkanis scored 26 goals and earned 26 assists, totalling all in all 52 points this regular season. Now all the eyes are on his playoff performance and so far he is doing well by having 5 points in 4 games. PERFORMANCE REPORT Looking at Drosmis Sarkanis as a player, you can see that he has the individual skill that is required by a strong winger. His excels in being able to read enemy, having great offensive vision and also his individual puck skills with he's deking is very good. Not far from these offensive skills he has the defensive aspect which makes him a smart player. He has very good defensive coverage, similar to offensive vision. He also has very good poke checking skill, making him a treat on both ends of the field. Where Drosmis Sarkanis could improve is definitely in speed. His acceleration and top speed still requires work as in comparison to the big leagues, he's on a slower side. His Slap Shot is there and it is his strongest shooting attribute as he is rarely seen wrist shooting. Yet again, in comparison to the big league, his slap shooting is not the most precise and strongest. OVERALL Overall Drosmis Sarkanis seems like an "OK" or "average" player as during none of the seasons he played he has been a leader on the scoreboard, but he has not been the worst. That is if you don't take into consideration the actual situations he's been in. The current season, S96, for the most part was a flop for Drosmis Sarkanis as his old team was in a rebuild stage therefore he had very weak team mates and he could not perform to his best ability due to enemy team focusing on him, which can be seen by him being one of the most hit player in the league. Does that mean he will still be average in VHL? Maybe, but I think in VHL there is more depth so he wont be in the same shoes as he was this season. He will have to earn his spot in his team, but he definitely at some point will become teams leader. (899 words)

Well, I feel like Drosmis Sarkanis still is due to show his capabilities as a forward as in regular season he did not had good chances to get into the rhythm of good performance. Hopefully he opens up during playoffs!

I agree what steve said that you follow a specific style, not sure about a template, but to be fair I love it. I find it very good no matter what as it is high quality, yet again love the double render approach and the burned feeling of the signature. Obviously as always the jersey swap is on point, the colours withy the grunge effect look very solid and in general it's just a great style. Of course it is all subjective, but what looks great looks great. The text fits the whole style as well. Im a fan! Rating: 9/10 P.S if you need someone to make signature for the next week, I can volunteer. Need a signature to enter VHL as rookie!

Going to do a little review here if you dont mind. First of all let me say that Im happy to see something else than a signature, so this player card submission is great. I can see that you have thought about the card design, how to add some bits and pieces to the frame which in general is not bad. I personally find it hard to come with a cool design for the player cards, so I appreciate the work that has been put into it. Great job on the the jersey and the logo swap, that part is done very well in my opinion. Not sure about the TOP10 arrow, maybe it could have been done bit better in terms of nicer if that makes sense, because right now it is just a massive arrow that in a way ruins the overall card look for me. Let's see more cards in the future! Review: 7/10

1. Did you expect the team to make a trade? As an involved person into the trade, I did not expect it to happen. I was just chilling when I got tagged about the trade :D. 2. How do you think the acquisition of Sarkanis will affect the team? I will be honest, I have not really performed to my potential and while I have helped the team, the main thing will be playoff performance. 3. How did your player welcome Sarkanis to the team? I smiled! 4. Should the Ottawa Lynx get a mascot? What would we name it? We should get a sexy female lynx. I heard sex sells... 5. Whats a rule you wish you could add to the VHL? That all teams have to be balances player wise, so that there wouldn't be a team with 4-5 players and a team with 10 players. 6. How excited are you for us to get to playoffs in a few weeks? Oh Im very excited, because this is my last season in the VHLM, so I wish to win another cup.

Yet again another great piece from you! I really love the style that you keep in a lot of your signatures which is the double render style, where you use the same player, but twice with different ones. On top of that you have done a great job with the splatter brushes, gives that rough artistic touch to the piece. Blue and Grey/White actually goes together very nice and I am enjoying this colour combo a lot right now as Im looking at the signature. Text is done super good and a great font has been found and it fits very well with the signature. And of course the little sponsor touch is funny as hell! Rating: 9/10

Ulalala, what can I say. No title? More like No Words how good this piece is! This is something you can frame and put on the wall at your house. Love the choice of the render as it shows emotions in the players face and then of course the artistic touch to it with the brushes and giving that painting vibe. Good logo and jersey change, nothing to say about that. Love the background as well as it looks like an actual painting canvas. All in all very nice and impressive. Rating: 9/10

1. Who is your favorite for MVP, and who do you think are still contenders for the award? - Harry Callahan 2. If you had to pick one team that you are most confident will make it to the finals this season, who would it be? - Riga Rein, because they been performing well for the last couple of seasons. 3. What's a movie that you enjoy, that is generally regarded as not good? - Green Lantern QUESTIONS 1. Do you have a favourite equipment brand? 2. Do you see lost tooth/teeth during game as a proud battle scar? 3. Does the logo and the colours of a team affect your wish to represent the team?

It was an everyday normal day and Drosmis had just returned from his morning run in the park around the block. He made himself a quick smoothy and went to take a shower. While in the shower his phone rang and it was no one else than the GM of Saskatoon Wilds. Obviously he did not hear it while in shower and only saw the missed call after he got out of the shower and was getting ready to go to the practice facility. He returned the call to the GM and it was an unexpected and bit shocking conversation that he had. He was informed that Saskatoon has traded him to Ottawa. While this was the last season for Drosmis in this league and the team was not doing too well, I would even say suck ass, he still stayed loyal to the Saskatoon and would have ended his VHLM career with the team that once gave him a cup. It was a bitter sweet news because he has now been given a chance for another cup, which was impossible if stayed with the Wilds. Hopefully what Saskatoon got for Drosmis will help to win the whole thing!

1. How did your player celebrate Halloween? Sat at home and ignored all the door bells... 2. What's the best candy? Peanut M&M's 3. Grape offered you trick or treat and you chose trick. What did he do to/give you? He traded me back to Saskatoon! 4. What was the cause of the Lynx's cold streak? Me not being here yet! 5. Are we back? Or are we going to struggle again? Nah, we back baby! Winning onwards only! 6. Who are you voting for in the upcoming election? (Baozi vs Fresco 2) Not into voting, so none...