Mr Bohannan

@v.2
 
Hi everyone, and welcome to the S83 VHL Preview! We saw a lot of player movement in a long offseason, leading into a season where it can be incredibly hard to predict what will happen with the changes we saw in the offseason. No matter what we are in for a season where anything could happen, and legends will be made. While you are here be sure to check out some of the other recent VSN articles.
 
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North American Conference
 
 #1 Seattle Bears 
The Bears are back this season with an almost identical roster to last season with the lone addition being AJ Williams @ajwllmsn who was acquired from Los Angeles in exchange for Sebastian Dokis, Deagun Rust, a S85 SEA 1st, and a S85 SEA 3rd. As critical as Em Em Flex’s @oilmandan performance will be for this team as they will be a key player for this team, Zeedayno Chara @Jubis, now a forward is poised to have an unforgettable season. Seattle looks primed for a run this season and poised to take the North American Conference by storm this season. 
 
Projected Record: 49-18-5
X-Factor Player: Zeedayno Chara
 
 #2 Toronto Legion 
Toronto is back this season under new management with @Doomsday! He has made his impact right away with trading away Boris Tsezar for draft picks and then in a blockbuster trade acquiring Paul Atreides @Mr_Hatter and Aurlien Moreau @Frank from Moscow. The last trade of the offseason came with trading away Harkat Mulds to Moscow for a 4th. Additionally, Toronto was able to draft a future elite defensemen in Ryuji Sakamoto @der meister at 7th overall. Similarly to Seattle, Toronto has a very complete roster with top players in every position, up front Paul Atreides will likely be in for a career year and with the conference being in its current shape their play will be critical to Toronto’s success.
 
Projected Record: 45-22-5
X-Factor Player: Paul Atreides
 
 #3 D.C. Dragons 
The D.C. Dragons had one of the busiest offseasons in the league acquiring Brian Schmigel @Bigb33, Poopy Peepants @JardyB10, Taylor Mourning @scoop, and Corey Kitson @Nykonax all in huge trades. Additionally, D.C. went out and signed the big fish in free agency in Tui Sova @v.2. D.C. appears to be a step behind Seattle and Toronto on paper, however anything can happen this season and D.C. does have one of the top defense cores in the league. The biggest question mark for D.C. will be rookie goaltender Bubbles Utonium @fishy who is coming off a good individual season with Vasteras in the VHLE which saw them record a 0.922 SV% and a 3.10 GAA. 
 
Projected Record: 40-28-4
X-Factor Player: Bubbles Utonium
 
 #4 Calgary Wranglers 
This is where things get interesting with the North American Conference, with 5 of the 8 teams either rebuilding or just coming out of a rebuild. Calgary gets the nod at 4 due to their offensive core and having a solid goaltender that will improve as the season progresses. Saku Kotkakoivu @DollarAndADream will be the driving force behind this teams offense along with Daniel Janser @Daniel Janser, both are set up for a breakout season and are the early favourites for the S83 Dustin Funk Award.
 
Projected Record: 35-34-3
X-Factor Player: Saku Kotkakoivu
 
 #5 Chicago Phoenix 
After a rough last couple of seasons the Chicago Phoenix are finally trending in the right direction. With top prospects making the VHL debut in Scotty Sundin @fromtheinside, Bo Johansson @Shindigs, The Board Game Clue On Skates @MubbleFubbles, and Seymour Butts @fonziGG. Additionally with the acquisition of Aike Van Gierbergen @enigmatic to give them solid goaltending in between the pipes Chicago is set for a very good S83 considering they had 6 wins last season. We should see Chicago battling it out with Calgary and Vancouver all season for the 2 wildcard spots.
 
Projected Record: 35-33-4
X-Factor Player: Scotty Sundin
 
 #6 Vancouver Wolves 
The Vancouver wolves have been the best team in the VHL for the past 3 seasons and during that period won three consecutive Continental Cups. This season will be very different in Vancouver as they have traded away the majority of their star players and those who remain are primarily in their final season. With that being said there are two young players in Vancouver with really bright futures, those are Kakapo Bushtit @Esso2264 and Brandt Fuhr @Tate who will surely be the face of the franchise for some time to come. If Vancouver is going to challenge for a playoff spot they will need Brandt Fuhr to be at the top of their game each and every night.
 
Projected Record: 33-34-5
X-Factor Player: Brandt Fuhr
 
 #7 New York Americans 
The New York Americans made what was possibly the biggest trade of the offseason acquiring both Jerome @MexicanCow123 and Tyler Reinhart @Zetterberg from Vancouver for a S85 1st and a S84 2nd. This trade really makes New York’s offense one of the top offenses in the conference. However New York’s defense is rather lackluster and their goaltender leaves something to be desired. This will be the season we find out if Jerome Reinhart can carry a team and maybe, just maybe propel New York to a playoff spot.
 
Projected Record: 27-39-6
X-Factor Player: Jerome Reinhart
 
 #8 Los Angeles Stars 
In stark contrast to Toronto, @InstantRockstar inherited a team at the opposite end of their cycle as a majority of the team either retired, went to free agency, or were traded away to get the rebuild started. This season will be a quiet one for Los Angeles as veteran goalie Tater Tot @Trunkxolotl will need to stand on their head constantly to win games. Additionally, rookie forward DB III @wcats should have an interesting first season as they will likely be playing in all situations giving them a prime chance at taking home the rookie of the year award.
 
Projected Record: 13-57-2
X-Factor Player: Tater Tot

 
European Conference
 
 #1 Moscow Menace 
Moscow’s window is still open and this may finally be the season the EU’s top team takes the Continental Cup home. With Now veterans Papa Emeritus @Beketov, Duncan Idaho @OrbitingDeath , and Hard Markinson @STZ this team looks primed and ready to go on their 4th consecutive Continental Cup run, anything short of their names on the cup at the end of the season is a failure for this team. The biggest difference maker for this team will be Papa Emeritus in this extremely tough European Conference.
 
Projected Record: 54-10-8
X-Factor Player: Papa Emeritus
 
 #2 Helsinki Titans 
After a long rebuild the Helsinki Titans look to be pretty good this season with a solid forward core, defense is much improved from last season, and they still have one of the top goalies in the league in Xavier Booberry @CowboyinAmerica. The European conference could really be a 2 horse race all season between Moscow and Helsinki and only time will tell who will prevail.
 
Projected Record: 51-18-3
X-Factor Player: Xavier Booberry
 
 #3 Riga Reign 
The Riga Reign are a safe team that will likely comfortably finish either 3rd or 4th in their conference as they do have one of if not the top offense in the league, supplemented by a very good blueline featuring Battre Sandstrom @Acydburn. The uncertainty for Riga is in goal with Tobias Reinhart @Spaz, although not one of the most skilled goalies in the league they have been very consistent finishing with the second best GAA for each of the past two seasons. For Riga to be the best team in the league this season they will have to be the highest scoring and that starts with Alex Johnston @Alex who when they joined Riga last season was scoring at the highest pace in the league with 26 goals and 21 assists for 47 points in only 22 games.
 
Projected Record: 44-23-5
X-Factor Player: Alex Johnston
 
 #4 Prague Phantoms 
Prague this season will likely see themselves in a battle with Riga for 3rd in the conference. Prague’s biggest offseason move came with them acquiring Reylynn Reinhart @Ricer13 from Calgary in exchange for a 1st round pick. As a whole this Prague team is extremely well rounded, and do have incredible depth right now, the main difference between Riga and Prague comes with their defense cores as Riga’s gives them the slight edge, while taking into account both teams goaltenders. With that being said, Asher Reinhart @rjfryman seems to be ready for a huge season and by all means should be in for a big bounce-back season.
 
Projected Record: 44-24-4
X-Factor Player: Asher Reinhart
 
 #5 London United 
Last season’s top European team in the regular season sees themselves take a big step back here as they are still an incredibly young team that in a season or two will be at the top of the conference again. London’s rookies, Nils Godlander @Moon, Matt Avens @Mr Bohannan, and Zaza Colors @McWolf tore up the league last season and they will need to do it again. Along with them now sophomore goaltender Cole Pearce @N0HBDY will also need to take a step forward this season and help his team potentially battle it out with the top of the European Conference. London made a big addition in the offseason adding season 82’s top defensive defenseman Tom Eagles @Greg_Di, who will likely put their body on the line night after night to help his team succeed.
 
Projected Record: 40-28-4
X-Factor Player: Tom Eagles
 
 #6 Warsaw Predators 
One of six teams in the European Conference that made considerable trades in the offseason to push for the playoffs, Warsaw will be in a battle all season long. In the offseason, Warsaw acquired Hari Singh Nalwa @Dil, Tavish DeGroot @rory , and Omi Aberg @osens, all of whom will be stepping into sizable roles with the team and will be integral to their success in front of rookie goaltender Wumbo @Fire Fletcher. Warsaw will likely find themselves in the playoff hunt right on the tail of London, if GM @dlamb can find and acquire a 4th defensemen it could put this team over the edge and propel them into a playoff spot.
 
Projected Record: 39-28-5
X-Factor Player: Hari Singh Nalwa
 
 #7 HC Davos Dynamo 
Davos is making steps in the right direction, they picked up the other half of their future first defensive pair with Siyan Yasilievich @badcolethetitan who will slot in perfectly next to James Teekirque @Mongoose87, They also added some forward prospects with Pete Mitchell @Crstats23 and Benjamin Franklin Chang @joelunk. Additionally, adding Boris Tsezar @comrade cat in a trade gives them a starting goalie for this season that will be a step in the right direction. Davos’s defensive core is pretty solid to start this season with David Tavau @Ahma and Kristof Welch @Juice, both of whom could be in for a big season. However, the lack of top forwards is an issue with the current roster that will likely be adding some of the top forwards in the S84 draft class.
 
Projected Record: 30-35-7
X-Factor Player: Boris Tsezar
 
 #8 Malmo Nighthawks 
Malmo is now trending down into a rebuild following several good playoff runs that involved a Continental Cup win in season 79. Although Malmo is already off to a promising start in their rebuild with Igor Molotov @Dom who will likely spend their entire career in Malmo and serve as their franchise center, they will have to build around them. This is something that they have already started to do with acquiring Mason Jones @Masu Chan and Obi Adesanya @atw2592. Although the forward core actually looks great on paper, this team will likely struggle defensively with only 1 active defensmen in Dabnad Shaw @Dabnad and no goaltender; MAL-G1 will need to play very well. This season we can expect Malmo to finish at or near the bottom of a European Conference that is highly competitive this season.
 
Projected Record: 18-53-1
X-Factor Player: Dabnad Shaw

As a former GM who asked press conference questions almost every week for close to 3 years...it really burns you out to be the question-asker. Some weeks I took over an hour to come up with six questions (though I always tried to ask new and interesting things every week rather than recycling things or asking lazy questions). That isn't an excuse, of course--I think a GM should certainly be dedicated enough to their team to do it--but it's much easier to answer every week than ask.
 
 
I'm a goaler, so not at all! I did some BoG work in creating the skills, which took a good minute, but haven't had to use them yet.
 
 
No. My Discord name is "Chief of Horny Police", so I certainly couldn't reconcile one of those things with the other.
 
Real talk, though--someone who was on OnlyFans at some point...sure, whatever, I'm willing to forgive and forget and I like to think I'm open-minded enough to leave those things in the past. Someone who currently makes money there is a bit of a different story in that I think you get out of a relationship what you put in. I would never feel comfortable putting myself out there like that in a relationship because the only person I'd want thinking of me in certain ways is the one I'm in the relationship with, and to purposely make others think of me like that is super disrespectful to my partner. If someone wants to be on OnlyFans, that's 100% their right--I just personally want someone who has the same respect for me that I'd have for them.
 
 
 
1. What's something you wish you knew when you joined the league?
 
2. Tage Thompson is finally starting to look good! Who's your favorite NHL player, in the context of this season specifically?
 
3. What's your favorite type of food (Italian, Chinese, etc.)? What specific dish do you love within that type?

Hmm very interesting piece! I kinda like what you have done with the render and all the background work. The background gives me this intergalactic space travel vibe, but the render work itself reminds me of ice-man or whatever the villain from Batman is. All together seems a bit neon-ish so a lot of perspectives for this specific work. As you already mentioned yourself then you had issues with the text. Cannot say that the text is bad, not at all, but ye, text is an issue most of the times. Although the piece is busy, I kinda would like to see the background filled up a little bit more and not have that much of the black blank space around.
 
Rating: 8/10

Saw the Riga Reign and had to come in and give you a rating for the team that is located in the capital of my own country. The first question that comes in my mind is - is the piece a poster, card or a signature? Im not really sure how to look at it, so dont have any sort of guidelines I could go by for the specific type of work. I will assume it's something like a poster, so I will judge it based on that. The renders are chosen well and I like how they are used. Obviously the jersey change is done quite well, maybe not on the front render as the right side just looks like its cut down in a straight line. I would assume that's how jersey bends in the render, but with the jersey change it just looks weird. Although I see and understand why the orange colour is the dominant one in the piece, Im not too keen on it. Might be bit too much of orange for me. When it comes to text, I like that you chose a big and bold font, but the colour itself and the blending mode used does not work for me. I think you could have done much stronger text that would also stand out more and make the graphic more beastly. Overall it is a good job, nonetheless.
 
Rating: 7/10

Only 2 seasons ago we saw the rookie points record broken by Matty Fire @MattyFired, this past season we saw the record of 113 points shattered by not one, but 2 players! Additionally, Zaza Colors @McWolf and Brendan Marner @MetalToday became the 4th and 5th rookies to ever break the 100 point mark. Additionally, Cole Pearce @N0HBDY had one of the best rookie goaltender seasons in recent history with 40 wins. Lastly, our two rookie point leaders this past season were Matt Avens @Mr Bohannan (132 points), and Nils Godlander @Moon (131 points). What a season for London rookies! The winner of the season 82 Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy is...
 

 

London is slacking on press conference, so Im back to you guys!
 
1. Do you have any favourite activities to do in the offseason? if so what are they?
- Relaxing for a bit and then back to the gym and focusing on myself.
2. If you had to take the team on a vacation where would we go and why?
- I might take them to countries that are not popular destinations due to lack of information about them.
3. Who is your players favourite player in any league (NHL, VHL etc.) and why do you like them?
- Henrik Zetterberg, because of his story being drafted 210th and then becoming one of the league leaders.
4. In your experience, did you like the E? why or why not?
- What is THE E?
5. What is your favourite memory of this past season? 
- Playoffs
6. if you followed the NHL trade line, what trade shocked you the most?
- To be fair I did not, so have no idea who is traded.

Just popping by :D!
 
1. If you were in charge of taking the team out for dinner, where would you take us?
-I would probably take the team to some good steak house or something like that.
2. What is your favourite fruit. 
Clementine
3. If you could hire one person to help you, would it be for cooking, cleaning or yard work?
Cleaning. Hate cleaning!
4. What is the longest time you have went without sleep?
Maybe 12-13hours. Not long. Cannot live without sleep.
5. What is your favourite fast food place?
A local burger place near my house.
6. What is your favourite movie?
Dont really have one, but if i have to name any then probably - Saw

Yeah, I just picked your player because he did so well this season! Then I picked Nathan Walker as the render because he's UK and your player is UK.  

Regular season was over, but nothing was actually over as now the most important part of the season was about to start. Thankfully for the position where London finished on the regular season standings, they did not have to play in the first round of the playoffs and had to wait to face the winner between Moscow and Malmo. Some of the experts predicted that London will face Moscow in the semi-finals and it did happen although it could have been any teams win, considering that it went to game five in which Moscow took the upper hand and advanced to the sem-finals against London. Now the first two games been played between London and Moscow, the result being 1-1, although after the very first game between both of these teams showed that it might be an easy sweep for Moscow as they did win London 6-1, totally crashing them in the very first game. Matt is doing his best on the ice and fingers crossed that London will pull through and go to finals!

In my defense and that's also a reason Im not keen hearing that I "abused" the meta is the fact that I just joined the league, never really played in VHL before so I had no clue about such meta even existing. All I did was focused on the stats that I felt were important to my player as a sniper. Obviously main focus was scoring, cuz sniper -dooh, then puck handling, skating and defense, cuz I was told defence helps player to perform well. Maybe it was meant to be as before in other leagues I've had either defence players or playmakers that actually focused on passing. This time I wanted to make that scorer, be on top of the tops with time and I was pleasantly surprised when I saw my player doing that well. Also, it's not like I started to focus on these stats recently, I've been doing that since I joined and I cannot say that this "meta" was breaking scoreboards in VHLM or VHLE.

Moscow who?

@v.2
 
Welcome to VSN’s VHL playoff preview and predictions, in this article we’ll break down each series and discuss what players could be key to turning the tide of the series and potentially pulling off an upset. This was truly an incredible season, and we should be in for a few upsets in the playoffs While you’re here be sure to check out some of the other recent VSN articles and podcast.
 
VHLM Illustrated 1st Edition 3/6/2022 | VSN Podcast Podcast W/Sam & N0HBDY Ep.3 | S82 VHL Trade Deadline Recap
 
Wildcard Series
 
 Seattle vs. Toronto 
 
Our first playoff series could be a really interesting one with the youth of Toronto taking on all the veterans in Seattle. For Seattle this series could very well come down to their offense, led by offseason acquisition Taro Tsujimoto @Gustav who finished 3rd in league scoring with 139 points and S81 MVP Justin Lose @youloser1337. For Toronto, they will once again lean heavily on Oskar Lindbergh @Doomsday in the hopes that he can carry them out of the wildcard round for a second consecutive season. This Toronto team is very much still really young and as they approach their prime, they could be in good shape to take the league by storm. In order for Toronto to advance they will have to get the better of Kunibuni UnGuri @Berocka, who was acquired from Davos shortly before the trade deadline.
 
Prediction: Seattle in 4 (best of 5)
VSN vote: SEA 6, TOR 4
 
 Moscow vs. Malmo 
 
After making the playoffs on the final day of the regular season both these teams will have something to prove. For Moscow it is that them making it to the finals the 2 previous seasons wasn’t a fluke and that they still have it. For Malmo it will be to prove everyone wrong and go on a deep run and try to replicate their success from S79. Malmo will need their offense led by Nathaniel Minion @Minion and potential Boulet Trophy favourite Taylor Mourning @scoop to be firing on all cylinders to out-score Moscow. For Moscow, the other Boulet favourite Duncan Idaho @OrbitingDeath , will need to be at the top of their game as well. This series could very well come down to goaltending as Artem Tretiak @Molholt and Papa Emeritus @Beketov will go toe-to-toe all series. With that being said given their previous performances Moscow is the clear cut favourite here.  
 
Prediction: Moscow in 3 (best of 5)
VSN vote: MOS 11, MAL 0
 
Conference Semi-Finals
 
 Los Angeles vs. Calgary 
 
This series could be a really interesting one as Los Angeles won the season series 4-2, in what was for the most part some very close games. Dan Dan @MMFLEX is coming off of an incredible season that will likely see them take home a majority of the offensive awards and will likely continue their play in the playoffs starting off with a series against their former team. Calgary will likely lean on their scoring depth with all of Reylynn Reinhart @Ricer13, Tom Eagles @Greg_Di, and Gustislav Nasherov @Vat scoring over 100 points this season. Calgary has a real chance to pull off an upset here, however it’s very difficult to bet against Los Angeles after the season they have had.
 
Prediction: Los Angeles in 5
VSN vote: LAS 8, CGY 2
 
 Vancouver vs. Seattle 
 
After what Vancouver did in the regular season it’s hard to debate a reason on why they will not make it at least out of the conference semifinals. In the regular season Vancouver took 4 of the 7 match-ups losing in 3 very close games to Seattle. For Seattle to have a decent chance Kunibuni UnGuri will need to stand on their head in every game to shut down Vancouver’s offense. For Vancouver it will likely be Jerome Reinhart @MexicanCow123 who will lead their offense and will try to run over the Bears.
 
Prediction: Vancouver in 4
VSN vote: VAN 10, SEA 0
 
 Prague vs. Riga 
 
Possibly the closest first round series we will see, with Riga winning the season series 4-2. Additionally, since acquiring Alex Johnston @Alex Riga has gone 17-5-0, the best record in the VHL during that stretch. In that time both Johnston’s and Battre Sandstrom’s @Acydburn production skyrocketed, and they will likely propel Riga’s offense past Prague. With that being said Prague is not without offensive options as Darth Kaprizov @Darth Kaprizov led the league in scoring this season with 60 goals. This series could prove to be an offensive show, which will truly be a show to watch. Riga gets the nod here as they won the season series.
 
Prediction: Riga in 7
VSN vote: PRG 5, RIG 5
 
 London vs. Moscow 
 
Despite a dominant regular season that saw London surge to the top of the regular season standings in the European Conference, they will not have an easy road to the Conference finals as they will likely have to get past Moscow to win their first series ever. If Moscow’s defense led by Hard Markinson @STZ and Aurelien Moreau @Frank can limit London’s rookies offensively, this series could quickly turn into Moscow’s to lose. For London, they just will need to simply score more than Moscow, defense has been anything but a strength for London, and they will need Matt Avens @Mr Bohannan, Nils Godlander @Moon, and Zaza Colors @McWolf to carry their play from the regular season into the playoffs to get past the back-to-back European Conference Champion.
 
Prediction: Moscow in 7
VSN vote: LDN 4,  MOS 5
 
Conference Finals
 
 Vancouver vs. Los Angeles 
 
The  series that most people could see as the de facto Continental Cup Finals, the top 2 teams in the league will go head-to-head in the North American Conference Finals. Both teams tied for the least goals against in the regular season with 220, however Vancouver scored 26 more goals. Of note, Los Angeles heavily out played Vancouver in the season series, winning it 4-2 and outscoring Vancouver 22-15 in those games. Vancouver will likely lean heavily on their offense as always with Jerome Reinhart and Henry Tucker @NSG leading the way, although they will likely need Thadius Sales @thadthrasher to be at the top of their game for the duration of the series. Los Angeles defense could actually be the difference maker for them in this series with Tui Sova @v.2, Jan Hlozek @Bojovnik, and recent addition Tavish DeGroot @rory forming a very solid D-core in front of top goalie Rara Rasputin @Victor. This series will probably go the distance and should be anyone’s for the taking.
 
Prediction: Los Angeles in 7
VSN vote: VAN 3, LAS 4
 
 Riga vs. Moscow 
 
During the regular season Moscow took the slight edge in the season series winning 4 of the 6 games. Although Riga won 2 of 3 since the trade deadline. Similarly, to the NA Conference Finals, this series could prove to be a close one. Riga’s defense gives them the edge here though with Battre Sandstrom, Linus Zetterstrom @Ledge, and rookie Biggie Cheese @a_Ferk forming a very solid core and is the likely reason for Riga allowing  23 less goals than Moscow during the regular season. Similarly, to the previous series against London, if Moscow wants to stand a chance they will need to force some low-scoring games and heavily limit Riga’s offense which has been on fire since the trade deadline. This could force a lot of pressure onto Papa Emeritus who put up a respectable 0.911 SV% in the regular season. No matter who comes out on top of this series it will be a true joy to watch and it’s anyone’s guess who will come out on top.
 
Prediction: Riga in 6
VSN vote: RIG 6, MOS 1
 
Continental Cup Finals
 
 Los Angeles vs. Riga 
 
For the first time in 3 seasons, we do not have a Moscow vs. Vancouver finals. In the season series Los Angeles swept Riga 4-0, out scoring them by 7 goals in the 4 games. At this point for both teams it will likely be a battle of their offense with Dan Dan, Pistil Stamen @DMaximus  and Florida Man @zepheter going at it with Nils Tallinder @Patrik Tallinder, Isau Damoose @Eynhallow, and Alex Johnston. Offensively, Los Angeles has the clear edge. On the blue line things tilt in Riga’s favour with their very solid top 4 defensemen. Lastly, in goal Los Angeles has a slight edge with Rara Rasputin compared to Tobias Reinhart @Spaz, however this past season Reinhart outperformed Rasputin statistically with a 0.916 SV% and a 2.97 GAA, compared to Rasputin’s 0.915 SV% and 3.20 GAA. This series could go either way and will likely come down to the wire if the playoffs work out this way. 
 
Prediction: Los Angeles in 6
VSN vote: LAS 5, RIG 2
 
Thank you to everyone for reading and best of luck to each and every team in the playoffs! If you have any predictions of your own feel free to post them in the comments.
 

Game Recap: Game #193
London 5
Davos 4
 
In a game featuring two European teams at the opposite ends of the conference, the score was closer than one might expect. The EU Conference-leading London United have been riding their rookie-fueled offense all season while Davos has been struggling to score. The United opened the scoring after only playing 1:23 on Zaza Colors’ 13th but Nicholas Mariani responded for Davos with his 9th just over four minutes later. London’s Shane Lazeski scored before another four minutes had passed and that’s how the first period ended, with London up 2-1 and the shots tied at 11 apiece. Then things got interesting. London owned the second period scoring three goals in rapid succession including two on the power play. Before the period was six minutes in, Lazeski, Rolf Fizzlebeef Jr and Nils Godlander had all tallied to put London up 5-2 with the United outshooting the hapless Dynamo 19-9. The game was as good as over. Or was it? Davos must have stolen some of London’s Gatorade in the second intermission because it was the Dynamo that came out flying in the third period with Gregory Bates, David Tavau, and Trevor Wallace all scoring in the first 3:32! In spite of again tying in shots with 14 each, goalies Kunibuni UnGuri and Cole Pearce would stop everything else with Pearce picking up his 17th win for London. One thing that helped London to the win was going 2-for-3 with the man advantage and winning 58.8% of the faceoffs. London’s Matt Avens would pick up two assists to hold off teammate Godlander atop the rookie and team scoring leaderboard. 
 
3 Stars
1 - Trevor Wallace @LilHCorny (DAV), 1-1-2, 7 shots
2 - Nils Godlander @Moon (LDN), 1-2-3, GWG, 7 shots
3 - Shane Lazeski @Lazarus (LDN), 2-0-2
 
London Mentions: @McWolf @Mr Bohannan @TacticalHammer @N0HBDY
Davos Mentions: @Mistxh J @Tyler @Ahma @Berocka

1. We are 7-4-1 in our first 12 games played, how do you feel about our start to the season? How has your player performed?
Oh I feel great, but cannot let my guard down. Usually seasons start good for Matt, will see how it's gonna go and my player is performing fantatic.
 
2. We currently have 4 players in the top 10 rookies, does this show that our young guns are performing well or are the rest of the leagues rookies not performing as expected?
Tbf I don't care what is the reason as that gives the team good motivation.
 
3. Our goaltender, Cole Pearce, is not in the top 10 for save percentage or goals against average. Is this a bump in the road, new blood jitters, or bad defense?
Whatever it might be, as long as he get back on his feet after each game, he will make it.
 
4. If you could recall TPA at any time without having to pay, what the first attribute you would recall and what would you spend that TPA on instead?
Hard to tell, because I focused all my TP on main stats that I need.
 
5. Favourite type of bread (sliced white, baguette, flat bread, etc.) and what do you like to eat it with (ham, salami, tomato, etc)?
Rye Bread with some piece of cheese!
 
6. Hot tea, iced tea or neither?
Ice Coffee. Recently learned how to make one at hom - perfect.

A quarter of the way through the season and some truly standout rookies have emerged. Out of about 39 rookies there are this season I’ve narrowed it down to the 5 rookies so far for these way to early prediction thoughts.
 
First on the ballot is Nils Godlander  - @Moon
Nils Godlander has become a very even player with his assists and goals being very even, and with 18 games played he has 29 points.
  Season GP G A P +/- SHT PIM HIT SB GW PPG SHG 82 (LDN) 18 14 15 29 20 130 24 52 8 2 3 0  
Next up is Matt Avens   - @Mr Bohannan
A teammate and linemate of Godlander, Avens has started to separate himself from the pack after a close race with Godlander for the top spot points wise in the rookie column. With a few more assists than goals Avens has 33 points through 18 games.
VHL - Regular Season Season GP G A P +/- SHT PIM HIT SB GW PPG SHG 82 (LDN) 18 14 19 33 17 128 16 24 8 1 2 0  
 
Yet another London prospect on the ballot os far Zaza Colors   - @McWolf
Slightly falling behind his teammates but still being a top rookie Zaza will need to have to play some catchup to beat his teammates on London. Zaza leaning very heavily into assists but less points than his teammates he has 24 points in 18 games.
VHL - Regular Season Season GP G A P +/- SHT PIM HIT SB GW PPG SHG 82 (LDN) 18 7 17 24 19 115 12 32 7 0 0 0  
 
Finishing up the skater nominations for this rookie race is Brendan Marner  - @MetalToday
Fitting in a nice sweet spot between all the London players, Brendan is the only non London player to crack this ballot. Goals and assists being pretty even for Brendan, after 18 games he has 27 points and will have to join Zaza is the race to catchup in the points category.
VHL - Regular Season Season GP G A P +/- SHT PIM HIT SB GW PPG SHG 82 (WAR) 18 11 16 27 -6 92 27 77 30 1 3 0  
 
For the only goalie nomination is Cole Pearce   - @N0HBDY
4 London players and 1 non London player, if it were the actual ballot where it was only 4 players we could see an all London ballot. A quarter of the way through the season Pearce is showing similar stats to last season’s Stolzschweiger winner Em Em Flex putting him up for a possible winner of this award
VHL - Regular Season Season GP W L OTL SV% GAA SO GA SA MP 82 (LDN) 18 12 5 1 0.916 3.36 0 61 726 1087

1. The season is beginning, what are you most excited about and what are you the most nervous about?
To be fair both can be answered with the same answer - Im the most excited and nervous about finally stepping on the VHL ice for the very first time!
 
2. London drafted goaltender Cole Pearce with their first round pick, what are your thoughts on this? Pearce with fill a hole we had in goaltending, what do you expect from them in their first season and are you looking forward to seeing what they bring to the team?
I dont care that they drafted the goalie with their first pick, because goalie will be depending on the rest of the team anyways, so while you have good defence and offence the order does not matter. I expect everyone to do their job well!
 
3. No moves were made in free agency, do you think we missed out on anyone? What are your thoughts on the current roster?
I think that there were no moves to be made because London is obviously on rebuild and is getting the new talents, so oldies can stay where they are!
 
4. What are your thoughts on the new supplemental tpe task? Will you be using this as part of your weekly capped tpe or are you satisfied with the current options?
Must have missed something as I dont know what is the new supplemental TPE task, will have to check. When it comes to options, ye Im satisfied. I have my little routine and I just follow it each week!
 
5. What is your favourite type of chocolate? (Dark, white, milk, raspberry, orange, etc.)
I would say that my favourite chocolate is milk chocolate. My favourite chocolate bar would be Tupla.
 
6. Are you an outdoors person or an indoors person? What’s your favourite activity to do either outdoors or indoors?
By a large margin I am an indoors person, but I am not afraid of outdoors activities as I grew up with them. It's more about how I am as a person, I need to do something with a goal, not just cluelessly go places or walk around.
  

London United's Rookies Make Immediate VHL Impact 
 
First Game of the Season and what a start to S82 we have! 
 
Game One: London United vs Helsinki Titans
 
London United's Star Rookie Nils Godlander @Moon shows why there's a "God" in his name as he starts the VHL Season 82 off with a bang! 2 Goals in the first and completing the hat trick midway into the 2nd period to help London win the first game of the VHL in Season 82 against the Helsinki Titans. Line mate and fellow rookie sensation Matt Avens @Mr Bohannan participated in the Titans beatdown with a helper on each of Godlander's goals. A 3 goal, 3 assist night for the United Rookie Pair!
 
Final score 4-3 for the United over the Titans. 

"Finally!" Matt thought to himself as he was sitting in the dressing room all in brand new London United uniform! It was the night of the very first game for Matt in VHL and he was mentally and physically prepared. The game was against Helsinki Titans. Helsinki Titans definitely was not the team to beat this season as they on paper would be on the same level where London was, so they were perfect opponents to start off the season. As Matt saw in the practices then the team will have to compensate their puck control and skating skills with the shooting skills and luckily they did! In a close game London took a victory with score 4:3. London kept it's momentum for two more games and then the first loss came against Malmo Nighthawks. The score was only 1-2 in favour of Malmo, so the whole team set their heads to win Malmo in the next game, but unfortunately, although the fight was hard and close, it ended with an overtime loss. So close, but so far. London had to more loses until getting another win. First week went quite the same way, back and forth with wins and loses, leaving London 3rd in European Conference and 5th in Overall standings. Matt managed to get 16 points in the 11 games they played and is tied up with his teammate Nils as the top Rookies of the season. First week has turned out well and Matt is happy for the great chemistry that he has found with his 2nd line-mates.

"Finally!" Matt thought to himself as he was sitting in the dressing room all in brand new London United uniform! It was the night of the very first game for Matt in VHL and he was mentally and physically prepared. The game was against Helsinki Titans. Helsinki Titans definitely was not the team to beat this season as they on paper would be on the same level where London was, so they were perfect opponents to start off the season. As Matt saw in the practices then the team will have to compensate their puck control and skating skills with the shooting skills and luckily they did! In a close game London took a victory with score 4:3. London kept it's momentum for two more games and then the first loss came against Malmo Nighthawks. The score was only 1-2 in favour of Malmo, so the whole team set their heads to win Malmo in the next game, but unfortunately, although the fight was hard and close, it ended with an overtime loss. So close, but so far. London had to more loses until getting another win. First week went quite the same way, back and forth with wins and loses, leaving London 3rd in European Conference and 5th in Overall standings. Matt managed to get 16 points in the 11 games they played and is tied up with his teammate Nils as the top Rookies of the season. First week has turned out well and Matt is happy for the great chemistry that he has found with his 2nd line-mates.

Hey, what can I say - not bad at all. Of course it is not a masterpiece what some people put out here, but for someone, Im assuming, who does graphics just for this league or as a hobby, I can see the work put into it. Maybe the whole thing is little bit too red and adding other colours would have been nice, but in general the composition is there and doesn't suck. The jersey swap is made quite well, at least in my books. I see that you tried to work on a good background and while it's not the worst, it definitely is not the best, but the idea could work with better execution. Kinda wish the metal plate background and the team line would blend together bit better. The text is quite large, but clean. Personally don't like the size of the piece, especially if it was like a signature.
 
Review: 7/10

We managed to draft some Kings from last seasons roster, as well as some returning faces from seasons past. What are you hoping to learn more about this season in the M?
Im glad to hear that! Wanted to say "Hello" to my first drafted team as Im about to have my first season in VHL! I want to learn by the end of the season that you got that cup!
Who is your much-too-early pick for the Cup?
MEXICOOOO!
What is a fun-fact about yourself?
Went to US to play hockey, but ended up playing for my home country VHL team in my home city!
Dolphins or Sharks? (The animals not the sports teams.)
Dolphins, always!
Will the Kraken make the playoffs?
Have no idea!
Whats something that you're obsessive about that others may not be?
Thankfully Im not obsessive about anything, I dont think being obsessive is a good thing, even for the smallest reasons.

Alrighty, as soon as I saw the threads name I had to go and check out what my fellow countryman has made. Let me start of with saying that looking at the piece, unfortunately, I cannot look at it as a signature as for it to be a signature type of piece it lacks things. What I see it is a jersey swap and for that I can give you rating because it is really not a bad swap to be fair. Of course the main team logo could have been blended in with the jersey better to not feel it's that obvious of a sawp, but that's about it for me. If we try to look at it as a signature then I would suggest you to work on your font choice, because for now I dont think they are the best ones. Also, not sure is it beginners thing or something, but I would use stroke in rare situations.

Rating: 7/10 for the swap

1. We are tied 1-1 as of right now in our series, what do we need to adjust to pull away and win this series. 
Wouldn't say we need adjustments, I think we just need to stay focused and not make mistakes!
2. Are you confident entering the playoffs?
Always! My war paint is already applied!
3. who does your player model their game after?
I dont have no one specific in mind to be fair.
4. Where is your favourite place to be in the world?
Home in my bed! Haha
5. coolest place you have ever been?
Not really a traveller so dont have nothing fancy to answer this question.
6. what is the 'weirdest' food combination that you like?
Sweet chock chip cookie with tomato juice

Of course, there is an interesting history that goes behind the S81 finals. The story begins in S65 when @InstantRockstar took charge of the San Diego Marlins. For 10 straight seasons he lead San Diego valiantly, but unfortunately never captured a cup. After that 10th and final season ended, beginning S76, a young and new General Manager took over San Diego. His name was @thadthrasher
 
During my time in San Diego, only missing the playoffs my first season, I was able to learn a bit from IR and from the multiple VHLM GMs who were willing to give advice. Of course, the VHLM saw the return of IR when he took over Miami and led the team to two cups.
 
Then, both of us found ourselves applying for a new league, the VHLE. We were both selected to take on brand new teams and build something new and unique. IR took over the Rome Gladiators and I was given the Stockholm Vikings.
 
All of that history led up to the S81 VHLE Renaissance Cup Finals where GM @InstantRockstar and GM @thadthrasher faced off with their respective teams.
Below you will read a brief recap of each game, followed by my own thoughts and “thank you” notes.
Game 1
This game opened the series at home for Stockholm. Standing in front of the fans, and in front of Rome, Stockholm seemed to be ready and eager for the series to begin. And man oh man did they show it on the ice. In the first period Stockholm found themselves responding to Rome’s goal with three of their own. They continued this momentum in Period 2 with two more goals, and finally a 6th one in the 3rd. Frustrations reached its peak for Rome when Deke Rike @JCV instigated a fight and ended up being ejected from the game at 18:54 in the 3rd period. The game ended with a 6-2 victory for Stockholm.
Game 2
In a similar fashion, Stockholm began this game with 3 goals. And, much like in Game 1, Nezuko @Baozi scored two of them. Rome’s Robert Wilk @Tomat0 responded with two of his own, ending the period 3-2 Stockholm. Only 12 seconds into the second period, Nezuko sent in another goal, grabbing the first Hat Trick of the Renaissance Cup Finals. The crowd went absolutely nuts. Then, the Loch Ness Monster @LuluSalesAway sent in another one. Rome responded soon after and that was the final goal of the game. The game finished 5-3 Stockholm. The series was now 2-0.
Game 3
Now that the series moved to Rome there was a growing hope that @InstantRockstar and the Gladiators could secure a win. They started by scoring the first goal of the game. From there, Stockholm scored, and the rest of the game saw Rome scoring twice, then Stockholm twice, then Rome twice, then Stockholm twice. In the third period Stockholm upped the pressure by scoring two more goals, propelling them to a 7-5 lead. With just over a minute left in the game, Rome’s Biggie Cheese @a_Ferk sent in Rome’s 6th goal of the game. Now, in the final minute of the game, Rome needed to up the pressure to tie it all up. Unfortunately for them, they did not pull through and the game ended with a 7-6 victory for Stockholm, now up 3-0 in the series.
Game 4
This was the game that Rome needed to show up the most to. They needed to absolutely forget the three previous games and make this one count, or it would be the end for them. Unfortunately, the home-ice-advantage did not do much for them. In the first period Stockholm silenced the Roman fans with 4 goals to Rome’s 1. With a breath of fresh air, and after a heated speech from the GM himself, period 2 started off well for Rome with the goal from Tyler Steel @tylerwest. This goal gave hope to both the players and fans of Rome. However, it would be the last goal that Rome would score in the S81 Renaissance Cup Finals. Stockholm went on to score 4 more goals, sweeping the series after an 8-2 Game 4 victory.
Words from Stockholm General Manager @thadthrasher
I want to begin by saying just how happy I am with the way this season went. The beginning of the season was not looking the best, and halfway through we were not ranked very well. According to @KaleebtheMighty, in this article, and rightly so, we were looking to be 5th overall and lose to Cologne in game 7 of the Semi-Finals. Fortunately for us, that’s not how it went down.
 
While it’s hard to pick out any one player to be called our Most Valuable Player during the playoffs, the statistics clearly point to one. Playing all 9 games, and with more than 2 points per game, totaling 20, this player was a clear selection for MVP (at least in my eyes). With 9 goals, 11 assists, and a 12+/-, Florida Man @zepheter was clearly the Playoff MVP. Of course, every player on the Vikings contributed to the overall victory of the team.
 
I want to extend a special thanks to my amazing Assistant General Manager @Kisslinger. This man was ready, willing and able to talk shop at any point. Multiple phone calls were had between us throughout the season, and many hours were spent strategizing, redoing lines, and figuring out what we would do with trades. On top of that, he was happy to take the reigns of Stockholm over the last few days while I’ve been adjusting to being a father. He submitted lines for the last few series, and kept the team hyped. Truly, I don’t think I could have done this without his help!
 
Finally, and as corny as possible, I dedicate this Renaissance Cup victory to my son, Wesley. As @BarzalGoat pointed out in our VHLE GM Corner, “it wasn’t fair that I had to play you immediately after you got a child, that’s unstoppable power.” You, sir, were correct. We couldn’t have done this without the unstoppable power of Wesley (the future supreme overlord of VHL).
 
#thanksBabySales
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1024 words claiming weeks ending 16, 23 January 2022

i dont like stars wars either that shits for nerds