MD9

SBA 6

SBA

TITUS STONE: SURPRISING START Saskatoon // VHL.com Not many people had much in the way of expectations for young defenseman Titus Stone, joining the VHL as late as he did. But in his short tenure with the Saskatoon Wild, he has already proven himself to be a surprising force for the team. In 18 games, Stone has managed 7 goals and 4 assists to provide some unexpected offensive help for a Wild team that has largely struggled this season. He has also added with some expected, physical play by recording 53 hits at the same time, and has also tallied 26 shots blocked. While this is far from a star performance, the Wild have to be happy with this performance given it came, seemingly, out of nowhere. This start isn't without its problems however, as Stone's primary role as a defender is to help prevent the opposing team from scoring to begin with. In that respect, Stone has been a complete and utter failure. At an awful -16 in those 18 games, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that he's been a bit of a defensive liability. That, or the team itself simply isn't playing good enough defense for one player to make much of a difference. Either way, it's an unenviable situation statline for a player who was almost entirely marketed on his defensive play. That being said, he is still adjusting to the league, and given his surprising efficiency as a shooter from the blueline, the Wild are almost certainly going to be willing to watch and wait. For a player this young, time is the surest path to fixing whatever problems he may otherwise be showcasing.

SBA

TITUS STONE: Journey to the VHLM Titus Stone isn’t a household name by any means, but he has made a small splash in some circles with his recent decision to make the jump into the VHLM. This decision was quickly followed by a contract signing with the Saskatoon Wild, setting him up for the beginning of his first season of hockey on a large stage: and a season that will be rather short, all things considered. But it took a long time to get to this point, and his path was anything but obvious growing up. Early Life Hockey may not be the dominant sport in the United States, but Colorado is one of those states where you could almost believe otherwise. Between professional, college and various minor teams, it wasn’t hard to get into the sport. Coming from a middle-class, suburban background, Stone had all of the expected opportunities as a young hockey-player: sure, not all of his gear was brand new, but it was good enough and he had coaches interested in seeing him succeed. Even if succeeding at his level was ‘just having fun.’ That’s perhaps where Stone’s story is a little different from some of his peers in the VHLM. The biggest obstacle he faced growing up was his own skill-level. He was always fairly good at hockey, make no mistakes about that… but he wasn’t good in any competitive sense. He could skate well enough and he read plays well, but every time he tried out for local competitive teams, he was met with rejection. There were a lot of ‘close, but not quite’ talks with the coaches he tried out for. It’s not like you need to be remarkable to play for those teams, but you do need to be a stand out. And really, that extended rundown on his early hockey skill just helps to explain why instead of going through the usual hoops growing up, attending a school known for the sport and being sent to figure skating lessons or hockey camp, he instead was encouraged by his parents to focus heavily on his studies. For most of his time in elementary school and junior high, Stone was -- entirely thanks to pressure from his parents -- something of a bookworm. He was pushed to constantly be studying and constantly be learning with the hopes that it would yield good a good high school record, and accordingly, good offers and scholarships from major colleges. Academic scholarships. Not athletic ones. High School All those years of study paid off for Stone, as though his high school experience was largely standard, he recorded top of the line grades in class after class. All except for one: mathematics. No matter how much he was coached on the subject, and no matter how many times he was assigned a tutor by his doting parents, he routinely came up short. Sure, he scraped by with Cs with the occasional low B. But when you’re being pushed to go far in the world of academia, that’s not always good enough. An arts degree would have suited Stone perfectly, but as many parents will tell you -- usually parents with no academic experience themselves -- there’s no money to be made outside of business or science. Unfortunately, pressuring your child to study usually doesn’t lead to the kind of desire to learn that you’re looking for in an ideal student. So while he may have been putting up great grades, he privately had no interest in attending a college even if he did get a good scholarship offer. His performance on the ice was still rather pedestrian even up to his second year of high school, and so he set his sights instead on a much more achievable goal: community college. His senior year in high school was, ultimately, when things would change for the better. Though he still struggled through arithmetic, he proved himself to be a rare, late bloomer as a hockey player. Despite playing recreational for his entire life up until that point, a strong showing in try-outs earned him a spot on his high school team. Perhaps predictably, his parents were happy for him -- right up until it started to chew into his study time and his grades started to decline. But while they may not have been overly happy, Stone was allowed to go ahead with the season on the promise that he would commit to his grades in his free time. He did that, and while his marks started to slip, he ended up with a fairly good B+ range card on the year… and the sort of showing on the ice that, remarkably, got him attention from the VHLM. Perhaps the biggest asset Stone had gained from all of those years being pushed to study was a sense of discipline. Not on the ice, of course -- he was prone to get bad slashing calls from time to time. But while other students were risking their future careers with underaged drinking and other such vices, Stone kept himself clean and out of trouble. As a young man, forget about hockey for the moment, that might have been the best favour he could have done for his future self. Year of Decision If you’ve been following up until this point, it’s been pretty clear that Stone’s hockey career never really went the way he imagined, at least up until that final year of high school. Being scouted thanks to a sudden, break-out year should be enough to give you hope that you might be able to make it in the pros… but Stone wasn’t quite so confident in his own ability. Because of that, he did not enter himself into the VHLM draft, and instead took the year off and played another season of recreational hockey while he filtered through university offers and eyed those aforementioned community college programs. The tipping point came when, around the halfway point through his rec season, a reporter for the Denver Post approached him for an interview. Pushing him for deep-seated reasons over why he had opted to skip out on a potential hockey career through the juniors, he began to… well, question the very questions he had for himself. In the end, he announced he would sign for a team and play for the balance of the season with whoever needed a defenceman. It hasn’t been a typical road to the VHLM, but in the end, Stone made it. Now the question is whether he can do anything more than that.

I was in Saskatoon on my previous player so it'd be fun to go back there. I accept. Thank you Josh for your offer as well!

TITUS STONE LOOKS TO JOIN VHLM Denver Post || Colorado, USA Earlier today, young defenceman Titus Stone announced his intention to join the VHLM for the remainder of the season. Although it is uncertain at this point whether this will render him eligible for the upcoming draft or not, Stone will seek to make an immediate impact for whichever team he joins. He has stated that he expects to announce his decision later tonight depending upon how many teams offer him a position. When asked what sort of team he would preference joining, he offered a vague statement: "It's hard to say at this point. You look at where the teams are and think, you know, maybe it would be nice joining a team that's already winning. But then at the same time, if you do go that route, maybe people look at your role and say, 'hey, that guy wasn't really needed, he's just a hanger-on'. So I guess I'm willing to join any team. I'd rather be able to help make a difference than just be a guy there to fill in some minutes, but I'm going to be realistic. I know I'm not at the level of some of the longer-tenured guys. We'll see what happens, I guess." Though there is no word yet on which teams, if any, have an interest in Stone, his penchant for solid defensive play may garner him offers from teams looking for help on the penalty kill, or simply that need defensive help. At the same time, his game has yet to be rounded out, and so teams may also opt to pass on him in favour of more dynamic, two-way or offensive defenders.

SBA

TITUS STONE: Rookie Profile Name: Titus Stone Position: Defense Age: 19 Height: 74 in Weight: 220 lbs Birthplace: Denver, Colorado, USA In an era where offense is the name of the game, Titus Stone turned heads during his minor hockey career thanks to solid defensive play and a decidedly old-school mindset. For Stone, it's not about driving into the lane for a scoring opportunity or quarterbacking a power-play. It's about playing the body, blocking shots, and being the sort of defensive anchor that opens up the real offensive talent to wheel and deal without needing to fret over the capability of their man back on the one-on-one or odd-man-rush. There has been some question as to whether Stone has what it takes to convert this style of game to any success at the VHLM or VHL levels, but as a probable late draft pick, teams won't need to risk a whole lot for what could end up being something of an experiment. STRENGTHS Defense: This goes without saying. Stone thinks almost exclusively about defense, playing a very traditional stay-at-home game. He's responsible when he has the puck and he rarely makes risky plays, with a preference on either setting up shop on the blue-line to hold the play in the offensive zone, or even hanging back in the neutral zone before his team gets the forecheck going. Because of his solid hockey IQ and particular focus, he is able to influence the game in a way that isn't always lauded by the critics, but is certainly well-appreciated by his own goaltenders. Checking: Although Stone isn't a single-minded hitter in the same way that your prototypical grinders might be, he is more than willing to play the body to break up a play. Nine times out of ten, taking the open hit is going to be an easier solution to break up the offense than trying to get fancy with the stick, and so that's what he does. There are downsides to this of course, a simple takeaway might make for a quicker stretch pass, but on the whole his willingness to hit for the purpose of getting the puck, and not just to participating in the race for most hits, should be a net positive so long as it doesn't lead to penalties. Puck Handling: Needless to say, Stone puts a lot of emphasis on responsible puck handling. He may not be setting up breakways with long, stretch passes or dazzling audiences with his stickwork, but he's going to do everything he can to hold onto the puck when he's got it. He doesn't commit many foolish turnovers and tends to keep things safe and sound. WEAKNESSES Offense: His offensive game is sluggish at best and anemic at worst. He doesn't have a particularly good shot, he isn't willing to take chances with his passes, and he doesn't have the wheels to go end-to-end like some other modern defencemen. This is a major downside to Stone and something he's going to need to work on if he wants VHL teams to ever look at him as a first pairing defender. Chances are, the most he will ever amount to is a decent passer once he fits into a particular offensive scheme. Maybe he can eventually work the second power-play pairing, but that's about it. Discipline: This isn't something that comes up for most players, but given his willingness to make big hits and occasional habit of getting up to some fancy stickwork in-front of the net (and I'm not talking about the puck handling kind), he's going to need to put some serious work in to improving his focus so that he doesn't handicap his teams with poor penalties. It's one of the big reasons teams shy away from physical defenders, and something he should look at improving sooner rather than later. Skating: As noted in the general 'offense' heading, Stone isn't a great skater. He's serviceable, but in today's fast game, serviceable isn't always good enough. He relies mostly on positioning and IQ to cash his paychecks in the defensive end, but once he makes it to the next level, that's probably not going to be good enough. He needs to improve majorly so he doesn't end up being just another pylon on the blueline for the VHL's high-volume scorers to embarrass on a nightly basis. CAREER PROJECTION It's too early to tell, but the most likely outcome for Stone is to wind up a no. 3 or 4 defenceman at the VHL level, logging average minutes in five on five but seeing extensive shifts during penalty kills and when teams are desperately trying to hold the lead. He's not your ideal two-way number one guy, and he's not a power play specialist. He's just a solid defenceman. The kind of player that helps, but not the kind you break the bank for in free agency.

Player Information Username: MD9 Player Name: Titus Stone Recruited From: SisterLeague Age: 19 Position: D Height: 74 in. Weight: 220 lbs. Birthplace: United States of America Player Page @VHLM GM

Jake Scheel Considers Future Scheel looking on during a tough game. With Jake Scheel making headlines with his apparent renewed determination to progress as a player (well, maybe 'headlines' is putting it a bit strong), there has been some speculation as to where he could be bound. As it stands, Scheel has played the last season in his one-year contract with the Calgary Wranglers, making him a pending free agent. Though it seems likely that Scheel will resign with the team, as he has shown no signs of being ready to leave in the past, nothing is for certain right now. Reporters caught up with Scheel after an optional practice session and questioned him over his future in Calgary. Scheel had this to say: "I have to be honest, it's not something I've put all that much thought into. My focus this season was playing my game, trying to help us make the playoffs... obviously, that didn't happen. There's a big gap between playoff teams and eliminated teams, it's a little concerning. But -- yeah, I don't know. I have no reason to leave Calgary, but I'm not going to rush headlong into a lengthy extension without considering my options. They've treated me well here and I've put up some points... not as many as I thought I would back when I was breaking into the league, but some." This season, Scheel was second in scoring on the Calgary Wranglers with 24 goals, and fourth in overall points with 45. He's far from a star by VHL terms, and it's apparent that even if he did make it to free agency as he's hinting that he wouldn't be able to break the bank with his likely asking price. It may be that Calgary really is the perfect destination for him if he is prepared to press forward with his career and dedicate himself to improving his game: they've shown they were willing to factor him into the offense even when he stagnated as a player, and perhaps that indicates his role might be able to increase should his play warrant it. Fans in Calgary have to hope that if he does choose to stay with the team, this recent burst in development continues. It's one thing to have a player to put up points from the fourth line, it's another to have a real, quality player. This season, Scheel played behind Jasper Canmore who officially centered on all three lines, but often switched out when he ran out of gas. This meant Scheel played around 25 minutes -- in most leagues, that would be an awe-inspiring number for a center, but in the VHL less so, as players routinely clock in anywhere from 25 to 30 regardless of position. This is, needless to say, a rather unique league -- and the story of Jake Scheel's career seems to be the same no matter how you look at it. "That would be a really good statistic... if this were another league." For now, the playoffs are in full swing and we have a lot more hockey to watch before anyone's going to be seriously thinking about free agency -- especially the free agency prospects of a player who, truth be told, has mostly been written off as a bust (and for good reason!), but this is one developing story that might be interesting to follow. Eventually.

What Happened to Jake Scheel? VHL.com // J.S. Augusta Jake Scheel was never the most well-known name in the league, but he did make a stir in his draft year. Regarded by some as one of the better 'first-generation' players available, his draft stock dipped near the end of the year due to his level of progression -- which was solid, but still not up to the part of some of the other players available. Ultimately selected fifth overall by the Calgary Wranglers, Scheel quickly dedicated himself to his new team and there was some hope in Calgary that he might emerge as a young star for the then-struggling franchise. Clearly, that didn't happen. Tallying just 167 points in 216 games, an average number for a VHL player, Scheel has entirely failed to live up to some of the scouts predictions. He has played an acceptable two-way game, recording an even +/- this season which appears fairly solid considering the team's play overall, but his offensive game has been largely lacking. So, what happened? It seems that Scheel's promise was undermined by a growing disinterest in training, perhaps distracted by the luxuries that offering a young player millions of dollars to play hockey can bring. But recently, there's been some evidence he might be able to mount a rudimentary turnaround. He'll never be the star he once seemed to be destined to be, but with recent strides in training camp, he might just be able turn himself into a significant enough role-player to make his mark on the league after all.

+2 tpe

I forgot I already posted one this week.

Welp, trying to do graphics never pans out very well for me, but I'm going to try to stick to it and really learn to do it. GIMP is a mysterious creature and using it is like going through a maze, but I tried to do a fun little signature since I'm joining Calgary. @eaglesfan036