Exlaxchronicles

Nice!

Another victory for us!

Saskatoon-The Victory Hockey League finally released the Victory Hockey League Draft Rankings and Ryuu Crimson was ranked at number 18, just behind fellow linemate Dylan Nyugen. "I find it quite funny that my Draft Pick Number is the same number as my Jersey Number, 18."
 
Last Sunday, the Victory Hockey League released the VHL Draft Ranking, in which Ryuu Crimson was pick 18, Defensemen Dylan Nyugen was 17, and Kevin Weekes, former Tampa Bay Lightning and New Jersey Devils goalie, was number 21. "Honestly, I kinda expected this considering we just joined
pretty recently. I really didn't expect us to rocket through the charts, so I guess these numbers make sense."
 
Ryuu Crimson has some hopes about what team he will be on if he makes it to the VHL. "If I make the Big Leagues, I really hope that I'm on Calgary. I've watched them and lived there most of my life, so it would be great to go back and play for my hometown."
 
Ryuu Crimson was the second highest Saskatoon player on the list. "Strangely it didn't list Jordie (Jordan Tonn) and some other players. It's weird. I really hope they are on there and that is fixed soon. Unless there's a legitimate reason I don't know about."
The Left Wing from Saskatoon also has some hopes when it comes to his teammates. "I really hope I wind up with Dylan as my defensemen and Weekes as a goalie. Dylan is great two-way defensemen and will get more goals than me, Kevin is a great goalie and will be a great fit in the Victory Hockey League. Also Kevin, being a veteran NHL player could teach some of the rookie goalies stuff. If I could play with Sergei Komarov or any of the Louths, that would be cool too."
 
When asked about if he thinks he will make the Big Leagues, he responded, "I really don't know. I would like too, but cmon, let's be realistic. With players like Leph Twinger, Jordan Tonn, Billy Von Goon, Billy Pilgrim, Sergei Kovalev, there is no way I'm gonna make it before them. I would consider myself lucky if I even made it this season. I won't mind that much if I don't, considering I just got here and I'm a first year rookie."
Crimson says he would be glad to stay for a few more seasons. "Yeah sure, I would be fine with a few years in the Minors. It's not like I'll become a prodigy overnight. It will take strength, training, effort, but also time. That's the advice I have for some people. The time will come when you are ready. Don't think that you will become the very best overnight."
 
Ryuu concluded saying, "I'm proud of myself. I made it into the VHLM, and I got into the draft rankings. That's pretty good considering the short time I've been here. I could have down better, you know, focused a bit more on shooting and handling back in Juniors and before the VHLM but what's done is done. I'm excited to see what the future has in store for me. Hopefully not more egg rolls though."

Round Two Of The S62 Draft
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# 6. Returning to where we left off last time we now look at the sixth spot in the scout rankings held by defence man Lukas Novacek playing for the Oslo Storm.
 
He's a tall lanky kid weighing a svelt 185 lbs. Lukas needs to hit the weights to add more size to his tall frame, as he has a tendency to get knocked off the puck when in battles along the boards.
Surprisingly, Novacek has been a regular on the score sheet since joining Oslo.
Lukas has been able to produce at a steady clip potting a respectable 12G and 45Pts in 46 games this year. Why is that surprising? Well his on ice play indicates otherwise. He plays more like a stay at home defence man.
Novacek has a decent set of wheels so although not a speedster, he can keep up with the pack.
In his own end he's defensively aware and plays a good positional game. Lukas keeps it simple and likes to make the smart  pass out of the zone.
He also likes to lay the body but that can work against him due to his lighter frame.
Novacek may be one of the sleeper picks come draft time. It seems GM's covet offensive defence men but its always good to have a stabilizing force on the blue line. I'd keep an eye on this young defender.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
# 7. Now hanging around in seventh spot is goaltender Johnny Havenk Carison, the only goalie to be ranked top ten.
 
The young goalie fills the net up quite well at 6'3" and 220 lbs. If any GM is in need of a goaltender they may wanna start paying attention to this kid.
Being young he still has a lot of room for improvement but right now Carison covers the angles well, has a quick glove hand and blocker and has great reaction time. He reminds me of Quebec's young starter Tristan Iseault when he was in the minors.
Playing with the VHLM's Rush Johnny has put decent if unremarkable numbers. In 45 games this year he has a GGA of 2.00 and a respectable .901 SVP%.
Its clear Carison is still raw but he has the tools to be a potential starter if he continues  progressing. As it stands now he has enough skill set to be a reliable back up for one of the big clubs.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
# 8. Number eight spot right now belongs to center man Oleksiy Revchenko.
 
This kid could be a diamond in the rough or he could turn out to be like raw  unprocessed coal. Only time will tell.
 
In the present he has average size and strength and could stand to use a bit more muscle.
Oleksiy's greatest strength right now seems to be in his passing skills. He has good on ice vision and has the ability to thread the pass in the most unlikely situations.

What stops him from being a great passer is his mediocre puck handling ability. Revchenko tends to cough up the puck on five on five situations more than he should. It also doesn't help with the fact that his skating leaves him a step or two behind in the play or on the rush. He definitely needs to work on improving these areas of his game.
 
If he wants to be an elite center man he'll also need to practice hard in the face off circle as Oleksiy loses more than he wins.
 
At this point in time he may best be suited for PP minutes where he can slow down his play and have time to set up his team mates.
But with all that said Revchenki was still able to score 8 goals and 28 helpers in 44 GP. The talent is there but can he put it all together?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
# 9. Holding number 9 spot in the rankings is another center named Dan Montgomery.
 
This player just may be a dark horse this coming draft. He's moved up five spots so if that's any indicator, we may see more good things from this player.
 
At present nothing really stands out amongst his skill set  so we'll just have to wait and see how he progresses.
 
Thus far Montgomery is not an offensive player but he does tend to lay some hits, and takes some penalties, hinting that he could be suited for a defensive role.
He reminds me a little of David Kiaksov with no defined skill sets when he began his pro career.

Over all he needs to work on pretty much all areas of his game before we start to see what type of player he turns into.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
# 10. Rounding out the top ten draft hopefuls is 6'4", 205 lb. right winger Jake Davis.
 
He could stand to add ten to fifteen more pounds to fill out his frame some more.
 
Skill wise he moves well for a bigger guy and won't get left behind when joining in on the rush.
 
His passing is also good but Davis must put  forth more effort into his puck handling skills.
 
Once again a big player who needs to utilize his frame to make more room for himself out there. Jake likes to hit so but still needs to be more physical to benefit his playing style.
 
He seems to be more of a passer than shooter which attests to his 8 goals and 26 points in 45 games. Maybe there could be a switch to center position in the future for him but let's see how he develops.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Well, that finishes up our look at the top ten draft hopefuls for the season 62 draft so check your lists and see if you agree with this individuals analysis.
Word count: 977.

Soon To Be A FA....Who's Willing To Pick Him Up?
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Well it seems my contract will be up with the American's soon and that leaves the question of " Which team would be interested in signing me "?
Is this the time for GM Spade to make a move and get the best deal he can for me, or is he willing to resign me to another deal?
Does he plan on having one more run with the players he has or is Spade going to shake things up and start the rebuilding process?
 
In the near future my skills will be on the decline and GM's will have to take that into consideration cap wise, so it seems I'll most likely be offered one year rental deals from here on in.
 
 I'm OK with that, but I'd like to be able to play at least 20 minutes a game. It also doesn't matter which club I end up on, I'll be giving it my all and will more than happy to fill any role the club wants me to, even if I need to switch to defence. I've started out as a defence man so I'm more than comfortable there.
 
So come FA time, will GM's consider me a commodity or a liability? Only time will tell.
Word count: 219. Drink Beer. 
 

Soon To Be A FA....Who's Willing To Pick Him Up?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Well it seems my contract will be up with the American's soon and that leaves the question of " Which team would be interested in signing me "?
Is this the time for GM Spade to make a move and get the best deal he can for me, or is he willing to resign me to another deal?
Does he plan on having one more run with the players he has or is Spade going to shake things up and start the rebuilding process?
 
In the near future my skills will be on the decline and GM's will have to take that into consideration cap wise, so it seems I'll most likely be offered one year rental deals from here on in.
 
 I'm OK with that, but I'd like to be able to play at least 20 minutes a game. It also doesn't matter which club I end up on, I'll be giving it my all and will more than happy to fill any role the club wants me to, even if I need to switch to defence. I've started out as a defence man so I'm more than comfortable there.
 
So come FA time, will GM's consider me a commodity or a liability? Only time will tell.
Word count: 219. Drink Beer. 
 

Soon To Be A FA....Who's Willing To Pick Him Up?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Well it seems my contract will be up with the American's soon and that leaves the question of " Which team would be interested in signing me "?
Is this the time for GM Spade to make a move and get the best deal he can for me, or is he willing to resign me to another deal?
Does he plan on having one more run with the players he has or is Spade going to shake things up and start the rebuilding process?
 
In the near future my skills will be on the decline and GM's will have to take that into consideration cap wise, so it seems I'll most likely be offered one year rental deals from here on in.
 
 I'm OK with that, but I'd like to be able to play at least 20 minutes a game. It also doesn't matter which club I end up on, I'll be giving it my all and will more than happy to fill any role the club wants me to, even if I need to switch to defence. I've started out as a defence man so I'm more than comfortable there.
 
So come FA time, will GM's consider me a commodity or a liability? Only time will tell.
Word count: 219. Drink Beer. 
 

Round Two Of The S62 Draft
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
# 6. Returning to where we left off last time we now look at the sixth spot in the scout rankings held by defence man Lukas Novacek playing for the Oslo Storm.
 
He's a tall lanky kid weighing a svelt 185 lbs. Lukas needs to hit the weights to add more size to his tall frame, as he has a tendency to get knocked off the puck when in battles along the boards.
Surprisingly, Novacek has been a regular on the score sheet since joining Oslo.
Lukas has been able to produce at a steady clip potting a respectable 12G and 45Pts in 46 games this year. Why is that surprising? Well his on ice play indicates otherwise. He plays more like a stay at home defence man.
Novacek has a decent set of wheels so although not a speedster, he can keep up with the pack.
In his own end he's defensively aware and plays a good positional game. Lukas keeps it simple and likes to make the smart  pass out of the zone.
He also likes to lay the body but that can work against him due to his lighter frame.
Novacek may be one of the sleeper picks come draft time. It seems GM's covet offensive defence men but its always good to have a stabilizing force on the blue line. I'd keep an eye on this young defender.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
# 7. Now hanging around in seventh spot is goaltender Johnny Havenk Carison, the only goalie to be ranked top ten.
 
The young goalie fills the net up quite well at 6'3" and 220 lbs. If any GM is in need of a goaltender they may wanna start paying attention to this kid.
Being young he still has a lot of room for improvement but right now Carison covers the angles well, has a quick glove hand and blocker and has great reaction time. He reminds me of Quebec's young starter Tristan Iseault when he was in the minors.
Playing with the VHLM's Rush Johnny has put decent if unremarkable numbers. In 45 games this year he has a GGA of 2.00 and a respectable .901 SVP%.
Its clear Carison is still raw but he has the tools to be a potential starter if he continues  progressing. As it stands now he has enough skill set to be a reliable back up for one of the big clubs.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
# 8. Number eight spot right now belongs to center man Oleksiy Revchenko.
 
This kid could be a diamond in the rough or he could turn out to be like raw  unprocessed coal. Only time will tell.
 
In the present he has average size and strength and could stand to use a bit more muscle.
Oleksiy's greatest strength right now seems to be in his passing skills. He has good on ice vision and has the ability to thread the pass in the most unlikely situations.

What stops him from being a great passer is his mediocre puck handling ability. Revchenko tends to cough up the puck on five on five situations more than he should. It also doesn't help with the fact that his skating leaves him a step or two behind in the play or on the rush. He definitely needs to work on improving these areas of his game.
 
If he wants to be an elite center man he'll also need to practice hard in the face off circle as Oleksiy loses more than he wins.
 
At this point in time he may best be suited for PP minutes where he can slow down his play and have time to set up his team mates.
But with all that said Revchenki was still able to score 8 goals and 28 helpers in 44 GP. The talent is there but can he put it all together?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
# 9. Holding number 9 spot in the rankings is another center named Dan Montgomery.
 
This player just may be a dark horse this coming draft. He's moved up five spots so if that's any indicator, we may see more good things from this player.
 
At present nothing really stands out amongst his skill set  so we'll just have to wait and see how he progresses.
 
Thus far Montgomery is not an offensive player but he does tend to lay some hits, and takes some penalties, hinting that he could be suited for a defensive role.
He reminds me a little of David Kiaksov with no defined skill sets when he began his pro career.

Over all he needs to work on pretty much all areas of his game before we start to see what type of player he turns into.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
# 10. Rounding out the top ten draft hopefuls is 6'4", 205 lb. right winger Jake Davis.
 
He could stand to add ten to fifteen more pounds to fill out his frame some more.
 
Skill wise he moves well for a bigger guy and won't get left behind when joining in on the rush.
 
His passing is also good but Davis must put  forth more effort into his puck handling skills.
 
Once again a big player who needs to utilize his frame to make more room for himself out there. Jake likes to hit so but still needs to be more physical to benefit his playing style.
 
He seems to be more of a passer than shooter which attests to his 8 goals and 26 points in 45 games. Maybe there could be a switch to center position in the future for him but let's see how he develops.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Well, that finishes up our look at the top ten draft hopefuls for the season 62 draft so check your lists and see if you agree with this individuals analysis.
Word count: 977.

Round Two Of The S62 Draft
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
# 6. Returning to where we left off last time we now look at the sixth spot in the scout rankings held by defence man Lukas Novacek playing for the Oslo Storm.
 
He's a tall lanky kid weighing a svelt 185 lbs. Lukas needs to hit the weights to add more size to his tall frame, as he has a tendency to get knocked off the puck when in battles along the boards.
Surprisingly, Novacek has been a regular on the score sheet since joining Oslo.
Lukas has been able to produce at a steady clip potting a respectable 12G and 45Pts in 46 games this year. Why is that surprising? Well his on ice play indicates otherwise. He plays more like a stay at home defence man.
Novacek has a decent set of wheels so although not a speedster, he can keep up with the pack.
In his own end he's defensively aware and plays a good positional game. Lukas keeps it simple and likes to make the smart  pass out of the zone.
He also likes to lay the body but that can work against him due to his lighter frame.
Novacek may be one of the sleeper picks come draft time. It seems GM's covet offensive defence men but its always good to have a stabilizing force on the blue line. I'd keep an eye on this young defender.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
# 7. Now hanging around in seventh spot is goaltender Johnny Havenk Carison, the only goalie to be ranked top ten.
 
The young goalie fills the net up quite well at 6'3" and 220 lbs. If any GM is in need of a goaltender they may wanna start paying attention to this kid.
Being young he still has a lot of room for improvement but right now Carison covers the angles well, has a quick glove hand and blocker and has great reaction time. He reminds me of Quebec's young starter Tristan Iseault when he was in the minors.
Playing with the VHLM's Rush Johnny has put decent if unremarkable numbers. In 45 games this year he has a GGA of 2.00 and a respectable .901 SVP%.
Its clear Carison is still raw but he has the tools to be a potential starter if he continues  progressing. As it stands now he has enough skill set to be a reliable back up for one of the big clubs.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
# 8. Number eight spot right now belongs to center man Oleksiy Revchenko.
 
This kid could be a diamond in the rough or he could turn out to be like raw  unprocessed coal. Only time will tell.
 
In the present he has average size and strength and could stand to use a bit more muscle.
Oleksiy's greatest strength right now seems to be in his passing skills. He has good on ice vision and has the ability to thread the pass in the most unlikely situations.

What stops him from being a great passer is his mediocre puck handling ability. Revchenko tends to cough up the puck on five on five situations more than he should. It also doesn't help with the fact that his skating leaves him a step or two behind in the play or on the rush. He definitely needs to work on improving these areas of his game.
 
If he wants to be an elite center man he'll also need to practice hard in the face off circle as Oleksiy loses more than he wins.
 
At this point in time he may best be suited for PP minutes where he can slow down his play and have time to set up his team mates.
But with all that said Revchenki was still able to score 8 goals and 28 helpers in 44 GP. The talent is there but can he put it all together?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
# 9. Holding number 9 spot in the rankings is another center named Dan Montgomery.
 
This player just may be a dark horse this coming draft. He's moved up five spots so if that's any indicator, we may see more good things from this player.
 
At present nothing really stands out amongst his skill set  so we'll just have to wait and see how he progresses.
 
Thus far Montgomery is not an offensive player but he does tend to lay some hits, and takes some penalties, hinting that he could be suited for a defensive role.
He reminds me a little of David Kiaksov with no defined skill sets when he began his pro career.

Over all he needs to work on pretty much all areas of his game before we start to see what type of player he turns into.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
# 10. Rounding out the top ten draft hopefuls is 6'4", 205 lb. right winger Jake Davis.
 
He could stand to add ten to fifteen more pounds to fill out his frame some more.
 
Skill wise he moves well for a bigger guy and won't get left behind when joining in on the rush.
 
His passing is also good but Davis must put  forth more effort into his puck handling skills.
 
Once again a big player who needs to utilize his frame to make more room for himself out there. Jake likes to hit so but still needs to be more physical to benefit his playing style.
 
He seems to be more of a passer than shooter which attests to his 8 goals and 26 points in 45 games. Maybe there could be a switch to center position in the future for him but let's see how he develops.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Well, that finishes up our look at the top ten draft hopefuls for the season 62 draft so check your lists and see if you agree with this individuals analysis.
Word count: 977.

Rigged!

If its any consolation to you, I was ranked 22nd in the S57? draft scouting ranks and was able to move myself all the way up to 14th.

A Look Into The S62 Draft
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next years crop of draftees rankings are now out and it appears that this up and coming draft will have the shelves well  stocked once again.
 
At this point eight of the top fifteen VHL hopefuls currently have their TPE at 100 plus, with the other seven in the top fifteen having a opportunity to hit the 100 TPE mark.  This makes for some good pickins come draft time. Everyone after the top fifteen appears to be a role of the dice, so its anybody's guess who will stand out amongst these draftees.
Now let's have a quick look at the top five players for next seasons draft:
 
Right now ranked number one in the draft is forward Leph Twinger who is tearing up the VHLM with a 105 Pts. in only 45 Gp. playing with the Yukon Rush. He has soft hands around the net and is equally adept controlling the puck with his slick puck handling skills.
 
 Twinger fits the mold of a high scoring sniper with his speed, puck control and scoring ability but he is also defensively responsible in his own end. The only knock on him appears to be is that he needs work on his passing skills.
Currently, he appears to be on another level skill wise compared to the rest of the competition, so I can see him hanging on to first over all for the rest if the season. If Twinger keeps his pace, look for him to go at least top two in next years draft.
 
Next up its a tight race in the rankings with big center man Rauno Paulo at this moment ranked second in the scouting reports. 
Paulo has good speed and puck handling skills and that's benefited his offence with Oslo being able to contribute 25G and 59Pts. in 45 games. He's also coming into his own in the face off circle and is getting better defensively.
 
At this point in time he projects to be a defensive two way forward. If he can produce like this in the VHL though, his stock will definitely rise but that's a whole different ball game.
 
Being a guy his size, his play would benefit if he was more physical on the ice but right now he plays soft. Paulo also needs to work hard on his passing  skills for him to take his game to another level.
 
Sitting third in the scouting rankings is massive left winger Konstantine Mulligan. This guy has to be one of the biggest players in the VHLM standing at 6'8" and 280 lbs. He's already a hard hitting checker but here's another player who could stand to benefit his game by working on improving the physical aspects of his play.
 
His biggest assets right now are his size and checking ability but he seems to be working hard in practice to improve his mobility, strength, passing and defense.
 
Don't expect Mulligan to light the score board on a nightly basis but if he continues to work hard improving his skill set, he looks to be playing a defensive role in the near future, playing against other teams top lines and spending a fair amount of time on the PK. And if he can dial in the physical side to his game he will be a valuable defensive asset to any team. He kind of reminds me of a bigger version of Phil Bennington at this point in time.
 
Just right behind Mulligan and fourth in the scouting ranks is once again another left winger in Vesto Slipher. He's dropped down two spots  in the rankings so that could be a red flag for the future.
He has good size being at 6'2" and weighing in at 220 lbs but like a lot of player's with his stature, they don't take advantage of what genetics gave them. 
 
Sliphers biggest advantage at this point seems to be his scoring touch. He's produced at a steady clip this year playing 46 games and potting 23 G and 55 Pts. but he appears to be more geared towards setting up his line mates than putting a shot on the net.
 
His skating and puck handling are decent but there also needs to be more work done on his passing and defensive skills before Slipher can take his game to a higher status.
 
Lastly at number five in the scouting ranks is defence man Maxim Kovalchuk, the top rated defender in next seasons draft.
Kovalchuk has good solid frame to him but it doesn't impede his skating ability as he is quick on the offensive rush.

He has solid puck control when moving up the ice and uses his size well to protect the puck.
His strongest suit is play along the other teams blue line. With 12G and 36Pts in 46 games, Kovalchuk would be an offensive asset on any club.

While an asset offensively, he is a defensive liability. Maxim needs to focus his efforts on his play away from the puck for him to take his game to the next stage. His future as an offensive defence man may be limited to special teams play if he doesn't take time and learn the defensive side to his play.
 
And that's it folks.
 
Let me know what you think of my writing guys' good or bad n thanks for reading!
Word count:  903.
 

A Look Into The S62 Draft
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next years crop of draftees rankings are now out and it appears that this up and coming draft will have the shelves well  stocked once again.
 
At this point eight of the top fifteen VHL hopefuls currently have their TPE at 100 plus, with the other seven in the top fifteen having a opportunity to hit the 100 TPE mark.  This makes for some good pickins come draft time. Everyone after the top fifteen appears to be a role of the dice, so its anybody's guess who will stand out amongst these draftees.
Now let's have a quick look at the top five players for next seasons draft:
 
Right now ranked number one in the draft is forward Leph Twinger who is tearing up the VHLM with a 105 Pts. in only 45 Gp. playing with the Yukon Rush. He has soft hands around the net and is equally adept controlling the puck with his slick puck handling skills.
 
 Twinger fits the mold of a high scoring sniper with his speed, puck control and scoring ability but he is also defensively responsible in his own end. The only knock on him appears to be is that he needs work on his passing skills.
Currently, he appears to be on another level skill wise compared to the rest of the competition, so I can see him hanging on to first over all for the rest if the season. If Twinger keeps his pace, look for him to go at least top two in next years draft.
 
Next up its a tight race in the rankings with big center man Rauno Paulo at this moment ranked second in the scouting reports. 
Paulo has good speed and puck handling skills and that's benefited his offence with Oslo being able to contribute 25G and 59Pts. in 45 games. He's also coming into his own in the face off circle and is getting better defensively.
 
At this point in time he projects to be a defensive two way forward. If he can produce like this in the VHL though, his stock will definitely rise but that's a whole different ball game.
 
Being a guy his size, his play would benefit if he was more physical on the ice but right now he plays soft. Paulo also needs to work hard on his passing  skills for him to take his game to another level.
 
Sitting third in the scouting rankings is massive left winger Konstantine Mulligan. This guy has to be one of the biggest players in the VHLM standing at 6'8" and 280 lbs. He's already a hard hitting checker but here's another player who could stand to benefit his game by working on improving the physical aspects of his play.
 
His biggest assets right now are his size and checking ability but he seems to be working hard in practice to improve his mobility, strength, passing and defense.
 
Don't expect Mulligan to light the score board on a nightly basis but if he continues to work hard improving his skill set, he looks to be playing a defensive role in the near future, playing against other teams top lines and spending a fair amount of time on the PK. And if he can dial in the physical side to his game he will be a valuable defensive asset to any team. He kind of reminds me of a bigger version of Phil Bennington at this point in time.
 
Just right behind Mulligan and fourth in the scouting ranks is once again another left winger in Vesto Slipher. He's dropped down two spots  in the rankings so that could be a red flag for the future.
He has good size being at 6'2" and weighing in at 220 lbs but like a lot of player's with his stature, they don't take advantage of what genetics gave them. 
 
Sliphers biggest advantage at this point seems to be his scoring touch. He's produced at a steady clip this year playing 46 games and potting 23 G and 55 Pts. but he appears to be more geared towards setting up his line mates than putting a shot on the net.
 
His skating and puck handling are decent but there also needs to be more work done on his passing and defensive skills before Slipher can take his game to a higher status.
 
Lastly at number five in the scouting ranks is defence man Maxim Kovalchuk, the top rated defender in next seasons draft.
Kovalchuk has good solid frame to him but it doesn't impede his skating ability as he is quick on the offensive rush.

He has solid puck control when moving up the ice and uses his size well to protect the puck.
His strongest suit is play along the other teams blue line. With 12G and 36Pts in 46 games, Kovalchuk would be an offensive asset on any club.

While an asset offensively, he is a defensive liability. Maxim needs to focus his efforts on his play away from the puck for him to take his game to the next stage. His future as an offensive defence man may be limited to special teams play if he doesn't take time and learn the defensive side to his play.
 
And that's it folks.
 
Let me know what you think of my writing guys' good or bad n thanks for reading!
Word count:  903.
 

@BloodMustache
(I think this is my first time doing something like this.)

A Look Into The S62 Draft
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next years crop of draftees rankings are now out and it appears that this up and coming draft will have the shelves well  stocked once again.
 
At this point eight of the top fifteen VHL hopefuls currently have their TPE at 100 plus, with the other seven in the top fifteen having a opportunity to hit the 100 TPE mark.  This makes for some good pickins come draft time. Everyone after the top fifteen appears to be a role of the dice, so its anybody's guess who will stand out amongst these draftees.
Now let's have a quick look at the top five players for next seasons draft:
 
Right now ranked number one in the draft is forward Leph Twinger who is tearing up the VHLM with a 105 Pts. in only 45 Gp. playing with the Yukon Rush. He has soft hands around the net and is equally adept controlling the puck with his slick puck handling skills.
 
 Twinger fits the mold of a high scoring sniper with his speed, puck control and scoring ability but he is also defensively responsible in his own end. The only knock on him appears to be is that he needs work on his passing skills.
Currently, he appears to be on another level skill wise compared to the rest of the competition, so I can see him hanging on to first over all for the rest if the season. If Twinger keeps his pace, look for him to go at least top two in next years draft.
 
Next up its a tight race in the rankings with big center man Rauno Paulo at this moment ranked second in the scouting reports. 
Paulo has good speed and puck handling skills and that's benefited his offence with Oslo being able to contribute 25G and 59Pts. in 45 games. He's also coming into his own in the face off circle and is getting better defensively.
 
At this point in time he projects to be a defensive two way forward. If he can produce like this in the VHL though, his stock will definitely rise but that's a whole different ball game.
 
Being a guy his size, his play would benefit if he was more physical on the ice but right now he plays soft. Paulo also needs to work hard on his passing  skills for him to take his game to another level.
 
Sitting third in the scouting rankings is massive left winger Konstantine Mulligan. This guy has to be one of the biggest players in the VHLM standing at 6'8" and 280 lbs. He's already a hard hitting checker but here's another player who could stand to benefit his game by working on improving the physical aspects of his play.
 
His biggest assets right now are his size and checking ability but he seems to be working hard in practice to improve his mobility, strength, passing and defense.
 
Don't expect Mulligan to light the score board on a nightly basis but if he continues to work hard improving his skill set, he looks to be playing a defensive role in the near future, playing against other teams top lines and spending a fair amount of time on the PK. And if he can dial in the physical side to his game he will be a valuable defensive asset to any team. He kind of reminds me of a bigger version of Phil Bennington at this point in time.
 
Just right behind Mulligan and fourth in the scouting ranks is once again another left winger in Vesto Slipher. He's dropped down two spots  in the rankings so that could be a red flag for the future.
He has good size being at 6'2" and weighing in at 220 lbs but like a lot of player's with his stature, they don't take advantage of what genetics gave them. 
 
Sliphers biggest advantage at this point seems to be his scoring touch. He's produced at a steady clip this year playing 46 games and potting 23 G and 55 Pts. but he appears to be more geared towards setting up his line mates than putting a shot on the net.
 
His skating and puck handling are decent but there also needs to be more work done on his passing and defensive skills before Slipher can take his game to a higher status.
 
Lastly at number five in the scouting ranks is defence man Maxim Kovalchuk, the top rated defender in next seasons draft.
Kovalchuk has good solid frame to him but it doesn't impede his skating ability as he is quick on the offensive rush.

He has solid puck control when moving up the ice and uses his size well to protect the puck.
His strongest suit is play along the other teams blue line. With 12G and 36Pts in 46 games, Kovalchuk would be an offensive asset on any club.

While an asset offensively, he is a defensive liability. Maxim needs to focus his efforts on his play away from the puck for him to take his game to the next stage. His future as an offensive defence man may be limited to special teams play if he doesn't take time and learn the defensive side to his play.
 
And that's it folks.
 
Let me know what you think of my writing guys' good or bad n thanks for reading!
Word count:  903.
 

Nice defensive game by us.

Americans On The Move
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Since the last time we checked the Americans were struggling offensively. Now 45 games into the season the club has upped its offensive production to a point where they now sit in fourth place, only five games out of the top spot being held by the HC Dynamo. And there's only one and two games each in the win department separating the Americans, Titans and Calgary apart from each other for the second spot in the league. It should be an exciting race to the Finnish line to see whom actually comes out on top.
 
Kiaskov, and Savard have all started to pick up their production to where they're both close to a point per game. Defenceman Colton Rayne has also picked up his play on the score sheet. Having these three turn their games around has helped securely bolster the clubs offensive out put to move them up in the standings.
 
GM Spade trading solid forward Daring Do for the highly productive Lavar Ball and long time team former mate of Kiaskov has helped upgrade the teams depth and scoring ability. This should give the club a solid one two punch on offense. Ball has been placed on the second line with Savard and Komarov making  for an intimidating line size wise. Ball would benefit his game even more if he laid the body more often on opposing players due to his huge frame. As it is, this is one of the biggest sized lines in the league.
 
The teams defence on the whole has improved as well. American goalie Ike Irkander currently sits third in GAA with a solid 1.87, just right behind Dynamo's Shawn Brodeur who has a 1.84 avg. But Irkander sports a higher PCT with 0.923 as compared to 0.921 for Brodeur, so this would rank Irkander second in the league behind Norris Stopko who's having an amazing season. He leads the pack with a 1.75 GAA and 0.931. Irkander still has that chance for best goalie come seasons end. It should be interesting to see who gets the hardware.
There's hope on the club that Chase Keller can bring home the league scoring title. Right now he sits eight out from the leader Jack Sheppard from Helsinki who has potted 37 markers this season. Keller definitely has a good chance if the Americans continue their stellar play as of late and carry it into the final games of the season.
 
Keller also leads the league in face off percentage with a 64.70%. Next in line is  the Wranglers Jasper Canmore with a respectable 63.19% followed by Keller's team mate Kiaskov who's only .03% behind Can more with 63.16%.
Looks like Keller has a lock on leading the VHL in face off wins.
 
With twenty seven games left in the season, it appears to be a crap shoot on which club can keep it together enough to gain hold of the first position in the standings. No team really sticks out as a runaway leader, so watch for the jostling of the top four teams right until the end of the season.
And there you have it folks a minor update on The Americans and league in general.
Word count: 538
 

1. Unfortunately I'm pretty clumsy on skates so I've never played ice or roller. But I was the self-appointed "enforcer" for my fraternity's beer league floor hockey team recently, and was the reason that teams had to be told they couldn't jaw out the refs after a hit.
2. I'd say my player needs to work on getting pucks on net, and completing good passes. It looks like I'm winning a fair amount of face offs, holding on to the puck when I'm hit, but a few too many passes of mine are getting intercepted for my liking. 
3. As an 2-way forward who's on such a successful offensive team's penalty kill, I'd definitely say offensive team. It gives me more of a niche when I'm not scoring (like right now) so that I can at least keep the other team's power play at bay. 
4. I liked playing Winger because it always gave me good opportunities to let my friends score, and also to check players from the other team into the boards. I wasn't really good enough to play defense, so it was a nice fit. Also, I had to look up what shinny was, it's pickup hockey, right?
5. I hope to win the VHL equivalent of best 2-way forward one day, although I don't think that'll be too soon. It's a pretty accomplishable goal in my opinion, as most forwards seem to aim for scoring, not defense. 

Solid victory gentlemen.

We're firing on all cylinders guys'.

Way to play guys'! ?? A round for the boys'.

Dumb Russian bastard.
 

Thats ok, lots of season left.

✌️for victory.