Hoopydog

1. I haven't played among us with anyone from the VHL so idk lmao 2. I'd probably pick the one I got drafted by, Riga because a lot of this years Vegas roster is going and gotta stick with the team. 3. Bath in the mayo, no way am I eating a whole bathtub full of that stuff 4. I've not spoke to either of them but from gen chat probs rory 5. Would you rather, It was just so predictable and in general just awful 6. I'll take on the army of duck-sized horses, I'd probably lose against a massive duck

4 Calling Birds

Merry Christmas troops

Claiming week 1/2

The VHLM season is at the halfway stage and it’s been a rollercoaster of a season for Las Vegas Aces forward Artair McCloud. When we last spoke to him, before the start of the season, we talked about his expectation for the season and the adjustments he had made to his game. We’ll hear from his a little later on but for now, let’s have a look at how he’s doing so far. So far, McCloud sits 5th on Vegas scoring with 19G and 15A for a total of 34 points in 45 games played this season, absolutely obliterating his dismal points total from last year. He scored 7 of those goals, and 14 points whilst on the powerplay making him a staple on the Vegas special teams with a further 5 goals being game winners, showing his ability to clutch up for his team when needed to bring how points. Lastly, Artair has shown that he has some serious shout out skills, converting 2 out of his 3 total attempts this season. So, there are his stats but how do they match up against the expectations on him ahead of this season. Well, based on his performance last season then his stat totals this year are superb but he has been playing on the first line for most of the season. Being tied for top forward, in terms of ability, should mean he should be in at least the top 3 in points scoring on the roster but that is not the case. He had a rough start to the season which saw the likes of forwards Angel Wachuire and Connor Sim out perform him and causing him to lose his first line spot. Although when the line changes were made, McCloud was performing better, in terms of his points per 20 minutes of ice-time had increased by 25%, going from 0.6 up to 0.75. Even though he has been demoted to the 2nd line, Artair is still showing everyone that he can perform, in LVA’s most recent game against Houston, he scored a goal and got an assist for 2 points along with line mate Hex Rose which saw Rose secure the 1st star and McCloud secure the 2nd star of the game. I’ve also received word that the Aces have traded for Yukon winger Sheldon Juniper so we’ll have to see if that encourages any line changes from GM Spartan. Now we’ve had a look at his stats this season, it’s time to here from the man himself. Reporter – “Artair, thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview. It’s nice to speak to you again. How do you think the start to your season has went?” McCloud – “It’s nice to speak to you again too. I think my season has been alright so far, got off to a bit of a rough start but I feel like I’m hitting my stride now so I just have to keep the ball rolling and giving it everything I’ve got till the end of the season.” Reporter – “You have smashed your points total from last season; it was a bit disappointing last season. How did it feel to smash your total from last year?” McCloud – “It felt really good to break my points total from last season. Last season didn’t go the way I wanted so, it was great to break that total, especially so early on in the season. Just have to keep going and see how many points I can put up this season.” Reporter – “You’ve been dropped to the 2nd line, despite your form starting to pick up, how do you feel about that?” McCloud – “Yeah it’s not a great feeling to be dropped lines of course but I understand that the GM has to do, what’s he got to do to get the team playing well. Even though I’m on the 2nd line, I’ve got great line mates in Rose and Power so I excited to play with them.” Reporter – “The Aces have recently just traded for Sheldon Juniper from the Yukon Rush, what sort of impact do you think this deal will have on Vegas’ season as well as your ice-time?” McCloud – “I think picking up Juniper is a great deal; he is a top-quality player and I’m sure he will add that cutting edge to our offense. It’s a shame to lose Askarov but I wish him the very best in Yukon. In terms of my game, I think trading for Sheldon can only improve my game. He’s a top-quality player and I can’t wait to link up with him on the ice.” Reporter – “What are your expectations for the rest of the season. Do you have any goals are milestones you would like to reach?” McCloud – “I try not to think about my game like that. My expectations for the rest of the season are just to keep improving every week and help the team in any way I can, whether that’s putting the puck in the back of the net or scrambling it our own zone in the penalty kill. I mean it wouldn’t hurt to hit 30 goals this season so I guess that’s kind of my target” Reporter – “Just one last question for you Artair, we have just received confirmation of another Vegas trade, Dan Dan and Jordan Tate have just been acquired from Mississauga, how do you feel about that?” McCloud – “Those 2 are some really good players and they will really help bolster our forward core. That trade might put my ice-time at risk but yeah they are both quality players and I can’t wait to welcome them to Vegas.” Reporter – “That’s the end of interview, thank you very much for your time Artair and I wish you the best for the rest of the season.” McCloud – “Cheers mate, thank you.” So that just about wraps up our Mid-season review of Artair McCloud. It’s going to be an interesting run to the playoffs, especially with the Aces looking to make moves this year to try bring a cup home. I’m sure, with it being his last year in the VLHM, Artair McCloud will be looking to bring a founder’s cup home. That’s all we have time for this week, thanks for tuning in. 1049 words

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Top job on this article man. It's spaced out and formatted really well so it's easy to read. There's quite a bit of detail on each player so it's clear you done quite a bit of research for this one. Always good to see the Vegas alumni lighting up the big league. All in all, quality stuff. 10/10

Great job on this interview. It's laid out really well and the use of the different colours for the management team make it really easy to follow. The questions are really good and the piece flows from question to question really well. Overall, top job! 10/10

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1. I thought we played pretty well, a lot of the goals came from depth players on the team which is always good to see. Matt Sovick is an absolute beast, best goalie in the league. 2. Hot chocolate by a mile. Tea is nasty 3. I thought we were going to get away with it to be honest. I think it would've been a good trade that was a win win for everyone 4. I got a wooden toy gun that shot rubber bands out of it. Let's just say my mum regretted getting me that for Christmas. 5. A little luck always helps, I've been going through a slump as of late but you have to keep playing hard and the points will come. 6. I'm more of a summer guy because it means I get to wear shorts every time I go outside.

I'm interested

1. I think so. We've been playing well so far this season and we can only get better I think, as long as everyone keeps their earning up. 2. We usually have a big family dinner on Christmas day which is a lot of fun. 3. I think the dark horse status suits us quite well. We are a good team with the ability take anyone if we play well and our place in the standings might have some overlooking us in the playoffs 4. 100%. There is no way they are this good without being hyped up on something 5. I love the opening Normandy scene from Saving Private Ryan, it's really tense and I like war films 6. From my experience, I'd probably say Dil, based on the amount of banter that went on in VHL gen chat after Miami knocked Halifax out the playoffs

Last week we took a look at Artair McCloud’s rather slow start to the VHLM season. He had 12P in 19GP which, as we said wasn’t a bad total but he could, and probably should, be doing better. Let’s take a look and see how he is getting on. As of when this article is being written, Artair McCloud has managed to double his points total in just over half of the amount of games he had played. His points total now sits at 12G and 12A for 24P in 30GP which moves him up to 5th place in Vegas roster scoring. This is definitely promising sign for McCloud as he is now starting to have more multiple point games and has added some consistency to his scoring. An interesting stat about McCloud’s season so far is that he hasn’t taken a single penalty so far this season, so although his points maybe be lacking, even though he is definitely improving, he helps keeps his team at even strength and limits oppositions powerplay time. It’s going to be a big week for the Aces, with games against the likes Minnesota, Mississauga and Saskatoon coming up, it would be a great opportunity for the Aces to propel themselves up the standings. Can McCloud keep his good form going? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

This VHLM season would be likely be the last of Artair McClouds career as he is likely to move up to the VHL at the end of the season, to going the Riga Reign. Expectations were high for McCloud this season as he received a spot on the top line of the Vegas roster alongside Its Gucci and Kelly Power. He also has received top powerplay and 4 v 4 minutes and a spot on the shootout line-up. But has he performed to the standard we expected so far? McCloud has 6G and 6A for 12P in 19GP, ranking him 7th in scoring on LVA. Despite this being a career high points total so far, after eclipsing his 11P year last season, should he be putting up better numbers? His shooting percentage is just under 10%, but with 85 SC he should be lighting the lamp more often. One factor that could be detrimental to his stat total is that Vegas have went for a more defensive game, compared to last year where they were pretty much all-out attack, which doesn’t suit an offensive dynamo like McCloud. For example, half of his points so far this season have come on the powerplay (3G and 3A), just going to show when he is given that offensive freedom, he can come up with the goods. The Aces have played some tough opposition so far, including the likes of Philadelphia and Mexico City which could also explain the lack of points but with games coming against sides in the bottom half of the table, can McCloud get that offensive game going and show this league just how good he really is.

Doug Dimmadome - G @fishy

Very easy to read and enjoyed reading the interview with the player. The introduction gives the reader a nice bit of background so you aren't left wondering about what's going on. One thing to consider would be breaking up the interview section, maybe have 3/4 questions rather than just the 1 to make it feel a bit more like a sit-down interview. Overall, good job! 8/10

I like the way that this piece is written. You give the reader some nice background information on both your player and both the team he is on, and the team he hopes to play for next season. Including the little anecdote at the end to do with Christmas is a nice touch and brings some humour to the media spot. One thing to keep in mind for next time is to maybe break up the piece in to smaller paragraphs to make it easier to read and digest. Overall though, nice job 7/10

D - Victor Grachev @Kylrad

1. I think we're playing pretty well so far. I didn't know how we were gonna be after losing a lot of our top guys but everyone has really brought their a game every time we are out on the ice. 2. I think so, we can only get better from here on out and we have the confidence to keep this good run going. 3. I'm doing a lot better than I was last year but I thought I'd be a bit better given the amount of ice time I'm getting. Just gotta keep my head down and keep improving me game. 4. I think we've gotta take more of our chances. Our D game is strong and our goalie is a beast so if we can put away more of those chances then we'll be golden. 5. Beyblades man, that was my childhood. 6. I was like omg, this is the sentence I never knew I needed up until now.

I'll take Thomas Landry II - F @fishy

Claiming week 2/2

I'll take Erik Killinger - D @Kylrad

Jim Bob - F @Viperxhawks19

I think this article is very good, it is clear that a good amount of research and effort went into making this. The way it's laid out makes it really easy to read and the extra line at the start of each season helps lead the reader through the piece. Overall, amazing job on capturing the ups and downs of the players career. 9/10

Love this media spot. Lots of trash talking going on without it getting nasty, so good job keeping it light hearted. The way it's laid out makes it clear and easy to read, tied in with the images gives the piece a pleasing overall aesthetic. Gave me a good giggle reading this. Quality job done on this piece. 9/10