Hoopydog

1. The sims have happened and my hatred for Simon grows larger. We are starting to make some progress I think but we need to start turning the performances into results.
2. I think Warsaw or Chicago will come out on top. They are 2 top teams and they will come good this season. I also think that we will come good as well, we just have to find our feet and then we will be good.
3. I think it'll probably be Zod or Shields that will end the season as top point scorer, purely because they are the best 2 players on the team.
4. Hedge's one on discord is neat, with the hedgehog in the little car.
5. I drink soup because I usually put in flasks to keep it warm, plus it's a liquid so I guess you drink it anyway.
6. The egg because without a chicken egg you can't have chickens.

Good job on this media spot bud. You've been fair to each team when giving them their rating and it's clear you've done your research when giving these ratings. Using the colours of the teams to highlight the different sections lays it out really well makes it really easy to read. Overall, solid job
 
9/10

SEASON 77 CALGARY WRANGLERS PLAYER STATS PREDICTIONS
 
The S76 season did not go as expected, but we did manage to make the playoff despite all the struggles that we faced during the regular season. We did hope that we could turn things around in the playoff, but it was the same story yet again. Out of the playoff in round one again.
 
During the off-season, a new GM is in town. GM Jubis has made multiple move during the off-season since we had 4 big time players retiring in the same season: RJ Jubis, Patrik Tallinder, Ewin THE Encarnacion and Lafontaine. Also the departure of General Zod to Riga.
 
The team is looking very very young and a lot of people are expecting to be a rebuilding team, maybe one of the worst team next season. They got a lot of talents in Luke Thornton, Kosmos Kramerev and Askarov, but their is so much that they can carry on their shoulders.
 
Goalies:
 
Vsevolod, Goalie
S76 stats:
Games Played     Wins       Loses        OTL          SV%          GAA         SO
        16                  10            5              1           0.917          2.74          0
 
S77 stats:
Games Played     Wins       Loses        OTL          SV%          GAA         SO
        64                  28            22          14           0.920          2.95          4
 
He is expected to play the whole 64 games limit for a starting goalie in the VHL. His GAA might go way high because of this rebuilding sason, but he will face a tons of shots and it will be his first season as a VHL goalie. He can carry the team until the OT stages, but the team will lack the firepower to win those games.
 
 
D-Core:
 
Rolf Fizzlebeef Jr, D
S77 stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  7               20                 27              -13               67                104
 
If we compare him to Tom Eagles rookie season. Even though technically he should have better stats on a rebuilding team, I do not think he is at the level that Tom Eagles was offensively. Although he has a gift defensively, we are expecting a couple of mistakes and a lot of goals scored against us.
 
 
Tom Eagles, D
S76 stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  10               24                 34             -3               86                115
 
S77 stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  14               38                52              -8               118               142
 
He is expected to have a good season and have all his stats be better from last season. He will play more physical on the ice and his been improving a lot of aspects of his game at the same time. My prediction might be off because I think he could be one of the people who can go off this season.
 
 
Cowboy Prout, D
S76 stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  12              40                 52               1               122                ~131
 
S77 stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  8               42                 50              -6                110                ~150
 
Playing on the top line alongside side Kramrev might reduce his stats offensively, but his defensive stats will for sure rise getting that opportunity to play more minutes on the PK and 5vs5.
 
Kosmo Kramerev, D
S76 stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  17               47                 64              1                18                138
 
S77 stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  23               55                78              -4                24                135
 
He might be a top 10 d-men in the league offensively. He has all the tools to succeed and he is finally becoming the number 1 d-men for Calgary. He is a d-men that could play forward if he really wanted too and he will be the quarter back for the Wranglers PP.
 
 
Forwards:
 
Green Gaming, C
S77 stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  8               17                 25              -14                45                14
 
Rookie season. A lot of time to grow and learn during the season.
 
Chris foley, C
S77 stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  7               14                 21              -18               38                 11
 
Rookie season as well. He got a lot of room to grow and hopefully he can fill out all those weaknesses this season.
 
 
Mikey Harris, RW
S77 stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  12               18               30              -14                51               15
 
His rookie season as well. He has the scoring touch, but the question is if he has the speed and the hands to put it back in the net. If he keeps up in his development, he can become a 25 goal scorer for sure on a top 6 line.
 
Keith Krestanovich, RW
S77 stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  1               2                    3                -4                3                  1
 
He is expected to bench most of the season if he is not active enough. It is unfortunate because he has the potentiel to have his best season yet for his last year in the VHL.
 
 
Steve Eso, C
S76 stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  8               15                  23              -5                87                 11
 
S77 stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  10               24                 34              -9               72                17
 
The champion will bring his experience in the locker room. He is already an assistant captain on the team even though he has been on the team for 1 month. Truly inspirational. It might be a tough season for him, but Jonas Stormsson will help him out quite a bit to establish himself quicker.
 
Sheldon Juniper, LW to C
S76 stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  21               17                 38             -1                72                20
 
S77 stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  16              32                 48              -4                54                24
 
It will be his first season as a Center. Being a Center in the VHL is really hard so he is expected to struggle a bit, but playing with Nathan Perry and Luke Thornton should relieve some of that pressure fast. He could honestly get more than 48 points if he continues to grow during the season.
 
Nathan Perry, RW
S76 stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  17               20                370           -19              135                3
 
S77 stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  15               38                 53              -4                174                16
 
I really have no idea how his season is going to go. It might surprise some people or it might dissapoint. Only time will well.
 
Jonas Stormsson, LW
S76 stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  23               36                 59            -11            69 nice             11
 
S77 stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  31               25                 56              -9                54                13
 
My brother. I can't see why he would not reach the 30 goal platform. He has been slowly working for the last 3 years and this might be the one. Watch out for him since he is a complete player offensively.
 
Luke Thornton
S76 stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  19               29                 48              -15             330                24
 
S76 stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  48               38                 86               -7                358                27
 
 
The captain. Some got them as the most improved player. Of course I'm going to be bias with myself, but I do really think that I can reach the 360 hits feat depending on how Nathan Perry plays with him. There is a chance that I could get 55 goals? It is a dream, but 100 points? He coudl either be very shit or a top 5 player. Place your bets

Imma rate each teams positional strength based on depth and quality for the sole purpose of making GM's feel bad about themselves. I'll do this by rating centers, wingers, defensemen and goalies from a range of A to F for each team so I can give people PTSD from there years in grade school. Also I understand a lot of teams have centers who play the wing so I will try to guess which centers are actually centers and which have been moved to the wing.
 
Calgary Wranglers
Its clear most of there offence will come form there wingers as they aren't too strong down the middle. They have a very bright future in defense but they aren't quite at a top tier level yet. There goaltending is also decent but not spectacular.
Centers: D+
Wingers: B-
Defensemen: C+
Goalies: C+
 
Chicago Phoenix
A very strong all around team Chicago has a smallish roster with a lot of quality. They should finish near the top of the table once again as they have no clear weakness.
Centers: A-
Wingers: A
Defensemen: A
Goalies: B+
 
 
D.C. Dragons
Similar to Calgary they have a bit of a weakness at center but are much stronger in other places. There strong goaltending and defensemen should put them in contention for a playoff spot.
Centers: C+
Wingers: B
Defensemen: B+
Goalies: A
 
 
HC Davos Dynamo
This will be a rebuilding year for Davos as they most likely finish near the bottom of the standings. There glaring weaknesses are at forward as Taro Tsujimoto is there only notable player up front.
Centers: C
Wingers: D
Defensemen: B-
Goalies: B-
 
Helsinki Titans
With arguably the best forward core in the league Helsinki has incredible quality and depth at center. There wingers are not too far behind and there goaltending is also top tier. This should be a very high scoring team.
Centers: A+
Wingers: B
Defensemen: B-
Goalies: A-
 
London United
After some aggressive moves in the offseason the London united are ready to make the playoffs again. Mikko Lahtinen will make there offense much more threatening and Jacob Tonn will surely steal London many games.
Centers: A+
Wingers: B
Defensemen: B
Goalies: A+
 
 
Los Angeles Stars
LA has an interesting setup with many centers and not too many wingers. It will also be interesting to see how two superstar centers play in the same lineup. Also with Roque Davis joining the team there Defense is now also among the best in the league. Will these improvements carry them out of the basement? maybe. Watching Davos struggle with a seemingly strong roster on paper makes me think LA might not break the curse.
Centers: A+
Wingers: C-
Defensemen: A
Goalies: B
 
Malmo Nighthawks
After recently winning the continental cup Malmo is now at a crossroads as they are not as strong as they used to be. It's not too clear if they are going into a rebuild as they still have some good pieces and depth. They will be a thorn to whoever tries to make the playoffs in the EU for sure.
Centers: C-
Wingers: B
Defensemen: B-
Goalies: B
 
 
Moscow Menace
Moscow's direction is more clear as they are entering there first season of there rebuild. They have very good depth but lack star power in all positions. With the additions of Idaho and Atreides it won't be long for Moscow to be a team to fear again but for now they will have to settle with mediocrity.
Centers: C+
Wingers: C+
Defensemen: C
Goalies: B-
 
New York Americans
New York hasn't come out of there rebuild just yet as they still don't have quality players to lead them into the playoffs. Prospects such as Red Lite and Zeedayno Chara still need time to develop into star players but for now New York will probably place around the bottom of the standings one more time.
Centers: C
Wingers: C
Defensemen: C-
Goalies: B-
 
Prague Phantoms
Prague is a rare top heavy roster with many good quality forwards surrounded by a lot of depth. There defense isn't quite at that level as they have four good depth pieces but no star. Nevertheless, there strong goaltending should allow them to score there way into the playoffs as they should be a very competitive team.
Centers: A-
Wingers: B+
Defensemen: C+
Goalies: B
 
Riga Reign
Big hype. I'll try to be unbiased on this one but I think our roster is very well rounded. We have depth in all positions with a good mix of youth and vets. Our goaltending is what I believe to be our biggest strength as Calvin Harvey is an absolute stud who should have another great season.
Centers: B+
Wingers: B-
Defensemen: B+
Goalies: A
 
Seattle Bears
Seattle will be a sneaky good team this season imo. They have strength in every position especially on the wing with players such as Jim Bob and timothy Brown. Seattle will kost likely make the playoffs and will once again be a contender in the playoffs.
Centers: B
Wingers: A+
Defensemen: B
Goalies: B-
 
Toronto Legion
Toronto is very close to coming out of there rebuild, but there not quite there yet. Similar to other rebuilding teams they have depth but not many top tier players as of right now. They have very promising core of young defensemen and some enticing forward prospects which could make this team a force in the future. I can see Toronto squeaking into a playoff spot maybe but it will be tight.
Centers: C+
Wingers: C+
Defensemen: C+
Goalies: A-
 
Vancouver Wolves
Vancouver is a very interesting team to me as they are transitioning from one gm to another. As of right now they have a massive gap in quality from there centers and goaltenders which makes them the most unique roster in this list. There centers are amongst the best in the league with Andrew Su and SS Hornet yet there goaltending is arguably the worst in the league. Vancouver could be looking to construct a deal to move out one of there strong pieces at forward for some help on the backend to balance there roster.
Centers: A+
Wingers: B-
Defensemen: B-
Goalies: D+
 
Warsaw Predators
After coming off an impressive continental cup run Warsaw remain one of the strongest teams in the league. They are built very similarly to the team that they met in the finals in Chicago as they too have a smallish roster with a lot of quality players. Therefore, no one should be surprised to see Warsaw at the top of the EU again.
Centers: A
Wingers: A-
Defensemen: B+
Goalies: B+
 
 
Claiming for:
3/28/21
4/4/21

Introduction
 
So here we go again, the 77th season of the VHL has just begun and once again we are here to do a season preview, as well as catch up with Artair McCloud, to see what his expectations for him and his teammates for this season. McCloud is still signed with the Riga Reign, although he is in the last year of his rookie deal and could hit the free agent market at the end of the season.
 
Last Season
 
I did one of these at the end of last season but in case you have forgotten, let’s have a brief look at how McCloud’s year went last season. McCloud was a part of a large up and coming Reign rookie class last season, as a part for the franchise’s rebuilding phase. Roster spots were highly contested but McCloud found himself a home playing on the 3rd line with a brief stint on the 2nd line and an even shorter stint on the 1st line during the playoffs. He scoring 19 goals and got 21 assists for a total of 40 points in his rookie campaign. Not bad for a 3rd liner.
 
This Season
 
After crashing out the playoffs at the hands of the Prague Phantoms, Riga looked to strength their squad and make a real push for the playoffs. They mainly added to their defence by trading for London defensemen James Rose, acquiring the rights for General Zod from Calgary and then signing him and Jared Carter who has graduated from the VHL and joined the main roster. Along with Carter, forwards Joseph Sharkton and Andy Nexber have also made it to the big leagues and will play a supporting role in the forward core.
 
As for McCloud, with the departure of forward Dolant Fertitta, he has assumed the role of 2nd line forward and has been featuring on the 1st line powerplay. After the first 4 games of the season, McCloud is yet to register a point as the team as a whole has been struggling to find their feet. It is maybe a bit to early to make some line changes but if this poor form persists then some changes may be needed. This could impact McCloud’s ice time, maybe for better but It would most likely see him change powerplay unit or drop back to his 3rd line spot.
 
The Future
 
I would like to preface this section by saying that I don’t really know how the salary cap works and anything I say is merely speculation.
 
With, as mentioned above, Artair McCloud’s contract is due to run out at the end of the regular season and with the cap hell that Riga will find themselves in, he may have to accept that he might not be on the team come next season. As last season, and this season so far has shown, McCloud is probably a 3rd/4th choice winger on the roster, behind Lose, McLaren and McJake if you count him (as he plays on the 1st line wing with Sheilds as the centreman). Given this sort of pecking order, he finds himself in 2 scenarios (sort of). The first of which is if Ray Shields resigns with Riga, he would probably take a bit chunk out of the cap and would more and likely mean that McCloud wouldn’t be able to resign. The other scenario is that Shields doesn’t resign and McCloud takes the spot as 2nd/1st line right winger. If he were to hit free agency, where could he potentially end up? He would probably want to go somewhere he could get more ice-time. I don’t think that he would want to leave in the first place but if he had to, I’d think maybe D.C. could be a good fit for him. They are in need of a right winger to play on their top line and by the end of the season he could be ready to play that kind of role. Plus, it’s in the opposite conference so he would be able to avoid his old team, well as much as he possibly could
 
The Interview
 
I think it’s about time we hear form the man himself and see what he has to say about this season and his future:
 
Reporter – “Hello, their Artair it’s good to see you again. How are you doing after the off-season and after your teams start to this season?”
 
McCloud – “Hey how’s it going, it’s good to talk to you again. I’m doing good yeah, after losing in the playoffs last season, it was a sore one to take, we had worked so hard to get there but we are young squad and we are only going to keep getting better. So, it was just back to the training ground to make sure we were ready to make some noise this season. In terms of our start, obviously we we’re not happy with how the first couple have went. We are a much better team than the way we are playing but we are working hard in practice to improve and I’m sure we will come good soon.”
 
Reporter – “Yeah you guys have been struggling a bit but have put in better performances already. After losing to Moscow 7-0, you beat Davos 4-1 but then lost narrowly to them again 2-1. After such a quick improvement. How is the mood in the camp?”
 
McCloud – “Yeah we took a long hard look at ourselves after the Moscow game. I know it’s early days in the season but we are serious about where we wanna be this season and that’s battling it out for a cup. We were a new squad last year, most of us were rookies but now we a have had a season to settle in and it’s time to get to work. We played well in our first game against Davos but we are still not quite right and we are looking to get firing on all cylinders soon”
 
Reporter – “You haven’t registered a point yet so far this season but again it is still early doors. Do you have any goals or expectation you’d like to hit or meet this season?”
 
McCloud – “I try not to set goals, I’m more of a take it game by game kind of guy but mainly I just try to improve on the season I had before. I think last season I hit about 40 points and about 20 goals so I guess maybe hitting 55/60 points would be nice and breaking the 30 mark as well would be pretty awesome so I guess those are my own personal goals for this season. Ultimately I just try help my team win and what I want is to win a cup and I will do everything I can to bring it home to Riga and for my teammates.”
 
Reporter – “Yeah I get that vibe from you that you try and put your team goals ahead of your personal ones so good for you man. One thing that I did want to talk to you about is that your contract is expiring at the end of the season. I just wanted to see where your heads at with that whole situation?”
 
McCloud – “Haha I knew this question was gonna come up, I had seen some of the speculation in your stuff before. First and foremost, I would like to say that I am enjoying my time here in Riga. But I’m also not naïve or oblivious to the cap situation that the team could find themselves in come the end of the season. There are lots of good players whose contracts expire and each one of them deserve an extension and any team would be lucky to have them. I’ve just got to prove why the team should resign me and why I deserve a spot on this team.”
 
Reporter – “A small cheeky question for you here, have you had or entered any preliminary contract talks with the GM?”
 
McCloud – “No I have not and it’s understandable that I haven’t, it’s pretty much the start of the season and there’s about 70 game still left to play. Even if I had, I would not disclose them in this interview as I feel that wouldn’t be a professional attitude to take.”
 
Reporter – “Yeah I thought you might say something like that and would expect nothing less of you Artair. That about concludes our interview, do you have anything else you would like to say?”
 
McCloud – “Eh yeah, I would like to thank my teammates and the fans because I couldn’t ask for a better set of either and also I little warning for the rest of the VHL… The lions are coming and oh boy are they hungry!”
 
Reporter – “What a statement to end on, thank you very much for taking the time to speak to me Artair and I wish you the best of luck this season”
 
McCloud – “No problem man, take care”
 
So that wraps up our season preview and chat with Artair McCloud. This could be the biggest season in his career as by the end of it he could be on an entirely different team. He is a young talent who will only just keep improving. That’s all from me and I guess I’ll see you at the end of the season.
 
1559 Words, Claiming for weeks 22nd - 28th March, 29th March - 4th April and 5th - 11th April 

The Riga Reign have had a bit of a rough start to the season as they sit at the bottom of the European Conference and 2nd bottom of the VHL table, with only D.C. below them. They currently have a record 1-4-1 but it is no reason to panic. Remember this happen at the start of last season when the Reign played backup goaltender Cal Conway for a stretch of games at the start of the season but then they pick up form with Calvin Harvey in the net. Saying that, rookie goaltender Matt Sovick has performed better than Conway did last season, as he is currently 1-4-1 where as Conway went 0-6-1 in the games that he played.
 
What may be causing slightly more concern for the team however is that they aren’t scoring nearly as many goals as they should be. They have only scored 12 goals so far, the lowest of any team in the league. Again, it’s still early doors and more than likely the Reign will come good but if they can’t find that scoring touch then they could be in for a long ride this season.

Introduction
 
So here we go again, the 77th season of the VHL has just begun and once again we are here to do a season preview, as well as catch up with Artair McCloud, to see what his expectations for him and his teammates for this season. McCloud is still signed with the Riga Reign, although he is in the last year of his rookie deal and could hit the free agent market at the end of the season.
 
Last Season
 
I did one of these at the end of last season but in case you have forgotten, let’s have a brief look at how McCloud’s year went last season. McCloud was a part of a large up and coming Reign rookie class last season, as a part for the franchise’s rebuilding phase. Roster spots were highly contested but McCloud found himself a home playing on the 3rd line with a brief stint on the 2nd line and an even shorter stint on the 1st line during the playoffs. He scoring 19 goals and got 21 assists for a total of 40 points in his rookie campaign. Not bad for a 3rd liner.
 
This Season
 
After crashing out the playoffs at the hands of the Prague Phantoms, Riga looked to strength their squad and make a real push for the playoffs. They mainly added to their defence by trading for London defensemen James Rose, acquiring the rights for General Zod from Calgary and then signing him and Jared Carter who has graduated from the VHL and joined the main roster. Along with Carter, forwards Joseph Sharkton and Andy Nexber have also made it to the big leagues and will play a supporting role in the forward core.
 
As for McCloud, with the departure of forward Dolant Fertitta, he has assumed the role of 2nd line forward and has been featuring on the 1st line powerplay. After the first 4 games of the season, McCloud is yet to register a point as the team as a whole has been struggling to find their feet. It is maybe a bit to early to make some line changes but if this poor form persists then some changes may be needed. This could impact McCloud’s ice time, maybe for better but It would most likely see him change powerplay unit or drop back to his 3rd line spot.
 
The Future
 
I would like to preface this section by saying that I don’t really know how the salary cap works and anything I say is merely speculation.
 
With, as mentioned above, Artair McCloud’s contract is due to run out at the end of the regular season and with the cap hell that Riga will find themselves in, he may have to accept that he might not be on the team come next season. As last season, and this season so far has shown, McCloud is probably a 3rd/4th choice winger on the roster, behind Lose, McLaren and McJake if you count him (as he plays on the 1st line wing with Sheilds as the centreman). Given this sort of pecking order, he finds himself in 2 scenarios (sort of). The first of which is if Ray Shields resigns with Riga, he would probably take a bit chunk out of the cap and would more and likely mean that McCloud wouldn’t be able to resign. The other scenario is that Shields doesn’t resign and McCloud takes the spot as 2nd/1st line right winger. If he were to hit free agency, where could he potentially end up? He would probably want to go somewhere he could get more ice-time. I don’t think that he would want to leave in the first place but if he had to, I’d think maybe D.C. could be a good fit for him. They are in need of a right winger to play on their top line and by the end of the season he could be ready to play that kind of role. Plus, it’s in the opposite conference so he would be able to avoid his old team, well as much as he possibly could
 
The Interview
 
I think it’s about time we hear form the man himself and see what he has to say about this season and his future:
 
Reporter – “Hello, their Artair it’s good to see you again. How are you doing after the off-season and after your teams start to this season?”
 
McCloud – “Hey how’s it going, it’s good to talk to you again. I’m doing good yeah, after losing in the playoffs last season, it was a sore one to take, we had worked so hard to get there but we are young squad and we are only going to keep getting better. So, it was just back to the training ground to make sure we were ready to make some noise this season. In terms of our start, obviously we we’re not happy with how the first couple have went. We are a much better team than the way we are playing but we are working hard in practice to improve and I’m sure we will come good soon.”
 
Reporter – “Yeah you guys have been struggling a bit but have put in better performances already. After losing to Moscow 7-0, you beat Davos 4-1 but then lost narrowly to them again 2-1. After such a quick improvement. How is the mood in the camp?”
 
McCloud – “Yeah we took a long hard look at ourselves after the Moscow game. I know it’s early days in the season but we are serious about where we wanna be this season and that’s battling it out for a cup. We were a new squad last year, most of us were rookies but now we a have had a season to settle in and it’s time to get to work. We played well in our first game against Davos but we are still not quite right and we are looking to get firing on all cylinders soon”
 
Reporter – “You haven’t registered a point yet so far this season but again it is still early doors. Do you have any goals or expectation you’d like to hit or meet this season?”
 
McCloud – “I try not to set goals, I’m more of a take it game by game kind of guy but mainly I just try to improve on the season I had before. I think last season I hit about 40 points and about 20 goals so I guess maybe hitting 55/60 points would be nice and breaking the 30 mark as well would be pretty awesome so I guess those are my own personal goals for this season. Ultimately I just try help my team win and what I want is to win a cup and I will do everything I can to bring it home to Riga and for my teammates.”
 
Reporter – “Yeah I get that vibe from you that you try and put your team goals ahead of your personal ones so good for you man. One thing that I did want to talk to you about is that your contract is expiring at the end of the season. I just wanted to see where your heads at with that whole situation?”
 
McCloud – “Haha I knew this question was gonna come up, I had seen some of the speculation in your stuff before. First and foremost, I would like to say that I am enjoying my time here in Riga. But I’m also not naïve or oblivious to the cap situation that the team could find themselves in come the end of the season. There are lots of good players whose contracts expire and each one of them deserve an extension and any team would be lucky to have them. I’ve just got to prove why the team should resign me and why I deserve a spot on this team.”
 
Reporter – “A small cheeky question for you here, have you had or entered any preliminary contract talks with the GM?”
 
McCloud – “No I have not and it’s understandable that I haven’t, it’s pretty much the start of the season and there’s about 70 game still left to play. Even if I had, I would not disclose them in this interview as I feel that wouldn’t be a professional attitude to take.”
 
Reporter – “Yeah I thought you might say something like that and would expect nothing less of you Artair. That about concludes our interview, do you have anything else you would like to say?”
 
McCloud – “Eh yeah, I would like to thank my teammates and the fans because I couldn’t ask for a better set of either and also I little warning for the rest of the VHL… The lions are coming and oh boy are they hungry!”
 
Reporter – “What a statement to end on, thank you very much for taking the time to speak to me Artair and I wish you the best of luck this season”
 
McCloud – “No problem man, take care”
 
So that wraps up our season preview and chat with Artair McCloud. This could be the biggest season in his career as by the end of it he could be on an entirely different team. He is a young talent who will only just keep improving. That’s all from me and I guess I’ll see you at the end of the season.
 
1559 Words, Claiming for weeks 22nd - 28th March, 29th March - 4th April and 5th - 11th April 

That looks sick!
 
Thank you so much for doing the sig

@Hoopydog
 

I was tagging member about TPE opps yet I still claimed 0 this week so far. Time to change stuff. Here's a short regular season prediction for each VHL team. 
 
 

 
If only they still had Riley. I think he had a decent season and he could've been a good scoring option for this team. Now when he was traded, I'm not sure. The first player who would pop in our minds is Luke Thornton, but will he score or try to push 400 hits mark? Also that 90/99 build that I never liked and some players were struggling with this exact ratio. I just don't think he can carry Calgary offensively, but neither will any other forward. The defense and goaltending is decent, but there's too little firepower to fight for the post season. My prediction: 7th place in NA. 
 

 
Pretty much an ideal team for the regular season. Stacked teams are usually doing very good at that stage of the season. The other question is, can they actually go back to back? I certainly won't bet on it as there were moments when too stacked team totally failed in the playoffs and that could be the case for Chicago as well. But I think they're one of the favorites for the Victory Cup here and probably can make to the finals at least. Also, perhaps Kyl Oferson for HOF? Get him some personal awards please. My prediction: 1st place in NA. 
 
 

 
When Eno paid a good price for Letang I thought he will go for forwards hard. And even if he would fail top grab the bigger ones he'd just make a cheap trade or two for some decent forwards. And then he comes in with...Jeffie, Yakovlevsky and MAGNUM??? Bruh. The Riley trade was a saving grace as he will be one of main forwards for this team and I do think this player has a potential. Basically this team is going to rely heavily on couple of players - Letang, Dood, Riley and Wolski. Sometimes Jeffie as well. I think it will be just enough to squeak into the playoffs. The irony is I think this is one of two teams that actually could upset Chicago in playoffs. This team has that S64-65 Devise Toronto vibe. Not the best depth, but the upside was so strong it carried this team to the high of the highs. As for the regular season...My prediction: 5th place in NA. 
 
 

 
I think this season will give LA fans something to cheer for: the first playoff appearance in this team's history. Adding Davis was a big move. Yes Josh had to give a first overall, but I think he couldn't wait longer before this team would fell into the rebuild after not even competing once. This team looks nice, but something still isn't there yet. I think winger talent isn't up to the elite status to carry this team. Even having Pines and Merrick in same lineup wasn't enough to elevate this team past the last place in S76. Adding Calia was nice, but I don't see him solving this issue completely. The Davis deal is enough to get them into the playoffs, but will this be enough to win something? Unlikely. My prediction: 4th place in NA. 
 
 

 
Neutral fans were enjoying their games and their flamboyant offense style. The same may happen this season, but I there are also doubts. First of all, Strong Jr. decided to not spend his prime in a non playoff team and took his talents to Prague. Secondly, don't they have too many forwards? If main guys will get less playing time, that's not gonna be pretty. Also, the defense is still in shambles as always. Chicken Wing is the sole bright spot as of this moment on the blue line. Well, at least they drafted a very promising defenseman this time, here's to hope Jubis will like it in the Big Apple. My prediction: 8th place in NA. 
 
 

 
I have one word that describes this team: solid. But are they something bigger than that? I'm very unsure about that. Their offense may rely too much on Campbell and Brown and if they won't pop off, this may not go like Bana envisioned. Some of other forwards either too green or guys who may not get enough help, like Strauss. The defense? Yet another definition of solid, but not flashy. Their defensive game will be on point, but there is a question if they can help forwards with scoring chances. Rasputin seems another Victor's goalie who could join into HOF and already shows that he can steal games. For this reason and potential Campbell-Brown connection I see this team as another team that could throw Chicago out of the championship race. My prediction: 2nd place in NA. 
 
 

 
Well, slowly and maybe surely Peace has assembled the team of youngins who could carry this team back into the relevance in the near future. Their defense is already looking cool and they still have Hextall. But I think this team will still have the same problem as last season: I don't see them scoring a lot. I was interested to see the news when Smarch went into the center...and then I saw he turned into a pass first guy which in my opinion wasn't needed. The other guys are gonna try, but who is really ready to carry them? Oh Sens...maybe Odinsson? Could be cool, but I don't think it would be enough for making the post season. They will be a fighting team for sure. But also this is that ''one season away from'' type of squad.  My prediction: 6th place in NA. 
 
 

 
Beaviss lost an interest to VHL and suddenly this team became stagnant. 440 TPE goalie? Very bold statement, but too risky in a conference with Chicago and Seattle. The defense also lacks depth, but Adrienne can carry this team for sure. The offense is still a force to be reckon with despite of losing Venus Thightrap. I do think they still have enough firepower to make the post season and I don't agree with people who puts this team to 6th or something place. Although this also depends a lot from Sandstrom, this guy will need to step up big time. I still think they can be a playoff team, but they will also need to think about refreshing this team soon. And I don't see them being close to the cup stage. My prediction: 3rd place. 
 
 
 
 

 
Let's head to Europe now. And what do we have? Immediately here pops in a team that lots of members are predicting for the last place (from every VHL team). I tend to agree with this one. They don't have much offense - whole lotta of welfare low TPE dudes besides Tsujimoto and kinda Vlad Imir. I have to admit that their defense isn't the worst in the league, lead by almost 900 TPE Walker. And the goaltending is also a decent one. At least they won't let in a lot. My prediction: 8th place in EU. 
 

 
Hard to evaluate. Before that, I was ready to put them somewhere at 2 or 3. But when Emi turns into a scoring defenseman, things could change in favor of this team. Their offense was already good and then they added Venus whiich is a big plus. Their defensive depth is concerning and may screw them, but they will be a dangerous team to play against, no doubt here. I can't tell where exactly they will end up, but somewhere high on standings. Just don't think they will be in the leadrship position as I see another team that is better suited for the regular season. But for sure could make the finals from EU confrence.  My prediction: 2nd plance in EU. 
 
 

 
Last season wasn't a success for a Royal team and Wolf had to do something. And he did something - Lahtinen and Tonn. That's big and should certainly get this team back into the playoff contention. There are several guys who are able to carry this team: Lahtinen, King, Trivium, Killinger, Tonn. Kankkunen is somewhere close as well. The issue is, what about after them? Forward wise, there are either guys are good at something, but not at giving direct results or straight up rookies. At defense...two 240 TPE players, that's just not what's up. They are relying very heavily on their main players which may be their downfall at the end of the day. They shouldn't be concerned about the regular season though. Playoff wise, they could make it far, but I do not see them as the EU champs this season. My prediction: 3rd place in EU. 
 
 

 
This team is very similar to Davos. One stand out forward, decent defense and also a fine goalie. But I think their forward potential is higher and Hylands > Tsujimoto. Also Dayne is better than Vlad Imir. Not a playoff team, but may be annoying to everyone due to Hylands effect. My prediction: 6th place in EU. 
 
 

 
Malmo and Moscow rivalry is gonna be contuinued outside the playoff spots. This will be an epic battle for the 6th place in the EU conference I'd tell ya. They have some potential forward wise, like Scwarz and Angellini may have good season and most of other forwards are also far from terrible. The defense is aight, lead by Fat Paloon and then there's yet another decent goalie in Malone. I wasn't sure where to put this team tbh. However, unless Schwarz can pop off, I see them below Malmo this time. My prediction: 7th place in EU. 
 
 

 
They lost Jungkok to FA, but also brought LeFlammant and Strong Jr. from the same market. They are not as flashy as Fong's player and will rather serve as the player who can make Prague's offensive depth even more dangerous. Gotta say, they indeed do have a serious forward lineup and Landry II is still there as well. Lots of guys who can score from that team. But then we will turn our attention to the defense and here comes the problems. Knight is already regressed and Sandstrom isn't ready yet for big defensive plays imo. It wouldn't be a big of an issue if the conference wasn't strong. But despite of not having lots of intrigue about the playoff spots, the other 4 teams may be too strong for Prague's defensemans. This would also put a stop on their dreams about the lengthy playoff run as well.  My prediction: 5th place in EU. 
 
 
 

 
We had a decent ending last season, but I also had to fix the issues with the defense to get us to the next level this season. So here is it, James Rose and General Zod. The forward core stayed pretty much as it is except we welcomed two new guys in the roster so we will have 9 forward setup. Do we have a chance? I think yes, although I don't know if that could translate into the regular season. We may not be a proven enough team to be considered as the top of the crop. Also some may not see our offense as flashy enough outside of Sheilds. But I think we're a well rounded team. I'm just going to careful with prediction our spot and put as at 4. But we could give a serious fight to any EU team and maybe even make into the finals from EU. My prediction: 4th place in EU. 
 
 

 
Well, they tried to copy Chicago and make their own version of stacked team. Only to see Venus joining Jubo's squad. Will it suck for them? LR wise, maybe. But I still think this team is hella legit. The offense is there and having regressed Penny's inactive guy won't slow them down a lot. The defense is there. Krishna is inactive and that will suck for Muff for the future, but for now he is still the guy who can steal games from any team. I wouldn't worry about this team in the regular season. The playoffs though? I mean, nobody is feeling safe there so I don't need to tell you that Warsaw chances for the cup is far from 100%, just as other team's chances in this league. My predcition: 1st place in EU. 
 
 
So yeah here it is. Short prediction for every single VHL team and I will claim for the next 4 weeks for this stuff. Nice. 
 
That's it and I'm out.
 
15/03 - 21/03
22/03 - 28/03
29/03 - 04/04
05/04 - 11/04

1. The best parts are probably the massive amount of TPE you can get during the off-season, as well as the trades and FA but the worst part is the fact their aren't any games on, unless you are involved in WJC or WC.
2. Not much honestly, legit sat around the house and played games all-day.
3. I'd say us honestly, we added some much needed depth to the roster and we are stacked at both ends of the ice
4. The word halfpace. You'd think by the sounds of it, it would have something to do with speed but it relates to staircases and steps. Pointless.
5. Margret Thatcher, just because she deserves it. I'd probably hire someone to follow her around and call her a knob all day.
6. Nah mate it's all good, be late than never.
6. Nah it's all good, especially 

hey guys, like always it is me, matt, how are you doing? i hope you are doing really good, but let's not get distracted i think we should talk about my opinions about the S77 for Riga ( for those who don't know me i'm a player and the captain there).
So this is how i will work, i will write in general about the team then i will write about those player that for me will do a wonderful season.

This post season started with the acquisition of two good defenders that arrived thanks to two good trades, one came from London and the other one came from Calgary, ( James Rose is the one that came from London and General Zod as you can immagine is the one that came from Calgary) as the team desperately needed some help in defense, after that the draft happened and Riga drafted three good prospect : the defender Jan Hlozek ( 8th overall), the defender Jere Suominen ( 39th overall) and the last pick, the goalie  Kuba Fleury 37 ( 54th overall).
Talking about rookies four rookies will join the team this season, the defender  Jared Carter, the goalie  Matthew A Sovick jr, the right wing Andy Nexber and the last one, the center Joseph Sharkton.
 
i think that i've fully talked about the team in a general way, now as I promised I will write about those player that for me will make a good season:
 
 so in the first place we find one of my favorite guy in the Riga Lockeroom, McLaren, his first season in the vhl wasn't one of the best but when you see his stats in the vhlm you are sure that this season will be a breakout season for him and he will show to the vhl what he is capable of, i think he will be capable to hit 50 or even more.  in the second place we still have a foward but this time he isn't an american but an english, McCloud, last season wasn't really bad for him as he was in the third line (if i'm not wrong) but this season as he got way more tpe i can see him hit the 50 points. hey, guess what, an other forward, Cabe McJake, his last season was really good, and for me he was a good candidate for the rookie of the year, I would see him get more than 70 points maybe 80/85 points. so as i've talked enough about the offense, let's talk about the defense, i guess you all know about who i will talk about, my friend Linus, last season was really great for him, he didn't win the rookie of the year, but still a good season to always remember, i can see him get( as Cabe) 80/ 85 points. the last one, to change  a little bit, is the backup goalie  Matthew A Sovick jr, he was drafted 106th overall but still he continued to get tpe and show what he was capable of in the vhlm, i would see him win is first game in the vhl in around 2/3 games.  
Thank you for your time i hope you guys have enjoyed this and have a wonderful day.
 
the players that i have mentioned: @tcookie, @RedSus, @Domino Draws, @TheOGShark, @matt sovick, @Ledge_and_Dairy, @Hoopydog, @MattyIce, @Matt_O, @Kuba-Fleury, @Fredoushka8, @Bojovnik, @jaredc7.
 
568 words if i'm not wrong.

Sorry I didn't realise, I'll take Valtteri Vaakanainen - F

1. I think Vat could be a good pick, think his player is Gustislav Nasherov or Jan Hlozek , he's also looking like a good pick rn
2. I'll rooting for Team Mercs at the World Cup and Team Europe at the WJC
3. I'm more of a writer guy, I like to do game recap and interviews with my player. I suck at doing graphics but I would like to get better at them
4. I would kill off Ruth from Snowpiercer, she's just a pain in the ass
5. I would a massive tree just purely because I'd be massive
6. I'd say probably Matt Thunder, he's always trying to keep the spirits up in the locker room

With S76 having gone better for Riga than most people expected, the Reign have decided to bolster their roster, particularly on the back end, for the upcoming season, in order to become a real contender and make that push for the cup.
 
They made trades to acquire the rights to General Zod (whom has since signed with the team) and James Rose from London, with Zod costing a 3rd round pick and Rose costing Riga’s S78 1st rounder. They are both good trades in my opinion, with both players adding some much need quality and depth to the Riga back end without giving up too much to get it.
 
So, what does the Riga Roster look like heading into next season. Riga, as of yet, haven’t made any moves to bolster their forward core so Shields, McJake, McLaren, DaMoose, Lose, McCloud, Rocket and M graduate Andy Nexber. As for the defensemen, we have Rose, Zod, Zetterstrom, Thunder and Zyrok. I’m not sure how the lines will line up but I’m guessing it’ll look similar to how I was at the end of the regular season with Rose and Zod taking the place of Saskamoose and Lagesson.
 
Riga have definitely made some great improvements to their roster and will be a team to look out for come the start of the new season.

With S76 having gone better for Riga than most people expected, the Reign have decided to bolster their roster, particularly on the back end, for the upcoming season, in order to become a real contender and make that push for the cup.
 
They made trades to acquire the rights to General Zod (whom has since signed with the team) and James Rose from London, with Zod costing a 3rd round pick and Rose costing Riga’s S78 1st rounder. They are both good trades in my opinion, with both players adding some much need quality and depth to the Riga back end without giving up too much to get it.
 
So, what does the Riga Roster look like heading into next season. Riga, as of yet, haven’t made any moves to bolster their forward core so Shields, McJake, McLaren, DaMoose, Lose, McCloud, Rocket and M graduate Andy Nexber. As for the defensemen, we have Rose, Zod, Zetterstrom, Thunder and Zyrok. I’m not sure how the lines will line up but I’m guessing it’ll look similar to how I was at the end of the regular season with Rose and Zod taking the place of Saskamoose and Lagesson.
 
Riga have definitely made some great improvements to their roster and will be a team to look out for come the start of the new season.

1. I think we did really well. We already had a very deep team and we managed to pick up some good prospects to hopefully bolster the roster for future seasons
2. It's hard to say because we look like a good all round team. I'd probably still say our offensive power but our defensive game has improved massively
3. I would say RJ's player who fell to 6th I think. He looks like a great player and to get him at 6 was a great pick
4. I think shields has the best hair. Yeah that would be my guess
5. "Well that escalated quickly" 
6. I was in the shops once and I seen some sweets being advertised as the "cheapest and best around" but there was another bag that was cheaper and better than them. Made me laugh that.

RIGA REIGN PRESS CONFERENCE
Week Ending 03/14
1. The draft was competed tonight! We have new players Jan Hlozek, Jere Suominen, and Kuba Flery 37 joining the Reign! How did we do?
2. We recently brought in James Rose and General Zod to bolster our defensive depth. What do you think, after those moves, is our greatest strength?
3. Who was the biggest steal of the draft?
4. If you had to guess, who would have the best hair on the Reign?
5. What is your favorite movie quote?
6. What's the most ironic thing you've ever seen?

As I’m sure anyone not living under a rock is aware of by now, @Victor stepped down as GM of the Moscow Menace which means it’s time for the team to have its first GM change.
 
Obviously this is never an easy decision with so many worth candidates each and every time a GM spot opens up but the @Commissioner team has made a decision so that both the VHL and VHLM can move on quickly with the off-season.
 
I was going to make a joke about taking the job myself but @Quikused that one already with the Malmo announcement so instead I’ll stop rambling and get to the point that everyone seems to already be in agreement about. The new General Manager of the Moscow Menace is officially @Spartan! Congratulations and may all your enemies forever rot in the gulag!

Hello All,

This is my official resignation from the role as VHL Commissioner. My VHL interest has stagnated in the last month or so. I recently took a little break and I found when I came back that it didn't get any better. While this is unfortunate since I once really loved spending all my free time coming to chat and thinking up new ideas for the league and how to make it better. I feel like I've left a little mark good or bad (depending on who you talk to) on the league in the role that its a good time for me to walk away. Hopefully my replacement (if one is hired) can have the passion I first did when entering the role.  
 
Effective immediately ill be stepping down as VHL Commissioner and as Recruitment Team Leader. Ill be staying on as General Manager of the Wolves for now to see if less responsibility helps and if it doesn't I might step down from that next off season also.  
 
To be honest I'm just burned out from getting dunked on constantly even if I do sometimes deserve it.
 
Thank you to everyone that helped during my tyrannical reign as VHL Commissioner. 
 
See you around,

-Beav

Introduction
 
The S76 regular season has drawn itself to a close and with that, comes an end to Artair McClouds rookie year. McCloud came up to the VHL as somewhat of an unknown entity and is still, somewhat of an unknown entity but none the less, we will dive into how his season went, what his future could look like and we will also hear from the man himself to get his thoughts on his season and future. So, let’s get right to it and take a look at his stats.
 
His Ice Time
 
Artair McCloud spent his rookie year with the team that drafted him, the Riga Reign, spending most of his time being double shifted on the 3rd and 4th line, as well as having a short stint on the 2nd line. In terms of special teams, his ice-time was once again limited, as he featured on the 2nd powerplay unit for most of the season, until the blockbuster trade with Malmo threw a spanner in the works.
 
Stats in Depth
 
Let’s take a look at his point production this season. In 72 VHL regular season games, he notched up 19 goals and 21 assists for a total of 40 points. If we take these stats at face value, it gives McCloud a Point per Game pace of around 0.55. A point every 2 games is not too shabby for a 3rd liner but considering McCloud average ice-time its not really a true reflection of his abilities. He averaged roughly 16 minutes of ice-time per game, the 2nd lowest on the team (with the lowest being his line mate rocket) and if we calculate his points per 20 minutes played (Like it does on the index) his PP20 pace goes up to 0.68, just 0.01 behind Linus Zetterstrom and 0.04 behind Cabe McJake, who are both strong candidates to win ROTY. In no way am I saying that if McCloud got this ice-time he would be a rookie of the year candidate nor am I discrediting the amazing season Z and McJake had, I’m just using it as a fairer comparison as sometimes regular PPG can be a bit misleading. McCloud also made a contribution whilst on the powerplay, scoring 5 goals and grabbing 8 assists when his team had the man advantage. He only had 16 PIMs this season, second lowest on the team with Dolant Fertitta only taking 14, meaning that he isn’t leaving his team short-handed a whole lot (this could be attributed to his decreased ice-time). Overall, McCloud’s point production hasn’t been all that bad during his rookie campaign. When you take everything into consideration, he had a good season and it shows that he is a forward who can put points on the board and put the puck in the back of the net.
 
His Future
 
Artair McCloud has a bright future ahead of him in the VHL but with the looming cap situation in Riga, and that McCloud doesn’t look to be at the top of the pecking order. At the end of next season, like most of his Riga teammates, his current contract with the Reign will expire and with the sheer amount of talent that Riga has, it’ll be one hell of a fight to try and secure himself either an extension or a new contract. Looking a little closer towards next season, what will his ice-time be like? When we looked at his stats above, it looks like he could hang with the bigger names on the team but could Riga’s strong finish to the season persuade the way the team lines up next season. I think that it could be a little too early to tell what the lines are going to look like as we still have the playoffs, the draft and the off-season to get through. So much could happen in that time but where ever Artair ends up, you know he’s gonna be putting on a show every time he steps out onto the ice.
 
The Interview
 
That about wraps up our dive into McCloud’s season but we want to hear what the man himself has to say about his rookie campaign:
 
Reporter – “Hi there Artair, thank you for joining me once again to talk about your season. Overall, how do you think your season went?”
 
McCloud – “Hey there thanks for having me back on. I think my season went well, before the season my main goal for this season was to help the team make the playoffs and we did so can’t complain too much!”
 
Reporter – “Yeah you guys made the wildcard round of the playoffs, in a race that went right down to the wire, how’s the mood in the Riga camp right now?”
 
McCloud – “Yeah the team is absolutely buzzing right now. We were kind of an unknown entity going into this season, given the fact that the majority of the roster were having tier rookie season and for part of the season it didn’t look like that we were going to make the playoffs but the GM made the trade and the rest of the boys, we all found our feet and we just kicked on and done enough to make the playoffs.”
 
Reporter – “How are you feeling about your upcoming playoffs tie, your inaugural tie, against the Prague Phantoms. Are you excited, nervous or do you have anyone you are going to have to watch out for?”
 
 McCloud – “I’m really excited to play in my first VHL playoff tie. Prague are a good side and they will cause us some problems but that was always going to be the case when you make the playoffs here. Every team has weapons that they can use against the opposition, in Prague’s case we are looking ta the likes off Thomas Landry II but that includes us too, we can hurt teams and have shown thus far this season.”
 
Reporter – “You guys really did hit your stride just at the right time. Tell me more about the trade with Malmo, you needed a few reinforcements, some veterans of the game and your GM went and pulled of a blockbuster deal for Shields, Saskamoose and Lagesson. What was your reaction to the trade and what was it like having the veteran presence in the locker room?”
 
McCloud – “It was a huge deal for us. Giving the way that the S75 draft went, we had a lot of prospects and a lot of trade value and we wouldn’t be able to hold onto it all. Of course, it’s sad to see those guys go and I wish them all the best. To get the calibre of players like Shields, Saskamoose and Lagesson really help us out. They are veterans in the game for a reason and you can see, in our recent performances, how much of a difference they have made.”
 
Reporter – “How do you feel about your future as a member of the Riga Reign, with the cap situation that you find yourselves in at the end of next season. Are you looking for a move or are you wanting to stay in Riga?”
 
McCloud – “I’m trying not to think about the future too much right now, we’ve a got the playoffs to think about now and thinking about my future would be a disservice to my teammates and to all of the work we put in to get here. Obviously, I would love to stay here in Riga. I’ve some teammates that I’ve played with my entire career and other good friends in the locker room. It’ll be a conversation I’ll have with Hedge at a later time but I do hope I can stay here.”
 
Reporter – “Do you have any goals for next season, I know you are thinking about the playoffs and stuff but are there any areas of your game that you are looking to improve or any point marks that you would like to hit for next season?”
 
McCloud – “I try not to think about these things or set myself any goals for the upcoming season. I just try to do the best I can every single time I step out on the ice and setting myself these kinds of goals wouldn’t change how I play. In terms of areas, I would like to improve, I’d like to work on my overall game but more specifically, I think that my skating and my puck handling are my top priorities for improvement and then after that I’d probably like to try work on my shooting a bit more just so I can be that much more consistent in front of goal”
 
Reporter – “That just about wraps up our interview Artair, do you have anything else you would like to say?”
 
McCloud – “I would like give a shout out to all of my teammates that I played with this season, whether they are here still here or not. Also, shout out to Tunnocks for sending me a big box of teacakes, you guys are absolute legends.”
 
That brings us to the end of our review or Artair McCloud’s season. Who knows how the playoffs will play out or what McCloud’s future holds. That’s all from us, thank you for tunning in and we’ll see you next time
 
1546 Words 
Claiming for weeks Feb 22nd - 28th, Mar 1st - 7th, Mar 8th - 14

1. I think Vat could be a good pick, think his player is Gustislav Nasherov or Jan Hlozek , he's also looking like a good pick rn
2. I'll rooting for Team Mercs at the World Cup and Team Europe at the WJC
3. I'm more of a writer guy, I like to do game recap and interviews with my player. I suck at doing graphics but I would like to get better at them
4. I would kill off Ruth from Snowpiercer, she's just a pain in the ass
5. I would a massive tree just purely because I'd be massive
6. I'd say probably Matt Thunder, he's always trying to keep the spirits up in the locker room

RIGA REIGN PRESS CONFERENCE
Week Ending 03/07
 
1. The season's winding down, and it's almost draft time. Is there anyone that sticks out to you in the upcoming draft class?
2. Both of the World Cup and the World Juniors are coming up in the offseason. Is there a certain team that you'll be rooting for?
3. Are you more of a writer or more of a graphics guy?
4. If you could kill off any character in a current TV show, who would it be? 
5. If you had to be an inanimate object for a year, what would you be and why?
6. Who is the funniest guy on the team?

So, as you know the Minnesota Storm recently lost to the Mexico Kings so...
 
I guess that's it. That's the VHLM career done. I got 275 TPE, so I'm going to Riga next season. Here are some people who I would like to thank
 
@Spartan for taking me in and keeping me knowing that I would be a key player one season (75) and encouraging me to claim TPE
@JigglyGumballs Pretty much the same as Spartan. That wasn't an insult.
@Ledge_and_Dairy and @RedSus for being good frendos. That is it.
All the players in Vegas for being a generally cool person
@Rayzor_7 for taking me in (for a trade)
@hedgehog337 for drafting me to play for Riga
@aksuko for being a chill goalie
@Noxalpha for being the only friend I have that is a goalie
And everyone who I've met and we had a generally good chat
 
I am not one for words so this was pretty short... I am not going to claim this for TPE. Just a "thank you" article.

11th Annual Unofficial VHL Regular Season Awards – S76
Another exciting regular season has come to a close. That means we can dole out some regular season awards! Welcome everyone to the 11th Annual Unofficial VHL Regular Season Awards honoring the highs and lows of S76! Thank you to everyone that reads this.
 
These awards have been created by me. There is no voting process and they are not officially recognized by the VHL Board of Governors. I wrote descriptions for most of these award names in the original award post.
 
I’m reducing the list of the previous winners to the last 5 seasons. If you want to check out the award winners from every season, use this link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sAZtX3bxVpPTIsKe1rSRVOenH1-iyWzbQEdR9ZvYOdU/edit?usp=sharing
 
I also added the “all-time” record for each category. Of course by that I mean all-time for the existence of these awards, not all-time, all-time. Clear? Ok, good. Let’s get things underway!
 
 
The Pylon Award (worst +/- rating) – Tyler Walker @Advantage 
 
This award seems to be getting more competitive every season. This season there were 5 different teams represented in the top 10. Tyler took home the award with a -35, matching the winning total from last season.
 
All-time record: S73 - Balentine Kidd -  -74
Last 5 Pylon Award Winners:
Season
Player
+ / -
S75
Pistil Stamen
-35
S74
Jay Jones
-38
S73
Balentine Kidd
-74
S72
Jack Feriancek
-59
S71
John Madden
-43
 
 
 
The Gandhi Award (least penalty minutes, min 1,000 minutes played) – John Brewitt @JBrew42
 
For the first time since S68, we have a winner with 0 penalty minutes! John Brewitt showed the utmost discipline by committing no penalties the entire season, which is odd because their DI is 40. They played a total of 1,320 minutes.
 
All-time record: S67 - Diljodh Starload - 0 PIM, 2091 Minutes Played
Last 5 Gandhi Award Winners:
Season
Player
PIM
Minutes Played
S75
Jonas Stormsson
4
1700
S74
Uhtred
2
2132
S73
Joseph Gainer
2
2106
S72
Jared Spaz
2
1106
S71
Soren Jensen
4
2016
 
 
 
The Major2 Award (most major penalties) - Riley Knight Gee @KnightRiley 
 
Riley must have had an axe to grind this season. They dominated the league by committing 9 major penalties, 2 more than the nearest competitors.
 
All-time Record: S75 - Gary Tarantino - 12 Majors
Previous Major2 Award Winners:
Season
Player
Major Penalties
S75
Gary Tarantino
12
S74
Gary Tarantino
10
S73
Mickey Dickson
7
S72
Mikko Lahtinen
9
 
 
 
 
The Timex Award (received most hits) – Thomas Landry II @Doomsday
 
Prague racking up the awards. Landry II was the top target of opposing teams. He was hit a league leading 329 times.
 
All-time Record: S69 - John Madden - 357 Hits taken
Last 5 Timex Award Winners:
Season
Player
Hits Taken
S75
John Merrick
311
S74
Mikko Lahtinen
321
S73
Hunter Hearst Helmsley
310
S72
Anthony Matthews
274
S71
Hunter Hearst Helmsley
274
 
 
The John Wayne Award (most shots on goal) - Andrew Su @Da_Berr
 
Su and Mikko Lahtinen @Beketov battled all season for the point lead and ended up tying each other. Su snuck out this award with 483 shots, 2 more than the runner-up, Lahtinen.
 
All-time record: S66 - Shane Mars - 533 Shots on goal
Last 5 John Wayne Award Winners:
Season
Player
Shots on Goal
S75
Mikko Lahtinen
510
S74
Patrik Tallinder
532
S73
Sigard Gunnar
531
S72
Jet Jaguar
425
S71
Scott Greene
402
 
 
 
The “Hit the Broadside of the Barn” Award (most own shots blocked) - Chris Hylands @Hylands
 
Hylands had their shots blocked left and right this season. They prevented Su from winning all three shooting awards by having 16 more shots blocked than 2nd place Su, Hylands’ 165 to Su’s 149.
 
All-time record:  S76 - Chris Hylands - 165 Own shots blocked
Last 5 HtBotB Award Winners:
Season
Player
Own Shots Blocked
S75
Mikko Lahtinen
146
S74
Ray Sheilds
157
S73
Brock Louth
164
S72
Henrik Zoiderberg
122
S71
Guy LeGrande
122
 
 
 
The “Can’t Hit the Broadside of the Barn” Award (most own shots missed) – Andrew Su @Da_Berr
 
Su paid Hylands back for the previous award. They won this category with 373 shots missed, beating Hylands’ 368 missed shots.
 
All-time record: S74 - Brock Louth - 429 Shots missed
Last 5 CHtBotB Award Winners:
Season
Player
Shots Missed
S75
Mikko Lahtinen
375
S74
Brock Louth
429
S73
Brock Louth
425
S72
RJ Jubis
299
S71
Guy LeGrande
299
 
 
 
The New Shin Pads Award (most blocked shots) – Hulk Hogan Jr @Beaviss 
 
Hogan Jr. was dropping the leg a lot this season. Their 188 blocked shots prevented the retiring Guy Sasakamoose @Cxsquared from winning in their final season.
 
All-time record: S68 - Seabass Perrin - 207 Shots blocked
Last 5 New Shin Pads Award Winners:
Season
Player
Shots Blocked
S75
Fernando Jokinen
200
S74
Matty Socks
181
S73
Alex Bridges
194
S72
Condor Adrienne
188
S71
Aron Nielsen
153
 
 
The Tired Legs Award (most minutes played) - Chicken Wing @chikn
 
Did Wing get too deep fried? They spent 2,213 minutes on the ice this season.
 
All-time record: S73 - Alex Bridges - 2401 Minutes played
Last 5 Tired Legs Award Winners:
Season
Player
Minutes Played
S75
Alek Andreshnikov
2303
S74
Guy Lesieur
2279
S73
Alex Bridges
2401
S72
Condor Adrienne and Zyrok12
2227
S71
Juilius Freeman
2189
 
 
 
The Snap! Award (most power play minutes) - Alex Letang @Spartan
 
A tight race this season between Letang and Jungkok @tfong . Letang claims the award with 351 minutes on the powerplay.
 
All-time record: S67 - Beau Louth - 437 power play minutes
Last 5 Snap! Award Winners:
Season
Player
PP Minutes
S75
Micah Adrienne
414
S74
Micheal Gary Scott
378
S73
Hulk Hogan
356
S72
Micheal Gary Scott
340
S71
Juilius Freeman
364
 
 
 
The 1 vs. 100 Award (most time on penalty kill) - Mikeal Keef @RStar 
 
Los Angeles players took up the top 3 spots on this list. Keef had the most with 359 minutes spent killing penalties.
 
All-time record: S73 - Tyler Walker - 390 penalty kill minutes
Last 5 1 vs. 100 Award Winners:
Season
Player
PK Minutes
S75
Dakota Lamb
369
S74
Edwin THE Encarnacion
344
S73
Tyler Walker
390
S72
Cody Smith
356
S71
Jacob Perry
344
 
 
 
The Sean Archer Award (highest face-off win %, min 1,000 faceoffs) - Benny Graves @STZ
 
Graves end his career on a high note, claiming this award in back-to-back seasons. They won this year with 59.91% of their 3,073 faceoffs taken.
 
All-time record: S74 - Brock Louth - 63.72% face-offs won
Last 5 Sean Archer Award Winners:
Season
Player
Face Off Pct
S75
Benny Graves
60.14%
S74
Brock Louth
63.72%
S73
Brock Louth
62.14%
S72
Hunter Hearst Helmsley
62.35%
S71
Jet Jaguar
61.84%
 
 
 
The Castor Troy Award (lowest face-off win %, min 1,000 faceoffs) - Nero Endrizzi @TurnDaddy  
 
Last year was a bit of a mess with a winger playing at center claiming this prize. Endrizzi made sure to make it known that a true center can claim this award. They won a strong, but still league low, 43.87% of their faceoffs. That is the highest % to ever win this award, so at least they have that going for them.
 
All-time record: S66 - Bryce Zhields - 30% face-offs won.
Last 5 Castor Troy Award Winners:
Season
Player
Face Off Pct
S75
Jeff Odinson
32.74%
S74
Kefka Palazzo
32.26%
S73
Thorny Underyew
35.48%
S72
Richard Penisson
38.13%
S71
Zeno Miniti
42.07%
 
 
 
The Triple Deke Award (most penalty shot goals) - Kris Rice @Ricer13
 
Rice won this award outright with 6 penalty shot goals. Special recognition to John LeClair II @flyersfan1406 who had 5 penalty shot goals on only 7 shots.
 
All-time record: S67 - Veran Dragomir - 8 penalty shot goals
Last 5 Triple Deke Award Winners:
Season
Player
Penalty Shot Goals
S75
Ola Vikingstad
6
S74
Benny Graves
7
S73
Codrick Past
5
S72
Sigard Gunnar
6
S71
Sigard Gunnar
6
 
 
 
The Rocky Award (most fights won) – Cabe McJake @RedSus and Randy Marsh @oilmandan
 
There were 4 people tied for this award with 3 fights won. Cabe McJake and Randy Marsh split the award because they both have a 3-0-3 fight record this season. Maybe they can fight over the award.
 
All-time record: S74 - Kristopher McDagg and S67 ACL TEAR - 6 fights won
Last 5 Rocky Award Winners:
Season
Player
Fights Won
S75
Vin Calia
4
S74
Kristopher McDagg
6
S73
Kristopher McDagg
4
S72
Kristopher McDagg
2
S71
Owen Nolan
3
 
 
 
The Glass Joe Award (most fights lost) – Riley Knight Gee  @KnightRiley 
 
Riley was one of the players tied for the Rocky Award, with 3 fights won. Unfortunately for them, they also had 4 fights lost, which wins them this award.
 
All-time record: S74 - Lee Xin and S69 Rusty Shackleford - 5 fights lost
Last 5 Glass Joe Award Winners:
Season
Player
Fights Lost
S75
Jared Willis
3
S74
Lee Xin
5
S73
Mickey Dickson
3
S72
Roll Fizzlebeef
3
S71
Benny Graves and John Madden
3
 
 
 
The Stars Award (most stars won) – Mikko Lahtinen @Beketov
 
Lahtinen must not have liked how close the award was last season, because they brought it this season, earning an all-time high 34 total stars this season! An amazing threepeat as well!
 Special shout out to Zamboni Driver @Tape-to-Tape for leading all goalies with 21 total stars this season.
 
All-time record: S76 - Mikko Lahtinen – 34 total stars          
Last 5 Stars Award Winners:
Season
Player
Total Stars
S75
Mikko Lahtinen
24
S74
Mikko Lahtinen
32
S73
Sigard Gunnar
30
S72
Julius Freeman
25
S71
Hunter Hearst Helmsley
28
 
 
 
The “Always a Bridesmaid” Award (most stars without winning 1st star) – Dan Baillie Jr @wcats
 
Baille Jr is following in the footsteps of their father. Jr claimed 12 stars this season without being named the top star. That almost equaled the record setting performance by Dan Baille in season 67.
 
All-time record: S72 - Lewis Dawson and S67 Dan Baillie - 13 stars
Last 5 Bridesmaid Award Winners:
Season
Player
Stars
S75
Jacob Perry
7
S74
Richard Penisson
12
S73
Spencer Elsby
8
S72
Lewis Dawson
13
S71
Condor Adrienne
12
 
 
The Biggest Backpack Award (player with the largest difference in points from the rest of their team) - Chris Hylands @Hylands 
 
Out of all the awards, this is the most annoying one to figure out. I have to look at every team and keep track of the point difference. When I made it to Malmo, which is only like half way through, I said oh well that’s more than enough difference to win this award. Hylands demolished the previous record by scoring 36 more points than their next closest teammate. Turns out though this race was super close, Thomas Landry II @Doomsday  scored 34 more and Andrew Su @Da_Berr  scored 35 more. Definitely a record setting season for this award! Congrats to Hylands for beating those great challengers and setting the all-time mark!
 
All-time record: S76 – Chris Hylands - 36 points more than next teammate
Last 5 Backpack Award Winners:
Season
Player
Point Difference from nearest teammate
S75
Dagmar Havlova
22
S74
Patrik Tallinder
27
S73
Hunter Hearst Helmsley
27
S72
Benny Graves
13
S71
Roque Davis
20
 
 
 
The Anniversary Award (rank in total points matches season number) - Jonas Stormsson @Kyle
 
Stormsson ranked 76th in total points with 59 points. Congrats!
 
Last 5 Anniversary Award Winners:
Season
Player
Points
S75
Seabass Perrin
62
S74
Pengu
64
S73
Charlie Paddywagon
63
S72
Ondrej Ohradka
51
S71
Elasmobranch Fish
46
 
 
 
 
The Egghshell Award (goalie with most overtime losses) - Doug Dimmadome @Esso2264 
 
Doug Dimmadome becomes the first repeat winner of this award. They lost 9 games in overtime this season.
 
All-time record: S75 - Doug Dimmadome and S71 Jaxx Hextall - 11 OT games lost
Previous Eggshell Award Winners:
Season
Player
Overtime Games Lost
S75
Doug Dimmadome
11
S74
Greg Eagles
10
S73
Raymond Bernard
9
S72
Michael Johnson
9
S71
Jaxx Hextall
11
 
 
 
The Jason Voorhees Award (most PIM by a Goalie) - Doug Dimmadome @Esso2264 
 
I wonder if those overtime losses upset Dimmadome. They set the all-time record with 29 PIM this season. Unsurprisingly, their biggest penalty, an attempt to injure, came in overtime.
 
All-time record: S76 - Doug Dimmadome - 29 PIM
Previous Jason Voorhees Award Winners:
Season
Player
PIM
S75
Jaxx Hextall
12
S74
Ajay Krishna
21
S73
Rayz Funk
27
S72
A Red Guy
12
S71
Greg Eagles
10
 
 
 
The Poke Check Award (highest % of penalty shots stopped, min 10 penalty shots against) - Grekkark Gyrfalcon @Sharkstrong 
 
Grekkark Gyrfalcon gets this award in consecutive season. It must have been a tough season for goalies, they won the award with only 79.5% penalty shot save pct.
 
Previous Poke Check Award Winners:
Season
Player
Penalty Shots Stopped
S75
Grekkark Gyrfalcon
88.9%
S74
Jacques Lafontaine
85.7%
S73
Stone Wolski
87.0%
S72
Virgil Ligriv
83.3%
S71
Greg Eagles
79.3%
 
 
 
That wraps it up for this season! Another year, another successful award ceremony! Congratulations and/or condolences to all the winners! As always, please provide any suggestions, insights, or thoughts in the comments. Thank you all for reading and continuing to make this a successful column!
 
 
2,212 words. Will claim for 4 weeks.