Kendrick

Name: Mason Kahne Richardson Date of Birth: March 4th, 1996 Height: 6’4' Weight: 216 lbs. Place of Birth: Riverside, California Resides: Lloydminster, Saskatchewan Position: Defenseman Number: 15 Background Mason Richardson is a young talent from a family with a rich hockey history. Mason was born in Riverside, California which has no huge ties to the sport of hockey, however his extended family does. Richardson spent the past two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Oshawa Generals. Mason actually never made it out as a huge prospect and that is why he hopes to continue his career with the fast growing Victory Hockey League. Richardson is currently in Philadelphia attending the National Hockey League draft in hopes of possibly being a late round draft pick. Once he gets the word on whether he has been selected or not he will then either officially leave Oshawa or possibly head to the United States Developmental League. Richardson still has three years of juniors eligibility, but could end up taking the college route as well. Mason Richardson was raised in a city in California where hockey isn't at all the main focus of the people. Riverside is known more for it's production of citrus fruits than it is of quality hockey players. Although players such as Jonathan Blum and Emerson Etem have come from Long Beach (a short distance away), Riverside has no true NHL figurehead to cheer for. However, Mason had some good influences that allowed him to pursue his dream of becoming a professional ice hockey player. Growing up he actually idolized his cousin, San Jose Sharks forward Joe Pavelski and like every young player wanted to someday become an National Hockey League star. Mason quickly realized that it would be his cousin that he wouldn't relate too in more ways than one because Mason would end up on the blue line . If you think about it there is no true California raised player who has had an impact at a professional level besides Brooks Orpik. Richardson's goal is to become one of Riverside's biggest names and someone the town can idolize for years to come. Richardson had been playing in California with the California Wave roller hockey team when he got noticed by scouts. He was actually informed a day after he was selected in the OHL Bantam draft, so his reaction was a huge surprise. The Oshawa Generals had been scouting the California circuit to bring in draft players who fly under the radar because of their west coast roots. With only a limited amount of scouts after him it is rather surprising to see Mason get noticed and drafted into the Ontario Hockey League. Richardson joined the Generals two years ago before the season and was groomed well starting on the third line defensive pairing. Richardson saw 42 games but it was good for him to get his feet wet as he was still trying to adapt to the larger surfaces and fast pace of ice hockey. This year Mason will most likely join a VHLM team or make his way back to the Oshawa Generals. Mason does believe that competition should push him to be a better player and it will allow him to work on all facets of his game. The ice hockey game isn't strange to him, but it's an adjustment scouts will need to watch closely. Richardson has hopes of playing in the Victory Hockey League someday and if he doesn't get any looks from the NHL, that is exactly what he will be doing. We see Richardson through potential as a possible blue line anchor in the league for years to come. The competition looks bright because of the influx of defenseman that have entered the VHL in the past few years. Mason is still very young and will have to mature beyond his years in the coming seasons to really sell himself. His vision is rather important to him and reminds a lot of scouts of former New York Rangers great and NHL Hall-of-Famer Brian Leetch. A defenseman with a big body and great knowledge of the game is exactly what the NHL scouts are looking for. In recent years we have seen a large portion of success be reflected on the ability to have stability on the backend of your lineup. Hopefully we see Mason progress and become a star in the league for years to come. Style of Play Mason Richardson is a very big body and one with great hands that seems to stay calm under pressure and pays attention to the little things that add up. The fact that he is from a unheralded hockey town will allow him to go under the radar and not have to worry about the pressure that many put on homegrown talent. Richardson is a fast learner and relies a lot on his height and weight to knock the puck off of opponents. His offensive game and lack of a quality shot will have to improve for any talent to be recognized. We see Mason Richardson being a quality number two defenseman on an NHL or VHL team. Rookie Rating B - Still a long way to go for young Mason Richardson and his B ranking, but currently we can't sell him for anything more than he is. Most prospects going into the VHL are first-line/starters and he is a tad different because of his ball hockey background. Richardson will need to adapt to the physical game before he gets a better rating from us. We look at him and see a striking resemblance to former VHL great and current VHL player agent Jim Gow. He has the ability to shutdown opposing forward but lacks the offensive skill to be a top pairing player. More time with coaches and instruction such as what D.J Smith (Oshawa Generals head coach) has shown him will help him progress quickly.

It may not be a Hall-of-Fame career, but sometimes you have to bite the bullet and put the team ahead of your player. For the majority of Taylor's career Cologne was competitive and I tried to ice a squad that would allow success in the sim. For the most part I like to think my teammates achieved some great success, whether it be Reggie Dunlop, Evgeni Chekhov or players like Jim Gow and David Collier. Eclipsing 800 points in the last sim had to be a very good highlight to end my career with Taylor and I'm glad the effort paid off in small amounts. One last kick at the playoff can coming up and a chance at a cup would be a nice sending off. To all who helped make Taylor who he was and allowed myself to have fun with him, thank you. It doesn't and won't go unnoticed and I'm glad you got to join me in a productive career. For those in Cologne, thanks for giving me the chance to help you groom your players and help you understand the league and the sim a bit better. Lots of talent and potential is currently with every member on that team. For those in Riga, thanks for the chance to join your already stellar team and help you get that big heavy trophy. We got one last job to do and regardless of the result you'll be soldiering on for the next few years anyways. Keep up the hard work and don't quit on something built to be strong. For Kameron Taylor and his online VHL wife Vanessa Ray, that's all she wrote kids!

With one game on the schedule for most teams, there are some players that will see their last light in the VHL tunnel. Remy LeBeau and Tuomas Tukio will both suit up for their final games in the next couple days and that makes some fans very upset. Kameron Taylor will also suit up in his final regular season game when the Riga Reign take on the Quebec City Meute. Taylor will finish shy of the 800 point plateau but he sure did make it an interesting last few weeks. Taylor climbed closer and closer to the mark with some 4 and 5 point performances down the stretch. Taylor now turns his attention to the postseason and the Reign's first round matchup with the Vasteras Iron Eagles. The Reign are looking to extend the Vasteras' curse and inability to do anything in the VHL before they are moved elsewhere. It's playoff time everyone, and the juices are flowing.

Blades of Steel: Episode 16 (Legalizing Marijuana) Running solo like the Green Lantern, except not in tights. I covered questions given to me and the league roundup. As well as PTI! #IBelieveTheyWontWin Blades of Steel Game Link Graders Note: 40+ Minutes Final Song: Beast - Timeflies

I know there is some guys here who follow it. I know some Riders fans on this site. If anyone is interested in this I will create a group and we can have some fun: CFL Fantasy Group

That title usually has many meanings, luckily this time it isn't about the period of time Odin has to himself on a sofa next to a kleenex box. In fact it has more to do with Kameron Taylor on a big explosion of points. Taylor has collected 19 points in his past 6 games and has once again put himself in a good position among the league leaders. Taylor collected eight goals and eleven assists in those half dozen games. Taylor recently collected his 750th point in a contest and now is aiming for the 800 point plateau if it's even humanly possible. Most VHL stars collect the puck every 50 points because scoring is harder than in the National Hockey League. Taylor and his teams till have a schedule that consists of a few games against the struggling Quebec City Muete. *This article was previously written with a picture of a playstation that had a built in lube and kleenex dispenser. It may have broke the site.

Blades of Steel: Episode 15 (VHL Lockout) Running solo like Batman (seriously, Robin is a liability) I covered questions given to me and the league roundup. As well as PTI! #MakeItRain Blades of Steel Game Link Graders Note: 40+ Minutes First Song: Come With Me Now - Kongos Final Song: Funnel - Len