Peace

Toronto, ON -- It has been a whirlwind of emotion for Trokker these past few weeks. A big move to Poland, being announced as a member of team Canada's WJC roster for the second straight competition, and a considerable contract bonus from his VHL club [which has accelerated his development nicely]. At the WJC Trokker is displaying all the tools the Predators wanted when they selected the prospect at tenth overall. Last championship Trokker scored zero goals, assisting on just two throughout Canada's round robin effort, while adding an additional two assists in their silver medal effort [one of which came during the game]. This campaign Trokker has scored eight goals in eight round robin games, has tied his assists with his effort in the last World Junior Championship, and has helped Team Canada earn three victories with his three game winning goals; that's the player Warsaw saw potential in. How far can Trokker help team Canada get in the upcoming championship games? I guess we shall find out.

1. The VHL Draft has passed, are you pleased with Warsaw's selections? Very happy! Excited to play alongside Kisslinger's Sokolov in the near future. 2. Do you have any expectations for the team going into next season? We're rebuilding so I don't have any major expectations. 3. What VHL teams have the biggest rivalry? Moscow and who ever they face in the finals, apparently. 4. Individual awards or Team awards, what do you prefer? Team awards, but I would like Trokker to get several individuals. Whole purpose with this player was to go out with a bang so to speak. 5. Cookies or Brownies? Brownies! 6. Would you prefer to live in the city or the country? Country.

Zak Trokker LW | 6'1 | 215 LBs 27 Years Old Drafted 10th OVR by the Warsaw Predators EXPECTATIONS Howdy everyone, Zak Trokker here; as a standing tradition players of the Peace Player Agency have talked about their expectations and reservations heading into their rookie VHL season in a blog-like way. Well here I am, doing what the Peace's and Killinger's before me have done, so now I get to tell all you wonderful people what I expect from my 'rookie experience' with the Warsaw Predators. If I were to go back and reread everything that has been written about me I figure Warsaw has been mentioned quite a few times. I've always said the Predators would be a welcome destination but do recall projecting myself to go fourth or fifth overall before my, er... motivation dipped heavily through my time in the VHLM. Now that I am with the Preds, who selected me tenth overall in the last entry draft, I can comfortably say I am excited to finally be with the organization. We spoke about it last off season and discovered I lacked the talent to join the roster: Not by Warsaw's definiiton, but by the leagues' rules and regulations. You see you've got to have a certain skill set to be eligible to play with the big dogs of the VHL and I lacked that skill set. Arbitrary numbers determined by scouts entered into a program on the computer can bar you from joining your own team when they truely wanting to call you up. "Blah, blah, blah; just spill the beans already, Trokker!" Okay, okay... Unlike Killinger [who hoped for a sixty point rookie campaign] I'm going to ground my expectations within the capabilities I bring to the club. The off season brings so many variables that it is quite literally impossible for me to predict my own success, but if I were a betting man I'd wager a more realistic approach could win me some serious cash. Some goals here, some assists there and a handful of points on the board. There's two ways I could approach this: I could be bold and toss my bet towards what my goal for... goals could be, or perhaps I take the safe way out with what I'd be happy with. I choose what I'd be happy with every time. If I could score twenty goals, I'd be happy; if I helped the team score twenty goals, I'd be happy; and if I could get to forty points as a rookie, I'd be happy. RESERVATIONS Obviously my bigger reservations are shared among a far larger group than just myself: it is my motivation, my discipline in improving myself, and my engagement as a whole as both a player in the VHL and a member of its community. I can't promise any of those, I'm very much a high risk - high reward player, and I know it; you should too. Here's the thing about motivation... it comes and goes like the elbows of a river. A strong current comes along, errodes the elbow and suddenly a loop is drying out with no place for the water to go. In this analogy once my motivation errodes whatever 'water' is left to power my engagement evaporates, and I disappear until something comes along and restores my interest. Sometimes that is a request by the GM directly, or one of my teammates sending me a message... other times I stumble upon an article and discover a surge of interest, or it could be as simple as watching NHL highlights and feeling engaged with hockey as a whole. So what kills my interest? Poor performance is a big one, but the killer for me stagnancy. If I see no effort to find a better system, a better tactic, I get irritated and disassociate. At no point should 'sucking' be the status quo, even if it is the reality. If you're not constantly trying to improve both yourself and the team you manage then how is it reasonable to expect the players under your leadership to - frankly - give a fuck about doing it themselves? And those are the biggest reservations, right? Secondarily - beyond my own involvement with myself - I am a bit of a hot head. I will say what I mean and won't hold back; those days are over for both the Peace Player Agency and truthfully I've never had a good filter. I do believe I am the first PPA player to not be restricted to what they can and cannot say given the management implications with the agencies former players. the agencies founder Rylan Peace was GM of Saskatoon and Toronto at the time, but now he's retiried from that position...

Transaction ID: 11134016WV225203K 5 Uncapped Doubles Week Free Week

Warsaw, PL -- Trokker was already in Warsaw when he received the news he'd been called up to his VHL team. With the Marlins missing the post season, Trokker cleared out his locker on the night of the Marlins last home game, several weeks before the typical cleanout media event ever took place. In fact he was absent from the room altogether and already moved into a small appartment complex on the outsksirts of Warsaw when the media approached him about his availability. "I was long gone," Trokker admitted. "I had found a cheap place in Warsaw to rent, so I took the opportunity to familiarize myself with the city before training camp started. How to get to the rink using public transport, where I could go to get groceries, all that kind of stuff. I think it'll give me an edge when the season starts." We asked why he didn't enjoy his time in San Diego but got the same responses we've already published. "I will say I'm excited for the next chapter, I really do want to be considered a steal when the redrafts start coming out ten seasons from now." Well... gotta earn that, Trokker, gotta earn that.

1. With the S99 Season right around the corner, do you have any goals with your player? I'd like to be a point per game player, but I'd settle for anythinig that keeps me engaged at this point. 2. If there was one VHL member you could meet, who would it be and why? Elmebeck. We developed a close friendship before he passed, I'd have loved the opportunity to meet him. 3. What do you think the most important attribute to put TPE into is? For an offensive RW? Probably WS or SS, but I'm not too familiar with this TPE system. 4. What is the WORST attribute to put TPE into? Discipline. Who needs that! 5. With round 2 of the NHL playoffs starting soon, what series do you think will be most exciting? They're all kinda boring honestly mainly because my team isn't in the playoffs, but I'll be watching every Canadian team with some interest. 6. Favourite kind of cake? I'd have to say vanilla... I'm boring as fuck.

Zak Trokker LW | 6'1 | 215 LBs 27 Years Old Drafted 10th OVR by the Warsaw Predators Zak Trokker was [and still could be] a promising prospect entering his rookie season with Warsaw, who wound up drafting him tenth overall despite a significant fall from grace while being labelled a risky selection. Early scouting reports had him battling for first overall with teammate Cardinal Copia, but a diminishing lack of desire throughout his self admitted frustrating rookie and sophomore seasons in the VHLM has led to a rapidly reduced developmental growth projection, and a sharp cessation in any form of participation beyond a handful of practices and skill lessons. As a result Trokker's value plummeted, and he was soon considered a high risk - high reward prospect. Throughout his VHLM career, Trokker has been a second line player, where he and his individual statistics have stumbled out of the gate and beyond. As the VHL closes in on his rookie season, both Trokker and his player agency anticipate first line minutes and a drastic change in individual performance, all anchored by the players desire to be a 'draft steal' in any redrafts long after his forced retirement from the league. Although Trokker and agency had a two and a half self-admitted depressing seasons, one of which Trokker would only produce nine goals throughout the regular and post season combined, he would still be named to Team Canada's WJC roster and became part of their silver medal effort despite only registering two assists [one of which came in the gold medal game] in the tournament. As a stary night rises and the sun sets on those chapters of Trokker's life as a prospect, the Peace Player Agency has begun to understand the new landscape in which they operate. They misled Trokker into believing maximum effort would result in immediate gains, but that's not how this small part of the hockey world is anymore. The collapse of the VHLE and the increased skill cap within the VHLM always meant growing pains from the start, but neither the PPA or Trokker realized that. PROS: It's hard to pinpoint any outstanding positive attributes for Trokker with such a disappointing VHLM career outside perhaps his fundamental skills. Offensive Vision: Surprisingly Trokker's strongest asset is his ability to shoot the puck, score goals and create offense... at least theoretically. In practice, however, Trokker appears to struggle in the shot, shot percentage and goal scoring department quite considerably. Then again, scouts aren't rating him in the light of any context, but rather grading his skills from an unbiased perspective. Trokker has the ability to score goals, he has the ability to accurately pass the puck and he can drive a mean offence when the opportunity awards it. We saw that in S98 with San Diego where the young prospect recorded 27 goals and 30 assists. Strength: We're not so surprised by this one. Trokker has always been a taller, heavier, and frankly stronger individual well before he joined Philadelphia through the waiver wire. It only follows reason that one of Trokker's principle pillars is his strength. He doesn't get pushed around as much, doesn't get pushed of the puck as much, and he can hold his ground as a menacing net front presence when slotted in front of an oppositions goaltender or behind the net. If I had graded his skills, his strength would have probably been number one, but all I am doing is recapping what the scouts sent me. Shooting: Scouts graded his shooting separately from his offensive vision primarily because it is directly related to his ability to score goals. As we mentioned above, he has seemingly struggled with that aspect of the game but we're comparing VHLE players to a rookie VHLM player during parts of his career in the VHLM. In reality perhaps his ability to score is higher than we thought; it should be on display in his upcoming rookie season after potting twenty seven goals in S98. We do know that Trokker likes to fire quick shots at the net from the right lane, typically generating rebounds or at the very least keeping a high pressure cycle going by wrapping the puck to the left point defender. Scouts believe Trokker will quickly develop a rhythm at some point and predict a significant contribution during his VHL career. CONS: Unlike Trokker's positive attributes it is far easier to detect the youngsters shortcomings, but then again it is always easier to notice someone failing at something than giving them recognition for doing something else properly ain't it? Passing: Passing - unlike his above strengths - has been one of Trokker's quieter and weaker assets, and also mixes into why offensive vision has been ranked so highly an an independent triat. Beyond his natural hope to simply shoot the puck and hope for rebounds, Trokker has only displayed rare moments of true playmaking ability throughout his final season in the VHLM. He earned thirty assists throughout his sophomore campaign with the Marlins, but after a brief investigation we've noticed that the majority of the assists we've looked at come off the rebound on a shot attempt. He'll need to improve his passing ability if he wants to make an impact at the VHL level and beyond. Defensive Coverage: Trokker needs to rapidly improve at his defensive posturing if he's going to become a reliable player at the VHL level. It may not be obvious on the surface as he ended his VHLM career with only a negative five rating but the details are hidden behind layers of analytics: Giveaways in the defensive zone, pass interceptions in the defensive zone, poor defensive play leading to a PPG or 5on5 goal against, and frankly twenty eight shots blocked for a right winger with limited PK time is evidence of poor positioning outright. Motivation: Motivation isn't something you can grade with a number, it's more of judgement on the effort we've seen from both Trokker and the agency supporting him. So far it has been a disaster; poor motivation coupled with irritation has led to frequent lapses in engagement from the VHL prospect and has significantly impacting his development. If Trokker fails to get engaged at the VHL level his career will spiral and he'll never reach even a fraction of the raw potential he arguably has: The Peace Player Agency has three solid players including a Hall of Famer. They know how to produce good players and there's no reason to expect they'd sign on with someone they didn't see any potential with. In general the outcome is simple: Trokker is a player from a respected player agency with great raw potential, but shortcomings from the player and the agency has greatly impacted his development. Zak could develop into a reliable goal scoring forward, yet must be recognized as a potential bust if the motivation from both parties isn't found.

An April 1st joke with two hours before midnight. Premature... lol

1. What's your go-to coping mechanism when a Trivia question isn't immediately searchable via the Portal? Rely on reviewing instead. 2. You get to decide the cover athlete of VHL 99, who are you putting on there and why? Jon Webber III 'cause he's been stellar on a rebuilding team. 3. According to you or your player, what's the best place to watch a VHL game on gameday? Home on the couch where you're comfortable [I'm an introvert]. 1. If you had the money your VHL player had IRL... what's your first purchase? 2. Would you be humble or cocky as a VHL player? 3. Team effort or individual effort?

GAME 62: MOS 5 - 0 WAR FINAL Jon Webber The Third faced an absolute firing squad this game and somehow still maintained an amazing save percentage [.932]. Folks, let's look at the shot counter and let it sink in for a moment: 74-17; it was an offensive clinic for Moscow the entire night, practically the full sixty minutes, yet Webber kept the Predators from being outright annihilated throughout the entire game. Sure, the score would end up 5-0 for Moscow by the time the final buzzer blew. There is something electric watching your home team whilter the oppositions goaltender, and somehow frustrating with the crowd roars 'Awww' as Webber III makes save after save after save several times during the game. At the end of the night, when the home teams' crowd is quietly impressed, you've done your job as the away team goaltender. Every player on the Menence roster, minus C. Gonclaves (28+ minutes of ice time) registered at least a point during the contest. Pombo scored twice in the first period, and Ruutu would earn the game winning goal just over two minutes into the contest. M. Gonclaves and Bocage would score in the third period, but this game was realistically over 2 minutes into the first period.

SAN DIEGO, CA - Zak Trokker has been launching pucks at every corner of the ice, yet hasn't found twine more than once this season. The sophmore Merlin has registered thirty nine shots on goal, one less than team leader Copia [40], so it must be a matter of time before the goals start coming, right? "I'm satisifed with the season so far," Trokker admitted. "I'd like to be on the first line with Copia and Seed, but I see the potential with my current linemates and we've been generating offense so no complaints here; would be nice, though." Trokker has earned six assists alongside his lone goal, totalling seven in the eight games he's played so far, but is certainly being dragged down by an abysmal 2.56% shooting percentage. "When a player is frustrated or maybe in their own head they tend to grip the stick too tightly, they tend to overthink and consequentially they give tells that goalies pick up on. The kid is doing fine, he's just gotta relax a bit and enjoy the experience. The real story starts when he laces up for his first VHL game." Peace Player Agency Hall-of-Famer Erik Killinger commented. Whether or not the sophmore is holding his stick too tight or not, it doesn't really matter... rebounds lead to goals, and Trokker seems content racking up the assists.

1. If you weren't on Warsaw, what VHL team would you want to play for and why? Seems like a loaded question, but... Toronto... primarily because of my history, but also Calgary because I've lived there. 2. What VHL team would you say "Won" the Draft? Warsaw 'cause I'm here now. 3. If you were to compare the Warsaw Predators to one NHL team, which one would it be? At the moment probably any of the bottom 10 teams, but in a few seasons time I see a decent youth movement arriving that could immulate Chicago before their rise to championships. 4. The NHL Trade Deadline is over, what was your favourite trade? I'm not sure honestly. 5. Gatorade or Powerade, which is better? Gatorade mainly because everywhere I go Powerade is more expensive [mainly because it is only available at gas stations, etc] 6. What is the worst Sport to watch on TV? MLB. Can't stand watching it.

Mmmmmmm. Rookie to lead Toronto to a championship I wonder?

Thank you Corco this is fire.

Warsaw, PL - Zak Trokker has been spotted making a trumendous effort to rekindle his development in Warsaw, though critics have noted he could take it one step further. In the last three weeks Trokker has been actively engaged with his skills development, presistence and willingness to work with coaches and trainers. The results appear to be speaking volumes as scouts continually rate his abilities higher and higher, well hidden behind one of the principle components to his ongoing development: attendence. When comparing to his time in San Diego to the short time he's been in Warsaw it is clear Trokker struggled; following the draft the young prospect seems reingnited. He hasn't missed a training session yet. "I felt defeated and deflated last season," Trokker admitted. "I expected myself to be near point-per-game, maybe even someone the team could rely on in tough situations, but I didn't produce and cost the team too many goals especially in the Halifax series. I've got one more season there before I play for Warsaw, and I'm determined to be a key piece with the Predators and hopefully the Merlin."