Peace

1. It's almost Christmas, what are your plans for this year? Honestly I have no plans, there's no money in the budget for a festive holiday unfortunately. I think the most we'll do is a family dinner. 2. Did you buy anything interesting on black friday? I guess the steam sale counts, maybe? If so I purchased Barotrauma so I could play with a couple friends. 3. Which VHL team is surprising you the most this season? Mine so far! Questions: 1. Keeping with the Christmas theme... what are some of the most memorable traditions you have? 2. Winter is much more than Christmas or December, it also signifies the start of the Olympics. Are you excited that NHL players are welcomed back into the upcoming Winter Olympics this time around? 3. Which country will you be cheering for during the 2022 Olympics?

Although the World Junior Championships concluded sometime ago, we recently got in touch with the Legion left winger about his performance during the tournament. In the round robin, Peace played fantastic, helping his team dismantle what some considered superior squads. In the medal rounds, however, the young forward went entirely scoreless. He did everything but contribute on the scoresheet, we've learned that it's been sitting awkwardly in the back of his mind ever since. "I'm thrilled we won gold," Peace stated, certainly as a prefix to the rest of his sentence. "I'm happy our team came out on top considering the competition we were up against, but I can't help but feel like I let the club down. My role on the team was to be a goal scorer, an offensive threat, and I fell flat during the medal games we played." Peace had eleven shots on goal during Canada's two medal games, recorded five hits and spent only two minutes in the sin bin.

Nice way to turn frustration into 2 TPE. Bravo, bravo.

Sven Reikkinen Done @Johnny_HX

Beat SEA and VAN?

Otto Numminen @Juice

Since I'm just taking TOR players anyway... Jannik Nylen @Johnny_HX

One of my favorite articles to write has always been 'GM Perspective' media spots, I feel like they're a great way to engage with some community members and grants me a creative outlet to discuss... well pretty much anything related to Toronto and my time as the Legions' general manager. I've written articles that have expressed my emotions on various levels; frustration with certain situations, situations where I could have been more tactful as I dealt with the cards that were given; anger at some of the users, whom helped or created conflict and drama both here [on the forum] and within the locker room itself; and not to mention my thoughts on trades, the players I've drafted and ranting about the sim engine robbing Toronto's previous core. Yeah, yeah, you've heard it before... I still strongly feel like Toronto's S77, S78 and S79 (at the beginning, anyway...) rosters underperformed considering the team we had. Some say we were too bulky on the back end, lacked the offensive firepower compared to other VHL teams as a result, while others suggested that the builds we accumulated simply weren't performing well together inside STHS' whacky decision making formula. Those are essentially ancient history now, but something big for Toronto recently happened. The S81 VHL Entry Draft is important, yes, I'll be discussing that for another 2,000 words [I hope] down below. No, no, the big thing for Toronto was MattyIce deciding to stay during his punishment and Doomsday returning to our shared game near the end of S80. Matty's current player was drafted second overall by the Toronto Legion, he had earned an inane amount of TPE prior to his suspension, and since he made the decision to stick around -- quite early in the punishment I will say -- Toronto suddenly has another top earning forward once again. Oh, and of course we've got Lindbergh manning the pipes for us for the foreseeable future, we spent the fourth overall pick on him so I'm elated he returned. Those are big. Loosing Fire and Lindbergh would have been catastrophic, but like a stalling plane nose diving to gain airspeed, we've recovered and are trending in the right direction. Now let's talk about that draft, eh? What a quality draft it was! Cadmael Ixazaluoh - @Vice VHL: Drafted 5th overall by the Toronto Legion VHLE: Drafting 6th overall by the Bratislava Watchmen VHLM: Undrafted; too powerful for the VHLM! Selecting Vice was perhaps the easiest decision I've made in the last five seasons [at least regarding entry draft selections]; he conducted himself with respect, remained professional and expressed his thoughts in a matter-of-factly way I appreciate. Honestly his draft interview reminded me a lot of another user from a fleeting past, but this article isn't about that person, it's about Vice's Cadmael Ixazaluoh joining the Toronto Legion. You can forget about positional needs, if Cadmael was a forward he'd still be on Toronto. I wanted Vice on my team; I shuffled my draft board so many times that Vice bounced between the top spot and I'd say maybe no lower than third before settling atop my chart just before the draft began, and I'm sure there's a bunch of quotes saying he was there or here, that I had him at some specific place... well I'm going on record now, even if I had first overall -- especially considering the crap that happened during the entry draft -- Ixaxaluoh would have been joining the Legion regardless. I'm very excited about the future with Vice and where we can take the Toronto Legion. Harkat Mulds - @hylands VHL: Drafted 9th overall by the Toronto Legion VHLE: Undrafted; declared for VHL VHLM: Drafted 4th overall by the Yukon Rush When I drafted Hylands to the Legion I had no idea why he was sliding so far, I guess in a way I still don't fully comprehend how he landed at my feet with the ninth overall pick. Here we are though, Hylands and I have talked and I'd like to say we're both looking forward to seeing how both he and Toronto will perform the next few seasons. Toronto was never a destination I thought Mulds would land -- from what I gather neither did Hylands -- so I never took the opportunity to scout my former colleague, perhaps something I should have done. Toronto and Mulds might not have a long future together, or things might develop into a nine season friendship. Regardless of where the future lies between the player and club, there's an absolute fact that lies smack in the middle of every conversation you could have between myself and Hylands: Mulds is a core piece of Toronto now, he'll be joining Fire and Peace as top earners and is complimented by the developing forward core the team already had through previous trades and drafts. The future is indeed bright, even if it's just for a while. George Sanderson - @SpicyGecko VHL: Drafted 17th overall by the Toronto Legion VHLE: Drafted 13th overall by the Geneva Rush Here's another user I was unable to scout, well actually... for the record Vice was the only player drafted to Toronto that received a pre-draft interview, the rest of these selections were based on hunches by whatever means I developed them. In this particular case, Sanderson was Vice's teammate with the Reapers. Two objectives came together when he dipped out of the first round, I knew that it would be risky selecting someone I never scouted but truthfully it was worth it; firstly he was a teammate of a user I had just drafted, they're familiar with one another and that's important; and secondly he was a positional need, as George Sanderson is a defender Toronto desperately needed at the time. I can't say too much about the discussions we've had, some DMs back and forth so I'm excited the avenue to communicate is officially open. Of course Sanderson instantly became one of our top prospects, I anticipate him joining the Legion within the next few seasons in order to join his teammate Ixazaluoh on the blue line. Build wise I've noticed that Gecko is building what appears to be a physical, disciplined defensive specialist and they generally work pretty well at the VHL level. It's not glamorous, you don't generate a whole lot of points, but turnovers do occur in the sim and those lead to offensive opportunities. Ixazaluoh - Sanderson pairing in 83, maybe? Weenuk Warrior - @KnightRiley VHL: Drafted 24th overall by the Toronto Legion VHLE: Drafted 24th overall by the Oslo Storm VHLM: Drafted 12th overall by the Halifax 21sts Here's a user I know very little about! This was absolutely a pick I made based on an article I read -- which stated an interest to play for Toronto -- so when Toronto was on the clock for the twenty fourth overall pick in the VHL Entry Draft I chose to make this selection over drafting scouted users, which weren't many to begin with. While I don't know much about KnightRiley, I'd love to learn more about this user and their interests moving forward together as members of the Toronto Legion. As for Weenuk Warrior's arrival in Toronto, I don't expect WW joining the Legion anytime soon. With a season of VHLM play, following a season of VHLE play, we're likely to see Warrior join Toronto in S83 or S84. The great thing about this new system [in my opinion] is how it pushes regression back the longer you're away from the VHL. The downside is you don't get a full VHL career, but the positives of not worrying too much about daunting regression means you can make the most out of every point you earn. Of course I give my players the option to join the team when they're eligible, so perhaps we see Warrior on the Legion sooner than I think! Ashton Komaryk - @Komaryk VHL: Drafted 29th overall by the Toronto Legion VHLE: Drafted 32nd overall by the Cologne Express VHLM: Drafted 62nd overall by the Houston Bulls At 29th overall I was torn with who to select, I could have gone with Salo here but ultimately I decided to go with Komaryk for two reasons; he was a Houston Bulls prospect, a team I played for with Killinger; and they're earning a steady six capped TPE every week. Not to say Salo isn't earning steadily, the deciding factor was mostly the Houston Bulls connection, but I noticed Salo dipped to just four capped TPE a week [meanwhile earned up to ten on other weeks]. I'm not sure what the safer pick will end up being, I'm not really here to dwell in hindsight, I'll do everything in my power to help Komaryk develop Ashton the way Komaryk wants Ashton to develop. If Komaryk can make the VHL roster sooner-than-later, assuming no additional right wingers are acquired through a trade or the entry draft, there is a natural RW availability between the deep stack of centers and strong left wingers Toronto already has on the roster. With some elevated work ethic Komaryk could dominate the depth chart along the right side of the ice, perhaps even overtake some of the overfill we currently have. Toronto will be operating with numerous centers on a line, particularly the first line where Fire and Numminen/Calamari will be skating together, so there's a lot of room to grow for Ashton. Future top six winger? Harry Hagel - @jasplunds VHL: Drafted 31st overall by the Toronto Legion VHLE: Drafted 26th overall by the Bratislava Watchmen VHLM: Drafted 32nd overall by the Halifax 21sts Drafting Harry Hagel was a positional selection for the Toronto Legion, truthfully I was leaning towards another user that was earning more but decided to trust my gut. There's room for Hagel to develop with Toronto, while drafting a forward to an already cluttered forward group just meant less opportunity for growth. With Hagel being a defender, there's plenty of room to replace inactive D on the Legions' roster without having to worry about someone taking your job. Hagel won't join the Legion for quite some time, Jasplunds is slowly developing his player and we'll likely see a competitive defender for the minority of his career. Hagel will join Toronto somewhere around S84/S85, but as I covered above that means he won't have to worry about regression. Unfortunately the career clock exists, Hagel won't see much VHL ice but his potential successes at the VHLM, VHLE and VHL levels of competition are pretty much endless. When he does join the Legion, I expect Hagel to slot into the top four and help Toronto chase some championships. Nothing wrong with gut instinct! Boris Tsezar - @comrade cat VHL: Drafted 41st overall by the Toronto Legion VHLE: Drafted 27th overall by the Rome Gladiators VHLM: Drafted 28th overall by the Mexico City Kings I've been honest to a fault up to this point, so I don't see why I should break that streak. Sadly this pick was a BPA made by the staff team during the VHL Entry Draft, I had a family dinner I kept excusing myself from and by this point in the draft I was getting the wondering judging eyes from family as I floated away back to my computer in between two bites of chili. I asked the team ensuring an orderly draft to BPA my picks with anyone active from this point further, which means Simeoni below was also a BPA. That being said I'm excited there were active players in the third and fourth rounds, normally there's usually a few but the majority -- if memory serves me correctly -- have fallen into inactivity after leaving the sim league entirely or sometimes temporarily. I've reached out to Comrade Cat and they've accepted a Discord invite, so communications are now open and I'm eager to learn more about the user behind the player as time goes on. Sim wise though it's unlikely we see Tsezar in Legion blue for a while, but I'll be following the 'tenders career in the VHLM and VHLE until they're ready for the big leagues. Backup roles aren't immediately interesting, but hopefully Toronto is a championship team at that point and the experience is enough to have some fun. Alessio Simeoni - @Alesime VHL: Drafted 60th overall by the Toronto Legion VHLE: Drafted 44th overall by the Oslo Storm VHLM: Drafted 26th overall by the Saskatoon Wild Seemingly struck gold three times with this selection, er, you know... despite not actually making the selection. Sadly I was committed to my family dinner when the staff BPA'd Toronto's sixtieth overall pick, but holy crud was it a good one [I might be biased] for a few reasons; one: they'll be playing for the Saskatoon Wild, and god damn it I love that franchise; two: Vice, Gecko and Alesime were all teammates with one another during their time with the Reapers; and three: I believe Simeoni could be the steal of the S81 draft, I really really believe that's a possibility. At current pace Toronto won't see Simeoni until S84/S85 most likely, but again that conflict has both a positive and negative charge; on one hand you've got little to no depreciation, on the other you've only got four-five seasons with a VHL team. With a little more effort -- say perhaps a VHL.com article and press conference questions -- there is little doubt in my mind Simeoni would be the steal of the draft, I can't express that enough! I'm excited for that potential, okay, there's nothing wrong with that considering this was ultimately a best-player-available pick. Simeoni! That about wraps it up! I hope you enjoyed the read. 2,000 words!

Oskar Lindbergh @Juice

Kyle Peace. @Johnny_HX

F - Duncan Idaho @Juice

1. Probably Seattle since the dynasty. 2. If I could add one thing, I still think I'd add purchasable career extensions even if your player is TPE ineffective. 3. I'd say drafting. Free agency is unreliable and doesn't guarantee growth. Questions: 1. Which draft are you looking forward to the most? VHLM, VHLE or VHL? 2. Did any of the recent trades surprise you? 3. Where do you think top free agents go?

Inactive player position swap. @Beketov @bigAL @Josh

Inactive player position swap. @Josh @Beketov @bigAL

What is one of the advantages a team has during a rebuild? Salary cap. No, I'm not talking about being a team others need to dump salary on, I'm talking about the massive excess of cap space that can be used to grant bonuses to the rebuilding teams prospects. Such bonuses can be used on a PT Doubles Week (2,000,000), perhaps a Free Week (1,000,000) if you're feeling a little lazy, or maybe you double up and go for that full doubles week (4,000,000) that puts some oomph! behind a full capped week. Or maybe you save it for depreciation? Well sometimes those long-term investments don't exactly pay off... that's the risk you take though, I suppose. Over 150 for 2 capped? I think so.

Final claim.

Links are broken, also the games aren't available within the index file itself. None of these games were played.

It's not rude, but to explain why would ultimately cause some drama we don't need.

Why isn't it allowed? Asher Reinhart is a pending UFA that wasn't returning to Toronto...

I appreciate you giving Toronto a chance, @rjfryman, I'm hoping Prague is a more suitable home for your long term plans. Good luck! Thanks for the trade talks, @Acydburn! I've messaged both players involved already.

When's the award ceremony?

Claim 2!

Matty Fire and Kyle Peace haven't dressed in their Legion blues as teammates yet, but they've donned the Red and White as they represent their nation at the S80 World Junior Championships; Canada (5-1-0) currently sits behind the Europeans with a single game in hand, and although the round robin doesn't particularly matter once the single elimination medal rounds begin, it does allow the clubs an opportunity to see how their lines can develop. For Kyle Peace it's an opportunity to grow some chemistry with fellow Legion Matty Ice, who recently recorded triple digit points at the highest level of VHL play. Toying with a potential future is tough on the fans, they want this season to begin already, so while it is unfortunate Toronto doesn't own Kisslinger II they [the management and fans] can take some comfort in knowing Fire and Peace seem to be 'clicking' already. Both Fire and Peace have seven points in six contests for the Canadians, and have combined for a total of seventy three shot attempts. They're not toying around with a future, they're hinting at it.

I agree.

It should be 'by the draft', right? In regards to S80+ players if they can play skip the E and play in the VHL.