Sova

Q: "At the beginning of the season you mentioned that you were hoping to crack the 100 points but you have missed that goal and have so far only been able to accumulate 61 points in 62 games. It seems like your production has decreased when compared to your previous season how do you feel about that?"
M: "I would not see it that way as opposed to last season our team has been able to win quite a lot more games. In some power rankings we are even 6th and our offense, which I am part of, is looking quite good. We have a lot of work left ahead of us especially defensively but our goal was 20 wins and we have already achieved that goal so I am more than happy."
Q: "Last season you have made a name for yourself as one of the best scorers in the league and you announced to be working on your shot during the offseason. Now after 62 games and 245 Shots you have only scored 8.16% of them do you think your shot is messed up?"
M: "I don't think so I have confidence in my coaches and I think I am just being a bit unlucky at the moment."

A couple of Moscow announcements deep into S66.
 
Firstly, our captains for this season:
C - Mark Gebauer @Sova
A - Evgeni Komarov @Gooningitup
A - Dan Baillie @wcats
 
Our original players form the core of our leadership team for the second season running, 3 players who bleed black and gold. The only change is Baillie officially getting a letter after Nano's brief stint abroad (but god does @leafsman love it here).
 
 
Secondly, I have an assistant GM to announce! The man who set up our Discord, our press conference and is an important mouthpiece of the young franchise around the VHL (oh and our franchise goaltender), @FacebookFighter has earned the opportunity to be Moscow AGM. Although I don't know what his duties exactly will be yet, I look forward to working with Owen May in an official capacity.

First 4 seasons were great. It isn't nearly as good anymore, though. The writing is Marvel movie tier unbearable at times.

It's a deal!

The Legend of Moscow scores and makes it 5-4 team Spade

Why was this not live simmed??
 
Seriously @Beketov somehow Vancouver always seems to get shafted in the draft lotteries, do you have something against the team or Beaviss?

Mark Gebauer from Moscow. @Sova

Mark Gebauer @Sova is also a rookie FYI.

Interviewer: "Hello, today we are joined by the center of the Moscow Menace, Mark Gebauer. How has Moscow been treating you since you were traded?"
Mark: "Moscow is fantastic the organization is great and the city is even better, so I really don't have any complaints what so ever."
Interviewer: "Why did you want to play for Moscow?"
Mark: "After my first years in the VHL the expansion was announced and when I saw that there would be a team in a city that I like a lot I was intrigued. I took a look at who would be running this team and what kind of team it was going to be. I thought about it for some time and in the end, I came to the conclusion that a trade would not only benefit my career but also allow me to live in a place that I like and work with people that have a similar approach to the game like me."
Interviewer: "You mentioned that the trade to Moscow is good for your career, many would disagree and say that compared to other players from your draft class you have had less success, what do you say to those people?
Mark: "First of all I think by playing in Moscow I have the unique opportunity to lead a team, even though I am just in my 2nd year I feel like a crucial piece to this organization. This is something that I value a lot, of course, this is part of the reason why we are losing a lot but that is going to end as soon as I become a good enough player. If I was on a team playing 2nd fiddle to some other stars I would not be able to learn as much as I am learning at the moment and I would not develop so quickly, so in that sense I think that the move to Moscow was the right one if I want to leave a legacy behind and not just become another player that played for some teams."
Interviewer: "As you just said Moscow is struggling at the moment how do you feel about that and what are your expectations for the next season?"
Mark: "I naturally prefer winning to losing but it doesn't bother me since I know we are growing and soon will be a better team so its all going to be worth it in the end."
Interviewer: "Do you have any personal goals for your time in the league?"
Mark: "Yes I do I want to leave a mark in Moscow and I will do anything to try and win a championship for this team, I know its going to be tough but it is not impossible. At the moment the road until there seems long but with just a few new recruits things can change a lot. I know I don't need multiple stars surrounding me to win games so I know that it might be possible to win it all in the next couple seasons."

Today we have the opportunity to ask Mark Gebauer, the center of the Moscow Menace, a few questions. First of all I want to know Mark this is your second year in  the big league do you think you are developing at a good pace or do you feel like you are lacking behind your former draft class peers?
"Well, so far I think I am doing quite well. If you consider that I am part of an expansion team, which also is last in the league, the stats that I have personally look quite good. I am 17th in points and 12th in goals this season. There are many other players with better records but you have to see that on my team all the players are still growing, but dont get me wrong I am happy about that because its a great experience to have a whole core grow together, it makes everything easier in terms of chemistry if you have been playing together since your rookie days."
You have often expressed your happiness about being part of the Moscow Menace could you give us a few reasons why?
"Well there are many, but first off all, I want to say I only heard good things about all the teams in the league and they all are great but when I saw the league was expanding to Moscow I just knew I had to be there and so far I have not regretted it. The city is great and this team is terrific from the front office to the 4th line everyone seems to be happy and all this despite being last place in the league.
I think this expansion has been great and Moscow will become a great team in the future."
You have started to do the Faceoffs for your team how do you feel about that?
"Besides the fact that I am not that great at it its a lot of fun. It is like a game in a game and you can practice it in your downtime so it doesn't take a lot away from my other focuses. I will put some more time in it and try to become better at it but at the moment it is not my biggest concern, other things are more important."
You mentioned other more important things, what do you think your game is missing?
"Well when I started in the Minors I was good at Puckhandling and Skating but I kinda neglected that to become a more well rounded player in terms of defence and a better shot. I think I will try and return to my old ways and improve those two facets of my game sooner rather than later."
Who do you look up to in the league?
"Well to be honest I didn't have so much time to find an idol yet and since I am in Moscow there are no real veterans on my team so I would have to say there is no player that i look up to in particular of course some of the HOFs were great players but that's something different."

here are you some more questions: 
 
1. do you hope to play your whole career in Moscow?
2. Your fav place in Moscow?
3. Have you ever been in Moscow irl?
4. Which Moscow LR is more active - forum or discord?
5. How's GM?
6. In how many seasons Moscow could begin to compete?
7. Are you surprised by your and a couple of your teammates performance?
8. the most funny teammate?
9. do you want to meet Putin?
10. Are you excited to meet S66 draftees soon?

1. What do you think has been the best part of your career so far?
2. Who is your favorite teammate?
3. How do you see Moscow faring in the near future as a team?
4. What is it like to live in Russia?
5. How do you feel about your contributions on the scoresheet?
6. What do you think of your draft class as a whole?
7. What are your plans for the offseason?
8. If you could change one thing about your VHL career, what would it be?
9. What is your training regiment like?
10. What do you think is the least important stat for a VHL player?

Since I am playing on an expansion team I can say that for me at least it is a great experience. About Rosters and their size, I think having full rosters adds a lot of flare and allows more strategies by setting lines differently etc. which would add so much to this league which I am honestly missing at the moment. 

My Thoughts on Expansion, Roster Sizes
 
As I was writing my VHL fan.590, I realized that I had more I wanted to say regarding both VHL and VHLM expansion and roster sizes, as I hit roughly 250 words with ease, and it shouldn't be that hard for me to double that for a point task. So, that's where I am.
 
For as long as I've been here (joined in Season 24) and I believe for the VHL's entire existence, the VHL has been a league with rosters consisting primarily of 6 forwards, 4 defensemen, and 1 goalie. For multiple reasons, some teams decided to load up on high end talent at the cost of depth, resulting in rosters such as 5 forwards, 3 defensemen, and 1 goalie, and I could swear that there was a Quebec team that won with 4 forwards, 3 defensemen, and 1 goalie, but I can't be bothered to look that up right now. Sometimes, these teams made a conscience decision to do this. However, in the past, we have had instances where our player base was not large enough to fill the rosters of every team in the league. This isn't meant to be a discussion on why previous expansion and/or project player two were failures, but it's important to note that part of the reason that our roster sizes are the way they are is due to the size of our player base.
 
However, due to the hard word of our recruitment crew, VHLM commissioners, VHLM GMs, and many others, the VHL has been growing faster than it ever has before. So far, retainment of these new members has also been better than it usually is. Suddenly, it's become apparent that if we continue on this path, the VHL is going to see change in either the size of rosters or expansion. Even if the specifics have not been announced yet, I don't think it's a secret that the league will be expanding to 10 teams. However, this might not be enough. I don't have the numbers, but just from hearing GMs talk about their roster plans and seeing the past VHL and VHLM Drafts, we're going to have to either expand our rosters or go through expansion again. In my view, expansion is the correct choice.
 
In my opinion, part of the draw of the VHL is the fact that no matter how low your TPE may be, there are minutes available for you somewhere (goalies notwithstanding, since that issue is a little more complicated). Whether it's in the pros or the minors, I don't think there's many feelings worse in sim leagues than to be stuck on a lower line with no playing time and not putting up any results. Yes, the situation may be a little more bearable if the team is winning, but at the end of the day, this is a player sim league, and we all want to see individual success as well. The few times I've been stuck on lower lines in the VHLM as a re-create have been my least enjoyable time in the VHLM, and I'm one of the biggest defenders of the importance of the VHLM there is. 
 
There used to be an argument that larger roster sizes would result in more discussion or activity and more rivalry. In our past, I would have agreed with this point, but noted that it wasn't more important than the player time argument, but in today's VHL, I don't think this applies anymore. Again, these are topics that could be discussed more elsewhere, but I don't believe discussion or activity would increase with higher rosters given that the majority of VHL discussion now either takes place in open areas of the forum or on Discord. Gone are the days where locker rooms were guarded from outsiders and team discussion viewed as a private matter. On rivalries, member to member or team to team drama is basically non-existent at this point. In general, this is a good thing, but I think the vast majority of older members would say that they miss the old true rivalries and bickering of the old VHL, when most of us were high school or college aged at a period of time when trolling, flaming, and even what insults/language were acceptable were much different than they are today. 
 
With all this said, I do believe that eventual expansion in the VHL and immediate expansion in the VHLM are the correct answer. I do think we should hold at 10 VHL teams for at least the next 2 seasons in order to see how the roster situation shakes out and how active some of these members stay. At the end of the day, it's easier and less messier to expand than to contract. Some have made the argument in the past that they wouldn't want to be on an expansion team, but my immediate reaction to that is that being selected by an expansion team is no worse than being drafted or traded to a rebuilding team. VHLM expansion is something that's going to be needed immediately. With limited spots available in a league that sees large fluxes of new members, we need to make sure there are always genuine spots available for these players, meaning not 4th line minutes. Even if teams are spread a little thing at the beginning of the season, the competitive balance of the VHLM will result in some teams being buyers and some teams being sellers, putting actives on competitive teams and giving new members plenty of playing time on the not as good teams. 
 
Now, do I think expanding rosters to 3 full lines on a regular basis would destroy the league? No, I don't, but I don't believe it's the better option between itself and expansion. It may even be something that has to be done on a temporary basis if recruitment/retainment continues to be this successful and we have 10 VHL teams, but at the end of the day, I don't believe that it's something that we should be striving for as a long term goal.

I feel you
 

They are the same person.

We won @WhiteMocha @Victor @Sova@TMI
 
Poor Calgary gets the honour of the first loss to Moscow 

It is my utmost pleasure to announce the leadership trio of the S65 Moscow Menace!
 
Captain: Mark Gebauer
Our very first player, a man who is ready to give his all for the Menace cause, @Sova leads us into battle in our first season!
 
Alternate #1: Evgeni Komarov
Another player ready to give his all for the motherland, albeit in a slightly different way, @Gooningitup wanted to play for the Menace since we came into existence and is a logical selection for a leadership role.
 
Alternate #2: Paolo Nano
One of our most experienced players, a Continental Cup finalist last season, @leafsman offers much needed street knowledge to a very young team.
 
 
Let's murder some fuckers.

Finn Davison and Elias Dahlberg
 
@Sova

After his first year in the Pros Mark Gebauer has not yet been able to entirely prove his worth to the league but it seems like he is looking to change that in the near future. Mark has always been improving his game and working hard and the fruits of that are starting to show but first we need to take a look into his past season to say what the future holds for this young player especially considering he just transferred all the ways around the globe from Calgary to Moscow. Mark has seemed more than happy to be back in one of his favourite cities and has started to look like a franchise player for the Moscow Menace. Mark was the first player to be officially announced to be part of the expansion teams roster and has been one of the faces of the organization ever since. To decide if the young player will become what he promises to might be one day we need to take a look at his past and understand what kind of player he is.
The last season was a complicated one for Mark Gebauer he struggled immensely to get points on the board and wasn't even in the top 50 Points ranking until around the World Cup Juniors but this is where everything seemed to turn around for the youngster. He was leading the tournament in Goals scored and also had a decent number of assists until being taken over in the playoffs, still, this was one of the best Ice hockey Mark Gebauer had ever played and so hopes were high when he returned to Calgary to play for his team. 
With the fans on his side and him in the spotlight, he started to perform way better and quickly rose to become the third best scorer on the Calgary Squad. This is considerably more impressive considering how many points he would have if he had his post WCJ form for the whole season. The contrast in his skill in the VHL and the WJC are jarring while only averaging 0.58 points per twenty minutes against other VHL team mark has a whopping 1.17 points against players in his age group in the world cup. In the WJC he has even been able to score a hattrick while the most extraordinary thing he achieved in the VHL is winning his one and only fight so far. But there is also a stark difference in this play in the VHL before and after this tournament you can just notice by watching him play. Mark has developed his positioning and is in position to score a lot more often which leads to more efficient shots and therefore more goals.
It seems like Mark has finally found his game and is ready to compete at the highest level and we can only wish him the best of luck for his time in Moscow and we will see if he ends up being the true face of a new team.

"As a child, i have often been to this city and it became one of my favourite places to visit. The hockey culture is great and I really enjoy the environment in which you can play here. Some of the best talent hails from this city or at least this country and there are many great coaches that are able to assist you in developing your game. All of this combines into an all around great hockey experience and then if you take a look at the city and the things you can do here it is just great to be a player here. Of course, we have more travel time than most other teams but that is something we will be able to deal with in some way or another and to be honest I don't get good sleep on game nights anyway so it doesn't make so big of a difference for me. What is a bigger deal is the gorgeous nature and city we have around us and the people that are just a bit different. I feel really at home here and already made a lot of great friends. My teammates are great and I already feel at home here and I am looking forward to our first season."

Footage of Mark on his way to Moscow has surfaced @Nykonax @Victor @BOOM™

Footage of Mark on his way to Moscow has surfaced @Nykonax @Victor @BOOM™