Sova

After winning the championship last year Ottawa new they had to rely on their new recruits since many of their former star players got called up to the majors and this shows in the standings with Ottawa being second last in the league with only twentytwo wins. On the other side of the same coin, this also promises Ottawa a great future since many of their prospects have been developing at a great pace and have been starting to make some noise in the VHML.
First of course is Elias Dahlberg who is playing out of his mind topping the league in scoring and one of the players with the most assists. Elias sure is one of the brightest stars the VHML has to offer at the moment and he is a substantial reason for Ottawas hopes.
Finn Davidson is also shaping up to become a future top goalie and has been steadily working on his fundamentals. 
The two centres Chance Mathews and Mark Gebauer are also cornerstones of the Ottawa offence and if they pick up the pace to match Elias Dahlberg then maybe Ottawa might suddenly become a force to be reckoned with.
 

After winning the championship last year Ottawa new they had to rely on their new recruits since many of their former star players got called up to the majors and this shows in the standings with Ottawa being second last in the league with only twentytwo wins. On the other side of the same coin, this also promises Ottawa a great future since many of their prospects have been developing at a great pace and have been starting to make some noise in the VHML.
First of course is Elias Dahlberg who is playing out of his mind topping the league in scoring and one of the players with the most assists. Elias sure is one of the brightest stars the VHML has to offer at the moment and he is a substantial reason for Ottawas hopes.
Finn Davidson is also shaping up to become a future top goalie and has been steadily working on his fundamentals. 
The two centres Chance Mathews and Mark Gebauer are also cornerstones of the Ottawa offence and if they pick up the pace to match Elias Dahlberg then maybe Ottawa might suddenly become a force to be reckoned with.
 

Review: I really like this article giving some insight into to qualities and weaknesses of the US roster. The more informal tone of the article does not impact its quality but it is something to keep in mind whether it is on purpose or not it might be a great stylistic device.  I really enjoyed reading this article and I think so have most others.

I am applying for Team Europe

Thanks a lot!

@Quik If you would consider doing one for Mark Gebauer that would be so so awesome

Review: Nice jersey edit if you want to step up your game a bit I would go for a different font and change the background, also maybe remove the habs logo on the shorts. In general this is a really solid graphic with some room left for improvement. 

MARK GEBAUER

(Mark during his first team Germany tryout camp)
 
Struggles in his youth
Mark Gebauer was born in Munich to an American father and a German mother. His father was stationed there for the US Airforce and therefore was not so around so much. Marks father introduced him to ice hockey at a young age, since he wanted his son to play a Nothern American sport.
His mother meanwhile was working as a teacher for physics and geography and it for her it was really important that Mark gets an excellent education. Mark never excelled in school., the monotony of sitting in the classroom and having to be at home studying just was too much for him. While he was in class he would be daydreaming about the Ice hockey games his father secretly allowed to watch at night and his mind would wander thinking about his next time at the rink. Most of his days Mark spend stuck behind textbooks until the afternoon when his mom would reluctantly take him to the rink since his father promised to him he can play as much as he wants as long as he practices hard. So Marks youth went by really quickly only studying and playing ice hockey while doing not much else.

(A picture of Mark during one of his many training games, most of his time would be spent like this on the Ice at his local rink)
 
Finding his passion
Marks grade became worse and worse with time while he was focusing more and more on ice hockey. His mother became concerned mark might fail his A levels and lose his chance on higher education and therefore wanted to send him to a boarding school. The Adler Mannheim offered him a spot of one of their youth teams and promised his mother to take care of his education. This offer made his parents agree easily and so he moved to Mannheim.
Mark had a very tight schedule between private lessons to improves his grades and the many training sessions with the youth team. Those training sessions were paying off and he quickly became one of the best players on the team which made him practice more and more in the little bit of free time he had. Mark lost the contact to his parents during this time since they both moved outside of Munich to retire and Marks schedule just did not allow to visit them often.
All the stress that has been building up in mark needed to be expressed somewhere besides on the ice, this made him seek out the Nightlife and he often was out partying even on school nights. His tutors were trying hard to make him pass the exams but his interest in the topics taught at school was marginal at best and so he had a hard time preparing himself for his finals.
In the end, he barely passed the exams and his grades were far below average which would be a problem if he wanted to pursue any higher education in Germany. His mother and father were trying to find a place for him in multiple universities but Mark passed up offer after offer and was just drifting for some time after he graduated focusing completely on hockey and partying. He just was not ready to leave playing ice hockey behind in favour of pursuing higher education.

(Marks team, the Jungadler, after winning the Cup)
 
Committing to his dream
At this time Marks agent was able to get him 2 offers for a small contract in the DEL, this seemed like a perfect opportunity to maybe be able to make his dream of playing ice hockey for a living come true. The DEL is a competitive league but far behind some other regional leagues and Mark knew that he would have to impress wherever he decides to play to be able to gain future contract offers or maybe even get the attention of an American team. It was a hard decision by now Mark has started feeling at home and made great friends on his teams over the year. He has been developing well under the coaching staff in Mannheim but the offer from Munich was just too good and Mannheim was not able to match it. So mark headed back to his hometown.
In his first season in the DEL, he saw very little time on the ice injuries and coaching decisions made his beginning in the pros more than rough. His time at Red Bull was an important experience for Mark since he got to play with former American pros and they taught the new young guy a lot on and off the ice. Mark always dreamed of one day playing in the VHL and he knew that just being an average player in the DEL is not quite cutting it and so he decided to look for opportunities elsewhere.

(His time in Munich was a tumultuous one on and off the ice) 
 
Going over the pond
Quickly the Ottawa Lynx expressed interest in the young German center and offered him a nice contract and ice time to go along with it. The decision was easy and so Mark packed his bags and headed to Ottawa with dreams of one day playing in the VHL. The connection with his parents has loosened over the years and because of moving so often and frequently Mark has been forced to become very independent from a very young age on. This allowed him to settle in quickly in Ottawa while not really missing his hometown of Munich too much. His time in Ottawa has been great so far and he feels just like at home there already and the contract he is on allows him a comfortable lifestyle. The biggest question just is what is lying ahead of him. Will he make it to the majors? Will he stay in Ottawa for a longer period?
 
Looking onward
In marks eyes, the clear goal is the VHL, no doubt about it. In the past, Mark Gebauer has expressed his thoughts on the VHL teams and there are 2 clear favourites.
 
 New York Americans: Mark has said in the past that he would be really happy to be heading to new york, the heart of America. He has expressed interest in his father's culture on many occasions and therefore this would be ideal. On the other hand, the Americans have been struggling in the past season, to say the least, but Mark is willing to be part of a rebuild.
 
 
 Riga Reign: Riga would allow him to be closer to his home but he does not feel too strongly about this but on the ice, they definitely have some very great players Mark would love to play with in the future to be able to learn from them so that he develops the best. In essence winning and learning from the greats while being closer to his home is a huge selling point but one thing to keep in mind is that their roster is pretty stacked and Mark does not want to be a player only coming off the bench for a couple of minutes per game so depending on the coaching staffs evaluation of him and his further performance Riga probably won't be a valid option.
 
No matter what the future holds for Mark he is determined to make an impact with his current team and then move on from there. His dream of one day playing in the VHL seems to be drawing closer and closer as he has been improving at quite the impressive rate and even if he is not able to make it to one of his favourite teams that is sure no big problem for him since just playing in the majors is good enough being in one of those teams would just be the cherry on top.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Review: Oh that was unfortunate. The background looks really slick and the ice elevates the entire graphic. This might actually be one of my favourite graphics i have seen so far and I am having a hard time finding anything i don't like about it. There are no mistakes like pixels missing or so on. Great work!

review: I dont feel so good mister stark.... but damn does this look good. Jokes aside i really like the effect that gives the whole cover a more action packed feeling and just makes it look even sleeker. My only small pet peeve is the logo that doesn't seem to fit quite right with the remaining lighting but that is nitpicking. I personally love this cover and besides the minor lighting issues it is almost perfect

Review: Awesome work and some gorgeous goalie pads I like the idea of having the logo split so that it forms one big one during skating, maybe you could work some hidden meaning into it so that it has a different look in the different goalie positions. What would have made this even more awesome is to see this on a goalie but that might be a thing of the future and extreme amounts of work (just an idea). I personally might have changed the white to black on the edges to give the entire thing a darker look but that is just me, anyway awesome design!

I mean you get an assist when you pass to the guy that can shoot and by some old players I was trying to make it sound less bad but admittedly yes you lost your core.

In the first view games the new German forward playing for the Ottawa Lynx, Mark Gebauer, has been making quite the impact and took up the mantle and is now leading his team in scoring. For an undrafted rookie, this is more than incredibly and almost no one has been able to predict this is it seems. His play has been lacking in other departments though, as many have expected his play with teammates was quite poor and so far he has only been able to gain one assist in 5 games, this is a stat that must pick up with Gebauer wants to be a valuable addition to the team and not only a goal scorer with little impact otherwise. Something that also needs to be considered is that even though his personal performance has been quite well his team is struggling to edge out wins against opponents and often succumb to teams that were not expected to be able to beat them especially considering Ottawa is the reigning champions of the league and losing some older players is no excuse to drop off so much.
In summary, we can say Gebauer can be proud of his performance so far but he needs to play more closely with his teammates helping them to get on the scoreboard and also his team in general should try and reward themselves with some wins.

review: First of all this is a great graphic I like it a lot. Everything just fits nicely its a great picture of a player with a nice editing on top that gives a special vibe. Especially for goalies, i like these kinds of calmer pictures that allow you to see the masks more closely and this is used to great effect in this graphic.
The graphic is tidy and clean allowing to see everything at the first glance. Great Job!

1) Out of the players brought in through free agency/waivers post-draft (John Madden, Bobby Power, Brick Wahl, Mark Gebauer, Evgeni Komarov, Divaani Sohva, Finn Davison, Jonathon Hill, Kyson Blake), who do you think will go on to have the best career?
Well I mean I have so inside information and therefore I am quite confident Mark Gebauer will do at least okay and so far he has had a great start.
 
 2) What are your thoughts on the player management section of the portal? Anything you'd like to see added to it?
It handles really nicely I am liking it a lot.
 
 3) Who is the one member in the league who you would like to play on the same team as?
That is tough I think its impossible to pick one.
 
4) If the VHL or VHLM were to ever expand, what cities would you like to see represented?
I think it would be great to get some Russian cities into the mix since it is more of a global league anyway so maybe Moscow Maulers?
 
5) Who do you think will be in the top four picks in the Season 64 Draft Class?
Pretty sure it will be Ryan Sullivan since he has quite the great start and also his position is quite sought after.
 
6) What would you say is the best graphic that you've seen on the VHL?
I have to agree with @Quik the banner is quite nice and I like how simple and clean it is.

1) The VHLM Draft has now concluded, which team do you believe had the best draft?
That is a hard question I would say we need to see most of the time there are some players that come out of left field or some that turn out to be busts
 
2) Of the players that were selected, who do you think has the potential to be the biggest surprise?
Elias Dahlberg seems like a solid player and he already got an endorsement, but still, there is no big hype around him so I think that should change.
 
3) With the VHLM rosters starting to take shape heading into the start of the season, who do you think will be the best team this season (You can view the teams HERE)
Oslo Storm for sure they are looking scary in my eyes.
 
4) What are your thoughts on your new General Manager (If you also have a VHL team, you can use this to talk about your VHL GM)
So far when I was dealing with him it has been an outstanding experience and I would like to thank him for supporting me so much.
 
5) How did you find out about the VHL?
I started in the EFL and decided to try this too and so far I have been loving it.
 
6) If there was one thing in particular you would like explaining about how the VHL works, what would it be?
I hope I understood everything.

https://vhlportal.com/players/

1) What are your thoughts on the league thus far? 
I had a bit of trouble finding my way into it but I think now that I got my head wrapped around it I will be enjoying it a lot.
 
2) Which VHLM team would you like to be a part of next season?  
I would like to play for Ottawa
 
3) What are the long-term goals for your player? 
I definitely want to win the Cup and maybe set a record of some sort.
 
4) Who from the NHL would you compare your VHL player to? 
 Evgeny Kuznetsov I would say.
 
5) How did you arrive at your choice for your player's name? 
I decided to represent my German heritage and went with a typical German name.
 
6) What attribute(s) do you think you will be focusing on first with your player?
Scoring, Skating and Puckhandling  will be my main focus

Mark Gebauer
AGE - 19
Position - Center
Number- 12
Height - 6'5''
Weight - 180lbs
Hometown- Berlin, Germany
Pros:
Hands: Mark has shown time and time again over his career that his stick is a natural extension to his arm, he is able to dangle the puck which allows him to get past defenders and create openings in the opposing team's defence. A thing to consider is that this does not only allow him to get past his defender for an open and more dangerous shot but also helps to enable his teammates since he forces the defence to adjust when he beats his man which opens up other players.
 
Speed: Mark can often be seen late at the rink making his rounds and this extra practice has been paying off since he is faster than the majority of other players on his level. His endurance and speed allow him to always lead the charge into the offence but also recover quickly and play a good settled defence. Speed is vital to Marks game as he relies on it combined with his hands to beat his defender and get an open shot.
 
Scoring: Mark has proven to be an able scorer skilled in normal shots as well as deflections he is a force to be reckoned with. Because of his speed and Puckhandling abilities, Mark is often able to create free shots for himself and those he is more than happy to use since he has a very accurate if not so strong shot. He also can get in the face of the opponent's goalie and deflect shots but he prefers to take shots from further out.
 
Cons:
Selfish: Passing is not a strength for him so he often prefers to rather keep the puck and beat his defender instead of playing the puck, this is the right decision with his skill set but it can be frustrating for both teammates and coaches to see him holding the puck for a long amount of time trying to outplay his defender instead of passing to an open teammate. If he passes the passes often are lacklustre and not so accurate this makes his assist ability quite poor and he just isn't good at setting up scoring opportunities for other players.

Strength: Mark is tall but by no means big he misses the weight and strength other players posses on top of that you should not expect him to stick up for himself or teammates in fights any time soon since he just lacks the power and weight to throw meaningful punches. When getting hit or trying to check another player he also won't be achieving much since he just cants create enough impact or resist it because of his lacking weight and strength.
 
Defence: Mark is a fighter no doubt but you would not know that after watching him play defence. He sometimes seems to be beaten too easily and to be playing with too little physicality, which makes it harder on his teammates to cover their guy and also look out for his. Some people think this is more a mentality problem than actual ability since Mark should be able to at least keep up with his opponent after being beaten but this will be left to be determined.