SlapshotLegion

VHLE Finals Game 5 - Rome Gladiators vs. Oslo Storm Looking to come back and keep their championship hopes alive, Rome came into this game 5 looking to reverse a 3-1 lead. They would need their offensive stars to do what they do best: score. There was a slight hiccup to that plan when they first got onto the ice. Julien Bernier took a penalty, giving the Storm a powerplay. However, that hiccup proved to be inconsequential as Rome would get a shorthanded goal courtesy of Franceso Mancini, scoring their sixth of the playoffs. Eventually, halfway through the period, the Storm would respond with a goal from Alexander Stroheim with their respective sixth of the playoffs. Heading into the intermission, the two teams were tied. They remained tied throughout the second, neither willing to give up an inch to the other team. After the second intermission, it would be Mark Calaway who would give Rome the go-ahead goal. It was all Rome in the third; they had twice as many shots on goal in that last frame as Oslo did. BjorkaBjorn BjornaBjorkson scored two goals in the last quarter of the period, sealing a 4-1 victory for Rome.

Oh true! I do have my old account I dedicated to VHL graphics so might as well use it again lol

Game 16 - D.C. Dragons vs. Toronto Legion - Lottery Tournament Both the D.C. Dragons and Toronto Legion had some challenging seasons. Ranked the bottom two teams in the standings, these teams are simply looking to maintain the top odds for the draft lottery. If there is anything that the VHL has proven, it is that with the right pieces, the bottom teams can make it to the top. This is a part of that process. D.C. and Toronto had the top two best lottery odds for the first overall pick. On the ice, Justin Adolfsen scored their second goal of the tournament about halfway through the period. This game the Dragons the lead. However, things were tied up in dramatic question as a buzzer beater shot from Quinn Clark scored with just a single second left in the first. After intermission, Justin Adolfsen came in again to score their third goal of the tournament, second of the game. Lucas "50 Shades of" Grey of the D.C. Dragons came in to extend the lead soon after. To cut the lead to 3-2, the Legion's Mac "Book" Atlas scored their fourth of the tournament. This happened to be the same Mac Atlas who had a fight earlier in the frame. In fact, the person Mac fought would score the next goal for the opposing team; in the third period, Hasbulla Magomedov scored another goal for the Dragons. The Legion reacted quickly though, and Jimi Jaks would pot their fourth of the tournament less than a minute later. It was 4-3 Dragons and that proved to be the final score despite the Legion's best rallying attempts.

1) My first season was in S63 with the player Ryuu Crimson. I was drafted by the reign and that rookie year, the Reign won the championship. It was great. 2) That would have to be S83 with the player Sigard Petrenko. (Just realizing now that both of the years my players won championships had a 3 at the end). The locker room was excellent and we all had so much fun discussing what to do game by game and celebrating together. 3) Well, my goalie Jacques Lafontaine was part of the stacked S69 Wild squad in the VHLM. Lafontaine was awarded the Benoit Devereux and Skylar Rift. That season, we also won the Founder's Cup. In terms of VHL, it would still be Lafontaine in S72 with the Greg Clegane and the Victory Cup. 4) My first player took one season in the VHLM after being drafted in the VHL. I just stayed active and tried my best to build my player on the "archetype" I decided at the time: which was Power Forward. 6) I personally don't have enough time as of now but if I did, I would love to be an AGM.

TAMPERE - Raimo Tuominen is preparing for the Victory Hockey League Minors dispersal draft. There were three choices laid before him in terms of his hockey career. He could pursue a National Hockey League career, stay in the Liiga, or try to join another top European league. Raimo wanted to play the best of the best, so the last two options were less desirable. “They are wonderful leagues with great players,” Raimo said of Liiga and other European leagues. “But I want to give myself a path to play against the top players. Big boy hockey, as I have heard it called.” It seemed he would attend the NHL combine and get his name in the heads of NHL scouts but one fishing trip with a few teammates introduced a new option. “Sigard Petrenko was our first line right winger for Tappara. He came up to me after hearing the press conference where I announced it would be my last season with Tappara because I wanted to chase the top level. He reminded me about the VHL. I am ashamed I even forgot it. I used to cheer on the Titans all the time,” Raimo explained. Now, with the help of Sigard, Raimo has been training. Sigard has been giving him tips and tricks of adjusting to the pace of the VHLM and VHL. Sigard shared his thoughts on the VHL system. “I never played in the VHLE, so I can’t give him much advice there. But I spent a great year with the Houston Bulls and then another great year with Mississauga in the M. I also still vividly remember my time with the Seattle Bears. Can’t help but miss it but my time there came to an end. Glad they are still the upstanding organization I remember; I hope to get a job with them in the future.” “Broke my heart to hear he was a Titans’ fan,” Sigard jokingly added. “I do believe Raimo has the skills to make it.”

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18yk_PX3cLUC3VznD3xayLtc3gQR-FQat/view?usp=sharing this was actually the first graphic i made in a while, the team oriented ones came after so this one is a bit iffy Moscow Menace graphic next week!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18yk_PX3cLUC3VznD3xayLtc3gQR-FQat/view?usp=sharing this was actually the first graphic i made in a while, the team oriented ones came after so this one is a bit iffy Moscow Menace graphic next week!

Ask Raimo any questions here!

Thank you very much! Nice to meet you!

Right Winger - Raimo "Right Trigger" Tuominen Jukka Tuominen hung up the skates playing in the SM-Liiga for TPS Turku. While he could not make the jump to North American hockey, he had a lengthy hockey career in Finland. Retiring at the age of 39 was nothing short of an accomplishment. He was no star but was a solid player that always found his way back in the lineup. While stars his age deprecated greatly, he maintained his second-line role up until his final season. Now it was time for him to settle down with his figure skating wife, Sofia. Born in Tampere, Raimo is a part of a new wave of young Finnish hockey players ready to jump into the pro world. His parents, Jukka and Sofia Tuominen, put Raimo in ice skates at the age of 3. Ever since that first “skate”, Raimo has lived on the ice. Determined to be a professional hockey player, Raimo put everything he had into hockey. Raimo trained hard, with the help of his father and his mother, developing his skating and basic skills. Sofia helped develop his smooth skating while Jukka taught Raimo the basics of scoring. Raimo developed his game from a young age and learned the value of hard work. This work ethic, as well as his developed skillset, led him to join Tappara Tampere’s Junior C SM-sarja team at the age of 14. Playing in the best U16 league in Finland at such a young age posed a big challenge for the youngster, yet he managed to find his place and continue to develop. He did not last there long. Not because he wasn’t good enough but because of the opposite. He ended up getting called up to Tappara Tampere’s Junior B SM-sarja team at the age of 15. “Getting chosen by Tappara to join their team was a big deal. They have a great history in Finnish hockey and have won the most championships. I told myself even if I couldn’t fit in the club, I’d try my hardest to let that championship winning pedigree rub off on me. They win for a reason.” Scoring has always been Raimo’s favourite part of the game. He grew up, like many Finns, watching Teemu Selanne highlight reels, hearing the stories of Jari Kurri, and watching young current NHL players like his country’s very own Patrik Laine, America’s Auston Matthews, and Germany’s Leon Draisaitl score and do it often. It’s in his instinct: score first, ask questions later. That isn’t to say he is a selfish player, far from it. Winning is always the focus of each and every game. But man, does Raimo love to score. On a two-on-one, Raimo is known to shoot the puck with no questions. Sometimes, he shoots from impossible angles and takes every single shot attempt he can muster up. Luckily, he tends to succeed but this does lead to some criticism as people believe he should try to make a pass to an open teammate instead of being trigger happy. He wants to be a player that can score in all different kinds of ways, although sometimes his critics are right in saying he needs to make the extra pass to an open teammate. This shoot-first instinct has helped Raimo succeed in terms of goals. Going into the age of 16, Raimo got the nod onto Tappara’s Liiga team. Raimo adjusted to the pace now that he was going against players with way more experience than him. Being in a league with such experienced veterans as well as other young players helped him realize how hard he would have to compete to succeed in such a league. At the age of 16, Raimo put up a respectable 6 goals and 5 assists in his first season in the top league in 22 games of action. “It was a new experience, definitely. I wasn’t going against fresh young faces like mine. I went from a league of boys to a league of men. They weren’t afraid to hit, weren’t afraid to drive hard to the net, and could easily overpower me if I wasn’t careful. I had to reinvent my play. I couldn’t rely on being the fastest 16-year old in Finland, not that I was anyway. I had to rely on being the most complete player I could be at the age of 16.” Now having had a taste of life in the top Finnish league, Raimo made it a goal to get used to the pace and become more productive for his team. Raimo continued to prioritize scoring and utilized his skating ability but he learned how to deal with the tough playstyles of older players. He put effort into making sure he could evade them but if he couldn’t, he learned how to manage it. At the age of 17, Raimo became more active with the team, getting 53 games of action with Tappara. Raimo scored 46 points, two short of the most points scored by a 17-year old in the Liiga. (That record is held by Aleksander Barkov.) He scored 26 goals and 20 assists, 6 of those goals being on the power play. Then, in the playoffs, he scored 8 goals and 6 assists in 18 games. Unfortunately, Tappara lost that final to HIFK. Raimo proved to be a dependent scorer in the playoffs. This is where he gained the affectionate nickname, "Right Trigger", a reference to FPS games using the right trigger button in order to shoot weapons as well as a clever nickname based on Raimo Tuominen's initials. “Brutal way to end it. Especially if this is my last season in the Liiga. Regardless, I am proud of our team for how we played and thankful for my two years here.” At the age of 18, Raimo has made it clear he intends on making the jump to the top tier of professional hockey. One of his Liiga teammates told him of the path he personally recommends to take in order to make it pro. “I was fishing with some teammates in Espoo. One of those teammates was Sigard Petrenko. He had heard that I wanted to play the best of the best and he made a suggestion. I should try to join the VHLM.” "I am ready."

No worries, happy to meet you!

VHLE Finals Game 6 - Oslo Storm vs Rome Gladiators Oslo had a chance to win it all going into this one. Rome had to win this one to get a chance. Truly a dramatic game for this VHLE Final. The Gladiators started off hot with 2 goals. On the power play, BjorkaBjorn BjornaBjorkson did to the Oslo defense like his name did to my tongue; twisted it up. BjorkaBjorn scored his 16th goal in 15 playoff games. An amazing showing this playoff from him, going over a goal per game. Following up BjorkaBjorn, Hannibal Barca scored his eighth goal. The top two scorers of the playoffs scored twice in a row (one goal each) to give Rome a 2-0 lead. Oslo then had their own goal courtesy of Rip Wheeler's third in the playoffs to cut the lead to 2-1 for Rome. At the end of the period, shots proved to be tight with Rome edging out a 14-11 shot on goal total. Figuring they needed to get some towards the net, Oslo ripped 19 shots the next period compared to Rome's 14. However, Rome was the first to score in the second frame with Francesco Mancini, third in goals and second in points throughout the playoffs, tallying on the extra man advantage to give Rome a 3-1 lead. Oslo got a power play of their own with Liv Slater getting her second goal in the playoff to cut the lead to one again. Then they got the tying goal courtesy of Admir Bala, with their second of the playoffs to tie it up. Going into the third, it was a hard fought battle. It came down to another power play. With less than four minutes to go, Swinsola potted the go-ahead goal; their second goal of the playoffs. While Rome's offensive trio did the best they could, Oslo got scoring from throughout the lineup and won it all with a score of 4-3. Congratulations Oslo!

1. The offseason has just started for me as I have returned from my break from the VHL. I am looking to set a good foundation for my player to build open this offseason! 2. Promising. I had some good carryover from Petrenko (my old player) and I am looking to see if I can learn from Petrenko and Crimson to build a winger that can provide scoring. 3. If these are players, I am unsure. If we're talking drinks, however, I'm going team OJ all the way! 1) What do you guys do weekly to gain TPE? Any methods you would recommend for newer players? 2) Latvia and Germany have gone through some hockey awakenings. What country do you think has the potential to do the same? 3) What is more satisfying, a perfectly placed slapshot or a perfectly placed redirection/tipped in goal?

TAMPERE - Raimo Tuominen was on the bench when he watched his fellow countrymen get eliminated by Canada in the IIHF World Hockey Championships. He had been scratched for the roster but it only determined him to push even harder for his chance. “It is a painful feeling, watching your country get eliminated and knowing you could help. I wish to be a part of this Finnish hockey surge. We have only gotten started.” The young winger mentioned in a podcast that he had been invited to. A standout prospect hailing from Tampere, where the World Hockey Championships were held (alongside Riga), Raimo played in Liiga from the age of 16. A gifted young player, Raimo is sure to bring a scoring touch that any team would be glad to have. There are concerns about his physical play, however, Raimo is confident that he will get up to par. “If I need to hit and play the body more, I will do just that. I will stop at nothing to make sure I can get better.” He has been awaiting a call from a VHLM general manager in hopes that he can join one of their rosters. Raimo has already made his move. Now it’s in the court of the VHLM GMs. “I’ll make the most of my chance when I get it.”

As am I to be back and see you all again! Looking forward to see what happens!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xwTzBM6Y73DjgZXhpJ31trOPGcfaEvY7/view?usp=sharing made a couple more graphics for different teams so look forward to those! next up: Moscow Menace New York Americans

IT'S GREAT TO BE BACK!

Player Information Username: SlapshotBear Player Name: Raimo Tuominen Recruited From: Returning Age: 18 Position: RW Height: 73 in. Weight: 188 lbs. Birthplace: Finland Player Page @VHLM GM

Seated on an office chair in his very own office, Bana sits at his desk, looking at his screen. Watching players on his roster, players in the VHLM he’d love to have in his lineup, and also seeing players on other teams he might try to nab, Bana contemplates moves that will bring his team to the top. An Bears franchise icon, Bana has seen and won a lot. Producing top teams like it’s nothing, Bana has overseen championship teams like the S83 Bears, the S77 Bears, the S73 Bears, the S71 Bears, the S69 Bears and more. Almost like he has a sixth sense for good team players, Bana has brought in elite scorer AJ Williams, world-class playmaker Jonathan Ori, extraordinary goaltenders like Em Em Flex, Rayz Funk, and the up-and-coming Dusty Wilson, Hulk Hogan 2, hard-hitting players like Vinny Detroit and Sigard Petrenko, star defensemen Max Torq, and many more. The phrase, “many more” defines Banackock who has blazed his legacy as an outstanding GM. We could mention all of the stats and what not but then this article would never end. Instead, we can talk about Bana’s involvement in making a fun team to be with. Speaking from my experience, Bana is a dedicated GM who knows how to be competitive and fun at the same time. Looking to win, Bana helps foster a great locker room. He’s the type of guy we would all come together to win for. This is not a diss to my other GMs; I have fond memories with Jubis, Hedgehog, and Gooningitup, however, his ability to improve the team and squeeze a championship out of his teams as well as having such a great environment warrants praise for sure. Bana’s teams have always been frustrating to play against, especially in the playoffs. Jacques Lafontaine was my goalie and played for the Calgary Wranglers. Whenever we were great and on the verge of winning it all, Seattle would pull out victories against us and claim the crown instead. Seattle was always the dragon and unfortunately for Lafontaine and my teammates, we could never seem to slay it. Seattle was always the team to beat. And we could never seem to do so. I vividly remember just how terrifying it was to go against Seattle. None of us ever admitted it but Seattle always had this looming presence in the playoffs. Bana’s player movement and ingenious line creation as well as determination brought Seattle to the top and continued to stay there. I remember once I wrote an article about Seattle going from a championship to having a poor start as part of VSN. It didn’t last. The rest of the season and the season after, Seattle was dominant. Even now, Bana continues to find new ways to beat the odds. The “Meta” Era may have brought the Wolves to championships but even then, Bana’s team building masterclass made a team that was still competitive against them. Bana will always be synonymous with winning. A championship pedigree General Manager for a championship pedigree team. It’s almost unfair. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. @Banackock

Game 147 - Oslo Storm vs. Geneva Rush Rush vs. Storm. Every day I thank the VHLE for bringing back such iconic logos and franchises. This matchup brings me back to when I first joined the league. For some reason, we memed the Rush a lot the first season I join. I digress, enough nostalgia, more hockey. Oslo stormed up the ice and made the Rush feel pretty blue with a goal from Nicholas Blue 1:11 in. That sentence was just as painful to write as it was for you to read. A few minutes later, Geneva rushed up the ice and got a goal of their own from Mikhail Lospenov. Then Geneva took a penalty leading to a power play goal from Brodie Landry III to give Oslo the lead back. Going into the intermission, Oslo was up 2-1. However, Geneva lived up to their name and rushed down the ice to score 9 seconds into the second period. Babushka was the goal scorer and tied it up for Geneva. Jon Webber Jr, perhaps inspired by the opponent's quick goal, got the lead back for Oslo by scoring just 20 seconds after. John Jameson would add some insurance and score not once but twice before the third intermission. In the third period, Geneva looked to answer back despite the overwhelming Oslo offense who was pelting shots on the Rush. Geneva would end up scoring on the power play on a goal courtesy of Jeff Buffy but their effort to comeback would prove fruitless and Oslo would win this one 5-3. Game 152 - Bratislava Watchmen vs. Cologne Express Speaking of nostalgia, here's a matchup between Bratislava and Cologne. Two cities who have formerly had their teams ripped from them get to see them revived as VHLE team. I don't have any stories about them though as both were before my time in the VHL. I digress; this affair was probably not as open as the Storm vs. Rush matchup but it was a very close match with neither team giving up much. 27-24 shot on goal advantage to Cologne. In the first period, nobody scored. Nobody found the net. That sort of stinks. And when something stinks (more specifically, yourself), what do you use to make it not stink anymore? You introduce some cologne. Bad joke aside, Cologne opened the scoring 2 minutes and 40 seconds into the second period to give Cologne the first goal of the game. Then both teams continued to play on with no goals and no room for error for either side. I can't EXPRESS how little offensive plays there were. Okay, I promise, last bad VHLE team name joke. However, a costly penalty by Cologne just over the midway point of the third lead to a Bratislava power play goal, tying the game up. Both teams went into overtime and... no goals. That meant we were heading to a shootout. Ryan (He Who Has No Last Name) skated up to Jesse Teno and scored for Bratislava. Cologne got a response from Hugh G Johnson who scored on Orion D H Chester IX. Bratislava scored again courtesy of The Frenchman. Finn Davis came in and this time, Orion D H Chester IX stopped him. Alfred Champagne was stopped by Jesse Teno and Orion D H Chester IX stopped barry bigman to secure the win. 2-1, Bratislava.

1. They say checking is not a useful attribute to have because of the penalty minutes, do you also think so? If you would have to add points to checking, what is your "max"? 70? I do not really have a limit on how much checking I'd add. The way I see it, more checks = more possession. Then again, I also have an obscene amount of penalty minutes. Hm. I'd say 70 is a good max considering 75 checking is enough for 90+ PIM in 39 games. 2. Should VHL introduce 15-second TikTok video as an alternative point tasks for game recaps? Make VHL related TikTok that is at least 15 seconds - you get 1 TPE? That would be pretty fun actually. I think there needs to be more 1 TPE/2 TPE options just to spice things up. I write a VHL.com article then answer a presser then write two game recaps. A lot of typing. 3. Do we see a player reaching 50 goals in VHL this season? Maybe even 60? Pearce and Janser are leading the pack so I'd say one of them could definitely reach it. I'd also say AJ Williams has a chance; especially with a playmaker like Ori. 1. If you could choose ONE VHL franchise and change their main colours, which franchise, what colours, and why? 2. When determining which logos you like the best in hockey, what is your biggest factor? Creativity? Ferocity? Badassery? How much it matches the team name? Etc. 3. The rules of hockey change and for some inexplicable reason, the hockey gods decide that rosters can have a 21st player. All positions are allowed. What position would you have that 21st man be?

SPRINGFIELD - In Calgary, it was the Scotiabank Saddledome. The Calgary Wranglers (the VHL franchise, not the AHL franchise, which will probably be very confusing once the AHL season gets underway) had a goaltender named Jacques Lafontaine in between the pipes. There was a strange and inexplicable ritual of Jacques where he went to the top of the ‘Dome and just ate food. No real particular reason other than the fact he felt his nerves settle every time he did it. Nobody knows why sitting unharnessed on top of a big saddle shaped arena calmed Lafontaine down but it worked. He would eat a meal and sometimes even got fast food and restaurants sending him food to eat up there as advertisement. Thankfully, Lafontaine did this before the concrete on the roof began to crumble. Now, Jacques Lafontaine is a goaltending coach in Springfield. That must mean the rooftop eating shenanigans has stopped, right? Wrong. Springfielders who were unfamiliar with Lafontaine’s VHL career, let alone Springfielders who knew nothing about hockey were surely surprised when they saw Jacques eating a Wendy’s Baconator on top of the MassMutual Center. Some even expressed concern about the man’s safety. For all they knew, it was some random dude eating a Wendy’s Baconator on the roof. When asked in a press conference by a flabbergasted reporter who had seen him earlier to explain why he was doing what he was doing, he simply replied, “I haven’t had the chance to eat fast food in my career. Just wanted to enjoy it.” Surely, Jacques knew that was not what the reporter was asking about.

https://imgur.com/a/btItuq4