SlapshotLegion

CALGARY - After struggling a bit to start off the season, Raimo has found some sort of rhythm. Now with 10 points in 22 games, he is starting to look a bit more comfortable on the big league ice. It was a bit of an adjustment for the young center, who admits that he was slightly surprised by the jump in the level of play. Now he has something to build on and he heavily credits the coaches and his teammates for helping him make the adjustment. “Yeah, everybody was just giving me tips on how to improve my game little by little. Those small adjustments are helping me find a bit of a groove. Though I also have to shout out my linemates, Oreo McFleury and Rip Wheeler. Those guys are tearing it up and making my job way easier. They are excellent and I hope that I can continue to improve at my position so I can let them work their magic. I think right now this line is similar to the Kariya - Rucchin - Selanne line in that you have two guys who are really connecting and making offense happen while I just try my hardest to create space. If that’s what is working for me, I’m happy. It really helps that both are always open whenever I have the puck.”

1. Pacific Division, Vegas are the clear run-away favourites. I mean, 0 regulation losses and 11 wins with only one OTL, wow. Central Division, I'd like to say it's the Stars turn to win as much as Colorado makes sense. Oettinger is crazy and their young stars are getting better and better. Metropolitan Division, It's gonna be the Devils in my eyes. Jack Hughes has been popping off and will continue that when he comes back, they have Tyler Toffoli now, just great depth and a good looking lineup. Atlantic Division, I mean, we all know it's realistically Boston BUT I'm going to throw a curveball and say that the Red Wings will tin the division! 2. I haven't actually gone to any European country but in terms of international hockey, I'm going to have to go with Sweden. That and I'm a Flames fan; we love our Swedish kings. 3. They never should have left in my eyes. I always associate the Rush franchise with the VHLM and I have fond memories of playing against the Yukon Rush. 1. Which NHL player would you compare your VHL player to? 2. Who do you think is a very underappreciated player in the NHL? 3. What is your player's pregame routine like?

(This was written prior to the start of the season.) CALGARY - Raimo will once again get to wear his beloved number 44 on the back of his jersey again. As mentioned in a previous article, 8 used to be favoured by the Finn (naturally, because of Teemu Selanne), however with Tappara, he had to switch to 44. Having wore the double fours in the SM-liiga, VHLM, and the VHLE, it is also unsurprising that Raimo chooses to don the number yet again. Now with the Wranglers, Raimo will be wearing the number 44 and working hard to make it a number that makes that Calgary faithful and his teammates alike feel safe when it’s on the ice. “It’s always a been a special number. I mean, no longer just in terms of superstition. Superstition aside, it was the number sewn on my back for many of my achievements. It’s the number I wore and it’s stuck through my SM-Liiga days, my VHLM days, my VHLE days, and now I get to suit up in the big leagues while wearing it. It’s become more than a tribute to the number 8 Selanne wore; it really feels like a number of my own.”

Claimed week ending 11/12

GAME 6 - Founder's Cup Finals - Mississauga Hounds vs Miami Marauders It was the battle of the "M" cities as Mississauga needed a win in order to keep their cup hopes live while Miami had the chance to end those same hopes. Miami would just need to lock down another win in order to win it all. This is the Founder's Cup Finals. Everything is on the line for both teams. Right from the get go, it was clear that Mississauga was not looking to go down without a fight. Just before the 4:30 mark, Med's seventh goal of the playoff campaign kicked off the scoring and got the Hounds on the board. Then, more time passed until about 9 minutes later, Med would score again to get the Hounds ahead by a pair. Both goals were assisted by Howdy Doody, giving Howdy assists number 16 and 17 in the post-season. Those would prove to be the only goals in the frame as the Hounds tenacity had them leading the shot total 12-3. During the first intermission, a Hounds fan and a Marauders fan would play a game of chess. Somehow, they ended up in a stalemate. Neither person had ever played chess before, having learned the rules as the game went on and made moves based on what they knew and what the audience shouted at them. Puck drop for the second period and the Mississauga Hounds would continue to be unrelenting with 18 shots on goal compared to Miami's 2. Still, shots on goal do not matter unless pucks go in the net; thankfully for the Hounds, pucks did go in the net. Joseph Dubois scored exactly 5 minutes into the period on the power play and then about 6 minutes later, Gremlis Lielais scored to give the Hounds a four goal lead. The period ended and the third period began. The Marauders were not planning on sitting back. They wanted to fight and win the championship definitively. The deficit did not weaken that resolve. Logan Ninefinger scored on the power play 6 minutes and 18 seconds into the third. Oden Bell's tenth goal of the playoffs cut the lead to a pair. The Marauders outshot the Hounds 16-8 in the final frame but those two goals were all they got and their fantastic last period was not enough to win them the championship.

Claimed week ending 11/05

1. My favourite part of the VHL off-season is the WJC/WC because if I am selected, I get an early look at how I could improve my player. Tied with that is the Training Camp because I get me some sweet sweet TPE. 2. Waiting for the season to start. I mean, it's obviously not too long but I'm still very excited to get underway. 3. Raimo has been touring Calgary, getting used to the life, rented a room at Randy Bobandy's place, and even got to meet Jacques Lafontaine (more on that last one next week) 4. Raimo wants a Husky and wants to name it Harvey in reference to Harvey the Hound. He does not really understand that a Hound and Husky are not the same, but he's got the spirit. 5. Bad. I am a Flames fan. Good thing our team sucks because their losing will force the rebuild that management is too scared to do. Celebrini season! 6. Send down Oesterle and Hunt, call up Klapka and Zary.

This is a very objective list where my opinion is the law and everything else is untrue. Jokes aside, this is based on my opinion and is no way supposed to be set in stone. This is not based on my enjoyment of being the player but based on how “skilled” I would consider them. Besides, all of my past players were a bit mid anyway and the order is actually quite obvious now that I think about it. But because I can’t get enough of being a narcissist, let’s talk about my players! I have had only three players and Raimo is my fourth player so I don’t have as extensive of a list as others may have but I remember having a lot of fun with all three. I guess you can say I have a bit of an archetype as I have had two forwards and one goalie, with Raimo being the third forward. Maybe I should consider spicing it up in the future. Regardless, I will be ranking these three players; making for a really short ranking but it also means I can say a lot about what I think about these three players. Without a further ado, here is the ranking starting from lowest ranked to highest ranked. Third Place: Ryuu Crimson Chalk it up to recency bias or not having really thought about Ryuu in a while but I would say that Ryuu would probably rank the lowest in terms of skill out of my players. Don’t get me wrong, I will love Ryuu for being my first player and having the most un-Asian last name ever for an Asian (I am an Asian, don’t worry), but it makes sense that my first ever experiment would be my least skilled player. Solid scorer but in reality was a consistent second-liner and a fringe top liner at best. Never scored under 20 goals but pretty much hovered around that 20-30 goal range except for two seasons. He was definitely far from horrible but was definitely not my best work. Still though, lots of great memories; Davos was a great team to play in, winning the championship with Riga in my rookie season was amazing, and also getting the Daisuke Kanou that year alongside Stropko was really cool. Unless I am mistaken, Ryuu Crimson remains the only rookie to win the Daisuke Kanou. If I am mistaken, then Ryuu Crimson was the first to win it as a rookie. Before you note that his stats are very similar to Sigard Petrenko and that it seems to make little sense that I consider Ryuu a consistent second-liner/fringe top liner, remember that this was during the S60s. During those seasons, scoring was a LOT higher and point totals felt like they were skyrocketing and this was before people learned to spam SC. Though, obviously, bonus points for the fact that there was a good period of time that he just fought a lot for some reason. Man was an absolute goon (I call him that in the most affectionate way possible) for some reason for a good bit. Second Place: Sigard Petrenko How suspenseful. Second player in and we already have the answer for number one. Out of three, Sigard was the player who I feel like mostly fulfilled my expectations. I wanted to make a winger who could hit and score. A power forward who could put in the net but also put in work off the puck. His shooting percentage might be terrible and he definitely had a notable amount of penalties but he still got goals, had a really solid plus/minus rating (as flawed of a stat it is), consistently scored around 30 goals during the second half of his career, and could also hit. A lot. Sigard Petrenko is (as of writing this) top 5 in terms of Seattle Bears players when it comes to the number of hits. Sigard was also a playoff performer; he currently ranks second in Bears career playoff goals just behind Timothy Brown. I think that I was able to balance Petrenko’s physicality and defensive solidness with the ability to score. There was a time I was questioning whether I should switch him to the blueline but there was never really an organizational need and Petrenko was succeeding so I didn’t go through with it. It also helps that Sigard had an excellent team around him. I mean, the Bears roster was excellent. Definitely had a lot of fun in the locker room. I also remember Petrenko’s time with the Mississauga Hounds and just what a great season that was. Also, one last fun fact about Sigard Petrenko; his first name was taken from Sigard Gunnar; a teammate of mine when Jacques Lafontaine was on the scene. Now that Lafontaine has been mentioned, it is time to talk about the best player I created. First Place: Raimo Tuominen So Raimo is shaping up to be the- Okay, sorry, I shouldn’t get too ahead of myself. Here’s the actual first place player in my eyes. First Place: Jacques Lafontaine So much happened with Lafontaine. It was a roller coaster with him as my player. First of all, there was the amazing Saskatoon Wild team that dominated and had that historic season in the VHLM in S69 in which Lafontaine was carried by an excellent squad to a Founder’s Cup Championship. Still got the Benoit Devereux somehow. Also won the Skylar Rift trophy. Funnily enough, I’d replace a “Rift” when Lafontaine took over the starting role after backing up JB Rift in his rookie season. For some reason, whenever I think about that team, I can’t help but think about Danny DeYeeto even though we had so many great players on that team. But regardless, that was an amazing season to be a part of. Then there was the whole debate on whether or not Hextall or Lafontaine should get ROTY just for neither to win it. Then there was the whole three-way rivalry between Spyro, Hextall, and myself. Then there’s winning two Clegane trophies, getting two Victory Cups, and then always muttering curses under my breath every time Seattle eliminated us before I eventually had Petrenko go there. Jacques Lafontaine, while a bit overrated, is still one of my favourite players and probably the single greatest player out of the three I have made so far. 1068 words; will claim for two weeks.

SEATTLE - The Bears have had many players don their jersey. Many superstars, icons, and VHL legends have had the privilege of representing the Emerald City. Sigard Petrenko does not consider himself one of them. However, he has many great memories here. He won a continental cup with Seattle, was given the honour of being the captain for his last season, and the Seattle Bears faithful got used to seeing Sigard laying a hard hit on opponents. The official count says 1369 in 432 games played. “They might have missed a couple,” he joked as he was interviewed in the Seattle Thunderbirds locker room. Some eagle-eyed readers (okay, probably most of you to be completely honest) might have noticed the “Seattle Thunderbirds” portion of that last sentence. That is because Sigard is in the city of Kent taking up a job as an assistant coach for the Thunderbirds. “After I retired from the VHL, I played for three seasons in the NHL for the Buffalo Sabres. I actually did pretty well; scored 20 goals in all three of those seasons. Eventually though, my body couldn’t keep up and I had to retire a bit early. It sucked but I ended up being really interested in coaching. It’s kind of weird considering I’m pretty young compared to some of these coaches but they trust me. I can teach some of these guys how to hit hard and that’s exactly what I plan on doing.

CALGARY - It has been a crazy off-season. Coming off probably one of the most disappointing moments in my career; losing the VHLE final in game 7, to preparing for my first season in the bigs has been an experience. But this off-season has been one filled with anticipation and fun. I remember thinking when I first made the VHLM of making the VHL as a distant goal but it’s now here. From Houston, to Oslo, now returning to North America in Calgary, I’ve had nothing but excitement with each new change. The Wranglers organization has been great, though it is confusing knowing that there are two Wranglers teams in Calgary. Still, I don’t think either of us should or will give up the right to the name Wranglers. If you haven’t figured out by the title of this post, I am Raimo Tuominen. It has been quite the adjustment playing North American hockey but I’m improving each day. I’m aiming to become a solid 2C behind my mentor Randy Bobandy. He’s teaching me how to be strong on the North American ice and in this new big league. Also helps that I have a familiar face in Catia. During training camp, I’ve been practicing keeping up with their pace. I’m aiming to work on my skating and puck handling a lot more but in terms of strength and withstanding the physicality, I feel as if I can keep up; I just need to develop a bit more physicality myself. In terms of goals, I’m aiming for a 20 goal season. This organization has put a lot of trust in me and I am determined to live up to it. I think 20 goals is a reasonable start to me. If I can, I’ll go for 30 goals but right now, I’m focused on making sure I play a good 200 foot game. In Houston, I was developing mostly my offensive skill set but ever since I became a center and played for both Oslo and Rome, I’ve been working on making sure I am great defensively too. The trickiest part about being a complete player is that it’s a balancing act where I have to make sure I am improving a healthy amount in both areas. It’s challenging but it’s a challenge I’m willing to take. I’ve been watching old Daniel Janser clips as well as Leandro Goncalves ones so that I can learn how to be a successful center in the league. I would normally say I am a bit nervous but to be honest, it’s mostly excitement. I can’t wait for the season to start. Thankfully, I’ll be kept busy since I’m in the World Junior Championships. I’ve had the honour of joining Team Europe so I’m pushing hard to represent our continent proudly!

1. Raimo Tuominen is going to be a Calgary Wrangler in the VHL now! Really excited to see how things go. 2. I expect my player to be solid two-way; I want to build a 200-foot center that can help defensively but also contribute offensively. Very idealistic but ideally, it'll allow for Raimo to be a complete player. 3. I am hoping that the team will perform well as the GM has made moves to keep us competitive. It will also give me a chance to see how I need to improve Raimo in a competitive team. We've got a great squad and can definitely do damage. 1) How would your player handle a two-on-one situation as the one man back? If your player is a goalie, how would they approach this situation? 2) What is your player's favourite way to score? If you are a goalie, what kind of shot do you think your player is the most confident in saving? 3) What kind of player are you hoping to create? (e.x. Playmaker, Two-Way, Grinder, Offensive D-Man, Technical Goalie, or whatever else you can come up with)

Raimo Tuominen responded, "I'd love to. Teach me how to be strong North American hockey man like you!" @AJW

CALGARY - Raimo has finally made it to the big club. Now it’s a matter of getting prepared for the season. He has been playing in the World Junior Championship in Team Europe, getting set for the season. Alongside him on the team is Catia Goncalves, recently acquired by Calgary Wranglers alongside Sadie St-Louis and The Frenchman (the latter has been traded since) with Ben McLaughlin and Fradin McGryer going the other way alongside some picks. The Wranglers have been making moves and Raimo has been excited to see new teammates. More new acquisitions that have been made by Calgary include Randy Bobandy, Malum Maellard, Oreo McFleury, and the return of AirRig GoodBrandSun. “You love to see it. It’s great to see our GM scheming and acting on those plans. I’ve loved the trades so far and you can tell that he has plans for next season. Obviously we have a bit of a younger roster so bringing in some veterans can definitely help us develop and they’ll be amazing to have on the ice, in the locker room, and just in general. I was also very excited about acquiring Catia. It will be great seeing a familiar face.” Catia and Raimo are definitely no strangers to each other’s style of play. Having played in the Junior Showcase Tournament together, then playing in that year’s World Junior Championship, and then playing together in Oslo before Raimo was traded, they will be looking to continue improving on the Wranglers. Raimo can’t wait for the season to start.

@cLoWn

LETS GO EUROPEEEEE!!!!!

1) 1-1, nothing too bad. I'm a Flames fan so our season is still very much in question. It's been a roller coaster these past few years so why not one more year? 2) My favourite team in the VHLM would HAVE to be Saskatoon Wild. I mean, just look at my profile picture. They were my first team in the VHL when I first joined and I also have great memories of my two first players in the Wild. Ryuu Crimson had a solid season there and Jacques Lafontaine was part of the legendary S69 team. 3) I personally like playing the piano, even if I'm not that good. I also like to go out and play ball hockey at the university gym. 1. Who do you think will be winning Lord Stanley this season? 2. If you could compare your player to an NHL player, who would you compare it to? 3. If you've had multiple players in the VHL, which one was your favourite? If you haven't, what would be your ideal player?

ROME - It was heartbreaking. The looks on the players' faces said it all. The Gladiators were so close. They had so many chances of closing it out. However, the Express fought back and took it all in Game 7 to win the championship. Rome would be without the Renaissance Cup. The Gladiators stayed to shake the hands of the victors and then quickly left. After leaving the ice, there was nothing but silence in the locker room until the head coach said a few words. Then all of the players packed up and left as Cologne celebrated their new VHLE champions. “That one hurt. We were so close and had multiple chances to close it out but we couldn’t. This… this is gonna sit with me for a good while. We had a great squad and we had all we needed but we couldn’t make it over the hump. Now we’re packing and going home.” A mid-season acquisition by Rome, Raimo looked to help the Gladiators push their path. They had a great run but came one win short. Raimo only had 4 points in 14 games and definitely took note of his own lack of performance. “It is disappointing. For the team, absolutely. But also in a smaller sense for me.” Now, Raimo will be making his way to Calgary to set up for the season there. There is excitement in the air for him and he is excited to get going in the VHL. However, he’ll be training, this great disappointment in his mind.

1) I think the Buffalo Sabres are a sleeper team. I know they are a fringe-ish team but they have a great young squad that will absolutely make the playoffs. Plus, Devon Levi is an absolute beast in between the pipes and will be a big part of their run. 2) It would probably have to be baseball. I've recently become a Blue Jays fan which is definitely not super painful right now but when you've cheered for the Flames your entire hockey fan life you get used to this disappointment. 3) Probably the wisest piece of advice I've followed is from one of my uncles who told me that "Being humble is not the same as not appreciating what you did." ---- 1. For some reason, the ice hockey gods have determined that they are tired of a cylindrical shaped puck. What 3d shape do they make the puck? 2. What is your morning routine? (IRL or Player, up to you) 3. What do you think is the most underrated play or skill in hockey?

ROME - Rome vs Cologne. The Victory Hockey League Europe final is happening soon. Raimo and the rest of the Gladiators prepare to be an unmovable force that will need to stop the unstoppable object that has been the Express as of late. As expected, Tuominen is just as dedicated to make sure that he is able to contribute the best he can to the success of the team. This is it. The chance for this team to write history. So they will need to unleash everything they’ve got. In the first game of the final, the Gladiators and Express had a tight game but it was Ben Dover who would break the tie for the Gladiators. However, nobody in Rome has grown complacent yet. They are all pumped up and ready to continue the battle. “It’s the final. We’ve won one game so far. Now we have to focus on winning the next. Ben was able to secure the win today. We now need to figure out how we’re going to secure the win in the next game. We know the Express won’t come out the same so we need to make sure we don’t rest on our win here.” This is what the final is about. Excitement. Drama. Entertainment. And more importantly, winning every battle. Only one team can lift the Renaissance Cup. Who will it be?

WHOOOOO LETS GO!!!!

1. After the playoffs (which we will hopefully be on top), the plan is to decide which aspects of Raimo's game he should train in (i.e, spend TPE on). 2. My expectations for Calgary is to be a rising team with young players. I definitely feel that we will have the personnel to make a statement. I think we are all hyped for what these next seasons have in store for us. 3. Gonna have to go with Vancouver here. They have had a real good team for a good while. 4. Myself; I'm excited to see how Raimo will fare in the big leagues. Another prospect I am excited to see is Shubham Anand! Hope we can play a lot of games together in these jerseys. 5. My toppings of choice (outside of meats) would be olives and green peppers! I think they're neat. 6. PINEAPPLES.... are fine by me. Hawaiian pizza is fine. But if anybody does what my middle school band did, I will riot. What did they do? They put chocolate ice cream on barbecue pizza. Ew.

ROME - After an early morning practice and an encouraging game one win, Raimo was interviewed by some local media. The young center was asked about how he felt playing in the VHLE playoffs. It wasn’t like Raimo hadn’t experienced this kind of pressure before, however, playing in the VHLE playoffs can be quite a jump from the VHLM playoffs. Especially in terms of pure physicality, speed, and overall team systems. “It’s a jump but one that I can make. This team is filled with excellent top talent and rising stars and also has some very experienced veterans. I just have to play my part and make sure I stay solid. Solid and consistent gameplay in my zone has proven to work, now I just need to make sure I can maintain that while doing my best offensively.” Raimo replied when asked about the aforementioned jump. Nervousness was also a concern of the media; Raimo quickly dismissed any rumours of nerves however. “Calling it nerves makes it seem like we’re cowering in our skates or like terrified. It’s more of a feeling of anticipation. We’re all jittery and itching to get out there so that we can fight for a win. We know we have the fight in us and we all feel energized; we’re just waiting for the moment we step on the ice so we can let it out. That’s not nervousness. That’s anticipation, waiting, and being ready. As some random dude in a De La Salle High School football game interview said, ‘if you’re not nervous, you’re not ready’! Just replace the word nervous with eager.”