SlapshotWrangler

1. Congrats to the Seattle Bears! I did not follow along with it's process. I should probably figure out what it's all about. 2. My favourite off-season activity would have to be fantasy and trying to think about who I'm going to draft for my team. It's cool looking for hidden gems and seeing how other players are doing. 3. I do not have a chance in the VHL but since I'm playing in the VHLE, I am hoping to help the Storm win the Renaissance Cup. The Aldwin Craig would probably be the award I'd be most likely to win but I'm not too worried about pushing for it. Questions: 1. If you had to add an award (it can be serious or a joke award, up to you), what award would you add to the VHL? 2. If your player had a custom goal song, what would the song be? 3. There's an empty net. What is the furthest distance your player would be before they'd be willing to go for the ENG?

OSLO - After attending his first VHL training camp, Raimo Tuominen flew into Oslo with an eye toward the future. The Junior Showcase Tournament and the World Junior Championships proved to be great learning experiences for Raimo, despite the lack of production in each tourney. And shortly after both tournaments ended, the VHL and VHLE drafts happened. First was the Victory Hockey League draft. “I didn’t show it but I was very anxious. I never had a specific team I wanted to join but I was really excited to be a part of a VHL franchise so I just hoped that I would figure out where I was going soon.” At the time, Calgary had traded the 8th overall pick with a later pick for the 6th overall pick. The commentators at the time noted that Calgary seemed to want somebody specific. Admittedly, Raimo did not think that it was him. “I had talked with them and expressed my interest in joining them. Calgary is a great franchise with a great history. The fans are amazing and management really sold me on their plan. It is a true honour to join them. But I had to admit, I was really surprised when they called my name. Surprised but overjoyed.” Raimo would experience the same excitement on stage when the Oslo Storm would select him 4th overall in the VHLE draft. “Then the Europe draft. I don’t think people understand what it means to me to return to Europe for one more season. I grew up in the Finnish system and to move back to a neighbouring country will be great for me. I fully intend on playing in Calgary for as long as they’ll have me, so nobody should take this as a sign that I would prefer to play on a European VHL team. Still, for one season, it’ll be nice to return closer to home.”

After leaving Finland to pursue the Victory Hockey League path, Raimo Tuominen has now officially graduated from his time in the VHLM. Coming off a season with the Houston Bulls, Raimo is looking to take the next step to elevate his game in the European stage. He already has experienced European hockey in Finland but now he will get to witness it all over the continent. Unsurprisingly, Raimo is excited in many aspects. “Always adjusting. It’s probably been the best phrase to summarize every day for me. This is a chance for me to become a better player and help my team win. Obviously, the result of our [The Bulls’] playoffs have made me even more hungry but I still want to be the type of player that helps the team succeed. Every player is seeking to do that in their way; I’m trying to find the best way that suits me and the team’s needs.” Of course, many other young players are joining the VHLE. Raimo is not too concerned about standing out, however. Now that he’s in the league, all he is focused on is making sure he’s playing at his best. “We can talk about other players and we can try to become better than other players in the league. Doesn’t work for me, though. If I’m trying to be better than one guy, I’m not working on being my best. Besides, we all understand that we’re not here to compete for individual accolades. I am committed to compete for the team.” Raimo had a solid season for a stacked Bulls team. Playing in the second line for most of the season, Raimo had a respectable 27 goals and 33 assists for 60 points in 72 games. Not the most offensively impressive stats. After deciding to be more active physically in the play later in the season, Raimo was able to reach 124 hits. It was an interesting change to see for a young winger who had typically been able to get away with outspeeding the opponent in Finland. In the VHLM, his game took a 180 and he was focused on being solid on both ends of the ice. “I mean, there was a good while where I wasn’t scoring and I realized that I need to find more ways to contribute if I’m not getting the puck in the net. I also saw that I needed to get more physical to match the physicality here. It worked out for the best.” This season, Raimo is still trying to find his identity as a player as well as gain some consistency. Consistency is the key word for him. “Consistency, or rather, a lack of it has been a problem for me. I intend on changing that this season. I want to contribute to every game.” It should also be noted that Tuominen will be making the transition from winger to centerman. (485 words)

Founder's Cup Final - Game 5 - San Diego Marlins vs. Philadelphia Reapers The Marlins have the chance to clinch it all in game 5 while the Reapers fight to survive in this tense match. This is the Founder's Cup final at its finest. In the first frame, there was a lot of back and forth between the teams. Philadelphia and San Diego were exchanging shots, hits, and even penalties allowing for some high-tension action as both team got a few power plays. The only goal in the period would come on one of these power plays; San Diego getting on the board first courtesy of Vladimir Kozlov in the latter half of the first. That would prove to be the only goal in the first period. In the second, both teams would prove to be more wary as they took no penalties. Shots were fairly even, 8-7 in favour of Philadelphia. However, this would be a quiet period as no goals would be scored in the middle frame. Down 1-0, Philadelphia looked to get onto the board, which they would in the third frame courtesy of Axle Gunner. The problem was, before Gunner's goal, San Diego had scored on the power play and on even strength, courtesy of Tyrece The Beast and Baby Moo Moo respectively. The clock hit zero and gear went flying. Reapers fans left the home building. The San Diego Marlins are your VHLM champions.

1. In terms of VHLM player graduating to the VHLE, I think Xiver Zilla will have a really good season. In terms of a player in the VHLM this season, I'm going with Toby Kadachi for sure. 2. I'm having a lot of fun playing in off-season tournaments and it also serves as a way to look at my player's build and figure out what I need to improve. 3. I really want to visit Sweden; it seems like it'd be a nice place to go to. 1. If you had to remove one position from the game of hockey in order to make it a 4v4 game, which position would you choose to remove? 2. What is your favourite non-hockey logo in all of sports? Feel free to explain why if you feel like it. 3. What is your players goal song if they are allowed to choose a personal one?

WHEREVER THE WJC IS TAKING PLACE - Alongside the JST, the World Junior Championship is a chance for young VHLM players and potential VHL prospects to showcase their play. More importantly, however, it is a chance to represent their country or region and win it all for them. Among the VHL hopefuls, Raimo was hoping he would get the call that he would play in the tournament. “I mean, some people might see it as a worthless tournament but I can speak for myself and my countrymen when I say we take every WJC, Hlinka-Gretzky, and other hockey tournament very seriously. To pull on a jersey and represent more than just a franchise is a huge honour. I hope that I will be selected to participate, although I know that is not a guarantee.” Raimo Tuominen was practicing with the Brigade in anticipation for the JST playoffs when he got the call. The GM he was speaking to had congratulated him. However, Raimo was surprised as they continued to converse. “I remember that I had said that I was super excited to join Team Western Europe for the competition. Then our GM corrected me and said I wasn’t playing for Team Western Europe. I then asked, ‘Team Nordic?’ because I remembered them having a team. He told me that we were Team Asia. I was confused but after he explained the rules allowing them to add some of us so that they could field a team, I understood. Regardless, I am nothing less than ecstatic to represent Asia.”

The Rush franchise has seem to have found a new home in the JST; however, I made this as a farewell to the Rush from the VHLE. Will they be in a league again? I do hope so.

WHOOOOOOOO

1. I haven't because I've been out from the house but since this cup is new for me (I took a break a few seasons ago), I do want to see what its about. Plus, Gustav sending the entire STHS file is a beautiful power move. 2. NHL, I'm going for the Vegas Golden Knights as much as I hate to admit it. Still a really solid squad even with acquisitions other teams made. VHL, Seattle Bears. Unless another team drafts me. Then its that team. (I don't necessarily have to be drafted by a top team if you are reading this GMs, I am happy with any team.) 3. I am excited for the JST. I've had the honour of being a part of the Brigade and I'm excited to see how we do. We've got a real good squad. Questions: 1. What is your player's jersey number and the story behind it? Doesn't have to be a long explanation. 2. Which jersey (past or present) do you feel like is very underappreciated? This can be any sports league. 3. If your player were to play another sport professionally, what sport would they most likely play?

WHEREVER THE JST IS HOSTED - The Junior Showcase Tournament is a chance for VHL hopefuls to display what they have to offer to VHL teams. Raimo Tuominen had the honour of being chosen for Team Brigade. He has had slow production, which is a shame considering that he was probably expected to do more in the tournament. However, he is still playing his hardest and making small adjustments to his game as he goes along. “I mean, I want to get better. Yeah, I’m here to showcase what I’ve got, which has proven to be very little so far,” he admitted with a sigh, “but I’m taking this opportunity playing against players my age to find my style. I’ve been trying to experiment with things. Stuff like changing the flex of my stick. I used to use a 75 flex but I feel like that it is getting too whippy for me now. I am trying out between 85 and 90. So far, I’m going towards 90; the stiffness has proven to be super helpful with my defensive play and helps with my puck control.” Raimo Tuominen has also been working on his shot. It was advertised as one of his strong points, however, it seems to have been lacking this season and especially in this tournament. As of writing this, Raimo only has 2 goals in the entire tournament. Considering that before he joined the VHLM, scoring was considered one of his strengths, Raimo wants to return to his scoring ways. “I’m getting shots off. I’m just not potting them. I probably had one of the worst shooting percentages in the VHLM. I need to be accurate with my shot as well as smart with my selection. I can’t get away with outspeeding and just blasting it here. I mean, I couldn’t do that all the time in Finland either but it seems to be even more true here.”

VHLE Finals Game 2 - Cologne Express vs Istanbul Red Wolves After winning the first game, Cologne is looking to extend their series lead while Istanbul is trying to tie up the series. Every win is important in the Finals and both teams were ready to fight for the W. Both goalies did well, though one did have a higher workload. That's becoming a really common phrase for me. Moving on to the game, the puck dropped and both teams were battling hard. The shots on goal were 11-9 for Istanbul with both teams being a bit more defensive than the start of game 1. However, neither team proved to be able to score in the first frame. In the second intermission, both teams regrouped. Cologne came out in the second outshooting Istanbul 14-6 and they were able to get a goal courtesy of Al Land to open the scoring. If you were expecting the floodgates to open after the first goal, that would prove to not be the case as it was also the only goal in the second. Going into the final frame, Cologne had a 1-0 lead. It would be extended 6:41 into the third by Keegan Gamble. However, about 4 minutes later, Legacy Gaming would bring the Red Wolves within one. However, Keegan Gamble would prove to be this game's hero with the game winner and would add an empty net tally to make it 3-1 for the Cologne Express. Going into game 3, they have a 2-0 series lead.

VHLE Finals Game 1 - Cologne Express vs Istanbul Red Wolves This was a thriller from beginning to end. An excellent way to start off the Victory Hockey League Europe finals. Both goalies had excellent nights; their save percentage only differed by 0.001. However, one had a considerably higher workload. There was a lot of action as both teams had relatively high shot counts compared to most games. Without a further ado, lets get this recap started. The puck dropped and it would be end to end action as shots on goal would be 19-14 in favour of Cologne. However, there would be no changes in the scoreboard until the second half of the period, when Reginald the Dodo potted their first of the playoffs for Cologne. That would prove to be the only goal of the period. Naturally, going into the second, Istanbul was looking to fight back. That plan was a bit delayed and took a long time as the second period was underway. They would eventually get their goal with 12 seconds left in the period. Tying the game up for the Red Wolves was Ronald Johnson MacWallace III scoring his second of the playoffs. The second intermission started and the teams drew up their plans to fight for the win in the upcoming frame. The action would start quickly as the Express would capitalize on an Istanbul penalty and take the lead; Montgomery Burns scoring 1:22 into the third. However, just before the 9 minute mark, Istanbul would respond courtesy of Nick Sansoe. That kept us tied and the scoreboard did not change for the rest of the period. Overtime. In overtime, Cologne would be relentless, not even letting the Red Wolves get a shot off. Montgomery Burns, who gave them the lead earlier, did so again and gave them the win.

1. I felt that it was a really fun season. The locker room was amazing and we were doing pretty well. Unfortunately, the fickle god known as Simon T did not bless us this playoff campaign. I'm going to continue developing Raimo as a two-way player; I just feel that he was too inconsistent for my liking. 2. I would have guessed around 200 but we surpassed it by quite a bit. Our offense was amazing. I do hope that I get to play alongside some teammates. The VHL is a small world so I'm not too worried. 3. Out of nowhere, Simon T just insisted on hating on us. 4. I think that it should be treated like any other award. Usually, awards are reflective of a person's ability and if the person has a ring, it shows their contribution to the success of their team. However, it should not be something that a player HAS to have. 5. I don't like to pick favourites but definitely Rookie745. This dude has been a great rival and teammate, so either way I know we'll have fun. 6. Thank you for the reunion AJ and thank you for being with us Triller. I think the team you guys built was excellent. It was an honour having such a fun season with you two. I do hope we get to be teammates in the future.

HOUSTON - A very frustrated Raimo Tuominen left the ice after the Bulls were eliminated in the first round. After a very solid regular season for the young winger, he and the rest of the team were hungry for more in the playoffs. Sadly, Ottawa would end up eliminating, which proved to be immensely disappointing for a team that mostly impressed in this campaign. “I could have done way better.” Raimo answered when asked his initial thoughts. “I played my hardest but it wasn’t good enough. A goal and an assist in 5 games is a joke and I wasn’t exactly productive on the physical side of the game. This team was a great team and I wanted to win it with them.” With the Junior Showcase Tournament currently happening and a busy offseason yet to come, Raimo had to recover quickly from the frustration he felt. While he is focusing on making the VHLE next, it is still a painful loss for him. “All I can do now is move on and get ready but man, that was not the way I expected it to go. It’s hockey though, expectations are basically made to be broken in this sport. I’m still going to draw lessons from this though. My first season outside of Europe had some positives and negatives. Now I have to fight hard to return to Europe.”

Wildcard Game 1 - Rome Gladiators vs. Oslo Storm The playoffs have begun. The Gladiators and the Storm face off in game one. They are in a battle to see who can get past the wildcard stage. The game got underway. 5 and a half minutes after puck drop, the Oslo Storm started the action with a goal from Winston Dixon Jr. This gave Oslo a quick one goal lead but soon, Rome would respond. BjorkaBjorn BjornaBjorkson would pot one in to tie the game about a minute later. There would be no action for a while until the Storm took a penalty. On the powerplay, there was some divine power behind Pope Francis' shot, netting a goal for the Gladiators and giving them a two goal lead. To finish of the first, the Gladiaors extended their lead again courtesy of Eldon Escobar. Then the first intermission came. After the most ear-wrenching cover of I WIll Always Love You by a fan, the action started in the second. Or rather, didn't start. There were no goals from either side until the last quarter of the period. At 15:50, there was finally a goal by Justin Williams to extend the Gladiators lead once again. Despite outshooting the Gladiators with 15 SOG to 7 SOG, the Storm only mustered a goal by Braeden Panarella to cut the lead in half. In period three though, things got interesting as Alexander Stroheim scored just past the 10 minute mark for the Storm. It was 4-3 for a good while. There was one more goal scored. It was Justin William's second, no overtime for this game. The Gladiators won 5-3.

1) Absolutely. We're in a tough spot right now but I do believe that with some adjustments, we can definitely make it back on track. 2) My 18th birthday! It was actually today. As of now, I am an adult. That's kind of cool. We also took a trip to New York and Montreal. 3) I'm going with my boy Xiver Zilla. Dude is an offensive beast for us right now ---- 1. Who is your favourite VHL player of all time? (Can be past or present) 2. If you had to compare your VHL player to an NHL player, who would you compare your player to? 3. How big of a goal difference does there have to be before you call a hockey game a blowout?

HOUSTON - Raimo Tuominen has just completed his first regular season in the VHL system. He had solid offensive production (no doubt helped by the offensive powerhouses on the Houston Bulls roster) with 27 goals, 33 assists, to make 60 points. His 24 plus/minus is a testament to the complete game the Bulls played during the regular season. Now that the regular season has ended, the Houston Bulls are looking forward to the playoffs and preparing for it. “I’d say the first season in the VHL system went well for me. I had some struggles but I developed into a better player. However, no matter how good we felt in the regular season, everyone in the locker room realizes that the playoffs will be a different beast. We want to make sure that we can keep up with the increased pace and higher intensity. It’s the playoffs; anything can happen. We need to make sure we are ready for anything.” The VHLM playoffs are soon to start and every team involved is planning on going for broke. Realizing this, players will have to start playing harder than they have before. “We can’t afford to rest on our laurels here. And I know none of us intend on doing that. We have to take it one game at a time.”

Wow, this league is only two years younger than I am. Happy birthday VHL!

1) I would say I'm a cat person. Dogs are great and all but I'm a bit more down to be chill with a cat. Plus when they finally warm up to you, they're super cute. 2) I would rather be only able to talk to people on a T.V. Better sound quality and also I have an excuse to be lazy and stay in one place. 3) The craziest thing actually happened a while ago. I was on the TopView Tour Bus that T-boned the MTA bus in New York City. 1) What kind of VHL merchandise would you be interested in buying? 2) You score in overtime! How would your player most likely have scored the goal? (E.g. a booming slapshot, a slick redirection/mid-air tip-in, a well placed snipe over the goalie's shoulder) 3) Building on the idea of the Theme Week this season, if you had to change the name of the VHL what would you change it to?

HOUSTON - The Victory Hockey League Minors is nearing to a close. The best hockey of the season is yet to come and teams are scrambling to finish the season strong. Raimo Tuominen is taking in his first season in the VHL system and is adjusting to the pace here. Ever since getting drafted by the Houston Bulls, Raimo is always adding new things to his game. “At first I was really struggling offensively. I couldn’t get quality shots off, my passes were shaky, and I was just overall being swarmed by the pace. I will admit, I had a really rough start to the season. I had a sit down with the coaches and realized I could not continue playing the same style of hockey as I did back in Finland. The first step for me was definitely getting more physical.” Raimo was good at taking hits but he did not exactly dish them out. This was pointed out and it was the first thing he aimed on getting better at. After being offensively minded in SM-liiga, Raimo learned that he could not focus on one side of the game. He had to work toward being a 200-foot player. “I may not be exactly like Grunkle who basically smothers every single player on the opposing team with hits but I did need to become more active physically in order to contribute when I don’t have the puck. It turned out that getting more physical actually helped me get more chances. My shot has changed too. I used to rely on having a strong shot. I still have it and utilize it but now I’ve learned to be more deceptive and to really be selective with my shots instead of firing over and over like a machine gun.”

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/4659/PZMfHu.png https://imgur.com/jhuu0sM included both in case imgur doesnt work