Jose Gonzalez

The VHLM season has nearly been going on for a week. That means it is time to start looking at the stats of players in the beginning of the season. The first few games have been kind to LW Jose Gonzalez as he has scored 6 goals and 5 assists in just 10 games. This leads to an impressive 1.1 points per game statistic. This could be the start of a new star in the VHLM. The same can be said about Alexander Pepper with a decent .898 save percentage in 10 game with 1 SO. Alexander has a record of 7-3 this is very impressive considering this is just 10 games in the VHLM. So far, the Las Vegas Aces have a very impressive prospects both coming from the silver state. If these two prospects can continue to put these numbers, then the Las Vegas Aces could have a good chance at making it far into the playoffs.

At least I got number 4 of the year

rip me getting talked about... with my 4 goals in 6 games i would say thats pretty strong

1st star I did it

I made a hit.... the one thing I have put nothing into

Jose Gonzalez was drafted 27th in the VHLM dispersion draft. Since then, he had gained over 40 TPE. He has been growing extremely quickly and hopefully we will continue to see him grow so quickly. Jose has stated that he will begin to work on more team and defensive skills. "I want to play or more teamrole. I have worked hard to get pretty good at hitting a target, but that is worthless if you can't stop the other team from scoring." He has stated that he believes that the most important thing in almost all sports is defense. So what is Jose's plan, he wants to focus on getting his passing up then his defense, and the finally his hitting. Jose doesn't want to be a high goal scorer, but instead a good around player who can keep his +/- stat high. Jose will be tested to in these upcoming games ad he will be starting on the 2nd line.

Jose Gonzalez Born: February 11, 2001 Birthplace: Reno, Nevada Shoots: Right Position: LW Height: 68'' Weight: 192lbs Early Life Jose Gonzalez was born in Reno, Nevada on February 11th, 2001. He lived for hockey he would watch it nightly with his mother and hoped one day to play for a team. He sometimes had the opportunity to play with some sticks, and when he did he would try to shoot as hard as he could. His mother noticed this and bought him a field hockey set which he would play nightly and some days he would even try and get a piece of wood to use a goalie. His time in Reno was short however, as he moved to Las Vegas when he was just 8 years old. He would play street hockey in the streets and roller hockey whenever he could at his local roller rink, but when he realized that this wasn't challenging enough his friend Alexander Pepper convinced him to get into ice hockey. Jose started his ice hockey career with the local league and he scored an amazing 10 goals in 52 games when he was just 12. He was always one of the best players on the team, but never thought anything of it. He was always picked first in teams, and would never go a game without scoring at least one point. When Las Vegas got the Las Vegas Aces Jose went to a game and watched as he realized he could play at that level. He would soon realize that that game would cause him to change what he wanted to do with his life, "I never dreamed about being a professional hockey player. I always thought that it was just there and that I was not good enough to be in the professional leagues. I guess that game really did ruin my childhood with those long nights at the rink." (chuckle) Growing as a Player He would play every night shooting into the air vents in his attic. In an interview his parents said, "You get used to it, if he hit a really hard one sometimes it would come out in the living room, but he kept a bag there and collected them." When he had time to practice with Alexander they would do slap shots and shootouts. Alexander always was bigger then Jose, but they never really looked at it as a flaw. This lead to his biggest weakness, his size. He is a very small player and he gets pushed around constantly when facing larger players. In one in when he was 16 he was attempting to pass a player who just stopped skating and Jose fell and broke his ankle on impact. His parents were worried that if he kept this up he would get seriously injured one day and possibly ruin his entire life, but they would never convince him to stop playing the sport that he loved to play. Late Teenage Years When Jose was 16 he started driving himself to the rink. This changed his entire practice routine. His parents said, "We would rarely see him except for when we asked him to be home. He would always be working out on the ice. We are really proud of him though because he found something and he worked really hard on it." On July 6th. 2016, his mom was left paralyzed after a drunk driver hit her car going on the 215 heading home. He would stay home with her, but she told him that if he wanted to play hockey professionally then go for it because you only have one chance in your life. He would go to practice every other day the weeks after his mom was hit. Jose would eventually have to take up a job to help support the family, with one less paycheck they were having trouble paying the bills. He would work everyday after he was done with school and every weekend, with time to practice hockey. He would have to buy his own sticks, his own gloves, and his own tape. These years would define him as a person. just weeks after his mom was hit he would sign up for the combine for the VHLM draft. He extremely under performed, but he was on the scouts books, and that was all he could hope for that night. Jose would work harder going into the draft, every night he would spend more hours then the night before until it was the special night. Draft Night Jose was contacted by one team before the drafted, but reached out to Las Vegas and said that he wanted to be apart of that specific organization. He watched the first round just a viewer. 1st pick was no surprise Ryuu Crimson. He kept watching as the drafts came in, Lando Baxter, Julian Borwinn, Shawn Glade. He then received a call, "Yea we are looking into picking you up soon keep your hopes up kid." He was hoping for a specific team though, he wanted to be in one city. Here came the picks for the team that called him, and there they went. He wasn't going to be that soon. He decided to call the team that he wanted to be picked up by, "I am just letting you know that you are the team that I want to be drafted by." "I didn't even see you if you are still around for our next pick we will be picking you up." However, there was still 8 more picks to come before that pick. The names seemed louder then they were before, they felt more real, Chance Matthews, Mike Lavallee, Ansii Koivuchak, Anderson LaVey. He got a call during this time, "If you are still available during our next pick we will be picking you." They were in just two picks, he thought there was no chance he would end up where he wanted to be, until "The Las Vegas Aces have traded for the 27th pick." He had never been so happy in his life, but he had to wait until they called it. "For the 27th pick of the VHLM Dispersal Draft the Las Vegas Aces are proud to select Left Wing Jose Gonzalez." He called Anderson Pepper, "I WAS SELECTED BY VEGAS I'M GOING HOME." In just 7 more picks Anderson Pepper would be selected by Las Vegas. The two people who grew up in Vegas would be playing hockey in Vegas. It was almost as if it was planned. Las Vegas Aces We don't know if Jose Gonzalez will ever be a star, but as of right now he is a story line along with Alexander Pepper.

1. The excess of goalies on the Halifax roster means that you have more competition then many other goalies. Do you think you can compete? 2. Are you excited to play on Halifax with them being an expansion team and all? 3. You are the 3rd oldest player in the most recent draft could that have an affect on your career? 4. If you could wish to be drafted by a specific team in the VHL what team would it be? 5. Have you gotten to practice with the team yet, and if you have is the locker room similar to the Blue Jays back home?

We caught up with Jose Gonzalez as he landed into McCarran Airport in Las Vegas coming from Halifax. Jose was drafted by Vegas in the S62 VHLM Dispersal Draft with his close friend Alexander Pepper. Jose is a 17 year old Reno native who has lived in Las Vegas for the past 8 years. Media: While you were sitting in those stands waiting for your name to be called what were you thinking? Jose: I was Obviously hoping that I was drafted by specific teams and Vegas was number one on that list. While my suspected draft position came closer I heard that Vegas had traded for the draft I was expected to be picking in and needless to say I was very excited. Media: You have lived in Vegas for a very long time did you ever root for the Aces? Jose: Well of course I did, there isn't a team anywhere near Reno, so I grew up rooting for the Aces in the VHLM. Media: When we watch your videos of you in the leagues in Vegas you seemed to never play very good defense. Are you planning on working on that? Jose: Yea of course I am going to work on that. I want to be the best hockey player I can be and currently my biggest weakness is my defense. I will of course continue working on my shooting, but right not my biggest priority is becoming better at defense. Media: Last year you scored 29 goals in just 52 games in that league, do you think that you can keep those numbers up in the VHLM? Jose: It is going to be difficult, but I think i can do it. The VHLM is very tough league but this isn't my final goal, that is to end up in the VHL. I think most young aspiring hockey players are now trying to reach the VHL. Media: The previous draft class had multiple players from Vegas, do you think this is a trend we could see grow more? Jose: I think Vegas is a growing hockey town. The city has fallen in love with the Aces, and they are raising their kids watching the games. I think if you would have walked down the roads just a few years ago, and asked people if they knew the rules of hockey most would of just said that the didn't. This has changed as the city adores hockey as it is the first sport to try out Vegas as a home. Media: Do you think that the new management with the Aces could help the team? Jose: Of course I think they can. The change in ownership will hopefully help propel the team forward and possibly even get a cup soon. Vegas definitely wants it. Media: You got drafted just before Alexander Pepper, are you going to give him a hard time about that? Jose: Well of course I am, we are very close and being drafted by the same team is made us both very happy. Media: Well Jose I hope you had a nice flight and good luck on the upcoming season. Jose: Thanks for having me and thanks for the good luck.

How many more is it?

Jose Gonzalez born in Reno, Nevada played hockey in his time living in Reno and in Vegas. When he started playing in leagues it was obvious that Jose had something special so he decided to pursue the VHL. His time in Vegas showed a lot about his personality and how he deals with being down in games. Age: 17 Position: LW Height: 68 in. Weight: 192 lbs. Birthplace: Reno Nevada USA Strengths: Gonzalez spends a lot of his time practicing accuracy and it shows with his ability to hit the corners consistently. Gonzalez has stated that he will continue this amount of practicing but maybe change the other aspects to make himself more well rounded. Gonzalez is one of the quicker skaters in the VHLM S61 draft this shows often when in games he just skates past opponents who simply can't keep up. Gonzalez has worked on his discipline giving him a distinct advantage over much of the competition where that is their weakest point. Weaknesses: Gonzalez is extremely weak in his own zone often being a very big reason for opponents goals. He has stated many times that he wants to change this and make himself much more rounded. Faceoffs as a LW Gonzalez won't have to take as many faceoffs as a center would, but if their center gets kicked out of the faceoff it is almost guaranteed that the opponent will win the faceoff with Gonzalez being one if not the weakest rookie with faceoffs. His ability to check, throughout his career in leagues in Vegas, Gonzalez showed that he does not like checking. The few times that he does check it often is either illegal or so weak that the other player can just check Gonzalez off his feet. If Gonzalez stands any chance in the big leagues this is something he must change FAST. All in all Gonzalez does have some potential, but he must work on his strength and his D or he will be eaten alive out the the big leagues. He is a very solid shooter, but if you don't need a shooter then Gonzalez will not suit your team because he isn't the greatest passer in the draft. Hopefully we can see Gonzalez improve and see this young player go from one of the weakest LW in the VHLM to a star player in the VHL. The only way to tell is to wait and see.

Very good job. The game summary was a little messy, but i can get over that as explaining a game can be a little difficult. Keep up the good work.

This another very good article I have very little to say against it, other then maybe add a player card somewhere other then that this is a very good article.

This is nothing I say against this article, everything about this feels perfect. The placement of the image, the light-hearted fun fact, the very good information about the player and how he changed over the last week. Very very nice article

The article is good however i would raise the font size some. Maybe put the picture of the player card nearer to the top to show his card. Other then those critiques very nice job.

I highly consider bringing up the font size it does make the text a little harder to read other then that though a very good job. Also, maybe change the interviewers and interviewee so one is bold and the other is underlines so it makes them different.

Good job all around maybe change the interviewees text though to make it stand out a little bit more. However very good job and make sure to keep up the hard work.

I would consider fixing some of those minor grammatical errors. It makes the interview look a little unprofessional I understand that this is a weekly thing but that little bit more work does make it look a little bit more professional. Good luck with future interviews.

Very nice interview however maybe you should ask more in depth questions about how he plans to move forward into the season. Also probably should of changed how you started conversation feels like you are just going to have a normal conversation not a professional interview.

Hey @Reckasaur just curious if I could get an interview with you if I can join the websites discord.

LW Jose Gonzalez Born in Reno NV Age 17

Are you looking to be a more offensive defensemen or defensive defenseman.

We asked Finnish prospect Juri Ryoken some questions,and here are some of our questions. Juri Ryoken is a 18 year Finnish prospect born in Helsinki, Finland. Standing at 6'5'' and weighing in at 190 pounds. Juri will be drafted into the VHLM with the class of S62 and the VHL in S63. I- When you were a kid did you always look to joining the VHL or did you ever think of joining one of the Finnish or Swedish leagues? J- I always looked forward to playing professionally no matter what the field, but as I developed my skill and became the player I am I found myself think of playing with the best of the best. As I grew up my end goal was to play where ever the best players play and right now thats the VHL. I- Have you ever played internationally, and if you haven't are you worried about not being good enough for the international teams? J- No I have not played Internationally, and yes its quite frightening. No Fin has ever played in this Generation of the VHL so if im one of the first I am carrying a lot of weight on my shoulders. We have a team here but no Fins so i hope to make my country proud and show that Fins can play with the rest of em. I- When we watch you playing in high school we see a very offensive defensemen. Are you looking to bring that into the VHLM, or are you going to call down a little bit? J- I look to bring my offense to the table. Me being able to step up has not affected my Defensive play. I look to do what my team needs me to do in a situation that is presented to me. If it becomes a problem I might calm down until i can bring that playstyle back into my game. I- What team are you hoping picks you this year for the VHLM draft and then for the VHL draft? J- For VHLM the Saskatoon Wild, It looks like they need some help and i want to prove what i can do in a situation to help a team. As for VHL Helsinki, playing for my hometown team would be my dream. I- When you were playing for the Finnish Liiga you score an amazing 11 goals could you explain how you can do that while still playing some amazing defense? J- I have to give a lot to having an amazing team with me, but being able to play on the power play is a big part of that. In the end I have to give it to my hockey sense being able to know when to step up or cool off at the right time. Just knowing where the puck is going to be is a good thing to have on the ice. I- Since there are ccurrently so few defenceman are you predicting to be put into a higher draft pick then you normally would or do you expect that not to effect you draft pick? J- It will probably effect my draft position if a team really needs a Dman. but I would like to have more compition and be picked because of my talent not because there isnt much to chose from. I- As you already know Helsinki is historically the best team in the VHL are you hoping that you can bring that back or will you settle for just playing in Helsinki? J- I want to bring that back. I'm looking for a big W no matter where I land.

Player Information Username: Jose Gonzalez Player Name: Jose Gonzalez Recruited By: Age: 17 Position: LW Height: 68 in. Weight: 192 lbs. Birthplace: Reno Nevada USA Player Page