DaftRaincloud

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When I was 13 I was in 8th grade and had my first girlfriend. Although we are no longer together that was a learning experience for me and helped shape who I am today. Linking to supplemental graphic post. 12 TPE + 2 for graphic + 1 uncapped. Linking this to update for a total of 15 TPE.

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Change was a constant in Gabriel Gutzwiler's life. From Europe to North America, from Halifax to Minnesota, from New York to Toronto, from winger to defenseman. There haven't been a lot of things in the young man's life that were to be relied upon except for the inevitability of change. In his minor league career Gabriel Gutzwiler was one of the biggest stars in the league. He was consistently among the best in both goals and assists, challenged for a scoring title, and was able to put the team on his back and carry them to greatness. Now that he is in the major leagues? Gabriel and Leon were elated that they went to the same team in the pro draft. They headed off to New York with a glimmer in their eye and hope in their heart. Once they arrived, however, a lot of their energy was sapped from them when just a few months removed from being drafted they were sent out the door with their suitcases in their hand for the bright lights and bustling streets of Toronto, Canada. To this day the brothers still are unsure of why they were sent away from the big apple. New York never markedly improved following their departure and the assets they were traded for didn't seem to translate as New York remained firmly middle of the pack. There was definitely a sting and some resentment at first, but the two brothers settled into life in Toronto and were excited to get started with another team, a team which hopefully wanted them to be a part of it. Change comes in many forms, and upon arrival in Toronto Gabriel and Leon were presented with an ultimatum, a choice - but not really one they could say no to. The two brothers who had been playing at forward their entire lives were being offered to play defense. Gabriel's entire game was molded around his play on the wing, and Leon similarly at center. The two had some trepidation at the prospect of moving to a position that they had no experience or real desire to play, but it seemed that if they wanted to remain on the team and not be shipped off yet again to destinations unknown they would be needing to make the switch. The prospect wasn't all bad, however - the Gutzwiler brothers had fostered a 1-2 punch sort of play style on the ice and in a forward line there was of course a third player they had to accommodate. With the brothers playing defense they would be able to more easily play in that back and forth style that they excelled at. And now at the eve of expansion change was possible once again. They hoped against change, of course, but it was a nagging feeling at the back of the neck of the brothers that they couldn't shake. They had come into the league like a rocket exploding in mid-air. They had hoped to establish themselves as elite players and potential cornerstones of a franchise's identity. What they got instead was akin to a journeyman's career. Ferried from spot to spot to patch in holes as needed and be more of a scaffolding than the large monolithic structure being built within. We will see how things continue to change or stay the same for the Gutzwilers. (559 words)

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GG Ottawa. Awesome series.

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GG Houston

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Back to back 7-0 games for the Storm!

(2x theme week bonus) 584 words. @Gwdjohnson Leon Gutzwiler. The name alone strikes fear into the hearts of men. The name "Gutzwiler" traveling through locker rooms like the cold wind of death. A man who's status exceeds his stature. The type of hockey player who will have not one, but multiple statues carved in his honor. Leaguewide jersey retirement? Definitely not out of the question. Actually, I'm going to guarantee that one day it will happen. The Minnesota Storm are having a historic season this year, and a large driving force behind that success is the first forward line, centered by Leon Gutzwiler with two elite scoring threats - his brother, Gabriel, on his left and Dick Cheezy on his right. In just his second season in the VHLM Leon is putting up a 97 point campaign, a majority of his points coming off of assists showcasing his elite playmaking abilities. I will now compare the stats of Leon's sophomore campaign to those of some recent centers that have been inducted into the hall of fame. Keep in mind that this season still has not been completed, so it's possible if not likely that Leon's point total will improve from where it currently stands, perhaps to 100 points or beyond. First up - Lukas Muller. Lukas was the most recently inducted center that there was a full write-up available for so for the sake of simplicity that is where I will start. In Muller's second year he put up a point total of 102. He had 11 more assists than Leon currently has, but had 6 fewer goals. If Leon can maintain or improve his scoring output to reach the herculean 136 point season high for Muller I believe that there will be no argument against him being inducted into the hall. Next - Franchise Cornerstone. Cornerstone had only one year in the VHLM, but he lived up to his namesake with this campaign. He put up 125 points. And while this is clearly more than what Leon currently has, Leon is on pace to potentially beat this point total if he spends another year in the VHLM next season with more experience under his belt. His record setting minor league outing saw Cornerstone dish out 64 assists, which is only 9 more than Gutzwiler's current assist tally. The last hall of fame center we will look at is Aleksi Koponen. In Aleksi's first season his point total was exactly where Leon currently sits, but Leon has 14 more goals than Aleksi had (Aleksi therefore with more assists). These point totals show both of these players at their rawest - the beginning of their careers. If Leon is currently bang on with the points that a hall of fame level center had at the same part of his career - it posits that Leon himself is then also on a collision course with the VHL hall of fame. Knowing Leon and his dedication to improving his level of play and finding the best strategies and tactics to maximize his abilities, I have no doubt in my mind that instead of following the current trajectory that he is on (which, even if he did, would be impressive), he will instead change his trajectory, increasing his efforts along the way and turning that 45 degree line into a 90 degree line and take his production all the way to the moon. By the time the last page of Leon's book has been turned it will be indisputable that he belongs in the annals of the hall of fame.

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I'm sorry, Saskatoon. That was rude of me.

Thanks for the shoutout! Nice article.