DaftRaincloud

I have recently returned to the VHL after going inactive with my first character that I created, Chance Matthews. In doing so I got to thinking about why I had failed with Matthews and ended up going inactive and what I can do to prevent that with my new character, Gabriel Gutzwiler. When I created Chance I had never been a member of a sim league before and was overwhelmed by the site, and even as I spent more time that feeling never really subsided. This feeling of being overwhelmed as well as the decision in my own life to return to school snowballed into me leaving the site. I have since graduated and found success and longevity in another simulation league. I think that with my increased understanding of how these sim leagues work and having more time available with fewer responsibilities I will find myself more successful in the VHL this go around. It also helps that I have found a friend in @Gwdjohnson who agreed to come to the league and create a character alongside me.

Gabriel sits down at the press table and prepares to answer any question that there may be for him.

From behind the podium during a media scrum after their most recent victory the Gutzwiler twins (fraternal, not identical) announced their intentions to leave the Swiss League and declare themselves for the VHLM draft. The seventeen year old brothers, Gabriel and Leon, have been skating since before they could walk. The last three years of their career they've been with EVZ Academy in Zug, Switzerland. Notable for their innate on-ice chemistry and ability to read each other's intentions due to years of playing with each other they are a true 1-2 punch that have been lighting up the Swiss League and keeping hockey enthusiasts enthralled and asking when they'd come to the VHL for years. Gabriel, the larger of the two brothers, plays on the wing and Leon, who is more slender than Gabriel but still a large man in his own right, is a center. Both of the Gutzwilers are noted for one thing and that is their defensive responsibility. Gabriel has been quoted as saying that when learning the game he and Leon both came to the same conclusion, it is more fun to deny goals from others than it is to score one yourself. You wouldn't know it from watching Gabriel's play, however. Time after time you will see the same thing, Gabriel stealing the puck from an opposing player and deftly wiring it past the goalie before celebrating like a man on his wedding night. Leon has been constantly praised for his elite level vision on the ice. He can see the plays materializing before they actually do and always seems to get the puck exactly where it needs to go to create a high danger chance. Leon has lead the Swiss league in assists for the last two years while also minimizing high danger chances coming back his way. Along with his brother Leon gets first line duties as well as top billing on both sides of special teams - power play and penalty kill. The brothers give one last press conference before boarding the plane from Zurich heading towards North America. Amongst the usual cliche questions about readiness and what they expect to be different in the VHLM compared to what they have grown accustomed to the brothers are of course asked about their future of teammates. Of course they have played on the same team and the same line their entire career. Would this really be viable once they get to the VHLM? They are hopeful, if not cautiously optimistic. "I would hope that teams see what value we bring together, as opposed to apart," Gabriel was quoted as saying, with Leon adding "Together we are a powerful waterfall, apart? We are two streams." The Bern-born Gutzwilers are now off for the VHLM and eventually the VHL. They hope to leave a lasting impression on this league just as they have the Swiss League, and they know that they have the full support and love of their friends and fans back home in Switzerland. (500 words)

Confirmed!

Player Information Username: DaftRaincloud Player Name: Gabriel Gutzwiler Recruited From: Member (GlowyGoat) Age: 17 Position: LW Height: 75 in. Weight: 215 lbs. Birthplace: Switzerland Player Page @VHLM GM

Chance Matthews for obstacle course.

Great job @oilmandan

Chance Matthews = USA

That's correct. It says I'm Canadian for some reason, but my character was born in Seattle.

Well, crap. I'll edit it in the morning.

Excerpt from Get Pucked - Issue 203 Chance Matthews Talks Start of Season Article by Frederick Smith "I mean, those first games were definitely less than ideal." Matthews chuckles before taking a sip from his pint glass. The foam hangs in the hairs of his mustache as he sets the glass down on the table top we are sitting at. He's referring to the two losses at the hands of the new VHLM expansion team Halifax to start off the Ottawa Lynx's season. Chance Matthews was taken in the 4th round, 22nd overall pick. He had no allusions that two short weeks later he would be centering the starting line for the team, but that is where he now finds himself. The first loss isn't what you would call a nail biter. Although Chance did score his first goal and record his first assist, the latter being what he considers his bread and butter on the ice, the team lost by three goals to the newcomers. In the second game Chance recorded yet another assist, and this time Ottawa only lost by two goals, but these small improvements don't count for much in Chance's mind. "I definitely let that failure motivate me, one hundred percent." In the teams next game, which ended up being a 6-3 shellacking of the Saskatoon Wild Matthews used that chip on his shoulder to record three assists in the first period alone. He would record one more assist in the third period with seven minutes left in the game. "How did that feel, to make such an impact and get your team to the win?" Chance takes a bite of the steaming plate of shepherd's pie sitting in front of him and holds up a finger to gesture to give him a second to answer. "It was amazing. It was a great team effort and we all rose together, truly. Nothing makes me feel better than getting that puck to a team mate and hearing it clink against the back post. That's what heaven sounds like to me." The Lynx would go on to win their next game against Saskatoon as well, bringing them to .500 for the season. "I'm sure that was a weight off of your shoulders. What are you thinking after that?" "We know who we are. We know what we are capable of and every single guy on this roster can contribute. We heard the criticism and the doubters after those two losses, and we wanted to show everyone that we shouldn't be written off yet and I think we accomplished that. A big weight came off our shoulders when we won that shootout. Some guys were crying in the locker room." "Were you?" Chance lets out a laugh and leans back in his chair. "Eh, no comment. Maybe I'll tell you off the record." The day after this interview was conducted Ottawa played Las Vegas and that game ended in a loss for Matthews and the Lynx, taking them below .500 again. With the comments that were given to us during the interview we expect a strong answer from the Ottawa team in their next game.

Review - I really like how you weaved in the personal relationship with your player and the teacher. Those small details like that go the distance and really help ground the entire thing. Great job there. You did good weaving the paragraphs with player quotations and you give a good glimpse at the personality of your player. I really liked this write up, amazing work.

Review - Interviews are always fun to read. It's a great opportunity to develop your character's personality instead of just focusing on the stats and helps you get into the roleplay of things. You did a great job here representing the character of your player and I can picture the conversation very easily. Great work.

Review - I'm always a sucker for a nicely formatted article, so I immediately like what you did with this. The use of pictures and the correct line breaks makes this look very professional. You wrote this in a way where it really does come across like a little bio piece from a magazine or website. Great work here.

Samuel Gate @ColeMrtz21

Ismond Kingfisher @oilmandan

Review - Great article. You hit on all the important points and make it very concise. You get to the point and don't bloat your writing, very good job there. I like your break down of the important player stats. I hope you keep these up as they give invaluable information at a quick glance for guys who might not have time to dig through all the game threads or listen to my long podcast.

Dang I put in work this game.

Review - As somebody who hadn't joined the forum yet when these games were happening this write-up gives me a lot of perspective and information to inform the outcomes of those games. This was really well put together and the use of graphics and gifs took this piece to the next level and really gave it a professional flair. Amazing work here.

Review - I like how you wrote this piece. The use of quotations and parenthesis reminds me of my own writing style a bit and it made me chuckle seeing that, it's not very common. I like the tone you wrote this in and the development of your character through the piece. Your line breaks and grammar are great and the piece is interesting to read.

Review - I really like the photo you chose here, and the color of the text. The black and white cover makes me think of an actual magazine and I can almost imagine the coarse paper texture in my hands. Very well done. The only thing I would change at all would be maybe putting a drop shadow under the text to make it pop more. Other than that this is a great piece.

Review - I really dig this banner. The de-saturated look works really well here and the textured background makes the players pop. The logo tucked away in the background is a nice touch and I enjoy the vignette along the sides of the banner.

I speak about our opening games and some individual and team stats. https://www89.zippyshare.com/v/0IT27nST/file.html

Writer/Editor or graphics. I'm comfortable with all 3.

Thanks. Updated it.