Toasty

hehe miracle

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scram

8. I didn't really think about it too much. Advantage just threw it on there I guess. Not a big deal for me. 9. Yes, I love all your prospects, but I only count the ones that played for Halifax first, then were drafted by Riga, then came here. So far, it's me, Glover, and Vanderhuge in that category. 10. Very sad. He was an amazing member. ?

1. I do miss Riga, but I'm happy where I am and I'm happy for Riga being near the top of the league again. 2. He's in a bunch of leagues. I get it. I have a hard time being active myself. No hard feelings. 3. I am just taking the season in stride. Helping the team where I can. 4. I do. Madden and I are besties and we want to play together one day. Probably he will come here, not the other way around. 5. Yes. I hate them with all my heart. 6. Moscow sir.

1. Couldn't be more honoured. I was very surprised to be chosen, and I am keen to impress. 2. Continue to grow as a leader for this team. Being part of the inaugural team is always fun and I can't wait to continue my career in Malmo. 3. I think Moscow is up and coming. They'll be a good natural rival in a few years. Expansion brothers. Russia vs Sweden. It is perfect.

Very good!

1. Well, in grade 8, @Thranduil and I had this grumpy math teacher called Milton Basaraba. We were sitting in the computer lab during media arts, completely procrastinating, when he asked me to join the VHL. Helped me sign up and we brainstormed names. I originally was going to go with another John name, after John Madden, so I went from John Deere to John Moose and we almost went with that, but then he pulled Basaraba out of nowhere, and we both thought it was hilarious so I went with that for the first name and kept the Moose for the last name. shit posted accidentally 2. I am definitely more surprised about the offense. I've always put defense first and it took me 1.5 solid defensive seasons in the VHLM before the offensive numbers really started coming in. I didn't totally expect to carry that into the VHL, but I guess I just play how I did in the 'M and it works for me. 3. I think our defense has been stellar. We are lucky enough to be a team with some defenders that aren't always trying to score, and actually care about their end, and because of that, it is very difficult for the opposition to get sustained opportunities in our zone. 4. Not worth the time, they're either lying to themselves or can't think straight. 5. Not sure, I like to think, another darkhorse, Hockey Club Davos Dynamo, because my friend John Madden plays there. For a possible opponent in the finals, I'd say maybe Calgary, but it's too hard to say at this point. 6. The time I was playing for Halifax in S63. First game of the playoffs. We came back from 7-1 down and won 8-7 in OT. Zajaczkowski, with a natural hat trick and the OT winner, for a total of 4 goals and I had 3 assists.

Damn, I have been away for work! But wow, I did not expect this! Thanks to everyone who voted me as captain! Very exciting stuff. I can't wait to get the Nighthawks going! @Devise, @GustavMattias Congrats on your letters guys! @Matt_O Very exciting to see such a great member of the team get hired on as our AGM! I'm loving everything about this team. It's so social and hip. We got the best future of any other team by far!

On Sunday, Malmo made a trade for sophomore defenseman Bolt Vanderhuge, sending Gucci Garrop and a 3rd to Riga in return for Vanderhuge and Mikka Pajari. Vanderhuge had an average rookie season, only scoring 25 points and leading his team in penalty minutes. It was somewhat of a shock for the giant of a blueliner to see such a sudden decrease in production, following his successful VHLM career. The previous season, Vanderhuge, playing for the Halifax 21st, lit up the VHLM, scoring 102 points, to go with 93 shot blocks, 286 hits, and 168 penalty minutes. He won the Ryan Sullivan Trophy, awarded to the VHLM’s best defenseman. He carried his success into the playoffs, scoring 17 points in 12 games, during Halifax’s run to the VHLM finals. Vanderhuge’s partner on defense for the later half of S64 was Basaraba Moose. Both of these young defensemen were picked up by Riga in the last few picks of the S64 VHL Entry Draft, and they enjoyed a healthy friendship. Vanderhuge taught Moose a lot throughout S64, and in S65, Vanderhuge headed to Riga, while Moose stayed down and evidently having learned from Vanderhuge, put together a very successful season in the ‘M, with 91 points. The two friends had planned to reunite at the beginning of S66, where they would share the second pair in Riga, but suddenly expansion happened and Moose was sent to Malmo. It was slightly disappointing for the young defenseman to say goodbye to his friend, but a few days later, Malmo made another move, bringing Vanderhuge in. The two are now reunited, along with Teagan Glover who also spent two seasons playing with Moose, and one with Vanderhuge, in Halifax, and was drafted by Riga. All of them are in Malmo now and ready to tear up the league together.

A lot of good things have been happening to the Nighthawks recently. First, we saw a freshly extended Johnny Havenk Carison be exposed in the expansion draft. We also saw Jack Lynch, Matthew Materazo and Teagan Glover be exposed, 3 players I am huge fans of. Malmo then made a series of great trades, ending with the trade for Mikka Pajari. Pajari is a very good player, who has unfortunately been stuck on the second line in Riga, behind many of the league's top players. He had trouble finding sucess early on in his career, and for 3 straight seasons, scored no higher than 45 points, until suddenly Pajari had a breakthrough season and scored 77 points, double what he got the season before. He was considered for the most improved player award and planned to play a bigger role with Riga in the future, when suddenly he was dished to Malmo. Now on the older half of the VHL spectrum, being an S61 draftee, he will provide a good veteran presence for Malmo this season and is likely to be on the first line. On the other hand, we have a very different player joining the team in very different circumstances. Vaydar Odinsson joined as a free agent, and unlike Pajari, enjoyed a healthier career earlier on, from the day he set foot in the league, but has slowed down a noticeable amount since. Although he has not yet matched his rookie totals from 3 seasons ago when he scored 82 points in 72 games, Odinsson has still been a solid producer for both the Helsinki Titans and New York Americans for 2 seasons straight, putting up 40 and 62 points respectively. He joins the Nighthawks as their star player in the team's inaugural season, and along with Pajari, could create one of the most deadly veteran duos in the league next season. Pajari comes in having struggled to find the spotlight in his career until recently, while Odinsson had more success early and faltered a bit in his 2nd and 3rd seasons. It will be interesting to see how these two great players come together to form the first line for Malmo this season.

Ya Moose got sent to grab Whoppers for the boys that day. Not sure why he decided to wear full equipment though. He isn't the brightest.

The Malmo Nighthawks have been very active in the trade market this season, already having made 3 trades in the off-season alone. After all of the wheeling and dealing, the Nighthawks seem to have come out on top. Today, I'll be reviewing these three trades and rating them on a scale from 1-10, with 5 meaning the teams broke even and 10 meaning Malmo got a complete steal. TRADE #1: Apr. 26, 2019 - MAL Acquires: Basaraba Moose - RIG Acquires: S67 MAL 3rd, S68 MAL 2nd, S68 MAL 4th Advantage started off ambitious with his first as GM of the Nighthawks, immediately trading 3 of his picks just after the expansion draft, for proven defensive prospect Basaraba Moose. Moose had over 30 goals and 90 points last season with the Halifax 21st of the VHLM. He came onto the scene midway through S63. He was selected by the Riga Reign with one of the last picks of the S64 VHL Entry Draft, going 28th overall. Following the draft, Moose spent two more seasons in the VHLM, the first of which, he showed little improvement and was sent down for a third season, in which he found his game and helped the 21st to their second straight Founder's Cup finals. Moose went from a D-level prospect with little promise, to a solid blue chipper asset, who showed he was ready for the VHL last season. Riga was most likely going to call him up and start him on the second pair this season, but with the trade to Malmo, he could see a bigger role and increased development. If this is the case, and Moose does develop faster in Malmo, I believe that the Nighthawks won the trade, however, if last season was just a flash in the pan for Moose, Riga most likely got the better of this deal. For now, I would say it is a risk for both teams, but the potential reward is higher for Malmo, so I believe they won this trade by a narrow margin. TRADE RATING: 6/10 TRADE #2: Apr. 30, 2019 - MAL Acquires: Gucci Garrop, S66 SEA 4th - SEA Acquires: S66 MAL 3rd Only 3 days after making his first trade, Advantage strikes again, this time blowing the opposing GM out of the water, and picking up Gucci Garrop, while only dropping a few spots in the draft in return. Garrop is a young forward, coming off his first full VHL season. He produced at almost a point per game last season and has tremendous potential. Value wise, this trade isn't even close, however Malmo wasn't really addressing their needs (defense) when they picked up Garrop and it didn't make a lot of sense for them to give up more picks which could be used to pick defense, for more forwards, which they don't need. However, it was somewhat understandable since the value was so one-sided. For what Seattle got compared to what they could have gotten elsewhere, they lost this trade by a huge amount. TRADE RATING: 8/10 TRADE #3: May 5, 2019 - MAL Acquires: Bolt Vanderhuge, Mikka Pajari - RIG Acquires: Gucci Garrop, S68 MAL 3rd This trade really cemented to the players of Malmo that Advantage as a GM knew what he was doing. He traded a guy he got for almost nothing, in return for a decent defenseman, which the team needed, and a quality veteran centerman. Although the value in this particular trade was pretty even, the value looks amazing in Malmo's favour when looking at the big picture. The GM was able to turn the extra value from a player he didn't really need, into something he did, and personally I think this is a strategy that not enough GMs use. In my opinion, if you get a trade offer that you know you would be winning based on trade value, accept it, even if it doesn't address your needs, because you can always trade the new assets for things you do need and get a way better return than you would've for the pieces you gave up. These couple trades by Advantage are a perfect example of this. He was clearly going to win the Seattle trade, even if Garrop was not a player he needed, but he knew that he could always turn Garrop into defense of equal value if he needed. So in my opinion, these two trades by Advantage were genius. In the long run he traded a 3rd for a 4th, which is almost equivalent to giving away your 6th. So we'll say he traded a 6th to get Garrop. He then traded a 3rd and Garrop to get Vanderhuge and Pajari. In the long run it ends up being a 6th and a 3rd for Vanderhuge and Pajari, and if you ask me, that is one sweet deal! TRADE RATING: 7/10 TOTAL TRADE POINTS: 21/30

1. Man, I can't put into words how excited I am to be part of this great franchise with such a great manager. It's definitely got me riled up and ready to go! There was a while there where I was almost ready to quit the league, but this installed a brand new enthusiasm in me. 2. I think we'll finish no lower than 8th, but could finish as high as 5th, and push for the last playoff spot. By next season though, we'll be amazing. 3. I just want to establish myself immediately as I hit the VHL. Should be a great season for the team and I want to help with that and start my career off the right way. 4. I mean, yes I do think they got a good price for me. I didn't realize Advantage put that much value on me, but seeing him give up that much to bring me in, it just makes me want to go harder to prove he made the right decision. 5. For now, my main goal is to win a cup with Malmo before my career is up. I plan to stay here forever, and have even signed a big extension to show I'm loyal. Now it's just time to prove to the rest of the league what we're made out of. 6. Well I think I saw the fact that Malmo was willing to give up so much for me, and it made me want to prove them right, so to make the trade as worthwhile for them as possible, I chose to sign over all of my prime years so that they could be sure they were getting as much back as possible. Thanks for the questions Matt and Thran. See you on the ice this season boys!

Basaraba Moose sits down with the media to discuss the start of what will be a long career in Malmo, and his recent contract extension.

@Nacci25 beautiful, I love it! @Advantage please draft this guy haha.

Oh here we go! We're gonna have so much fun @JG10!

The S66 VHLM Dispersal Draft was a good warm-up draft for the real thing, which is coming up soon. There weren't too many surprises, as far as off the board picks or unfortunate mistakes such as BladeMaiden's first rounder from last season, but there were a couple here and there. Here's a summary of what you missed. With the first pick, the Reapers bring back John Frostbeard after trading him to the Rush late last season. Not a big shocker, but this means the draft is on the road. Mexico City makes history by making the first pick out of any of the new expansion teams, taking winger Aleksander Rodriguez second overall. Mississauga selects Rayz Funk with the third overall choice. This marks the first ever pick by the Hounds, the first S67 player to ever be drafted, as well as the first goalie of the draft. Sixth overall, San Diego makes their first selection, taking Phil Marleau. There is quite a bit of surprise with this pick, as Marleau wasn't projected quite this early, but now all of the expansion teams have made a pick. After sliding to Saskatoon at 25, Emil Passerelli demands a trade from his team, and is traded to Las Vegas for Rocky LaGarza. At 31st overall, we see our first 30 TPE player go to Mexico City as they select Derek England. The Yukon Rush, being the last team to make their first pick in the draft, finally get into the action, taking Dylan Doyle 38th overall. 86th overall, Mexico City fucks up hard core and takes Codrick Past who isn't even eligible. San Diego follows suit with Ludvig Sederstorm. The draft concludes with Philidelphia, Saskatoon, and Ottawa absolutely dominating the whole thing.

Basaraba Moose was recently acquired by the Malmo Nighthawks as their first and only defenseman so far. He had expressed interest in playing for the expansion franchise and was picked up through a trade with Riga. Moose is reportadly over the moon to be in Malmo and in a recent interview, here is what he had to say. Q: Take us through the turn of events that lead up to the trade. What were your initial reactions and emotions throughout the day? A: Well quite honestly I expected to go to Malmo, so really no shocker there. The only thing that surprised me a little bit was the way in which they actually acquired me. I had been phoned by the GM of Malmo the previous week. He left a message, asking whether I'd be into playing for his team or not, seeing as I was likely going to be exposed in the expansion draft. I didn't actually hear the message at first but as soon as did, it didn't take me long to process what he had said, and I knew almost right away that this was definitely a career choice I wanted to make. I called him back and we talked about how I felt I wouldn't be well-used in Riga and how I would be a good fit for the team. He told me that it was between my and my longtime teammate Teagan Glover and that he couldn't really decide who he liked more. A few days passed without hearing a peep from him and then suddenly the expansion draft was upon us. I was at the gym during the event, so I didn't see the results until I got back. The first thing I noticed was a message from the Malmo GM on my phone. He told me how he had not taken me in the expansion draft, but had instead taken Glover and traded picks for me. I didn't really have time to be sad about being passed over in expansion, because I was just so happy to be on Malmo. Even happier to get to play with Glover once again. Q: Was anything said between you and the Riga GM, prior to the trade? A: Not prior to, but he also left a message on my phone, which I heard after I had listened to Advantage's message. He explained how he hadn't planned to trade me, but Malmo had shown interest in me and he knew I was interested in playing there. He was honestly amazingly gracious about the whole thing. No ill will seemed to come from him. He could understand me wanting to play there. I was very pleased when I heard his message, and it capped off what was a spectacular day for me. Q: Knowing you are a rookie at this point, and currently Malmo's best option on the blueline, how do you think you'll fare in the VHL next season? A: I'm confident. I've really been working on my game all summer and playing at the brand tournament will help me get in shape for sure. I love the idea of being the go-to guy for Malmo next season. Being the guy they call on to quarterback the powerplay and bolster the penalty kill, or to make a big play for the team. It has been the kind of role I have gotten used to playing in Halifax and I am extremely happy that I will have a similar opportunity this season. I mean, how often is it that a guy can go from the VHLM to a number 1 role in the VHL in one season? My guess is not very, so I am thankful to hedge, Advantage, and everyone who helped make this happen, and I am more than ready to step into the VHL.

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Thanks everyone for the words of kindness. Would have liked to have gotten to know everyone in Riga, but at the same time, I feel that this opportunity to play a major role with Malmo is too good to pass on. Thanks for being gracious about this @hedgehog337 and thanks to @Advantage for bringing me into your team. I can't wait to get started with you!

Thanks man! Can't wait to get going with you in the green.

Free pressers? Hehehe, don't mind if I do. 1. Going up the Country by Canned Heat. Very awful song, but knowing my luck, that's probably what I'd end up with. 2. I've never had a bad joke because I'm that funny. Just joking... Oh... I guess that was a joke. Ya, probably that one then. It's not even funny, jeez. OH SHIT I just reread the question and it says worst job, not worst joke. Eh oh well, not worth rewriting now. 3. Score goal. -John Madden 4. Finland. 5. I roast them with an article about their garbage team. 6. Moose is a great word and Mr. Basaraba was one of my highschool teachers. I thought his name was funny, so I just rolled with it.