Toasty

EASTERN CONFERENCE (A2) Boston Bruins vs. (WC2) Columbus Blue Jackets Winner: Boston Bruins # of Games: 7 (M2) New York Islanders vs.(WC1) Carolina Hurricanes Winner: Carolina Hurricanes # of Games: 6 WESTERN CONFERENCE (C3) St. Louis Blues vs. (WC1) Dallas Stars Winner: St. Louis Blues # of Games: 5 (P2) San Jose Sharks vs. (WC2) Colorado Avalanche Winner: San Jose Sharks # of Games: 6

finally

I haven't played as well as I have in the past 2 off-seasons, but overall I am very proud of the team. Did not expect to make the finals for the second straight season. That we finished first in the standings, it would have capped off the perfect season. Also if John Madden was still here, it would be way better. You and Teagan Glover and Chase and Dimitri. Honestly I didn't know any of you at the start of the season and really I still don't, but I've played so many games with you all know and I just love everyone so much. I've been drafted already, but it will be cool to see who joins Riga. I would just say that if you need a defenseman who isn't just trying to get points all the time and who actually cares about his own end and shutting down the other team, I'm your guy. Thranduil, or in real life James, has been a good friend of mine for awhile and I'm happy for him that he gets to be GM. If I could say anything, I would remind him that Halifax has never finished lower than third in the standings, so no pressure bud.

4

Welcome to Africa. Welcome to the Jungle my friend.

four 4 meee

Basaraba Moose Defense Points: 91 / 10 = 9.1 Hits: 246 / 30 = 8.2 Total: 17 + 3 = 20

He knows where to put his TPE, also he went from 0 to 200 very fast. Julius Freeman carried us in. Easy pick. Oh God. I'm very sad. After 3 seasons here with Mac and Tyler and John and Teagan coming in here and there, it really sucks to leave. The only other place I ever played was Las Vegas and I really sucked there. Not sure how I'll handle the bigs. Lines. And strategies. Worse. Still decent. He's been here for two of the three seasons. Very sad to see him go. Yes we must win a cup. @Thranduil

When Moose hits the VHL next season, it will be in the middle of the changing of the guard for Riga. They have been one of the best teams recently and with their stars beginning to depreciate, next season they will be only a shell of what they once were. Comparing S63 Riga, S64 Riga, S65 Riga and how S66 Riga is looking, is not only an entertaining topic, but is also very educational. The team's two main star forwards, Podrick Cast and Edwin Preencarnacion are already coming to the end of their primes and will have two more really good seasons under their belts, but whether they remain in Riga or not is the question. If the GM of Riga wants to play it safe and avoid a full rebuild, he will start the switchover process early, while he still can, by trading away both of these players before they retire. Once this has happened, it is safe to say Riga is severely weakened up front, with a remaining core that looks like this: Crimson - Pajari - Randoms Glover - Matthews - Shan The sudden drop in talent is actually quite an eye opener and shows how much Riga really relies on two players. Without Edwin or Cast, the gap will have to be filled by moving Randoms and Pajari up, as well as calling up VHLM star forwards Teagan Glover and Anthony Matthews. Crimson provides a high-end scoring threat and Randoms can be dangerous, but the rest of the crew just doesn't have what it takes to contend. Now for the defense. Riga has a solid first pair in Shawn Glade and Ryan Kastelic that won't be going anywhere, but it is the second pair that may be a concern in the future. They haven't really been able to find anyone half decent to fill either of the spots on the second pair. Nguyen looked promising in S63, but hasn't seemed to have progressed much since his rookie campaign. He and McDragon filled the spots in S63, but McDragon was soon dumped. In S64, all-star defenseman Joseph Bassolino was a nice compliment to Nguyen on the second pair, but with his career coming to an end, Riga knew they needed someone else. Nguyen came to a big halt during the S64 season and Bassolino retired at the end of it. Ryan Sullivan Trophy winner in the VHLM, Bolt Vanderhuge was called up to fill the void, and while he hasn't been great, he has been solid for Riga. It is relatively likely that he is replaced with former teammate Basaraba Moose for next season. Overall, it is clear that offense is much more of a problem for Riga than defense is at this point, so it would be smart to go after some high-end forwards in the coming draft, so they can continue being competitive.

Week 2/2

I would really love to play with Julius Freeman or Dimitri Volosenkov, but realistically it won't happen so maybe Papa Gage or something. Not very. I want no part of expansion, and I doubt I'll ever play for Moscow or Malmo with the two dots over the "O". Denver Wolfe. It's between me and him for the Sullivan Trophy. In his first game for Halifax, he was kicked off the ice for very loudly expressing his best regards to one of the referees who recently got married. Only he did it in Russian. The ref, knowing that Volosenkov had a rather rough reputation, took this for Dimitri cursing him out and gave him a minor penalty, which only made Dimitri yell louder, trying to explain that he was only trying to congratulate the ref on his marriage. This resulted in a game misconduct for Dimitri Volosenkov. McWolf and Esso are the best couple. No question. People come to watch Jim and Pam, not Bob and Phyllis. Team Loyalty: 3/10 Ice-Time: 7/10 Contract: 2/10 Contender Status: 8/10 Great questions!

321 Toronto Legion @ HC Davos Dynamo 322 Moscow Menace @ New York Americans 323 Calgary Wranglers @ Vancouver Wolves 324 Seattle Bears @ Helsinki Titans 

I think my game is at the best it's ever been at so when everthing is going well for you, it is best not to change anything, however I think if I stayed out of the penalty box a little more, it couldn't hurt. Minnesota. The often beat us and I have a good rivalry with Denver Wolfe for the Sullivan Trophy. Las Vegas because I try extra hard and always destroy em forcefully. Of course, leading the team in points, leading defensemen in goals, top 5 in shots blocked and hits, second in powerplay points. It's all going very well for me. MacKinnon has been around since I joined the team and was actually the captain when I got here. Taught me a lot. Intangibles mostly, but he's a good leader for me. Hopefully playing for Davos and helping them contend for cups. I plan to leave Riga for Davos after next season.

While the VHLM has seen its share of top-end defenders this season, two seem to stick above the rest. A physical Halifax two-way veteran by the name of Basaraba Moose and Minnesota's offensive prodigy Denver Wolfe. Today, we will be analyzing each player's season and comparing them, for it is very likely that one of them wins the Ryan Sullivan trophy. Denver Wolfe - Minnesota Storm (S65): 53 GP, 15 G, 70 A, 85 P, +28, 113 SHT, 124 HIT, 72 SB Notable Statistics: -2nd in Points (85) -1st in Assists (70) -5th in +/- (+28) -6th in Hits Among Defensemen (124) -5th in Average Time on Ice (28:14) -7th in Powerplay Points (26) Basaraba Moose - Halifax 21st (S64): 52 GP, 26 G, 42 A, 68 P, +20, 172 SHT, 174 HIT, 90 SB Notable Statistics: -2nd in Points Among Defensemen (68) -1st in Goals Among Defensemen (24) -4th in Hits (174) -1st in Shots Among Defensemen (172) -4th in Shots Blocked (90) -6th in Average Time on Ice (28:02) -2nd in Powerplay Points (31) While Wolfe seems to be the better of the two players in the offensive zone, Moose's defense has the edge by quite a ways. Moose also has a better shot and scoring ability while Wolfe's passing is superior. Their ice time is relatively similar, however Moose has Wolfe beat on the powerplay while Wolfe is better even strength. Personally I believe that both of these defenseman are very gifted and both are very deserving of the Sullivan Trophy. Normally, the Sullivan Trophy is given to the defenseman with the most points, no questions asked, however with a player like Moose, who is even better defensively than he is offensively, it becomes tougher to judge who the winner is. It all depends what people value more. A player that can make amazing plays and control a team's offense, or a player who hits, blocks shots, scores lots of goals and can quarterback both penalty kill and powerplay like it's nothing. It will be interesting to see all of the GM's takes on it and which kind of player they value more, but personally for me, I would want my player to be top-end on both ends of the ice and Moose checks that box.

When I was 9 years old, I met John Madden, playing AAA Atom hockey, and we became the best of friends. We used to hang out every day and together we lit up the league for 3 seasons, me on the point and John on the wing. However, as time went on and John got more dominant, he started becoming a puck-hog and a coach's pet and I began to get jealous, though I kept my feelings under wraps as I didn't want to ruin our friendship. In 2013, John told me that he had been invited by a scout in Calgary to play rep hockey, and would be moving away the following summer. I felt sad and betrayed and I wasn't happy with my friend. Our parents set us up for one final visit in the week before he left and it ended with me hitting him over the head with a mini-stick and being sent home. I was devastated and regretted my actions for years. Letting my emotions for sports get in the way of a great friendship. I wanted nothing more but to make up with John, but I never saw him again. Until... I signed a mid-season, one year contract with the Halifax 21st of the VHLM, having just come off a good midget AAA career in Prince George and looking for a team. I had not forgotten my old friend, but I did not expect to see him in the arena lobby when I arrived for practice that week. We instantly rekindled our friendship and although I struggled throughout the season, John helped me fit in and get to know everyone. He was a great role-model for me and I felt like I was on top of the world when we played together. I made other great friends that season with the likes of Jesse Wilson and Nathan MacKinnon, both of whom were outstanding players. I felt right at home in Halifax to the point of not wanting to leave, but all good things must come to an end and we were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, after giving up a 3-1 series lead to the eventual Founder's Cup champions, the Saskatoon Wild. At the end of the season, Halifax GM, Shawn Glade announced his retirement, and new, unfamiliar management stepped in. I was sent into the VHLM draft where I was picked up by the Las Vegas Aces. John was still in Halifax, but a lot of my good friends had moved on from there, mostly to the VHL. I had a rough season in Las Vegas. In my first 34 games with the team, I only managed 2 assists and I got less and less ice-time each game. I felt like I had gotten to a new low in my life and nothing was working for me. I wasn't liked or respected in Las Vegas and I would hear grumblings about my lack of effort and such. About halfway through the season was my turning point. I just couldn't take anymore of the season in Las Vegas and I knew I wanted out, because I wasn't having any fun with the team. I decided to call up John and talk to him about how much I hated playing for the Aces and how much I missed Halifax. He talked to management about putting together a trade for me and before I knew it, I was on my way back to Halifax. When I arrived, I was reunited with John and some of my other ex-teammates such as Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Flipachyev. I was introduced to some other newer players such as Teagan Glover and Elasmobranch Fish. The next day, I hit the ice with Halifax and my game began going to a new level. The management was impressed and tried my out on the power-play and I began producing at 0.5 P/GP, which was very good by my standards. The team jelled well at the end of the season, led by John, Bolt Vanderhuge and Diljodh Starload. We finished second behind Las Vegas and enjoyed a great playoff run with late additions such as Shane Mars and Hunter Hearst Helmsley, both of whom had amazing playoff showings. We were eventually knocked out by Las Vegas in the finals, 2 wins short of a Founder's Cup title. This loss marked the end of John's career in Halifax and we once again, said our goodbyes, except for this time we were on good terms doing so. John headed to Davos to play in the VHL while I stayed in Halifax to prepare for my third season with the 21st. I worked extra hard on my game over the summer and it really payed off. I came to camp in S65 in top shape and made the first pair for the first time in my career. My season got off to a great start and I scored 10 goals in my first 14 games, blowing past my points record in only 11 games. Suddenly I was the go-to guy, the number one defenseman for Halifax and I can't lie, it felt good. My game continued picking up as the season progressed and Halifax found themselves in first once again. We added great players through free agency along the way and the team began looking real good. As of today, Halifax is still on top of the league, a point ahead of Minnesota with a game in hand. We just resigned my good friend Nathan MacKinnon and he will improve our team a fair amount. And what about my plan? I want to spend a season in Riga before hopefully heading to Davos as a UFA to play with John, for my ex-GM Shawn Glade. I don't want to take things too quickly, my career is just getting started, but I'm loving every bit of it and can't wait to make a name for myself as a top-notch stay at home defenseman. 1,000 Words Claiming for weeks ending March 31st and April 7th.

Three compliments in a day is more than I normally get. Thanks! I appreciate it, good article as well.

Toronto 3-2

USA

I don't think Cody Smith gets enough credit for the defense he plays. He hasn't been scoring much, but he doesn't get much recognition for his 2-Way game. I have a sort of competitive rivalry with John Madden, but we're good friends off the ice. He no longer plays in the VHLM. In S63, I had a friendly rivalry with Jonathan Hill as well as Madden. This season, in my third season, I'm kind of stepping past the whole rivalry thing, but it does feel good to score goals against my old team, Las Vegas, especially against the goaltender, Sunny Burst whom was picked by Las Vegas with the 6th rounder Halifax dealt to reacquire me. Good trades. Will keep us in contention. Maybe gave up a little bit too much, but it's alright. Well Riga has a good top 4 on defense, so I'm hoping that either someone leaves for free agency, or else I'll have to try to take my ex-teammate, Bolt Vanderhuge's spot on the roster. Maybe, it would be cool to see if Halifax will contend for a 5th straight season. Edvin coming back, maybe Chase, Gaudette and Nacho as well. Ryan Ellis.