Bonzaijoe

Two weeks in a row baby I'm on FIRE

I'm absolutely loving the success our team is having, we're getting big wins almost every other night and being able to push and push our way to that top spot has been so much fun. These playoffs are gonna be great. I'm looking forward to being able to play some high stakes hockey for that cup. I want to win it more than anything! Kinda.... It's still only about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way through the season. Anyone could have a great turnaround here so selling is odd. They're making preparations though. If they know what they're doing they could be in for some big wins next season for sure It's great! The help there is awesome and you'll almost always get a faster answer there than anywhere else. Sometimes it's a little off topic but the VHL discussion is always hot on the Discord server

Your chirps have been on point in these roster announcements, good sir

I want to thank @BladeMaiden and @Sonnet and the rest of those who help make the WJC happen for giving me this opportunity to GM Team USA in this competition! Without any more delay, though, here is my announced roster for the S64 WJC: @CurtisG93 @DaftRaincloud @eaglesfan036 @Jose Gonzalez @TMI @Brolaski @ShawnGlade @Ty343 @BluObieZ @ADV @Eparker24 @Philliefan @Fire Hakstol @pierogituxedo @ColeMrtz21 I'm really looking forward to the tournament! I think we have a great group of players and some solid up-and-coming talent on this team that could really put in some work! 'Murica!

Last night, the roster for WJC GM positions was released, and we saw some familiar faces like Jubo back in the front offices for Canada, but young GMs were also given an opportunity on the big stage to start an early chance at their own GM career. Team USA GM Bonzaijoe said "I'm so excited. This is a great opportunity for me, and I want to be able to put together the best squad I possibly can to bring home the gold. I love my country and being able to kick start my GM career while also representing my home land is so insanely cool to me." Joe will be getting his first taste at a front office position ever, as currently he only serves as the Agent for his friend and young goaltending prospect Joe Nixon. The world junior championships are an opportunity for young players and GMs alike to get their first taste of the world stage and both the players and staff are excited and nervous, but ready to compete and perform the best they can. We look forward to the start of the event and will be looking out for all new faces and young players to make a name for themselves in this competition.

No prior GM experience but I wouldn’t mind trying if you need someone!

We sat down once again with Vegas Aces Goalie Joe Nixon, fresh out the VHLM draft coming from Pittsburgh to do our weekly segment in which we've been dubbing "The Youngster's View"! This week's edition (like last week's) is a special edition, featured on VSN rather than VHL.com! Venture over to VHL.com to read the rest of our saga with Joe Nixon if you enjoy what you've read here today! This week, as Nixon has now started 5 games in his early VHLM career, we sat down to ask him a few questions about his first two wins, as well as how he feels about his performance in all 5 games, including the 2 other losses which he also suffered. "The wins feel great and the losses feel bad," Nixon simply stated, "it's as easy as that. I felt really good in those two wins, maybe they were closer than I wanted, maybe I could've stopped way more shots, but at the end of the day we got the win which is what I really wanted." So far this season, Nixon is at the bottom of the VHLM with only a .841 save percentage, although his GAA sits middle-of-the-road at 2.80, which probably says more about his defense's ability to stop players before they shoot rather than Nixon's ability so far this season. "I feel confident that I'm bettering my game and I can go out there and be better with the more time I get on the ice throughout the season," Nixon said, "I'm blessed that I've got the amount of game time that I have, but simply I haven't really been putting up the numbers that I want. That will change in the future and I guarantee that to my coach and team." I wanted to see how Nixon felt about how his defense has helped him and what the difference is in the game between his college career and VHLM game time. Nixon said the skill difference is the obvious difference, noting "My defense is better, their offense is better, I have to be at the top of my game and I need to stay sharp because the ones that actually get to me, unless my defense screws up, are the really good shots that are saves that I need to make." When I asked about any other differences, Nixon quickly noted "and the locker room. It's a huge difference between some college guys that are on a small stage and not really known and now I'm here in the room with professional players. We're getting paid to be here and live our dream. You can tell that these guys wanna go out and put on a show for those fans and they wanna put up the numbers to give us the best chance of winning. Not saying my college guys didn't want the wins, but it was just more laid back when it was less of a job and more of a game that all of us love more than anything. Also not trying to say my locker room now is too uptight or too hostile. We have fun. There's just.... a difference. It's hard to explain." Lastly, I asked Joe what he thinks he did right in his two wins. Joe answered with "I stopped the easy ones, and kept them to as few goals as possible. I know that's a cliche answer and not really what you're probably looking for but that's as simple as my job is. I thought my positioning in those two games were solid and I've allowed myself to get to the puck and stop it well. The wins feel great, I'm glad to know I could help my team, and I'm looking forward to stealing some more for my team in the future. Right now our guys are playing extremely well out there and our record shows it for sure." Thanks to Joe Nixon for sitting down with us again this week! We look forward to talking to him again soon, on next week's edition of "The Youngster's View"!

Titans 3-1

87 Helsinki Titans 88 Riga Reign 89 Calgary Wranglers 90 Seattle Bears

Only a little! This offseason I felt really good about the way our team was performing and really clicking, so I felt that our team could perform well during the season. The amount of success we've had though is really cool and I'm absolutely loving the way we're flowing as a team Absolutely! There's been a couple great free agent signings like the Denver Wolfe move that have really added a lot to the locker room and this team as a whole. Jubo has been really welcoming and has been picking up the right people to help put in as much effort as possible night in and night out Pretty solid! I've only had 3 starts, 2 of which I'm happy about. You have those off games though. It's all good at the end of the day though, I hope to make more impact in the future. My dream is to be a total shutdown goalie in this league who can come onto that ice every night I can and do what I can to give my team the best chance possible to win. I've been working hard at my TPE and I won't stop now! None, actually! This is my first and only one, and I am loving it

60 Toronto Legion 61 Riga Reign 62 Seattle Bears 63 HC Davos Dynamo

Toronto 4-2

Thanks!! I gotta give that one to the defense though, keeping Ottawa to 13 shots is great!

GM Jubo07 of the Las Vegas aces has called Denver Wolfe "The last piece of the puzzle." in regards to the Irish youngster signing a contract with the Aces recently. Wolfe, who has already been placed on the second defensive pairing, said that he's "happy to be here" and that recently, to improve his game immediately after signing, he's been doing "quick earning" to better himself as a player as quick as he can, since he's joining the season slightly after the first games have been played. Las Vegas is excited with the Wolfe signing and the locker room seems to be clicking with him instantly. Wolfe should be a great fit for this team, who needed one last strong defenseman to fill out a roster that was almost complete to begin with. The Aces are playing well so far this season, and having Wolfe in that already strong lineup is a recipe for a great team who can put in some damage on other VHLM teams as this season continues. Vegas has been improving with great force, too, as the top two earners this week on the "most improved weekly" list in the VHL are Wolfe and Aces backup goaltender Joe Nixon. With the strong showing from these players and the rest of Vegas, the team is looking to only get better as the season rolls on!

+10 for Nixon! Thanks!

1. Is Dick a nickname for Richard? If so, why do you choose to use the nickname when your last name has such lewd connotation when paired with the nickname? 2. Is there a medical condition I should be concerned about when asking you these questions? 3. You had a two goal game the other night! How was that experience? How do you think that game went for you and your team? 4. Do you feel good about how this season has started for your team? How far do you think your Halifax team can go this season? 5. Who do you think can take home the Continental Cup this year? What's your outlook on how the VHL season is going so far?

We sat down once again with Vegas Aces Goalie Joe Nixon, fresh out the VHLM draft coming from Pittsburgh to do our weekly segment in which we've been dubbing "The Youngster's View"! This week's edition is a special edition, featured on VSN rather than VHL.com! Venture over to VHL.com to read the rest of our saga with Joe Nixon if you enjoy what you've read here today! Today, we sat down with Joe after he came back into the locker room following his first 60 minutes on VHLM ice against Halifax in which the Aces took a 3-1 loss. We asked Joe how it went, and he said quite simply "Eh. Not what I was hoping for." When I asked for some more detail, he said "I wanted to be able to come out there and steal a win for the boys. It was looking great in that first 40 minutes but the third period hit, we broke our stride a little. It was tense after no scoring in the first 40 but once they scored that first one, I was done for." We asked Joe how he could improve his game and be ready for the next one, which he answered with, "Just practice, really. I need to stay sharp, focused, and play a full 60 minutes next time I'm out there. I can't collapse and let in 3 in the third period, I can't allow that many in. If I stay on top of my game I have full faith in my ability to stop that puck and take home some wins for this team." Feeling for Joe, we brought up how the rest of his team performed. We told Joe that one goal isn't much to work with and he shouldn't put it on just himself, as the game is a team effort. His response was "1 is enough to win a game. 1-0 works, I know that. It's not my place to talk about how the rest of my team performed, I just need to go out there and be my best to help these guys out. If I can take a game and give that other team 0 points, I will. The guys in front of me are putting in their work, I'm putting in mine. It's my job to keep that other team to as few goals as possible, regardless of how many goals my own team gets. I'll just have to come in hot and ready for the next game. No days off." Lastly, we asked how it felt to get his first start. Nixon said, "It was great! I'll keep talking all night about my performance but it's really special to be able to go out there and play for my team, regardless of the outcome. I'm so happy that my GM and Coach have the confidence in me as a player to put me in that net, and I'm so unbelievably blessed to be able to come out here and play the game I love as a job. It truly is a dream come true. I can't wait to be able to represent my team as the season rolls on." Thanks to Joe Nixon for sitting down with us again this week! We look forward to talking to him again soon, on next week's edition of "The Youngster's View"!

Not how I wanted my first start to go. Sorry boys, I'll pick it up for next time. Let's get back at it!

Stoffiday's a beast

Player Name: Joe Nixon VHL/VHLM Team: Las Vegas Aces Cash you have: 6.5 Million Purchase Name: The First Generation Cost of Purchase: 500k Cash Left: 6 Million Cash you have: 6 Million Purchase Name: VHL.com Upgrade Cost of Purchase: 3 Million Cash Left: 3 Million

I think the delay was an issue with scheduling and travel around the holiday time, but I totally understand why it was necessary. It's a crazy time of the year and now that we have the games up and going, we should have a smooth rest of the season. I agree, the battle of the GMs not only has upper management at a battle with each other, but it trickles all the way down to us as players, trying to prove the other team and their management wrong in every game with each other. It's starting to get fierce and fun, and I look forward to every chance we get to prove our team to the others. I think that, as a reporter here asking me these questions, your job may be a little more open ended and doesn't require the same amount of experience and ice-level knowledge as detailed answers of the questions. It's still a little weird though, I'd agree. The TPE system is a little odd in regards to asking questions, but it's understandable. Kriketers is a frickin' wall out there in front of his net. He's definitely one of my favorite players on the ice in the VHL and I hope to train as well as him. Recruiting events through reddit! I was scrolling through /r/coyotes and took a peek at the post that was there and it sounded extra interesting to me, and I immediately signed up!

Riga Calgary Dynamo Toronto

Riga 3-2

Game one of the VHL’s 64th season happened the other night when the Meute of Quebec city went into the house of the Seattle Bears and gave the Seattle team a rough night. Quebec went on to win the game 5-1 despite only recording four shots in the opening period of the game. The first period was a defensive showdown, with Quebec City only recording 4 shots on goal, and Seattle only tossing 8 in the way of the goalie. Some might say the defense came up big, but some might say the offense was slow. Despite there only being 12 shots on goal in the period, the shot attempt counter sat at a combined 23 between the two teams after the first 20 minutes had come to an end. The only goal from the period landed in the Bears net when Veran Dragomir of the Meute missed the net twice in a row within 4 seconds, with the rebound off the boards landing right on the stick of Marvin Harding for the Meute’s mid-period tally to break the opening tie. The period featured a ton of missed shots and a surprisingly small amount of blocks despite the low shot on goal conversion happening throughout the time frame. The second period was when the forwards for each side started realizing where they were supposed to be shooting the puck, as a total of 23 Shots hit the net on a listed 55 shot attempts. The conversion percentage is still low, but the volume of shots being sent in the general direction of the net was exponentially higher. The 55 shot attempts, 23 shots, and 3 goals in the period made an exciting one, but the Bears never really got their groove in this game, while they went down 3-1 as the 2nd frame of the game was coming to a close. This period had actually eclipsed the first period in shots and attempts before the halfway point even hit. This period was filled with high paced action, and a very close, competitive game between two very competent looking hockey teams. Seattle actually notched the first goal of the second period early, to tie the game at 1 before the tie was broken at the 9:45 mark of the period by Quebec City’s Samuel Gate. The third and final frame of the game needed to be a big one from Seattle. They came out of the locker room staring a 3-1 deficit in the eye and were determined to attempt to tie it up in a big fashion and pull a W out of somewhere only they knew. This attempt was stopped short by the Meute, however, as the offense was considerably powerful for Quebec City, who recorded 20 shots on goal in the period, leaving Seattle with a measly 8 in their big 20 minute attempt to tie it up. The barrage of shots coming toward Seattle goaltender Roger Sterling was too hot to handle at times. Sterling let two goals in during the third period. B. Louth and Gate’s goals put Seattle away for real for the rest of the game as they coasted to a solid 5-1 victory over the Bears in the season opener. The three stars of the game were well deserved, those of which being Quebec City’s Samuel Gate, who finished the night with 2 goals and no assists, his first goal being awarded as the game winner. The second star of the game may have even been more deserved than Gate’s first star, as Veran Dragomir helped his teammates a ton, notching a team-high point total of four assists during the 60 minute contest. Dragomir played extremely well on the ice tonight, and the recognition he gets as second star is more than deserved and possibly a little underrating how powerful his performance was throughout the game. The third star was also a member of the Meute, as Marvin Harding launched one puck into the net and grabbed an apple on another play, assisting on Gate’s 2nd goal, and Quebec City’s 5th goal of the game. All in all, this game was a solid start to the season and it showed me, as an analyst, that this Meute team is not here to mess around, and some of those guys have some hot sticks that can seriously put some pucks in that net! These two teams will meet again in game 7 of the season, which is the next time both of these teams will be playing hockey as well. They’ll both be on even rest and will have the same amount of film on each other. Will the next game be another big game from the Meute? Or can the bears get the rebound they need from this loss to take their revenge? Find out soon, as the opening night rematch is coming up!

We sat down once again with Vegas Aces Goalie Joe Nixon, fresh out the VHLM draft coming from Pittsburgh to do our weekly segment in which we've been dubbing "The Youngster's View"! Today, I wanted to get some insight on what it's like for a new player to walk out onto that practice ice with the team for the first time and how they feel overall about how they're performing with those early-practice jitters. "It was weird at first, for sure" Nixon told me on Tuesday evening, "Sometimes I had felt nervous, even just in practice, because obviously I'm trying to make a good impression on the coaches and everyone. It's a lot of pressure for a young guy but I like to think that I handled it well." I asked Nixon how he felt now that he's got a few more practices under his belt and they're looking forward to some of the games starting up soon. Nixon told me, "I feel better, I'm in the rhythm, I've met my teammates and started the whole team bonding process, I'm comfortable." Nixon assured, "The team has good chemistry and we're able to execute plays exactly how we should!" Nixon looks forward to the upcoming season a lot, saying "The team looks good! I feel good, and I'm confident I could get some icetime! All in all, I'm just excited. I want to play games for real and get out on the ice in this beautiful jersey in front of that crowd. It'll be an amazing atmosphere." Thanks to Joe Nixon for sitting down with us again! Looking forward to talking to him again next week! We here at VHL.com share the same excitement in looking forward to the season!