Bonzaijoe

If Ko Kane went to LW then I'll take him! @Enorama

Me? I asked for some new ice skates to get back out in the hockey leagues next semester! Looking forward to starting an ice hockey career of my own haha My Player? New team? New pads baby. The green and yellow team customized pads. Beautiful. The Aces? More success, I guess. This team has some chemistry going into the new season and I think if everyone keeps doing their part, this strong squad can make it far! Would it be too homer to say the Aces? I have a good feeling about this season and I think we have some solid power to work toward the cup. Not to be too homer again but watch out for us! Ultimately, I'll have to go for the Aces and the Lynx. I think after this past year the Wranglers are on a MISSION. I think they want that cup baaaaad. I think Wranglers are gonna take it over the Reign in a finals rematch! It should be an exciting one that I'll look forward to watching but at the end of the day I think Calgary is gonna come out of the gate this season lit on fire from the finals loss. Whichever team I can fit the best on, if I'm gonna be honest. I've stated before that I'm lucky to have some GMs believe in me and my future as a VHL goalie, and I'll be happy wherever I'm wanted. If I had to pick one in particular though, it may be Toronto. The city is great, they love their hockey, and the team itself is one of my favorites... Without playing too much favorite here haha Hopefully I'll grab an assist or two! I'm feeling good about my offensive production this season

Maxim Kovalchuk @Infernal

Done!

Ryuu Crimson @Enorama OTC

Malenko for me please! @Infernal OTC

Posted at 11:51 PM. You know how it is lmao gotta get that TPE for this week

We're back for another edition of our now weekly update with young goaltender Joe Nixon, who was recently drafted by the Las Vegas Aces! I'm with him here today to ask him some quick questions about the moving process, how the new city has been treating him, and how the house hunting has been going in the desert as opposed to his previous Pittsburgh residence. "It's a whole new challenge," Nixon said of his house search, "I was just a college kid living in some garbage apartment, I didn't really have much to move here but I found a place I liked and this beautiful city is treating me well so far!" Nixon told us it was easy to move, but the transition was rough, "It's a little hot here," Joe joked, "In Pittsburgh it snowed until my classes ended in April, I walk off the plane here and it feels like you just get hit with a space heater." Nixon said moving in was easy, but there's something lacking. "I definitely need some new furniture," Nixon laughed, saying "I didn't have any before I came so I have the essentials like a bed and some dressers but maybe I need a couch so I don't have to sit on the floor anymore!" Lastly, I asked Joe how the city itself has been treating him, he said "I'm so excited to be here, and I've been welcomed with open arms. This city is absolutely beautiful and so much fun. The Aces front office has been so helpful and supportive of me becoming a part of the organization, and the team is so great. I just can't wait to actually hit the ice with them in a game." Thanks to Joe Nixon for checking in with us again! Catch you next week on the youngster's view as he begins training as the season begins!

I'll take Kriketers! You're on the clock @Enorama

Keaton Louth! Your turn @Infernal

Hopefully I don't suck too bad, I'm in!

Name after name after name being called during the VHLM dispersal draft that recently happened, and Joe Nixon sat down with us after each one went by. Nixon was eventually selected in the 5th round by the Las Vegas Aces, and the relief and happiness he felt when his name called was an experience like no other. Nixon, who has done interviews with us in the past few weeks, sat down with us one final time as a prospect before he was picked in the dispersal draft. "It's nerve racking to be here, to know that people were looking at me and that my name might be called by the end of the night, but never really knowing when," Nixon told us before the draft had started. We asked him where he thought he should go and he answered nervously, stating "First overall," Nixon laughed, "I mean that's what my ego wants it to be! I know that's never gonna happen, so I'm realistically hoping maybe third round or so? To a team that I think needs me and can utilize my game in the future? I mean that's all I can ask for really, I just want a GM who believes in me." Nixon waited a little longer than he had wanted, but that didn't get him down in the dumps. He told us, after the third round ended, "My prediction was off but maybe I'll get the call soon enough. I have my doubts, but I know that my game is at the level to play in this league, or at least will be soon enough. I have confidence that someone believes in me. I just can't wait to find out who.... I hope." Nixon said he was anxious about the upcoming rounds, but if he did eventually go to free agency, that he would make sure he would pick himself back up and show the GMs what they passed on. This was all before his name was called though, and his demeanor changed a little after he picked up that Aces hat and sat back down with us. "Okay wow, now the pressure is off. I feel great!" Nixon exclaimed, sporting his new Vegas gear. "The GM of the aces took a shot at me and that's so special. It's so amazing to know that in a league like this where the entry for talent is so high, at least one front office of people took a look at my films and said 'I want this dude in our jersey' and just even the thought of that is so incredibly flattering! I know what I said earlier about showing up teams who passed on me and stuff like that but that's just draft talk, heat of the moment talk. You know how it is. When you spend that time waiting you start to get angry and motivated to make yourself better to make sure that next time, you don't have to wait as long." Nixon was able to talk on and on about his future with the team and how the draft went overall, but he left to run over to the Aces press conference table, where he spent some time answering questions with the Las Vegas media who took their time to show up at today's draft. Nixon's view and complete turnaround of emotions really shows what's going on through a player's head as the draft is going on, but the special part about the process is the kids being able to leave this building with a smile on their face and knowing that their dreams of playing in the league are coming true, and all their hard work in the past is paying off to give them a future in the great sport of hockey.

Amazing! Getting drafted to the big leagues is all I ever dreamed of as a kid and having those dreams come true has been such a wonderful experience for me! Las Vegas has treated me unbelievably well with their welcoming me into the city and they treat hockey here like it's the greatest thing and I love it. It's a wonderful experience so far and moving in here has been a blast! In a time where goalies are everywhere, I definitely could've gone lower. Nobody really needs a goalie right now, which sucks, but it's just part of how it is in the league right now. That being said, if I were any normal skater I think I would've been undervalued. I'm working hard on my game and it's hard to judge whether or not the GMs took that part of my character into consideration with how high I was drafted. My game is improving and I can feel my amount of play getting better and better by the day, and I hope those who passed on me in the early rounds might be able to see in the future on the ice something they didn't see in me the other night at the draft. Improvement. It's always a factor. I'm a young goalie coming out of college play looking to get some ice time. The only thing I can do is work work work toward my main goal, which is to get as much time on that ice as I can while wearing these beautiful aces jerseys. If the coach can look at me and put me out on the ice with confidence in my game and my abilities to stop whatever comes at me, I consider that a success. I want to play this game, and do what I can to lead this team to as many victories as I can possibly help out with. Sadly, I was unable to participate in this Sponsons Shield tournament but look forward to hitting the ice in future ones! Call me Mookie Betts but if you think you can beat me in bowling, that's gonna be a no! Been bowling for as long as I've been playing hockey, so if you ever wanna challenge me let's hit the lanes. Spoiler alert, it won't work out well for you! As for favorite sport to watch other than hockey, though, it's gotta be Football

1!

13-9 is solid but I'm more of a 42-39 fan tbh

H2P!

It's cool, I kinda like the challenge haha One thing I will ask though is am I able to make a second player before the first finishes and have them playing at the same time? Just in case I do want to have a skater player that I'm not as focused on as I am with my goalie?

In a seemingly saturated world of goalies, we here at VHL.com have decided to take a look into the upcoming entry draft for the VHL and VHLM and the world of goalies as a whole, as some look from the outside in, trying to scope out empty roster spots to see where they can land. To delve into what it’s like from an outside perspective, we took a seat with Pitt Panthers Goaltender and VHLM Goalie Prospect Joe Nixon to ask him about what it’s like to play goalie in a time where seemingly all the nets already have someone standing in front of them. “It’s nerve wracking, if I’ll be honest,” Nixon said to us in his interview, “I’m being looked at as a high prospect and I know I’m getting a lot of praise and it’s so flattering but I have got to keep working and I know that’s a damn fact.” When we asked how hard his regimen is going into the draft, he answered, “harder than ever. I can go number one or one hundred, but if I’m going to a team that already has someone there that’s better than me, what’s that gonna do? I gotta work. I gotta get better. I gotta be that number one guy. If I get into the VHLM, how am I supposed to get to the VHL (while sitting) on the bench?” We also asked Joe what his thoughts were on the talent in the league. Nixon responded positively, “Those guys are great, don’t take what I’m saying the wrong way. I’m not gonna go out and be that number one guy immediately and I know that, I’m just saying my work ethic has gotta be hard in a league where goalies are fighting and fighting for that spot. I want people to know that I’m not gonna give up. I got a dream to fulfill, but it’ll take a while to get there with the absolute skill and class you see in the VHL nowadays. Tons and tons of respect for those guys.” Nixon had one last thing to say, “I’ll stand in front of anyone’s net though, whoever wants me for real. I’m not biased! I’m super stoked for the draft coming up. I’m working hard to keep myself in top shape for it.” Huge thanks to Joe Nixon for sitting down with us once again! In a world where it’s hard to get playing time as a goalie, the ones who usually do get the minutes end up being the hardest workers, and Joe couldn’t have said it any better.

With a cup for the Reign in sight, those player’s eyes are most certainly on the prize, which they have the chance of winning in the next game if they’re able to pull another victory from the Calgary Stampede. My eyes, however, are still on last night’s performance from the Riga Reign, and how they were able to use the second period of last night’s game to pull themselves back from a 1 goal deficit, grab the lead, and create a dominant third period performance to seal their third win in three games in this best-of-seven cup final. I’d like to focus on the third period though, and look more into the dominant, nine to four shot differential period where the Reign were able to defensively excel and shut down the Wranglers best scorers from making much of a forceful comeback in the final period of the game in front of their home crowd. First things first, I have to take a look at Calgary’s discipline in the final minutes of this game, questioning the reasoning for the two minor penalties that were committed by Louth and Johnsson at the 12 and 16 minute mark of the period respectively. Other than another offsetting fighting major split between the two teams, no other penalties were called in the 20 minute span. This discipline shown by Riga kept the Wranglers’ chances low, and their coaches smile wide. Calgary struggled to stay out of the box, though, and especially with the penalty that ran until the 18:07 mark of the 3rd period, the team struggled to maintain chances due to playing 4v5 for almost half of the final ten minutes of the game. Riga was keeping the puck out of their faceoff circles as well. In the third period of the game, the puck was dropped in the Wranglers zone 14 times, while only 8 times was it thrown down next to Reign G Kallis Kriketers. Take with this what you will, but the forcing of the puck for a stretch pass by Calgary may have ended in some untimely icings in the period, or maybe the Reign out-chancing and out-shooting them in the period took its toll, but the Wranglers could never seem to get that quality chance they needed in the late minutes of this game. Between possession and discipline, Calgary struggled to produce late in last night’s game 3 performance. The result was a 3-2 Riga victory, resulting in the Reign pulling to a commanding 3-0 lead on the finals. The end is in sight for this season of the VHL, but the Wranglers are looking to pull the upset of a lifetime, which will require the reverse sweep. Riga has been dominating a lot of aspects in these games so far, so a miracle might have to come out in order for Calgary to re-gain their mojo back and get their footing on this series. Can the Wranglers come back and make this interesting? Or are the Reign looking to enjoy this offseason, spending their free time with the sweet sounds of victory ringing in their ears? Game four should be an interesting one, but time will be the ultimate teller.

Woah this is sick! Thanks so much!

It’s a simple question that I don’t think many of us know the answer to. What REALLY went on during this insane finals game that led to a 3-2 OT Riga win? A quick look at the shot chart shows that Riga took a dominant performance out of the middle period of the game, but a glance over at the goal chart says otherwise? How really did this Calgary team manage to pull a 1 goal period out of something that seems so lopsided against them? That’s what I’m here to unpack in today’s statistical spotlight. The wild second period we had actually had the first two and a half minutes go by before a shot was taken, by the Calgary Wranglers. Kriketers was able to handle the shot, and the puck went to Riga for the time being. The next 3 minutes would be dominated by Riga, registering 2 shots on net, and registering 3 more shot attempts before the Wranglers could shovel one in the direction of Kriketers during the 6th minute of this game. The Wranglers defensive prowess mixed with the Reign’s inability to force Stopko to block a few shots in this time allowed Calgary to gain control and ice the puck a few times before finally being able to move down the ice. Don’t let this distract you from Stopko’s performance, however, as he was able to handle an absolute barrage of shots that were sent his way in the following minutes, stopping 6 more shots within 3 minutes of 7:21 and 10:21 of the third period, which included a Riga Power Play. The play that followed, however, was able to change the outcome of this period greatly. As Mats Johnsson left his seat in the sin bin, the Wranglers went on the attack, and Johnsson was able to shovel a pass over to Keaton Louth who was able to bury an absolute ripper of a goal past Kriketers at the 10:37 mark of the 2nd period. This goal would come on the first shot on goal in almost eight minutes for the Wrangles, and their on even their first shot ATTEMPT in 4 minutes and 16 seconds of the period. Johnsson would go on to show his “I should play goalie” mentality, blocking the next two Riga shots within 2 seconds of each other before a 3rd shot gets through and is trapped by Stopko. The absolute barrage of shots from Riga that have occurred form an absolutely dominant performance that just couldn’t match the goal-scoring ability that was shown from the Calgary team just after their penalty kill unit went down the ice. The Calgary goal would actually be the last shot attempt until the final minute of the period when Mats Johnsson ripped one from the blue line that was snagged easily by Kriketers. In the almost 9 minute time frame without even a shot attempt, the Reign would register 16 more shot attempts, with 6 of them reaching Stopko. The Reign would go on to have 2 more shot attempts in the final seconds of the period to reach a whopping 32 shot attempts, with 14 of them making their way toward the cage. This second period performance of the Reign, and Calgary’s ability to play the puck when the ice is tilted out of their favor could tell us one of two things, depending on how you look at it. On the Reign’s side, you could say that this dominant performance looks great on their track record, forcing Calgary to one of the least offensive 2nd periods you can have, or on the Wrangler’s side of things, you could say that this team can score when the chances are sparse and the opportunities don’t come their way. Either way you look at this, I can see an exciting final coming up between these two teams. Calgary’s ability to play well when facing diversity may have to come in handy, though, as the two game deficit has them facing a tough situation here in the VHL finals. Thanks for taking a look at this week’s game-day review! If you have any games you’d like me to look in-depth at, or would like me to look at anything in particular for a future “Statistical Spotlight” segment, feel free to let me know!

This week, with the current season winding down, we were curious as to what the thoughts of our young recruits are while entering the new season. To perfectly gather the thoughts of what’s going on through the almost-rookie’s brain, we spoke this week with Joe Nixon, an up-and-coming minor league goalie prospect out of Pittsburgh, PA. We asked Joe what it’s like to know he’s being looked at ahead of this new season and he replied bluntly, “It’s fantastic, there’s not much else I can say.” He thought for a moment before actually thinking of something else to say, noting “The opportunity is amazing, to go out and do what I love for a career? That’s what every kid dreams of. And my dreams are of standing in front of that net and making sure none of those [redacted] pucks get past me.” Nixon, being elated at the news that he was being scouted for the future, couldn’t help himself but to show his emotions in the form of language. He replied “Sorry, I’m just excited, ya know. It might be cliché but this is what I’ve been waiting for my entire life.” Nixon, as we let him get back to his team, couldn’t help but just thank us for the time we spent talking to him. He said, “as a kid, just these chances to sit down and have what I’m saying being written down in your articles… This is part of the dream itself. Thank you” And I think that sums it up well. Big thanks to Nixon for speaking with us! The young kid’s perspective is always an interesting one.

Done!

(Pictured Above, Nixon, While at a Junior's Tryout Expo during a summer in Red Deer) Player Information Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA Height: 6'3 Weight: 150 Age: 19 Rookie Bio Nixon, an up and coming goalie prospect from Pittsburgh, PA, USA looks to take his game to the next level in the Victory Hockey League. He is amidst his second season playing for a D1 ACHA Club team out of Pittsburgh's division of colleges and is posting a memorable season for his Pitt Panthers team. Nixon will report as eligible for the VHLM Draft this upcoming season and has let his college know he'll be moving on to the next level with his professional career. Nixon's strengths and weaknesses are listed below. Scouting Report: Pros 1. Glove Hand - Nixon's glove is fast as lightning, training with some of the best shooters of his hometown, making sure he doesn't get burned glove high like he had many times before. This amazing glove like ability has given him some of the flashiest saves his Panthers teammates have seen before, while making him one of the coolest goalies to watch in recent years. 2. Butterfly - While he was first starting goalie, Nixon once tried boasting his butterfly ability to a local passerby as they watched Nixon put his pads on in preparation for that afternoon's contest. That was a mistake that Nixon will never make again, as the passerby happened to be the opposing coach who immediately told his team to burn Nixon at the 5 hole, which they did successfully, again and again. Because of this traumatic experience, Joe has kept his butterfly on point and keeps his 5 hole closed as often as possible. This usually opens his high areas for the picking, but his improved glove hand keeps a dampening effect on that opportunity for the shooters. 3. Height - While standing tall at a large 6'3. Nixon stands above the rest, literally, matching the size of most professional players and hitting the top of the charts in the VHL and VHLM height category. His pads are bigger, his slim stature keeps him fast, and his height helps keep the top level blocked while in the butterfly position. This combination makes perfect sense for the stature of this goaltender, who has sometimes struggled with low hanging objects, but those aren't in the hockey rink, so he has no trouble there. Scouting Report: Cons 1.Blocker Side - With a glove like lightning, you'd expect the blocker to be good too, huh? Not so much, Nixon's focus on his glove game and butterfly position have dampened his ability at blocker and stick, making his right side a little awkward when going for a save. This also sometimes forces him to favor leaving more room for mistakes on the glove side while trying to position himself to force the shooter to go to the glove. Nixon is attempting to work hard on this aspect of the game, and he's noted personally that this is his greatest weakness, making it known he's doing his best to try to make it better. 2.Skating - Nixon, while looking great in those goalie pads, has been playing goalie for years, but just because he's been putting the pillows on his legs for a long time doesn't mean it's been on ice. Most of Joe's training from a young age came from street hockey, dek hockey, and roller hockey, noting that his winter sports would run into ice hockey and he never got into that aspect until later in like, around age 15 when he was a sophomore in high school. He notes that he tries his best to stay on the blades but a lack of experience is easily noted for his sometimes lackluster performance in the ice blade balancing act. 3.Aggressiveness - Nixon trusts his defense, not matter who he's playing behind. This can turn him into a little bit of a crease monster sometimes. He can choose to be aggressive on shootout and penalty shots a lot, but sometimes his over-aggressiveness causes him to get beat, or his under-aggressiveness causes him to get cause in the crease easily. Nixon also has a hard time deciding when it's right to leave his crease to grab a puck from behind the net. Sometimes this causes confusion and forces his defense to come back and make a play behind their own net. This hockey-IQ trait is being worked on adamantly by Nixon and he watches game film whenever he can to prevent bad plays like that from ruining his great stats.

Thanks! Looking forward to getting started! I've always looked at these leagues before but I'm excited to finally get in one!