hockeyis66

97 HC Davos Dynamo @ Riga Reign 4-2

94 Vancouver Wolves @ Calgary Wranglers 95 Moscow Menace @ New York Americans 96 Seattle Bears @ Helsinki Titans 97 HC Davos Dynamo @ Riga Reign

Orange you glad you have me to make puns like that?

Rookie Kari Jurri didn’t expect to come out of the gate so quickly and be one of the top goal scorers in the league and he also didn’t expect to get a call from a major hockey clothing company for a sponsorship. “I was very surprised to get a call from the execs from Ferda Apparel saying they wanted to sign me to a 3 year deal and I was like you sure you got the right player?” After a long and productive meeting, Jurri signed on the dotted line. So what does this mean for Jurri? He will wear exclusive Ferda hockey apparel when he is not on the ice or in the arena like t-shirts, sweatshirts, shorts and hats. He will make special appearance around Houston to promote the hockey clothing line. He will be in Ferda Apparel stores, bookstores, coffee shops, sporting goods stores and even local schools. There will even be a Kari Jurri fantasy camp during the offseasons where fans can win a chance to skate with Jurri and win Ferda Apparel. More importantly, Jurri wants to make to reach out to all the kids he can and get them involved in the game of hockey. “I want to provide the kids of Houston with a positive role model and show them that if you work hard, you can achieve whatever goal you want and I can do that through my partnership with Ferda Apparel.”

We are now 6 games into the first season for the Houston Bulls and if you told them they would be in a tie for 3rd place right now with a 3-2-1 record and 7 points, I think mostly everyone would be happy but the Bulls would not be shocked at all. Now granted all 6 games have been against the same team, but lets take a look at how Houston has done so far: Game 1 – The home opener and just over a minute into the game, Laughton scored the first ever regular season goal on the power play to send the crowd into a frenzy. However, the lead would be short lived though as the Rush tied it two minutes later. The Bulls got a power play goal again in the first as Sparrow found the back of the net and a 2-1 lead. The second period did not go well for the Bulls as the Rush scored 4 and the Bulls only one off of the stick of Gibbles and the home team was down 5 to 3 going into the third. However, Gibbles got his second of the game and a power play goal to cut the lead to one and rookie Jurri scored his first with just under 8 minutes left to send the game into overtime. However, the home crowd went home sad as HHH scored the game winner and a Rush 6-5 win. May stopped 22 out of 28 in the loss. **celebrating the first goal in Houston Bull history Game 2 – The Bulls took the road for the first time and Kirbsson scored his first career goal in the first for a 1-0 Bulls lead. However, the second period would give the Bulls trouble again as the Rush scored 3 goals and the Bulls got goals from Sparrow and MacElroy as the game was tied at 3-3 going into the third period. Just 58 seconds into the third, Jurri scored his second career goal and it would be the game winner as the Bulls got their first ever win by the score of 4-3. May stopped 27 of 30 shots and all 4 he faced in the third to pick up his first win. Game 3 – The third game between the two teams was much different than the first two – this one was low scoring and low shots as it was more of a defensive battle. The only goal of the game was scored about halfway through the third period as the Bulls’ Kozlov netted his first of the season and May stopped all 20 shots he faced for the Bulls first ever home win and first ever shutout by the score of 1-0. **one of May's 20 saves in the shutout Game 4 – This game was lower in shot totals than the other ones, but still had 8 goals scored as the Rush got their revenge on the Bulls by the score of 5-3. Jurri would score first for the Bulls by the Rush answered with two goals of their own in the first period. The teams exchanged goals in the second period as Kirbsson scored for the Bulls, but the Rush would take a 5-2 lead with two quik power play goals in the third period and Jurri would close out the scoring in the third with his second of the game to make the final score 5-3. May stopped 19 out of the 24 shots he faced. Game 5 – Another high scoring affair that came down to the last minute of the game to determine the winner. The Bulls took a 2-0 lead in the first period behind goals from Kirbsson and Griffin, but HHH would score the first two goals of the second period to tie the game for the Rush. Jurri would get a late second period goal and the Bulls would have a 3-2 lead heading into the third. A total of 6 goals were scored in the third period – the Rush scored the first two to take a 4-3 lead with 8 minutes left , but Jurri gave the Bulls the lead back with two goals in 16 seconds to complete the first ever hat trick in Bulls history. However, the Rush would tie the game with a little more than 3 minutes left and then win the game 6 to 5 with just 50 seconds remaining as Sigurdsson got the game winner. May stopped 22 out of 28 shots in the loss. Game 6 – The first 5 games between the two teams have either been one or two goal games. This game was not as the Bulls scored two goals each period and held the Rush to only one goal in a 6 to 1 win. Kozlov and MacElroy scored in the first period, Kirbsson and Jurri scored in the second and MacElroy and Jurri each scored their second of the game in the third period. May stopped 22 out of 23 shots as his record after the first six games is now 3-2-1. **rookies Kirbsson and Jurri celebrating a goal together

66 HC Davos Dynamo @ Moscow Menace 67 Toronto Legion @ Vancouver Wolves 68 Calgary Wranglers @ New York Americans 69 Moscow Menace @ Riga Reign

Wolves 4-2

Seattle 4-2

21 Riga Reign @ Moscow Menace 22 Helsinki Titans @ Calgary Wranglers 23 Toronto Legion @ HC Davos Dynamo 24 Seattle Bears @ New York Americans

Kari Jurri -- Houston Bulls -- Jake Guentzel

EARLY YEARS Kari Jurri was born in Groningen, Netherlands as the middle child of three children – one older sister and one younger brother. His father was a professor at the local university, while his mother was home and raised the kids while doing other things around the house like chores. Being the middle child and the oldest boy, he was often asked to do the bulk of work around the house, which instilled in him a strong work ethic. As it goes with middle children sometimes, he often found himself “forgotten” about and having extra time on his hands, which led him into becoming interested in sports. The Netherlands is known for soccer along with other sports like field hockey and volleyball. They do have basketball and baseball teams as well, but Jurri fell in love with the speed of the ice at an early age. He try out speed skating, but during the warm times of the year, Jurri would play soccer and then once he learned about hockey which combined the skills of soccer and skating, he would focus strictly on hockey. Jurri was not the tallest or shortest kid in his class, but he just had something else that they did not from a young age and that was the burst of speed. He could just out skate as well as out think other kids to the puck. His work ethic at a young age of skating, passing, stickhandling and shooting would aid him later in life. Once his chores and school work were complete, Jurri would grab a stick and just skate around with a puck and stick handle around obstacles, pass the puck off of walls on the house and just shoot, shoot, shoot into a make shift net that his father made him from PVC pipes and some netting. MIDDLE YOUTH YEARS Since he grew up on the northern coast of the Netherlands, Jurri was able to play hockey in Germany since the Netherlands did not have an organized structure. Jurri would often spend the weekends in Germany playing in tournaments but it benefited him greatly since he was able to play against good competition. After the first couple of tournaments, it was clear that he was much more skilled than players his own age – his skating was smooth and faster, his stick handling was superior, his on ice vision and passing were precise and his shot was just blistering. Not only could he pick the top corners over the goalie’s glove and blocker, he had so many breakaway moves that would leave the goalies not knowing which way he was going. Over his early teen years, Jurri would start to grow a couple of inches per year and one of the big things his German coaches had him do was to hit the weight room cause he was not overly bulky at all. He could skate and stick handle around defenders but if hit, he would lose the puck and his momentum easily. He would also train, train and train some more. He would be doing a lot of skating work as well as taking many shots both wrist and slap. He was learning to use his big body to shield the puck from defenders as well as changing the angle on his shots to confuse the goalie. Jurri was going to tournaments now all over Europe – like Sweden, Finland and Norway – to play against kids that were 2 or 3 years older than he was. Jurri could definitely hold his own against them and was opening the eyes of many scouts across Europe. Jurri was also a much-disciplined player and did not take many penalties or lose his cool at all. Although he was very competitive, at the end of the day, he was a leader among his teams and would often be named assistant or team captain due to his calm and easygoing nature. LATER YOUTH YEARS With Jurri now in his mid-teens and being 6’2 and about 185 pounds, he was definitely not hard to miss on the ice or off it. Jurri would now be traveling all over the world to tournaments in Russia, Canada and the United States especially since he had dual citizenship with Germany so that he could play. His fluid style of play caught the eye of many people and he was playing in 18U tournaments against players older but not necessarily more skilled. He was away from home a lot and missed his family, but was getting schooling on the road while still keeping his eye on the bigger prize and that was one day making the VHL. He was balancing life and hockey pretty well while still being a teen and cherished his time with his family when he got it. The summers were pretty busy still training even though it was warm out, he was still skating, working out and doing different stick handling and shooting drills. He would run to work on his stamina, lots of different workouts to strengthen his core, stretching and yoga to keep his muscles loose and some rowing to keep his shoulders and chest strong. By the time he was 17, Jurri was now 6’3 and about 200 pounds. As he grew and put muscle on, he did not lose any speed and was like a freight train going up and down the ice. He had to learn to play smart hockey in that he couldn’t stay on for extended shifts and he couldn’t try to do too much on the ice himself which would cause turnovers, etc. He was getting a hard look from scouts in the VHL’s minor league system the VHLM. Then the call came – “There is an opening in Oslo for about the final 10 games of the season and then you will enter their VHLM draft after the season is over.” Jurri jumped on the opportunity and was able to play in 11 games, scoring 3 goals and assisting on 2 others for a total of 5 points. He was also able to get a taste of playoff hockey as Oslo made it to the semi-finals. Jurri made the trip to Philadelphia, PA for the VHLM dispersal draft. He was fully expected to be taken somewhere in the second round, but with last pick of the first round and 8th overall, Jurri heard his named called by the management team of the expansion Houston Bulls. The next step of his journey toward the VHL starts here and for the next couple of seasons, its going to be a wild ride in Houston with this goal scoring stud.

When he heard his named called at the end of the first round, 8th overall, by the Houston Bulls, Kari Jurri couldn’t believe it and had to let the amazement sink in for a couple of minutes. Jurri had expected to go in the second round and probably thought he was going back to Oslo/Minnesota, but Jurri is more than happy beyond belief to be part of an expansion squad. “I was kinda like did they really call my name? I was about ready to go get a pepsi and some cotton candy cause I really thought I would go second round.” Expectations for the team will be tempered of course since it is their first season in the league, but with a great GM in place, the Bulls fully expect to make the playoffs and everyone on the team is ready to go and keep updating their player. As for the expectations of being a first round draftee, Jurri relishes in the opportunity and cant wait to hit the ice with his new teammates. He is going to work hard both on and off the ice to improve his player and nothing short of a 30+ goal season and close to 80 points will be expected.

In their first ever VHLM Dispersal Draft, the Houston Bulls drafted 8 players in the 7 rounds to start to build out their roster. They had already selected Viktor Kozlov in the expansion draft as well as picking up an additional 3rd and 4th round picks. With the #6 pick overall and the first ever draft pick from the Bulls, Houston selected center Maximilian Kirbsson from Sweden. He is 6’ and 195 pounds and can skate, pass and handle the puck whereas Kozlov is more of a bruiser at center who is very strong and is not afraid to throw his body around. Time will only tell if one of them moves to wing to give the Bulls a solid first line or will they stay strong down the middle with a two center system. At the #8 pick overall and last in the first round, the Bulls selected a left winger out of the Netherlands by the name of Kari Jurri. Jurri stands 6’3” and 210 pounds and although he doesn’t throw his body around, he is tough to get off the puck. He is a natural scorer but can also skate and play solid two way hockey. He played in 11 games last season for Oslo and had 3 goals and 2 assists and will see a heavy amount of ice time on both ends of the ice. In the second round and 12th overall, defenseman Fylo Gibbles from the USA was selected by the Bulls. At 6’2” and 220 pounds, he is an offensive defenseman that can skate very well and plays solid defense in his own end also. Expect him to quarterback the power play and lead the rush up the ice for the Bulls. He played in 41 games for Vegas last season and had a goal and 5 assists. With two picks in the third round, the Bulls selected left winger Milan Griffin and goalie Owen May. Griffin is another big player who can skate well and he is more of a defensive winger. He played 33 games last season and had 4 goals and 7 assists. May will be the #1 goalie for the Bulls and like the other Bull players, is over six feet tall at 6’2”. He has quick reflexes and will be working on his side to side movement and rebound control. In the fourth round, the Bulls selected another 6’+ player in left winger Blake Laughton. Laughton is pretty raw right now but is working on a number of areas like checking, skating, scoring and defense. The fifth round produced another defensemen for the Bulls by the name of Jerry Garcia. He is pretty sound in his own end and is working on his checking, strength, puck handling and passing to compliment his defense. A defenseman was once again picked in the sixth round and that was Canadian, Joseph Gagnier. He is a decent skater and solid in his own end and will be working on the other areas of his game throughout the season. And with the last pick the Bulls had, right winger, Callum MacElroy was taken in the seventh round. He is well rounded offensively and defensively and can pass and skate giving the Bulls some depth at the wing position.

Worst Team: Mercs Bronze Medal: Europe Silver Medal: World Gold Medal: Canada

Kari Jurri Houston Bulls Free week 12 tpe (week of feb 25th) Free week 12 tpe Doubles Week (week of feb 18th) 5 Uncapped (week of feb 18th) Transaction ID: 0U727823J36114202

SBA partnership article -- +6 tpe

After joining the VHLM post trade deadline and playing in 11 games with 3 goals and 2 assists, Kari Jurri is excited for the upcoming draft to see where he will begin probably a two season career in the minors. “Honestly, it doesn’t matter to me where I play the next couple of seasons, I am just happy to be joining the VHL and showcasing in the VHLM my skills and abilities to get drafted to the big league. I had a great time in Oslo and hope they draft me back since I know some of the players and management already.” Once the playoffs were over, Jurri has started his off season program of skating, puck handling and shooting drills but also has been working on some areas of his game that are weaknesses like passing and defense. He is putting several hours a day on the ice in morning and afternoon sessions while watching videos of his game in the evenings to find any improvements in his game. “I want any team to know that when they draft me, they are going to get a guy that is going to work hard both on and off the ice on improving his game and being a fan favorite in the community as well. I would love to win a championship in the VHLM and hopefully show the VHL clubs that I am worth a first round pick in a couple of seasons.”

+10 Kari Jurri

NAME: Kari Jurri POSITION: LW HEIGHT: 6’3” WEIGHT: 210 lbs BORN: Netherlands SHOOTS: Right handed Jurri is an intelligent sniper who has a quick and precise shot that allows him to hit the corners of the net even when he is skating fast. He is also a fluid skater that when combined with his quickness and agility allows him to be in control of the game. Shows impressive hockey sense and an ability to think the game. STREGTHENS Skating: Jurri has a quick first step and once he gets in front of a defender, its hard to catch up to him. He is a very smooth skater and has a surprising quick change of pace leaving defenders flat footed. He is uses his skating to adjust on the move and then find himself in a prime scoring situation by taking advantage of poor positioning from the defense. He also uses his skating ability to start up the ice quickly whether it is on the rush or helping to backcheck. Scoring: Jurri has a lighting quick release, but more importantly, his shot is sharp and accurate. He gets a lot of power on both his wrist shot and his slap shot. When he receives a one-time pass from a teammate, it is like no sooner than the puck touches his stick that it is in the back of the net. He will have to get used to having less space in the North American game, but somehow, Jurri always finds himself in the right spot to take a pass and get a shot on goal. Puck Handling: In an effort to use his scoring touch and ability more, Jurri possesses above average stickhandling and creativity abilities with the puck. He also uses his strength, reach, vision and hands to protect the puck from other teams. Tends to hold onto the puck too long instead of using his abilities to make a play happen or just get the puck to the net. WEAKNESSES Checking: This is one area of Jurri’s game that will need to improve as he makes the move to North American hockey. He will need to develop a game that isn’t afraid to go into the corners and retrieve the puck and fight those battles along the boards. Becoming a little more physical in his game, will allow Jurri to become a more aggressive forechecker and impose his will on unsuspecting defensemen to generate turnovers and more scoring chances. Passing: Being a sniper doesn’t mean that Jurri can’t be a decent passer either. Often times, his passes are too far ahead or behind his teammates instead of putting the puck right on their sticks. If Jurri wants to maximize his potential especially on the power play, he will have to learn to make passes to teammates to set up some open space for himself. He will never be that “pass-first” kinda of player, but being able to hit open teammates with passes will not only make the team better but will also make Jurri a more well-rounded player who will be able to play in all situations. Defense: Another area the Jurri needs to work on once he hits North American ice is his defense. He needs to be able to use his skating and hockey sense to get back on the forecheck and create turnovers to get his team going the other direction. Jurri needs to play hard on defense and learn how to take plays away from the opposition as well as learn how to take passing and skating angles away from other players.

1) The finals are on, Vegas vs Halifax. Who's your pick and why? Vegas -- They have been strong all season and have been playing great defensive hockey so far in the playoffs which is what you need to win 2) The VHL and VHLM draft are coming up this offseason. If you're getting drafted to the VHL this year, where do you hope you go? If you've already been drafted, what are you most looking forward to in the VHL? I will be getting drafted into the VHLM and am happy to go anywhere but definitely wouldn't mind going back to the Storm since I am familiar with everyone there so far and enjoyed my limited amount of time there 3) With the offseason upon us, what's your player's favorite postseason activity? Staying in shape and working out -- after taking a couple days off from the end of the season, its back at training on the ice and the gym to improve my skills 4) Looking back at this last season, what's one thing you're going to miss about the VHLM once you've moved up? Luckily I will be coming back but I always like the atmosphere of the minors compared to the big leagues 5) Coaches always push for their players to "leave it all out on the ice." Do you feel like your player followed that mantra this season, or is there more to them that we have yet to see? I think I definitely showcased my skills in the small amount of games I played this season for Oslo and whichever team drafts me in the upcoming VHLM draft is definitely going to get to see more of what I have 6) Excluding the drafts and offseason tournament, what would you like to see the VHL host in the offseason in order to make it a little more fun? maybe some sort of off season beer league type of thing where you just crank up the scoring and maybe let some non-gm guys run the teams etc to get a feel for the sim and the experience of running a team for future use down the road

sba partnership article -- +6 tpe

One of the main reasons why I joined Oslo was they were almost a lock to make at least the wild card round and I wanted to get a taste of playoff hockey this season. We knew that Saskatoon wasn’t going to be a push over and would give us a tough time and that was evident in the first game as it went to overtime and we had a big second period in the second game which helped to pull away from them and give us the series win. Overall, I was happy with my play and I scored two out of the eleven goals we scored in the series. I was able to get 4 shots on goal in both games and get good looks at the net. Going against Vegas in the semifinals was a battle and it opened my eyes to just how tight checking and how much the focus on defense there is in the playoffs. We were certainly a little shell shocked in the first game but I thought we played them tough in game 2 and showed them we were not going to go down without a fight. I was pointless in the first game and scored the only goal in the second game on the power play. Both of our home games were heartbreakers especially game 4 in double overtime and I was disappointed to not get any points in either game, but the experience I gained for myself was key and I hope to use that with whatever team drafts me in the offseason!

1) Finally, playoff time is here! Make your claim right here, who's going to take it all? I still like Las Vegas to win it all since they had the best defense in the regular season and that is what usually wins in the playoffs 2) If you made it to the playoffs, what are you going to need to do in order to take home the cup? If you missed the playoffs, what are you going to do to come back stronger for next time? We are going to have to play out of our minds against vegas in the semi's -- limit their time in the offensive zone and force them to play defense and be physical with them to wear them down 3) If you could, would you stay another year in the VHLM? Why or why not? I definitely would just so that I can hone in on my weaknesses to improve them before making the jump to the big leagues -- I want to step right in and compete at the next level right away and if that means another season in the vhlm, then I am willing to do that 4) The playoffs are where stars are born. Which player do you think will rise up to the task and pave the way for their team? I think if Ottawa or Halifax is going to win, players like Kyson Blake for Ottawa and Nikita Flipachyev are going to have to have big playoffs -- they were top 25 in scoring during the season, around a point per game or a little less, but probably play on the 2nd or 3rd line and each one of those teams will need the secondary scoring help to upset Vegas 5) Are you or your team following any playoff superstitions this season? i just try to follow my same game day ritual -- dont change anything, dont do anything different, etc. even during the regular season during a winning or losing streak, i try to keep everything the same no matter what  6) The Achievement Tracker notice went live not too long ago, and claims will be open until the playoffs end. Are you happy with how much TPE your player will be awarded? -- I joined too late to take advantage of any extra tpe, but it gives me a good idea on my future build for the vhlm to max out the potential here

1) The VHLM has officially announced expansion, with the new teams seeing action as early as next season! What are your thoughts on the teams they unveiled, or expansion as a whole? --The expansion seems very well thoughout and isn't an overreaction to a bunch of people signing up. It will give more opportunity for people to run teams and allow new people that sign up the chance to get significant minutes over players that have gone inactive 2) If you were the GM for a new expansion team, what would be the first order of business? --I would start hitting the draftees list pretty hard and seeing if I could move up in the draft at all to grab someone to build around or scouting the depth to see if there is someone I could steal in the second or third rounds 3) Four teams have now clinched, and two are fighting for the last available playoff spot. Who takes it, Saskatoon or Yukon? Yukon has the better offense but I think in the end, Saskatoon and their better defense and goaltending will win the final playoff spot 4) Which VHL team has the best logo/design to you? Why? I like Seattle's the best -- the bear looks tough, angry and someone who you do not want to mess with 5) When you leave the VHLM to play in the VHL, what legacy do you think you'll leave behind? How will you be remembered for your time in the minors? That I worked hard earning my tpe and left everything out on the ice to help improve the team I am with and give them the best chance to win night in and night out 6) You're eligible for some free TPE if you recruit a friend and they end up sticking around; how would you pitch the VHL to an interested friend? Great community, lots of fun, pretty easy to earn tpe and build a decent player without putting in too much time during the week

1. What style of goalie are you looking to become -- butterfly, standup or a hybrid? 2. What are the strengths and weaknesses to your game right now? 3. With Ottawa currently third in the standings and not that far from first, do you think you will see a start before the end of the season? 4. Who is the one player you do not want to see come down on you on a breakaway? 5. What are you looking to accomplish in your VHLM career?