Ninetyfourgoalie

I'll apply. I've been doing excel spreadsheets all summer... nobody will even know I'm doing this at work! But yeah, I'm looking to get more involved in the league and think this is a good opportunity to do so. I have plenty of experience with spreadsheets and I can definitely be counted on for this job.

Why did my friend decide to bet with me that Brazil would win last night?

Sent $20 donation for season 38... will take an extra 5 TPE uncapped.

Introducing the Walser This Way Starters With the off-season arriving, it is time for the much-hyped Season 38 Super Cup. Occurring every three seasons, the Super Cup is essentially a fantasy draft of all VHL and VHLM players who compete for the ultimate prize, the Super Cup. Part of what makes the Super Cup so exciting is the fact that players who otherwise never would have had the chance to play with each other are afforded to opportunity to join forces and forget about whatever rivalries may be taking place in their respective leagues. Perhaps even more exciting is the prospect of seeing regular teammates battle against each other and hold nothing back as they have just one thing on their mind: winning. As someone who is particularly out of the loop with the VHL, I am going to introduce the starters of Walser This Way to enable myself and others in the league to become acquainted with some of the top players in the VHL. Left Wing: Xin Xie Xiao - New York Americans Xin Xie Xiao is a three season VHL veteran who has scored over 250 points in his career. This season, Xie Xiao truly established himself as a top player in the league with 98 points in 72 games, good enough for twelfth best in the VHL. In addition, his +/- of 56 was third highest in the league and while also leading the league with three shorthanded goals. Xiao was Walser This Way's fourth round pick and second forward taken by the team. He should be able to provide the team with a strong offensive presence as he has developed into an elite scorer in the league. While Xiao is the type of player that will shoot first, and often find success doing so, he certainly is no slouch defensively and will be able to help out defensively with his strong defensive awareness. The biggest knock on Xiao, though, is his strength. While he does stand fairly large in stature, he simply does not use his body to anywhere close to its full potential. This will be something Walser This Way will have to deal with and be cognizant of as they look to take home the Super Cup. Center: Travis Boychuk - Calgary Wranglers Travis Boychuk enjoyed unprecedented success as a rookie this season. Travis Boychuk just completed his first VHL season of his career with exceptional individual success despite the Wranglers' rough season in which they never were truly close to making the playoffs. Boychuk was the team's scoring leader with 103 points in 69 games. His 68 assists were third best in the league while his 103 points were good enough for seventh best in the VHL. Boychuk easily took home the rookie scoring title, scoring 23 more points than the next best rookie and displaying to the league why he was taken eighth overall by the Wranglers in the Season 37 VHL Entry Draft. Unfortunately, Boychuk will be the weakest link on Walser This Way's first line as he has a ways to go to reach the level of some of the VHL's top talent. But, Boychuk is a well-rounded player who, despite being extremely talented in one area, can beat opponents in a variety of ways. He will be an interesting player to follow throughout his career that has started off strong with an outstanding rookie season and a spot on the first line in his very first Super Cup. Right Wing: Odin Tordahl - New York Americans Odin Tordahl was truly the prize of the Super Cup Draft as GM Kendrick selected him first overall. Tordahl has been used to being taken early in drafts as he was the third overall pick in the Season 33 VHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Legion. In his six seasons in the VHL, he's amassed nearly 300 assists and over 500 points, making him one of the top players in the league. This season, his league-leading 128 points helped power the Americans to the best record in the league and displayed his dominance as Kameron Taylor, the VHL's number two point-scorer this season, was still thirteen points behind Odin Tordahl. While he was unable to help the Americans avoid an upset loss in the North American Conference Finals to the Legion, he is absolutely key to Walser This Way's Super Cup hopes. Tordahl is one of the very best and most talented players in the league and nobody would be surprised to see him atop the Super Cup scoring leaders at the end of the tournament. Defenseman: James Lefevre - Seattle Bears While never truly impressive, it's hard to knock on Lefevre's ability. James Lefevre is one of the most experience players on Walser This Way with seven seasons of VHL play under his belt. While Lefevre has never been an elite talent, he brings with him a strong defensive presence as well as an ability to make big plays in the offensive zone. As the team's 15th round pick, he very well could be viewed as one of the biggest steals of the Super Cup Draft as he will certainly not be a detriment to the team's high hopes for the Super Cup. He very well may have gone unnoticed for his lack of top-tier ability or ever being a player many people recognized but at his draft position, it was a no-brainer for Walser This Way to go with James Lefevre. Defenseman: Malcom Spud - Riga Reign Like Lefevre, Spud is also a player who will provide the team with some invaluable experience as a guy with seven years of VHL experience. Spud is another strong defensive presence and has a very similar playing style to Lefevre. Both are two-way defensemen with very strong defensive ability, which will be absolutely necessary for the team to have if they are to shut down the top talent in the world in the Super Cup. This season, Spud was a defensive force for the Reign as they finished with the second best record in the European Conference. While they suffered a loss in the conference finals, Spud turned in an outstanding performance, scoring 10 points in their 10 playoff games. Goaltender: Lennox Moher - HC Davos Dynamo Coming off a huge playoff performance, how will Moher perform for Walser This Way? Moher is a young goaltender in VHL terms but Walser This Way GM Kendrick made him their second round selection in the middle of a very early run on goaltenders. This season, Moher established himself as a solid goalie for the Dynamo, who had the second best regular season record in the VHL and ended up winning the VHL Finals in six games over the Legion. Moher gained valuable experience in the playoffs and the team will be hoping that his playoff success will translate into Super Cup success. Playing the most important position in hockey, Lennox Moher will be looked upon to be a leader for Walser This Way as he has plenty of talent in front of him to perform at a top level.

As one of the youngest and most inexperienced players in the VHL, Jerrick Poole had no expectation of playing in the Season 38 Super Cup. With just fourteen total games of experience in the VHLM, he is still a relative unknown in the league and truly only had his eyes set on the VHLM Dispersal Draft coming up. Yet, Walser This Way General Manager Kendrick decided to take Poole with the final pick in the fourteenth round to add a strong defensive presence on the team's third pairing. While Poole will obviously not have a large role on the team, one thing GM Kendrick has said about the team is that they have some real solid depth. This experience will be invaluable for Poole as he continues to simply try and establish himself as a solid player in the VHL and it will be very interesting to see how the youngster fares against some of the top talent in the world.

I noticed a lack of interest in the Season 39 VHLM Dispersal Draft, which is most likely because nobody really cares. But since this is my first player and all I really know is the VHLM, I definitely care and I figured I'd make a ranking of the Season 40 VHL Draftees here by TPE. Center Thomas O'Malley - 129 Defenseman Mason Richardson - 128 Center Tyler Cote - 123 Defenseman Gunzerker Salvador - 68 Defenseman Jerrick Poole - 65 Defenseman Joshua Rubin - 64 Center Filip Henrikkson - 55 Goaltender Ikier Manushez - 53 Left Wing Christopher Klose - 46 Left Wing Marcus Hurley - 36 Left Wing Da'Brickashaw O'Neal Jr. - 29 Center Jody 3 Moons - 17 Right Wing Boris Belov - 16 Right Wing Edgar Balthazar - 5 Right Wing Jarome Ritchie - 1 Left Wing Chris MacAuley - 0 Defenseman Mike Jones - 0 Right Wing Cody Nichushkin - 0 Left Wing Phillip McCracken - 0 Left Wing Bo Reinhart - 0 Overall, there are approximately three clear tiers. Obviously, O'Malley, Richardson, and Cote are in the top tier as their TPE totals dwarf the rest of their current class. Then in the middle tier you have guys like Salvador, Poole, Rubin, Henrikkson, Manushez, and Klose while the rest of the class makes up the bottom tier. Interestingly, so far, there are a number of strong defensemen who make up the true meat of this class that should give teams a number of options, which can be both a blessing and a curse due to the nature that some are bound to not live up to expectations.

Poole Looks To Future After the Lynx were swept in the North American Finals at the hands of the Yukon Rush, many turned their attention to Ottawa defenseman Jerrick Poole, who seemingly came out of nowhere to provide his team with a surprising boost defensively late in the season and into the playoffs. But, perhaps even more surprisingly, he certainly was no slouch in the offensive zone either. Poole will be one of the hottest prospects in the Season 39 VHLM Dispersal Draft this off-season and if he continues to not only perform but improve at his current rate, we very well may see him in the VHL at the beginning of season 40. When Poole made the decision to come to the VHL, he was quickly nabbed by the Lynx who were in desperate need of goal prevention as they looked towards the VHLM playoffs. He quickly made an impact in his very first game, picking up a goal off a blocked shot and began to find a groove with the team and began to display signs of not only VHL potential but the ability to become a very good or even elite player in the coming seasons. In his fifteen regular season games for the Ottawa Lynx, Poole was able to score two goals and assist on five more to go along with a +/- of 1. While these numbers certainly were nothing outstanding, they were a glimmer of hope for the young defenseman trying to make a name for himself as a defense-first player in an offense-first league. Jerrick Poole has appeared more and more comfortable with each game. But, once the playoffs came, Jerrick truly began to excel and establish himself as a top prospect. He made quick impacts on the scoreboard and was a major help in the Lynx's defeat of the Blades in six games. While they were unable to get past the dominant Yukon Rush, who the Lynx were ultimately swept by, one could not help but notice what Poole was able to do in the post-season. In their ten games, Poole's seven points were sixth best on the team while his 5 assists were third-best. In addition, his +5 rating and 27 shots blocked were both team highs for the playoffs. After his outstanding, and perhaps even breakout, performance this post-season, it appears that the sky is the limit for Jerrick Poole. Perhaps the most appealing aspect of Poole's game is not what can be seen on the box score. As many have noted, the VHL is, without a doubt, an offense heavy league. Very few teams actually have trouble putting the puck in the net but what separates the elite teams from the rest is an ability to prevent goals. Many young players entering into the VHL Entry Draft lack the ability to be strong contributors defensively yet Poole already is a solid defender, making him a player that, after a full season in the VHLM, should easily be able to contribute for just about any team in the league. But, the reason why he will likely be a top prospect for the season 40 VHL draft is not only because he is strong defensively - he simply works harder than many of his peers and it's unquestionably beginning to show on the ice. Poole's name has been popping up as a strong Season 40 prospect in early analyses of the draft class As Jerrick Poole focuses his attention of the off-season and the VHLM Dispersal Draft, it will be interesting to see where he ends up and how it bodes for his future. As for Poole, when asked about next season, he said that he "just hopes to be in a good situation. Obviously, my primary goal is to make the VHL and be a productive player there but it's always nice to have fun along the way. I had a great experience this season in my short time with Ottawa and I'm looking forward to wherever I end up, although coming back to the Lynx would be pretty sweet in that it appears like I would definitely be able to compete for the VHLM championship there. Overall, I'm just excited for whatever comes and I can't wait for next season to start!"

Thanks!

Since I'm having a ton of trouble getting an answer as to whether I can claim this as a S40 draftee this season, I'm just going to post this so I'll get a sure answer if I'm supposed to be doing this in S38 or 39. +4 Defense +4 Checking +1 Passing +1 Skating

Uhhh, so am I supposed to claim it this season or next season?

As a S40 draftee, I can only claim VHLM Training Camp in S39, correct?

Reign 4-2

Americans Reign Americans Dynamo

Claim 2

Jerrick Poole: The Biography Jerrick Poole was born in Boston, Massachusetts to parents Michael and Mother. His parents were both Massachusetts natives and met as athletes for the Boston University Terriers. His father played hockey at BU where he was an every-game player as a junior and senior. Much like Jerrick, Michael Poole was a stay at home defenseman who used his size to his advantage on the ice. But, Michael has noted that Jerrick is an overall more skilled player than he was and a significantly better skater which surely has helped him become a key player for the Boston Jr. Bruins and enable him to pursue hockey as a career. Jerrick’s mother actually played basketball at Boston University and at 6’2”, it came as no surprise that Jerrick would quickly tower over his peers. Jerrick's father, Michael, played college hockey at Boston University Jerrick’s father naturally introduced him to hockey at a very young age but surprisingly, it was not his first love. Perhaps it’s not so surprising but as a young child, Jerrick was an avid basketball fan and would always be practicing on the hoop in his driveway. While his height gave him a huge advantage, it was nearly the opposite for him in hockey. While he was significantly bigger than just about anyone he played against, Jerrick’s rapid growth left him a bit awkward and skating was a struggle. As he continued to excel in basketball, his interest in hockey faded, much to his father’s disappointment. But all was not lost for Jerrick’s future in hockey as he began to gain much better coordination and his natural athletic ability quickly became apparent. As his height advantage over other kids his age began to lessen, he started to gain much more interest in hockey and under guidance from his father, was able to combine a natural ability with constant practice and hard work that would enable him to become a dominant defenseman. When he was twelve, his parents decided to take him out of the town hockey program and encouraged Jerrick to try out for a “select” program. He went on to make the Valley Jr. Warriors, the team which he would play for over the next four years. Poole played his youth hockey for the Valley Jr. Warriors, a select program in his native Massachusetts At sixteen, Jerrick was truly coming into his own as a hockey player and looked to make the move to junior hockey. He experienced his first true athletic failure when he failed to make the Valley Jr. Warriors’ EJHL team and was forced to look elsewhere to pursue a hockey career. After a number of tryouts, he eventually found a home with the Boston Jr. Bruins who took a flyer on Poole due to a need for more defensive talent. While Jerrick would go on to have a solid two seasons with the Bruins, he saw himself lacking any significant NCAA Division I interest and decided he would have to look elsewhere if he wanted to continue his hockey career. Determined to prove his doubters wrong, Jerrick turned to the Victory Hockey League. Pros Work Ethic – This is perhaps the biggest thing, aside from his size, that Jerrick Poole has going for himself. He has always been among the hardest workers on his team, never slacking off in practice while also doing everything possible to improve off the ice. In addition, Jerrick feeds off his doubters and is always determined to prove people wrong. After being totally overlooked by schools all over the country, expect Poole to be the type of guy who will settle for nothing less than his best. Defensive Awareness – While many would expect a player of his size to be, first and foremost, a big hitter, Poole is a very intelligent player who will not unnecessarily throw his body around and find himself out of position. He knows what to do in every situation and doesn’t look for the big hit or try and make an incredible play; Jerrick’s primary goal is always to keep the puck out of the net and will not risk a goal to make a risky play if he doesn’t have to. Skating – Especially for a player of his size, Jerrick is a strong skater. This was the weakest spot in his father’s game and as a result, he worked closely with Jerrick to make sure he wasn’t lacking in an area that is absolutely essential for a player to be able to compete at a high level. Poole is able to keep up with opposing forwards and is also able to recover if he gets caught behind the play. Overall, with his long stride, he has deceptive speed and this enables him to engage even the most talented offensive players and beat them without the fear of falling flat-footed and being beaten. Cons Puckhandling – This is, without a doubt, Poole’s greatest weakness. While you can live with a defenseman who may not be very offensively inclined, it’s still important for any player to be an adequate puckhandler. This is something Poole has really focused on improving lately but for now, this is the biggest detriment to his game. Even if he wins a battle and picks up the puck in the defensive zone, he is prone to turning the puck over and giving the opposition extra chances that should be avoided. Offensive Awareness – This is probably the most obvious con to Jerrick Poole’s game. He is simply not very offensively inclined and is more of a defensive specialist. While this is definitely helpful in certain situations, he can be a detriment to his team’s offensive flow at times. His shot can be wildly innacurate and Poole is fairly indecisive when he gets the puck, leading to poor decision-making and, again, too many turnovers. While he has been working on his offensive game, expect this to be something that improves as he matures as a player. Experience – As a player who has only ever played for a tier three junior team, Poole lacks the experience against teams loaded with highly talented players. While he has, without a doubt, played against his fair share of extraordinarily talented guys, he not only hasn’t dealt with a team that can consistently roll out dominant players but he also has next to no experience going up against players who are significantly older than him and have been in a league for years. The VHL truly will test Poole and it will be expected that his lack of experience will be evident early in his career.

confirmed

Lynx Looking to Make Playoff Run With the Lynx in a three-way battle for the second and third North American playoff spots in the VHLM, it became apparent something had to be done to solidify their spot. While it was always clear that Ottawa was able to put the puck in the net, they had to find a way to keep the puck out of the net. With a fairly weak and inconsistent goalie in Jimmity Kricket, a guy who is almost surely a career VHLM player at best, and only one defenseman worth any playing time in Jack Ryan, GM flyserfan turned to the waiver wire. Through waivers, he picked up two solid season forty VHL prospects over the last week. First, the Lynx picked up defenseman Jerrick Poole. The Boston native is a strong defensive defenseman and was added to give the team more of a defensive presence and a better ability to keep opponents from getting so many strong opportunities each game. A few days later, they also added a defensive player, this time a goalie in Ikier Manushez who, while also a very young and inexperienced player, has already displayed signs of being a clear upgrade over Kricket heading into the playoffs. While they surely have a tough road ahead of them if they want to win the championship, one can certainly not say that the Lynx haven't done everything possible to improve their team.

Reign 4-1

ok, thanks!

Can someone help me fix the double spacing at the beginning? Please don't grade yet if it's going to negatively impact my grade.

Jerrick Poole Makes VHLM Debut In some exciting news, defenseman Jerrick Poole has recently made his VHLM debut. It was a much anticipated event for the Ottawa Lynx team as they've essentially been playing short defensemen all season, leading to one of the most porous defenses in the league and ranking in the bottom half of the VHLM in goals allowed. The addition of Poole is expected to be a huge boost to this team as it truly is the final stretch before the playoffs and they're entrenched in a three-way battle with the Blades and Wild for the final two playoff spots in the North American Conference. The waiver pickup of the young defenseman paid off immediately as he managed to get his name on the scoresheet just minutes into his debut game against the Yukon Rush where he picked up a blocked shot and ripped it past Brock Waldron to tie the game up at one after the Lynx surrendered an early goal. While the Rush would go on to win in a close game over the Lynx, it was an encouraging game for the entire Lynx organization as Poole looked strong and confident in his first game. Many are hoping he can be that final piece the team needs to make a strong run at the VHLM Championship but he does have a long way to go. Jerrick Poole has transitioned nicely into the VHLM At the post-game press conference, Jerrick Poole appeared more disappointed than anything. "Of course I'm happy I was able to score early in my first game. But I don't think I was brought here and given so much ice time tonight to score. I don't think anyone has ever questioned this team's ability to score goals. I was brought here to prevent goals and help this team win games and it's not a great feeling to start off my time here with a loss. But I don't want to be too negative - I think we have a lot of potential here and I think we can surprise people around the league at what we're able to do the rest of the season." Poole has continued to play well for the Lynx since his first game and has managed to pick up two goals and two assists in his eight games for the team. He is quietly becoming a player many around the league are taking notice of with not just his play but also how hard he works and his attitude towards the game. His defensive style is something that is hard to find in the offensive VHL and VHLM which makes Poole a very intriguing player. His career is very young but very promising and as long as he continues to perform and improve, he is the kind of player that will be highly sought after by teams all around the world.

Wild - 5 Watchmen - 3

Red Wolves Blades Rush Lynx

Jerrick Poole Rookie Profile Position: Defense Number: 77 Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts Age: 18 Jerrick Poole was destined to be an athlete from the very beginning. With both of his parents standing well above six feet and each meeting as athletes at Boston University, the pedigree was there. His father was a defenseman for the Terriers while his mom was a guard for the women's basketball team. Encouraged to play sports from the very beginning, Jerrick quickly was enamored with the sport of hockey. His size provided him with an instant advantage over his peers but that still wasn't enough for Jerrick; he wanted to be the best. So far, he's found success at every level and now will be looking to make the move to the VHL. Poole's greatest strength is his defensive ability. He is a shutdown defenseman in every sense of the word and while players like these are always valuable, this perhaps adds to his value in the offense-happy VHL. While Jerrick is able to punish his opponents with his body, that is far from what defines him as a player. Despite his size, he is a strong skater and is able to keep the opposition from getting quality scoring chances by forcing them away from the middle of the ice. He is also extremely determined and is a selfless player on the ice. He's always had the desire to be the best - both individually and as a team. He will do whatever it is that's needed from him whether it's breaking up passes, leveling guys along the boards, or even laying his body out in front of shots. Off the ice, he is also an extremely hard worker, always doing whatever he can to improve himself physically and ultimately help is game. On days off, he will often be seen in the weight room, doing everything possible to uphold his reputation as a highly talented defensive player. While Poole is, without a doubt, a player with tons of ability and the potential to be an elite player in the VHL, he does have his weaknesses. He is simply not a strong offensive player and his impact is tends to be much more pronounced the the defensive zone than in the offensive zone. His puckhandling is the area which he definitely has to improve on more than anything. While this is certainly a liability on offense, he is also prone to turning the puck over on breakouts and is something that he truly needs to work on. In addition, his all-around offensive play is definitely sub-par. He can hamper his team's offensive production at the point and often simply lacks the offensive awareness to make the correct play. While he certainly could work on his shooting ability and having a more accurate and consistent shot, his passing ability is also a weakness. When he is able to make the correct play, he does not always put the puck on his teammates' tape and can kill strong offensive chances. Overall, Poole is a player that has a lot of work to do if he wants to be an impact player in the VHL. He is young and has all the tools necessary to become a highly productive player but development in the VHLM will be key. Recently claimed by the Ottawa Lynx, he figures to be an instant addition to their starting lineup and will look to help the team maintain their playoff position and help balance out their high-octane offense with a rock at D. If Poole is able to reach his potential, he can be a very special player whose name we'll hear a lot of in the coming years.

I've been in a number of football sim leagues and while I'd heard of the VHL, I never really committed to trying it. I know I did create a player a few years ago but I simply just lost interest. It seems strange to me because hockey is far and away my favorite sport but at the same time, I knew next to nobody here before. But after being on a team that was almost entirely filled with VHL guys, I decided to finally come over here. I was blown away that the league was approaching 40 seasons and clearly something here was being done right. The forum has a nice, clean look to it and, at least so far, everyone here seems real friendly and willing to help. While on one hand I cannot believe that this league has been around for so long, I am also beginning to see why it has and with such a strong core, I can't imagine the VHL won't be around for at least another 40 seasons. I know this time I'm going to be here to stay and I can't wait to be a part of easily the most impressive league I've ever seen.