ahawk2191

S67 Commissioners Cup 

 
"What is this?", you're likely asking. Over the last season, @diamond_ace and myself have spent quite a lot of time looking at and talking about how we can improve the VHLM. During our tenure as commissioners, that's always been our goal. Making the VHLM move enjoyable, more meaningful to a player and more efficient with key things like retention and development. This past season, we talked about a lot of things structurally/rule wise that are either ready to be announced or in the final stages of being what we believe to be a system we're confident in. One of those changes is going to be the Top Prospects Game. Last season, it was the first one in a very, very long time. I'm sure it was a thing once upon a time, but I can assure you it's never been this. S66, we quickly put together a roster that we felt was going to be fairly even and extremely competitive. They only played one game. It's a Top Prospect GAME. 12 F, 6 D, 2 G. It was your normal all-star/prospects game. So, whats the change? 
 
Firstly, the name. We present to you the Commissioners Cup. This event will be held during the off-season - every off-season. The event will be the ultimate battle between the two who hold the most power in the VHLM - Team Diamond VERSUS Team Bana. Unlike the past where one person quickly threw together a competitive roster for each and the other said "yep", we actually stayed up late last night doing a 40 pick draft - drafting some of the best the VHLM currently has to offer and putting together two extremely solid teams. The roster sizes are the same (we'll be using the last file of the regular season for attributes etc), but the amount of games played will be different. Instead of 1, you're going to see 3 games. ITS A BEST OF 3 SHOWDOWN. A fight. A BATTLE.... to the death... ULTIMATE GLORY... K, maybe not death - but it's ultimate shit. The battle and intensity is real. The rivalry is real. 
 
WHO WILL REIGN SUPREME? LET THE BATTLES BEGIN!?

With that being said, I guess it's time to release the draft results of the draft, as well as the rosters for the very first ever "Commissioners Cup". Awesome effort this season one again bye everyone involved in the VHLM. This season has been extremely busy for myself and DA, but also a very good one. Thanks!
 
S67 Commissioners Cup Rosters:
 
 
S67 Commissioners Cup Draft:

Trying my hand at doing sigs. This is my very first one, so, any tips or suggestions are very welcome!
 
@ahawk2191

In the first installment of VHLM Insight, we will take a look at the top two teams in the league, the team sitting comfortably at the bottom, and give an honorable mention. 
 
We're approaching the 30 games played mark in the VHLM, and the field is starting to take shape. The picture is becoming a bit clearer as teams that are dominating, teams that are in the middle of the pack, and teams who are falling out of playoff contention are settling in on the standings bracket.
 
The teams who make up the Top 5 are Philadelphia, Ottawa, Minnesota, Halifax, and Houston - each having less than 10 loses and coming in well above .500 in terms of wins and loses. Yukon currently sits in the sixth position, and is the only other team outside of the Top 5 to be above .500; the remaining five teams all sit well below. The exception to this is Saskatoon, who is only a few games back from evening out their average, and could potentially get it together to be above .500 at some point in the season.
 
THE TWO TITANS OF THE VHLM
 
Philadelphia currently sits on top of the VHLM with 47 points, and a record of 23-3-1. The Reapers leading scorer is Center Alex Pearson, who has 24 goals and 22 assists for a points total of 46. Pearson also leads the VHLM in goals. Defenseman Brandon LeBlanc leads the team in assists, with 33, but also currently sits 4th on the Reapers for goals with 12. LeBlanc also leads the league in assists, and is also sitting atop the league for Defensemen. Goalie Fang Flashback holds an impressive record of 22-2-0, a 2.16 Goals Against Average, with 5 Shutouts and a Save Percentage of .883. Flashback is number one in the league for wins, and has three assists, the most for any goalie in the league. With the help from their spectacular goalie, and their powerful offensive performance, it is easy to see why the Reapers are sitting atop the standings.
 
Ottawa finds themselves in second place with 43 points, two games behind the Reapers, with a record of 21-5-1. Center Zeno Minti leads the Lynx in both goals and assists, 20 and 29 respectively, for 49 points which is also the best on the team. Left Winger Anthony Hawk holds second place in points for the team at 41, and is probably one of the deadliest on the ice with his impressive 112 hits. Goalie Raymond Bernard has a record of 17-3-0, a Save Percentage of .87, 1 Shutout, and a Goals Against Average of 2.74. With the strong play from Minti and Hawk, look for Ottawa to stay on the heels of the Reapers in the coming week. 
 
STARTING AT THE BOTTOM
 
Sitting in the very last spot for the league is the Mississauga Hounds, who hold a record of 5-21-1 with 11 points. There's not a single player on the Hounds roster who has a positive -/+ rating, with the exception of one player who has only played a total of three games. You could blame the abysmal record on schedule strength, maybe. It's hard to win games when your leading goal scorer has only 7 goals in the 27 games they have played, and the rest of the offense isn't getting enough chances to help produce. Maybe some trades could help correct the ship on this team, time will tell, but
for now they looked to be destined to sit at the bottom of the pack. 
 
HONORABLE MENTION
 
It's worth noting the play from the Minnesota Storm, who currently hold the third place spot in the standings at a record of 20-6-1, sitting one game behind Ottawa with 41 points. Defenseman Kefka Palazzo leads the team with 44 points, and also leads in assists with 30. Left Winger Berocka Sundqvist leading the team in goals with 20. Goalie Justin Cole has a 20-6-1 record, an impressive 7 Shutouts, and an equally impressive .899 Save Percentage. Cole leads the league for goalies in Goals Against Average (1.91), Shutouts (7), and comes in second for Goals Against Average (0.899). Sitting one game back from Ottawa, look for the landscape to change when it comes to the Top Three Teams in the VHLM.
 
@diamond_ace @berocka @Jayrad28 @Psanchez55 @Zeno @ahawk2191 @WhiteMocha @uphillmoss @Mr_Hatter

Name: Anthony Hawk
 
Position: Left Wing
Current Team: Minnesota Storm
Number: 21
Age: 18
Height: 6'3
Weight: 210
Born: Naples, Italy
 
Background
Anthony Hawk was born in Naples, Italy to a very sports centric family. While most of his family enjoyed watching futbol, Hawk found himself enamored by hockey from a young age. With few opportunities to play hockey in Italy he decided to play street hockey with his friends any chance he got and was an absolute natural. Soon he found himself playing for the HC Pustertal Wölfe. Viral videos of his dominating play spread like wild fire and before long he was offered a chance to play in the VHLM and signed with Minnesota. He'll be joining a team that is stuck between rebuilding and going for a second cup in a row and Hawk may prove very useful in the latter.
 
Strengths
Size: At 6'3 and 210 pounds Anthony is one of the larger players on the ice most times, and at 18 he still has room to grow. He certainly his hard not to notice whether he is blocking shots, throwing the body, or screening goalies, his presence is certainly felt. 
 
Skating: You'd think with his size advantage stated above that his skating would be hindered. Hawk proves the exact opposite. With long legs and powerful strides he's surprisingly quik and nimble on the ice he is able to blow past defenders and breakout into the opponents zone with ease. 
 
Playmaking: Showing excellent iq this early in his career, Anthony's playmaking skills are undeniable. He excellent in setting up breakaways and onetimers. Usually leading his team in assists, his passes may as well be laser guided. His situational awareness is excellent and he should prove valuable for setting up scoring situations.
 
Weaknesses
Discipline: Considering his size and aggression, Hawk finds himself in the penalty box more than he should. With Hawk transitioning into a league that isn't known for it's physicality this may hinder his success in some ways. However as with all young players this will likely improve with experience and age.
 
Defence: Considering his offensive talents and tendency to take penalties, Hawks defensive skills are lacking. He usually finds himself forechecking harder than he should be and leaves breakout passes open. When in his own zone his gut instinct is to go for hits instead of cutting off passes and blocking shots.
 
Fighting: One would think with that Hawk would find himself throwing down often but he's actually had a tendency to avoid fighting most of his career to this point. This may come into play with how often he lays people out and the refs won't always be able to diffuse the situation.
 
Overview
What we have here with Hawk is a very explosive Power Forward. He's definitely offensive minded, sometimes to a fault and his aggression can get the best of him at times. With this being said though, his ability to create scoring opportunities for the team will certainly prove invaluable and he should be able to hold his own against anyone in the league.

     

Wednesday evening saw the league complete its 67th VHL entry draft. The VHL had yet another deep draft introducing 60 prospects to their VHL professional franchises. Philly Reapers management @BladeMaiden and Jubo07 were elated to watch eight of their former and current Reapers selected. Davos, Moscow and Seattle drafted two Reapers a piece while Helsinki and Malmo took one. The draft ran just over two hours which was followed by the start of the signing period of these new camp invites. Reapers management is very excited to see their current and future alumni prepare for the next step of their careers. Philly looks to compete this season to defend their S66 Founder's Cup Championship. With the help of some of the names below they are confident this is a realistic possibility. Congratulations to everyone drafted and good luck in the coming VHL and VHLM seasons!
 
The following is a breakdown of the drafted players and their respected VHL franchise;
 
Pick #9 - RW - Bjorn Scoringsonn @11 Eleven
Pick #11 - D - Boone Jenton @FakeJenton
Pick #22 - C - Scotty BigShotty @FerdaJets
Pick #23 - LW - Anthony Hawk @ahawk2191
Pick #26 - D - Brandon LeBlanc @Psanchez55
Pick #30 - C - Alex Pearson @Jayrad28
Pick #31 - D - Kevin Low @Smarch
Pick #45 - D - David Lindberg @Jayhawk
 

Thank you thank you @Matmenzinger Glad to be a part of Moscow! Perhaps another Pizza and Pasties location shall be opening!

Overview   Anthony Hawk is a up and coming VHL prospect hailing from Italy. He was just signed to the Minnesota Storm, defending cup champions. While not playing a game in the league yet, Hawk has found success outside of the VHL, and will definitely be an interesting prospect to keep and eye on. This is his story.   Early Life (Hawk's first hockey stick)   While Hawk himself has reported to have been birthed directly onto the ice of a hockey rink, stick in hand, we've found no such evidence to back up these claims. Instead his story has much more humble origins. Born in Naples, Italy to the proprietors of a pizzeria/strip club titled Pizza and Pasties, Hawk's early life was undeniably interesting. A love of sports, pizza, and scantily clad individuals was instilled in the child from a very young age. However while his family would gather around the tv to watch futbol, he found himself tuning into Alps league and Austrian league hockey games. He was taken to the sport from a very young age and it showed.    Papa Hawk would often find his son using rolling pins and mozzarella ovalini to pull off dirty fucking dangles in the restaurants kitchen. In the rare cases that Anthony would sneak into the seedier side of his family's operation he could be found sniping his father's employees five hole with said cheese. Whilst being scolded for playing hockey in the club, Anthony was confused as to why his father wasn't yelling at anyone else for playing with their sticks and pucks. Despite having to serve contaminated food and his violated employee's outrage, Hawk's father saw that his son's skills were undeniable and signed him up for the local youth hockey club. This would be the start of something great. Hawk began to make his first friends due to their shared love of hockey, however he found himself confused as to why everyone always wanted to hangout out at his family's restaurant. One would think you'd get sick of pizza eventually.    (Pizza and Pasties first location)   Youth   Anthony continued to play youth hockey throughout his childhood, outclassing most of the other children. As he developed into a teenager his steady diet of pizza and San Pellegrino paid off, and Hawk found himself at a staggering 6'1" by the age of 14. Hawk immediately began to use his size to his advantage and began to adapt a much more aggressive play style. Soon the trail of fractured bones and concussed children Hawk left in his wake on the ice piled up. No amount of "Free lap dance with the purchase of a large pizza" coupons could keep the league off of his back and he was soon kicked out. Not willing to give hockey up Hawk found himself playing street hockey with friends with most of his free time to keep his skills sharp. His parents, refusing to let their sons skills go to waste, decided to transfer their son to a new highschool that had their own hockey team. While it was difficult to adjust to a new school, it wouldn't be long before Anthony had a new group of friends that loved his family's "pizza" even more than his old friends. The trend of their restaurant being the go to place to hangout would continue through most of his youth. Anthony however was much more focused on playing hockey and continued to develop his skills despite it distancing himself from his friends.   This was a blessing in disguise however because he was soon noticed by scouts of The HC Pustertal Wölfe of the Alps Hockey League, a team he had looked up to from a young age. They decided to enroll him in their development program and he'd find himself playing for them not long after. By the age of sixteen Hawk was leading the team in points (and hits) and was soon made assistant captain. Often the team would celebrate after wins in his parents restaurant, and soon his family established at hockey night at the club. This idea was eventually scrapped however as the dancers found it difficult to perform their job in full hockey equipment. The patrons seemingly didn't care for the idea either.    The next two years would be packed full of goals, assists, and broken bones. Hawk continued to develop not only his physical play but his hockey iq as well. While the Alps Hockey League doesn't receive much media attention, especially not overseas, viral videos began to spread of Hawks unique play style. Initially catching attention because of the amount of opponents leaving in stretchers, the videos actually had a lot more to them. If you looked past his aggressiveness, there was an incredible amount of talent being displayed. Hawk's ability to set up his teammates and create scoring opportunities is unfounded in the smaller European leagues. The rare Italian prospect was soon noticed by the VHL and multiple GM's reached out to him. Seeing this as a way to further his career in ways not available to him in Europe, he jumped on the opportunity and signed with the Minnesota Storm. Reportedly his decision to sign with the Storm was influenced by the Storm's top Winger Mat Tocco. Intrigued not only by the viral videos, but by Hawks arguably health code violating upbringing, he urged him to joined the team. (Hawk geared up for first game with Pusteral Wölfe)   Present Day   While it must have been difficult to leave behind his family, friends, carb loaded diet, and hockey themed nudity, Hawk finds himself gearing up and ready to play his first game in the VHLM. Finding himself on a team with a mix of solid prospects and players that have seemingly stalled out, Anthony will likely find himself playing relatively high minutes for a rookie. Hawk has stated that he plans to use his $1,500,000 contract to open up a Pizza and Pasties right here in Minnesota as he wants his new team mates to have a taste of his life in Naples, and of pizza. It is still unclear if he plans to re-establish his parents hockey themed night at the new location.      

I accept

I accept