Steve

Junior Review - Max Torq Max started out his hockey career at a young age, like many do in hockey country. He was big for his age but not very agile. As he progressed into junior high school, he was a standout. Not for his skill, but for his size. Not that he wasn't skilled, about average for his age, but the other players were always intimidated by his size and his desire to be a hard hitting defenseman. The coaches/math teacher asked him to not hit the small kids very hard to avoid injuries. Well that didn't go over very well with Max and he soon quit the team and joined a league outside of the scope of the school. He really liked playing against players his own size and he learned a few laws of physics along the way. One thing he learned real fast was just because he was big, it didn't make other players fall down when he thought they should. This is a time where he learned a thing or two about playing a checking defenseman. His coach was an old WHL defenseman and loved to see a young kid wanting to do the things he loved in the sport. Max's skill level went up a few notches over the next couple of seasons with that coach giving him pointers along the way. Max played for his high school and that was the best 5 years he ever had playing with and against his classmates. He was becoming an excellent player and showed restraint when needed and went crazy when someone picked on one of his team mates. He was loved by all except the opposing teams. Max had a well grounded ego and tried to help others where he could. He was developing some leadership skills and learning his trade at a steady pace. He got his bell rung a few times and he just rubbed some dirt on it and moved on. All part of the sport of hockey and Max took it all in, good and the bad. His play was becoming a bit more chippy and he started taking the body hard during his last year of high school. He already had scouts from the VHLM keeping an eye on him. This added no pressure on him as he was able to stay focused on the task at hand, keeping the players out of his zone. It didn't matter who was watching him as he didn't even think about a full career as a professional. Max was invited to a few training camps in the summer after his schooling was finally finished. He impressed enough folks to get a chance to play at a handful of colleges. Max was not an intellect, but he knew his trade and wanted to reach for something higher than more of the same with a college team. He took a real hard look at the VHLM. The rest of his story hasn't played out yet but I would expect him to be a solid devoted player as a professional.

What a great beginning of a hockey career for Max Torq. He was picked up by Ottawa and was slotted in the third line. For a rookie, that is a dream come true. A very good team with many future super stars. It is a bit intimidating to be on the ice with such talent. Max is a hard worker though and has had the chance to watch how the more skilled players on the team handle themselves. With a good work ethic, I expect Max will progress at a accelerated pace. While still defining his play style, Max should be a big body that makes big hits that in turn, hopefully, leads to an opportunity to score. Playing on defense can be a thankless job at times but it also has a lot of upside. One thing that is satisfying is throwing a big hit and taking the puck away. Other things that are fun is sliding in front of a slap shot and have it hit you in the helmet. All the fun stuff that the forwards don't have to worry about. Max will work hard to make his mark in the league and on a few players. It just takes time and hard work.

Review: This stays close to your short clean design style. Great text with a clean render makes for a pleasing project to admire. I really like the color palette you chose and the blending looks smooth. I would have liked more render detail but that's more my style. Great job. 8/10

Review: I really like it when members try something that is rarely tried. This is a good example of pushing the limits. You really made this bold and dramatic. Looks good overall even with the blown out effect. I really like your choice in font and it looks fitting for this style. I would question the use of fog with this style but it looks unique non the less. Good on you for stepping out of the norm. 8/10

1. We have traveled around the league a few times this season and eat at a lot of different restaurants, which location is your favorite to visit and why? (yes you can pick Ottawa ;)) I like Ottawa just to get me some of that Beaver. 2. Whenever we've had a hat trick this season the fans have been covering the ice with frozen fish, do we need to change it to anything else? If so what would you suggest? A nice frozen steak every once in awhile would be nice. 3. We all have our sticks taped a certain way, tinted or no tinted visors and at the end of each game some equipment gets used more than others.. If you could give them the Three Stars of the night, which pieces do you think earned the honors? I would say stick tape all around. 4. Our locker room doesn't have a lot of channels right now and I did that so it was easier for players to adjust with all the other channel notifications, do you like it as is or do you think we need to add a few more channels for more enjoyment in the locker room? I like it how it is but I haven't been here long enough to notice any other needs. 5. Okay I'm allowing everybody to BYPTW (bring your pet to work), do you have an animal you could bring or are you borrowing the neighbors? If so what type of animal is it? I would bring my old dog Oscar to work. 6. We all have our mistakes and the game goes on, what is the biggest thing you learnt or improved on as the season progressed? I have made mistakes as you just need to work through them and improve for the next game. Having good leadership to point out things that could be better really helps.

A new player, a new beginning. The grind is real and I enjoy the challenge to become a productive player. Starting out my third player, Max Torq, and it is just as much fun as my first, Guy LeGrande. In the past, my players were more focused on scoring and not taking penalties. Well that page has turned and I am shooting to be a player with a style between Gordie Howe and Mario Lemieux. I hope to punish players at all times while jumping on loose pucks and working to the net. I will be there to protect my team mates and will be willing to drop the gloves just for the hell of it. I don't want to go full blown goon, I want to help my team, but there will be times that I cross that line and I will have a smile on my toothless face while doing it. Nasty will be my middle name. I hope Max develops some skills early on that can carry over into the next league. Fun times ahead for Max Torq.

1. Looks like a solid team and should find some mojo moving forward. 2. Just starting out so I have no stats. Is crushing hits a stat? 3. Not sure about anyone in the league. I am too new to know the players. 4. I have been in many and they all have something that seems better but non of them are better than the VHL. IMO 5. I can't remember my childhood so it must have been unremarkable. 6. I think the Ottawa Beaver Tails would my choice.

#GOLYNXGO

Review: Interesting graphic. I like the flat render. This design is solid with good render placement. You color choices are workable. I think the logo swap looks well done but the text seems to be out of place. Maybe stack the names and get rid of the angled look. All is subjective of course. Well done. 8/10

Review: I really like your designs. This one falls inline with most of your work and looks really good. Nice color palette and the render placement is spot on. Text looks fine though not sure about the blur. Background is very functional and works well with the other elements. 9/10

Player Information Username: Steve Player Name: Max Torq Recruited From: Other (Recreate) Age: 21 Position: D Height: 78 in. Weight: 220 lbs. Birthplace: United States of America Player Page @VHLM GM

The season is moving right along and the LA Stars seem to have found their game. What was an on or off start has turned into a much more consistent run by the Stars. We have found some mojo and have two lines scoring at the same time, something that was an issue earlier. Also, we are scoring more than allowing goals. A big indicator of how the team is doing as a whole. Fairchild has proven to be a great addition as he has helped the old man Merrick and the combination of that line seems to have a good flow now. Stamen and line mates are carrying the load while our defense and goalie seem to be very consistent. I look forward to the next handful of games as it will also be a time that the team either moves up in the standings or hits a wall. I feel we will make a steady climb and the playoffs are in our future.

Review: I think you put in a fair effort with this sig. Logo swaps take time to learn and is one of the weak spots on this graphic. The render isn't the cleanest cut but I think the size could be larger. Text is functional but try not to let it touch any edges. Just keep working at it, you have talent. 7.5/10

Review: I really like what you did here. I like the grainy effect and how it blends with the background. I wish that effect was on the bottom right as it looks low res and sort of disconnected with the majority of the background. Maybe some blur? I think the text/font is fitting for this style and you did a fine job with it. Great work. 9/10

1. What spot do you think we finish in the NA standings this season ? 3rd or 4th would be realistic. 2. Do you install winter tires here in New York ? I use off road tires year round. 3. What VHL team has been tbe biggest surprise this season ? I think it is strange to see Seattle at the bottom. 4. Cardio or weights? Both would be the correct answer. 5. Starbucks , Dunkin Donuts or Tim Hortons? Starbucks when I want to over pay for a cup of Joe. 6. What is your go to take-out food to order ? Chinese food has been popular with me.

1. What actor/actress should portray you in a movie about your life? Kate Upton of course. 2. Grab the nearest book, open it to page 22, write the first sentence that you see. My books don't have that many pages. That is just too much. 3. Who is your personal hero? Red Lite. He is strong and not bad to look at. Also looks good in the shower. 4. We travel a lot for our games. What city do you enjoy traveling to the most? LA has been a great place to play. 5. What is the biggest strength of our team? Well, nearly everyone on the team is above a PPG so I would say team strength is the biggest.....strength. 6. If you weren’t a professional athlete what would you be ? I would be a contract killer or a ballerina.

Here we are with twenty one games played and the LA Stars are still searching for a line mix that will produce consistently. It has been a struggle finding the right combination and will most likely be the theme of the season. Hovering near the bottom of the standings is not where we wanted to be. I think the mix of older veteran players and developing youth is playing a bit role in the results. We have some good standouts though and if we could get that magic line combination that works, we should be able to get headed in the right direction. Maybe there will be a move or some other adjustment that will shore up the holes the team has. On the positive side, we have leadership that has been working on a solution and trying different approaches to fix the team. Never a doubt about the effort they put into this team to set us up for success.