Cornholio

After a somewhat slow start to the season (with limitations on their offense/goal scoring abilities), the Yukon Rush have been working their way up the standings with a quik flurry of goals while maintaining their stout defensive identity. It has been a nice sight to behold for the fans of the northernmost VHLM Franchise who had lofty expectations following the S67 VHLM Dispersal Draft. Over the last few weeks, Yukon has been able to jump over Houston and Halifax in the standings and into the Top-4. This is significant because the top four teams will receive home rink advantage throughout the first round at the very least. "We have definitely gotten better as a team. I think it was just a chemistry issue amongst us. We had to learn how to play together since I don't think any of us were on the same team last season, or if somebody was, they didn't tell me that. I knew all season long that our defense was going to be the strength of the team - but the offense was quite a bit of a challenge to come together as an unit. I mean, we were like near the bottom of the standings in terms of goals scored and that wasn't too long ago. Now we're all the way up in the fourth spot. That's awesome. We are really clicking together right now and I believe we've proved ourselves to be one hell of a scary team to play against in the playoffs. We've beaten the top teams, so we know that it's possible. Our confidence is high and I'm looking forward to the postseason already." Wolf Stansson, Jr. has been a big part of Yukon's improvements, as he is third on the team in points with 59 [16 goals/43 assists] and sports a +38 rating. If this doesn't make WSJ a high first-round pick, then I don't know what will.

making the most of our shots in this game... Yukon gonna be scary come playoffs

dat shot disparity SMH

not how i envisioned our first loss happening

team europe on a mission

Calgary 4-3

291 Calgary Wranglers 292 Toronto Legion 293 Malmo Nighthawks 294 Helsinki Titans

Gold - Canada Silver - Europe Bronze - Asia MVP - Ambrose Stark

+6 SBA Article

1) With the trade deadline on Monday, what type of moves do you think the team requires to compete? Oh jeez that's today. Well, I think that Yukon is pretty solid and set on defense. We definitely could acquire a scoring forward or center. A playmaker who can bury the puck in the back of the net whenever we need a goal right away. If we can land somebody like that, that would be a huge upgrade to our offense and our drive for a Cup this season. 2) Which team do you predict to win the WJC and why? I am hopeful that Team Europe can pull it off. It's pretty cool that a couple of our Rush teammates are on the Europe team so we'll be looking to make some noise and show everybody what's up. 3) Have you performed up to your expectations so far this season? On our team, I think I've played rather well. I'm one of only three players on our team with 20 or better +/- rating. So that's really encouraging and tells me that I'm doing something right more often than not. The fact that I'm the third highest on the team in points is a little troubling I think. I was hoping for some more offensive output out of our team this season, but that's okay. Something for us to work on in the second half of the season. 4) Who would you say the MVP of the team has been for the first half of the season? Definitely Brendan Plunkett on the rink. Dude has been amazing for us this season, leading the Rush in goals and +/-. Frans Eller is probably a close second but could very well be number one if you include the LR, Discord and all that. Eller has been the model teammate and I've enjoyed playing with him so far. 5) What has been your favorite game so far this season? Any of our wins against quality opponents. That's how you work your way up the standings and inch closer to the Cup. That's the ultimate goal of every team and it is no different with me. 6) What is your favorite pass time other than hockey? I would have to say ice fishing. There aren't too many spots where you can really ice fish and Iceland is a good place to do that. Yukon is a close second and I've enjoyed every chance I can get to go ice fishing. The management aren't too happy when I go out because of all the things that could happen from ice fishing... but when WSJ wants to ice fish, WSJ will ice fish.

Wolf Stansson, Jr. is slowly approaching the 200-TPE threshold. This is great news as it shows that he has been putting in work. Despite missing out on the VHL Birthday TPE Opportunity (bummed that there was no clearly stated deadline for this task, coupled with me being on vacation) - that one probably cost Stansson Jr. a first-round pick status. Nonetheless in an ultra-competitive S68 Draft Class, Stansson appears to be a Top-10 pick, at the worst a second-rounder. For the time being, hitting the 200 TPE is the best thing that you can do in the VHLM as you're maxing out your talents for your respective team. WSJ has had to adjust his 200 build from what was originally anticipated. This was done purely to help the Yukon Rush team out as much as possible this season by addressing certain weaknesses of the team. While WSJ's build might be a little unorthodox compared to some of the traditional means, WSJ could care less about what other people think. WSJ will do what he thinks is the best in the present moment while also maintaining focus on further improving his game for the VHL. WSJ has gotten interest from several VHL teams - either their GM/AGMs are already tanking on this season and looking ahead toward next season, or they're bloody brilliant for anticipating the future while also being focused on the present. WSJ is hopeful that he will end up landing on a VHL team that will give him an opportunity to play as much as possible from the get-go. Experience is the best teacher and that's how WSJ will thrive to become a successful D-Man in the bigs. In other news, WSJ was recently named to the WJC World Roster for the upcoming competitions, which was a huge honor for the Icelandic D-Man. He will get to play with two of his fellow countrymen, which will be pretty cool. This will be WSJ's first international competition with his fellow VHL/VHLM folks, which should be fun.

time to do work Team Europe! Honored to be a part of this team

big win for Yukon! WSJ with that 1st Star, believe that's his first. Hopefully a sign of more to come

231 Moscow Menace @ Seattle Bears 232 HC Davos Dynamo @ Riga Reign 233 Calgary Wranglers @ New York Americans 234 Toronto Legion @ Helsinki Titans

Helsinki 4-2

Through the first 35 games, the S67 Yukon Rush have put together a record of 19-12-4, good for 42 points (17 back of first place) and the sixth seed in the 11-team VHLM. These Rush have the league's stingiest defense, allowing just 71 goals while possessing the 6th best offense. Not bad, but there's still room for growth. Icelandic defenseman Wolf Stansson, Jr. has established himself as a first-line defenseman, playing alongside Lance Flowers and also earning minutes on the third line. Here are his statistics through the first 35 games. Season GP G A P +/- SHT PIM HIT SB GW PPG SHG 67 (YUK) 35 9 18 27 16 52 14 25 32 3 4 0 Not bad at all. The high +/- is a huge draw for WSJ's future VHL prospects as it shows that he is a positive contributor when playing on the rink. WSJ is tied for fourth on the team in goals and is also fourth in assists and shots blocked. He has remained relatively clean on the rink, only being sent to the box a total of 7 times for 14 minutes. So when WSJ is on the ice, the Rush are getting quality minutes. Stansson, Jr. had some words to share regarding this season. "It is still a process, but I believe that our team is slowly but surely getting better. We have a lot of guys who are up there near the 200 TPE threshold. Two have already hit 200. Seven guys with at least 170 TPE.... and another four with at least 125. That's a strong core and I hope that we can all keep on pushing ourselves to greater heights. Our defense has been nothing short of awesome, it's just that our offense needs to improve. I've been working on my slap shot accuracy and I think that it'll eventually come together soon in games as my practices start to become muscle memory. In terms of practice lately... I'm a little disappointed that I missed out on some golden TPE opportunities to better myself, but I had a family vacation to attend to - traveling back and forth for games and whatnot. But now that we are all settled in here in Yukon, it's already halfway through the season! Jeez the time really does fly by fast here in northern Canada. I am really liking it here, the weather has been great, I've made friends with a polar bear who chills in our backyard of the complex. I try to feed him some stuff, but the locals are telling me not to. I'll do whatever I want to. It's been a fun ride with these guys and I look forward to finishing out our season strong. I know that nobody is going to want to play us in the playoffs, so that'll be a fun ride coming up. Our offense will need to come around and we have some time... not too much time though, but just enough to get everything to click together. Got to help out our goaltender a little more, reduce the pressure on his shoulders." It will be tough for the Yukon Rush to climb into the top-three of the standings with at least a 10-point deficit separating the Rush from Minnesota Storm... but they are only three and five points back of seed #5 and #4. So there's opportunity for Yukon to put together a strong second-half run and really stir up some noise in the VHLM Standings.

Wolf Stansson, Jr. draft stock has unexpectedly dropped over the last couple of weeks. Once looked as a sure-fire Top-3, Top-5 overall draft pick, WSJ's practice ethics drifted a little bit and it has shown itself in an ultra-competitive Draft Prospect list. WSJ now finds himself hovering near the bottom of the Top-10 and this seems to have waken him up. "It isn't easy but when you sleep, there is somebody else who is working, working even harder than you are to improve his/her craft. Sleep is for the weak. I will have to cut back on my sleep and really revamp up my play and craft. I know that I am capable of more - I just have to execute it." Through the first half of the S67 VHLM season, the Yukon Rush find themselves in #6, allowing the least goals of all VHLM teams, but only scoring the sixth most. Not exactly inspiring. But at the same time, the defense is already there - which is great news! It's just a matter of working out the offense. WSJ ranks fourth on the team in goals scored with nine, which was not really considered a strength of his. "I did not come to America to become a scorer. It just kind of happened. I am focused on doing whatever it takes to help improve our team. Sporting the third-highest +/- on the team, which is impressive for a defenseman. We are trying to work through our motions and really find another level of our game that we can ramp up to. We are looking forward to improving our craft as a team and really start pressing the puck more, pushing it up the rink and put the pressures and the hot seat onto the other teams' goalie." WSJ is also tied for fourth on the team in assists and shots blocked this season - a good start for WSJ's Draft Stock. He is hopeful that his increased focus in practice going forward will rub off on his draft stock for the upcoming S68 Draft.

1) Does your player have a pre-game ritual? What is it? I eat Kentucky Fried Chicken before each game. It has to be seven and half tendered pieces that I eat. Three wings, three legs, and the seventh one really depends on my mood that day. If I need to keep a streak going, I'll go with the same 7th piece as I ate the previous game. If something went wrong or I did not perform well, I go with the other option and give away the rest of the bucket. It's my thing ever since I was a young child. 2) What is your favorite goal song? Who Let the Dogs Out by Baha Boys. It's a pure classic and the tunes really gets stuck into your head if you let it linger long enough. Perfect for the opponents. 3) What kind of mascot would you like to see for the Rush? A common raven. It is the official animal of the Yukon Territory, so the organization should be attempting to pay homage to its home lands as much as possible. 4) Who is your favorite player in the VHL? I do not follow the VHL so I cannot really answer as to which player is my favorite. Maybe the four guys that I selected in my VHL Fantasy League. No idea how those four guys are doing though haha. 5) What number do you wear and why? I wear #98. Nobody uses 99 because that number belongs to The Great One, Wayne Gretzky. Nobody touches him. So I take the next largest possible number, which happens to be 98. I'm okay with that because I know that my number is unique and nobody else can claim it. 6) We're a couple weeks in, who would you vote for the C and A's? (1C, 2A) Frans Eller for C, no doubt. Lance Flowers as one of the A. Willie Dredge for the second A. Because I do not deserve one. My practice ethics have unfortunately dipped a little the last two RL weeks. But I'm back full force and I plan on making myself one of the premier D-Man in the draft.

Calgary 4-2

Moscow toronto calgary helsinki

Wolf Stansson Jr has put together a nice start for the Yukon Rush this year, compiling 19 points (5 goals/14 assists) through the team’s first 23 games. However, the Rush find themselves in the middle of the pack... which is a little underwhelming considering the team’s preseason expectations. ”I do not know what to say. We have a bunch of great guys here, they are all really putting in the work but we just aren’t scoring enough I think. We aren't too far off the pace when it comes to allowing goals... but on the other end, we’re falling behind the pace when it comes to scoring. Myself included, I think we really need to put in more work into scoring, finding each other and just being confident in our slap shots. Putting the pressure on the other team by scoring early... makes everything a lot more easier. It’s more easier to win games when we’re up 1 and not behind. If we can do that consistently enough, we’ll be golden.”

+4

1.) Definitely Lance Flowers. I think he should have gotten the third star, not me. His contributions on both ends of the rink has been incredible... his passing is top-notch and it has left me wondering how it got past the defense and right into the net. I look forward to playing alongside him for the reminder of the season. 2.) Yukon is a little down the standings, far more than I expected or would like to. I think our defense has been stellar but our offense leaves a lot to be aspired for. That’s something that we definitely will need to work on going forward. Can’t win games without outscoring the opponenT. 3.) VHL.... I wish I could answer this but I have no idea. I frankly do not pay attention to the bigs because that is not the league I am playing in. My mind and focus is exclusively on our Rush organization. 4) Reykjavik would be an outstanding addition to the VHL if we do decide to expand. The fan base IS there and they are devoted to their homegrown talent. Add an international team and I can assure you that the fans would come in droves and our home rink advantage would be enviable. 5.) I think we can and have to do better against Minnesota. They are one of the top dogs in the VHLM this year. As they are my former team, I have even more of an agenda to do better than them this year. We have some work to do. 6.) More shooting practices - we need to be better able to put the puck into the back of the net, myself included. That is all I would really suggest for our team this season.

SBA +6

WSJ continuing his hot play... and the team wins another one. Nice.