Kekzkrieg

1 First season is in the books. It's the playoffs, but we unsurprisingly didn't make them. What team do you think goes the distance and snags the S68 Continental Cup? Kind of hoping it's Riga or Malmo, either one would make it a solid run 2 If you look at the standings, you can see that 5 of the top 6 teams in the league are in the European Conference. Are you glad to be playing in D.C., away from this nonsense? Hell yeah, I think I've grown very accustomed to the American lifestyle and fan base here. My only complaint is the lack of real authentic Italian food. 3 What are your expectations for the Dragons, next season? Is it too soon to talk about playoffs? Never too soon to talk about playoffs, I expect us to do much better this year with Playoffs as the goal 4 What are your personal objective for next season? How much points do you see yourself scoring? I definitely plan on hitting the rink more often and work on my skating and puck handling, I'm hoping to break my last season stats with at least 50 points 5 How did your former VHLM team do in their first season after your promotion to the VHL? Hali is hanging in there, hope that they can make a push in the playoffs and bring that cup home on a BOAT! 6 What is factually the best ice cream flavour? Pistachio, everyone who disagrees lacks taste buds.

Media Spot VHL.com +1 each = 8 uncapped

1. The regular season is over! Who is your pick for team MVP? Tie between Mikko with his countless Hatties and Pekka just crushing the pipes. 2. How did we finish in relation to your expectations for the team? I'd say pretty close, I know we're new and all so our time will come soon enough. This season was a necessary hurdle for us. 3. Who do you think will be most improved on the team next season? Most definitely, I think we only have one way to go after this season... UP! 4. Buster is rising rapidly through the ranks of the VHLM, will he challenge Pouta for the starting spot sometime soon? Would be a cool sight to see, nothing wrong with a little competition but Buster will have some HUGE shoes to fill if he is serious. 5. Pick the winner in each series: Riga v. Helsinki, Malmo v. Davos, Seattle v. Toronto, and Vancouver v. Calgary Riga, Malmo, Seattle, Vancouver... count it! 6. quik mock draft, who is your top three this season? (See draft eligible prospects here, but remember that Louth, Havlova, and Washington are GM players and will not be drafted) Jensen, Graves, Block in that order.

Washington, District of Columbia - With the very rough inaugural season still underway for the D.C. Dragons, Italian defenseman Luciano Valentino struggles to find his identity on the ice. "I don't really understand how I can transition so poorly from the VHLM. I understand that the competition we're facing is literally a cut above what I'm used to and these teams we're facing are not new besides our rivals in Prague, however I know can personally do better," Valentino stated with heavy heart. The 5th overall pick and Assistant Captain is posting an very worrisome -49 +/- with only 34 points under his belt (8 goals and 26 assists). Although Valentino is posting the 2nd most shot blocks in the league with 136 shot blocked, it appears that his main issue is his decision making on the ice. "There are games that I feel like I can quarterback the Powerplay and set up my teammates with great shot opportunities with my speed and handles but I know sometimes, often many, I tend to get too confident and underestimate my opponents. I need to learn to understand that I should focus on one area of my game at a time. Whether that be my speed, stick handling, or passing but most definitely not all three at a time," Valentino insisted. Only time will tell whether D.C.'s first rookie will learn and improve on his mistakes or whether his struggles will continue longer than expected.

1. I'm a Sharks fan at heart so of course I'm going to want them to finally win a cup but these past games haven't been fairing well haha 2. Nothing but praise for my dude Pouta, dude plays his heart out every game and it's evident in his play. 3. Hitz unhinged is a very, very, very scary dude... nothing against Jerwa but I'd put my money on Hitz, just look at his PIM and hit numbers. 4. Most definitely Mikko, dude needs a few more hatty's and keep at for the seasons ahead which i think is totally doable for him. 5. I'm more of a gain the line with the possession, dump and chase can get very sloppy and lazy at times. 6. I value both equally however, I do enjoy a solid PP specialist playing quarterback in looking for tipping opportunities and sharing the sauce.

Helsink 4 - 2

260 Vancouver Wolves @ Helsinki Titans 261 Moscow Menace @ New York Americans 262 Prague Phantoms @ Seattle Bears 263 Calgary Wranglers @ Toronto Legion

1. As much as I want it to be us, I'm hoping it's Malmo that goes all the way. 2. Halifax 21st cause that Hali-facts yo! Swim or drown, go Boats! 3. Besides family of course, he definitely misses the food and the small luxuries of his home country. Nothing like a real Italian expresso! 4. Potenza, Italy may not look like much at first but I'd definitely have my guest soak in the mountain side, the to-die-for local food and visit the great sites like the cathedral and the very rink where my career started. 5. All about that music, fam. Nothing sets the tone like a solid playlist to get amped before a good pep talk before hopping on the ice with the boys. 6. 100% Halloween, cause I can literally dress and be whomever I want! Plus I love all things spooky! ?

Currently on vacation, had to do this on mobile.

Riga 4-3

175 Vancouver Wolves @ Riga Reign 176 D.C. Dragons @ New York Americans 177 Toronto Legion @ Helsinki Titans 178 Prague Phantoms @ Malmo Nighthawks

1. We're piling up a few wins now, is this a good or bad thing for the franchise? Of course it's good! Any dub is great, Hope to see more coming our way! 2. We've lost our first two matchups against our fellow expansion team in Prague, how do you feel about that? It's a shame however the season isn't over yet. I'd consider them our rivals and hope to really give it to them out next outting. 3. Your GM recently made a minor move to bring in goaltender Pouta and defenseman Drumm from Vancouver, who won this deal and why? Great move for us, we made out with an experienced goalie between the pipes and a great addition to the blueline. We most definitely won this deal. 4. If you had to relocate one team from the EU conference to the NA conference and vice versa, who would you move and where would you move them? Moving NY Americans anywhere in Europe would be hilarious simply cause... Americans. 5. Does your player have a pregame routine? Get to the rink on game day made early to warm the legs, bump some synthwave to get amped while dressing out before hyping up my teammates before player entrance 6. How do you feel about your player's VHL/VHLM season so far? Honestly, I was hoping for much better. Seeing the negative +/- hurts but I've got to keep telling myself that I'm a rookie playing with the big dawgs. My time will come.

Review: Really sweet outlines around the player while maintaining the quality of the player himself. I really like how you turned the background from simple image to really, really complimenting the player, tone, and overall aesthetics. I personally think that the more black, grey white tones tells more about the player in here than most others, giving it a more deeper kind of feel to it. Solid work!

Review: Definitely the most creative and detailed take on how to do a quality graphic that I've seen! Great information on the player's career in the past, current stats as well as past injuries. The text is super clean and the font matches the more informational, simple approach that I'm a fan of. Well done and look forward in seeing more!

Review: Very clean, simple and great coordination with team colors. I really like your choice in the text and how it compliments with no only the player's jersey but also with the team logo in the background that's not too overwhelming but also not invisible. Keep it up!