nikkurri17

Congrats Seattle, Strauss a straight beast.

Jamie, don't you have a burger king drive through to be at?

I really hope whoever ends up GM for Scandinavia picks me for the team!

Niklas Kurri (right) visits some friends in Seattle. It was a successful regular season for the Quebec City Meute. The club for the French speaking providence in Canada finished with a strong record of 51 wins, 13 losses and 8 losses in extra time. The regular season effort was enough to earn Quebec City a first round bye in the Victory Hockey League playoffs. The Meute sat back and watched as the Seattle Bears went to war with the Toronto Legion. The Bears easily disposed of the Legion in very convincing fasion, sweeping the Ontario based squad in 4 games. The Bears will be moving on to face the Quebec City Meute in the second round. One interesting storyline to keep an eye on will be how will Quebec City forward Niklas Kurri fare against his former team? Kurri was drafted by the Bears in the Season 40 draft and spent 2 years developing in the minors before leaving the squad after just his rookie season in the VHL. "Yeah I mean it's definitely something that I've thought about" Said the Finnish forward, "In the end, I left the team because I wanted to find the best opportunity possible to win a championship. I don't hold any hard feelings towards the organization and you have to treat the games just like any other game. This is the VHL playoffs and you can't let your emotions keep you from playing the best hockey that you are capable of. The goal is to win the championship this season and I'll do whatever possible to help us bring the cup home to Quebec." Kurri was coming off a merely average rookie season with the Bears before he left town to Quebec City. Kurri really seemed to tone down his physical game last season as is evidenced by the dramatic drop in his hit totals. "Yeah I think I was running around a little bit too much last season. I watched a lot of film over the off-season and noticed a lot of cases where I would end up out of position to chase an opponent and deliver a body check. This season I've been focusing on maintaining my gaps defensively and only looking for contact when the situation calls for it. I think it's made for a dramatic improvement in my defensive game as a whole." The Seattle Bears roster features a lot of the same players the Kurri was teammates with last season. The team was very strong defensively and ultimately that's what has led to their strong play throughout the season. "Hopefully I'll get some time to catch up with some of the guys on their team. I was pretty good friends with guys like Borje Samuelsson and Jakub Rhinehart. Nicklaus (Mikaelson) is an excellent young goaltender and has really carried there team so far. He gives them a shot to win every night and we'll have to be on our A game to beat them" Surely Kurri has kept in contact with his old teammates since signing in Quebec right? "Honestly I think that Wolfgang Strauss is the only guy on their team I still talk to. Like I said it would be cool to hear from some of the guys, but I'll probably wait until the handshake line to talk to them too much." It should be a great series and Kurri could make a big impact against his former team.

Nik Kurri +2

Huge Win!

Nice win guys! Time to get into playoff form!

Nice win guys!

Meute Report The Quebec City Meute are looking very strong 56 Games into the 43rd VHL season. The Meute sit atop of the North American Conference with a record of 39 Wins, 10 Losses and 7 Overtime Losses. The Meute's 85 points currently give them a 10 point cushion over the 2nd place Seattle Bears. Quebec City's offense has been on fire. The Meute's offense has scored 173 total goals and is averaging over 3 goals per game. While the offense has been clicking on all cylinder's, the scoring output has not been at the cost of the teams defense. Quebec City has allowed just 101 goals against and is averaging under 2 goals against per game. The Meute's +72 goal differential is by far the biggest differential in the North American conference and bodes very well for the teams chances in the postseason. Aksel Thomassen is congratulated by teammates Niklas Kurri is currently playing in his sophomore season in the VHL. After spending his rookie season with the Seattle Bears, Kurri is in his debut season for the Quebec City Meute. Kurri's production has definitely seen a increase since making the move to Quebec City. Kurri has already surpassed the scoring numbers he put up in his rookie season. Nik was elevated to the Meute's top line recently, where he has played with superstar forwards Aksel Thomassen and Bruno Wolf.Quebec City has 16 games remaining to play, so expect Kurri to blow last season's numbers out of the water. Through 56 games, Kurri has scored 18 goals, 2 more than the 16 he put up last season. Kurri has 23 assists, 3 more than the 20 assists he had last season in Seattle. With almost a quarter of the season remaining, Kurri could end up somewhere between 50 and 60 points. Niklas Kurri after being named one of the 3 stars of the night A 50 point season is pretty average for a VHL forward on a good team. What makes Kurri a good player is how well rounded his game has become. Kurri has the most ice time of any Quebec City player on the VHL's 4th ranked penalty killing unit. Perhaps the most dramatic turnaround for Kurri statistically up to this point has been in the plus/minus category. Kurri is a plus/minus +29, a remarkable improvement over the -18 statistic he put up on the less talented Bears squad. Kurri has benefited from the extra ice-time that Quebec City has entrusted him with. Kurri is a key contributor in all situations for the Meute and should only continue to get better. Niklas is a former Yzerman Trophy winner as the VHLM's top two-way forward and is beginning to show signs of developing into an elite 2-way forward at the VHL level. Kurri is quick to deflect any credit for the Meute's success to his teammates. Defenseman Jack Wylde is having a M.V.P. type season. Wylde's presence on the Quebec City blue-line has been a game changer for the Meute. The play of Wylde and fellow defensemen Patrick Demko and Brandon Holmes has been incredible. Jack Wylde off the ice The Meute have championship aspirations this season. Anything short of a title will simply not be good enough.

Thanks Frank!

This is Hu Gibbsafux with the Borderline Hockey Star Times. Today we're in Seattle and we catch up with Quebec City Meute forward Niklas Kurri. Niklas is in town as the Meute battle with his former team, the Seattle Bears. We're going to change things up a bit and focus on life off the ice. Kurri spent his VHL rookie season in Seattle. Kurri also played a season in Everett with the Western Hockey League's Everett Silvertips, about 20 minutes north of Seattle via Interstate-5. Kurri is very familiar with the area, so who better to have show us around? Our day starts at a fairly predictable location, The Famed Pikes Place Market in downtown Seattle, "Yeah I come down here every once in a while. You walk down these stairs and there's some great seafood restaurants along the piers. The Fisherman's is probably my favorite out of all the restaurants down there" Says Kurri. It's a bit early for a bucket of clams, so we decide to hit the Seattle Aquarium. The aquarium is located next to the before mentioned "Fisherman's Restaurant", "The Crabpot" and the newly opened Seattle Great Wheel, the largest observation wheel on the west coast, standing 175 feet tall. After a quick ride in cabin #42 on the Ferris Wheel, the VIP cabin which features leather bucket seats, a stereo system and a glass bottom floor, we decide to go check out the aquarium. The aquarium features a wide range of marine life, primarily that is native to the Pacific Northwest. My personal favorite are the large halibut swimming near the bottom of a large circular tank that features many cold water fish you might catch out in Puget Sound. We spend a couple hours at the aquarium which Kurri informs me is one of his favorite places to get away and relax for a bit. We hop in a black Ferrari 355 LS "Yeah this is one of my old cars. I gave it to one of the puck bunny's after I left town, luckily here in Seattle, I'll be able to drive some nice wheels when we're here on the road!" It certainly is a ice set of wheels and I'm kind of dumbfounded how somebody could afford to simply give away a car like this... then I remember that Kurri recently hit a nice VHL lottery jackpot. We head north along the water and stop for lunch at a small restaurant called "Chinooks", located in Seattle's famous Fisherman's Terminal. The salmon is freshly caught and delicious, way better than the farm raised salmon commonly sold in grocery stores. There's a memorial located outside the restaurant, dedicated to the fisherman who have lost their lives in the tough seas of the Northern Pacific. I notice the name of Phil Harris, one of the captains from the Discovery Channel's television show, Deadliest Catch. Kurri asks me if I want to go see some live salmon and we head to the Ballard Locks just a mile or so away. We head to the west-side of the locks where there is a fish ladder, with a observation area. People can view the salmon as they make their way from the Pacific Ocean into Lake Washington and begin their long journey upstream. They will swim hundreds of miles in many cases, to spawn and complete their lives journey. We see many fish over the course of just 15-20 minutes and Kurri seems fascinated by the different species of fish swimming through. "Yeah, to me this sort of thing is a great way to relax and take my mind off of hockey for a little bit" Says Kurri. We have a beer at a local bar and head our separate ways. *just want to point out that it's still Sunday here in Seattle.*

Quebec City Meute forward Niklas Kurri When Niklas Kurri declared for unrestricted free agency, The Helsinki native had no idea what the next chapter of his VHL career had in store for him. As covered in my last article, Kurri took his time before deciding that The Quebec City Meute were the best overall fit for him. Even after Kurri made his decision and officially became a member of The Meute, there was still a certain level of uncertainty. Would he fit in with his new teammates? What type of role would he play with his new club? Would he be able to adjust to playing with such a skilled group of players? This years Meute team was certainly the most talented group of players Kurri had ever played with. So far everything has been going smoothly. After taking a few games to get acclimated with his new surroundings and his new teammates, Kurri has picked up his game as of late and he has begun to find the score sheet with a lot more regularity. Through 21 games this season, Kurri has scored 6 goals and added 7 assists, for a total of 13 points. Kurri has shown a willingness to get involved in the physical aspects of the game and sacrifice his body, recording 31 crushing body checks and stepping into he opposing shooting lanes to block a total of 8 shots so far. Kurri has played in all situations for Quebec City and is averaging exactly 28 minutes per game. Kurri has been a key part of the Meute penalty kill which is currently killing off over 86% of opposing powerplay's. Niklas has been effective when placed on the ice for a Quebec City powerplay as well. Kurri has scored 2 powerplay goals and has 5 points total when the Meute are on the man advantage. Kurri is dangerous carrying the puck out of the corner As far as fitting in with his new teammate's off of the ice, all indications are that everything has been excellent. Kurri has got to know a few of the players such as Patrick Demko and Bruno Wolf. Kurri has also fit in well with the guy's he already knew, such as Jack Wylde, Aksel Thomassen and Brandon Holmes. All indications are that Quebec City might end up being a long-term residence for the 2nd year forward. The Finn is said to be enjoying his time in the Quebec City area and may look to purchase a home in the area in the near future. The two-way forward certainly has the money to do so after hitting it big in the VHL lottery late last season. "Yeah I've definitely spent a good amount of that money!" Kurri was quoted as saying, "The first thing I did was buy my mom a new home back in Finland... After I took care of that, I went t the local Mercedes dealership and bought myself little present" Kurri says with a smile. So far all party's involved have been very happy with the way things are working out.

Thanks man. I should probably proof read since English is the only language I speak.

Nik Kurri reacts to scoring a goal. One of the biggest question marks of free agency this past off-season was where would Finnish forward Niklas Kurri end up signing? Kurri became an Unrestricted Free Agent after failing to reach an agreement for a contract extension with the Seattle Bears. Kurri received multiple offers and took a couple of days to consider all of his options. What type of situation would be best for Kurri at this stage of his career? Should The Finn sign with a rebuilding club, where he could cash in on a massive payday, would be looked upon to be a leader and receive a lot of ice time? Maybe he should sign with New York? The Americans have one of the richest history's in the VHL, possess a lot of draft picks and look to have a very promising future. The contract offer was very generous as well. Kurri's final other option was the Quebec City Meute. While the Meute could offer nowhere near what the other teams were offering monetary-wise, Quebec City was coming off an appearance in the VHL Finals and had already made a big off-season trade to acquire defensemen Jake Wylde and Patrick Demko. Meute players Wylde, Aksel Thomassen and Brandon Holmes train in Los Angeles during the off-season with Kurri and some of the SHL's LA Panthers players such as Valterri Bottas, Tomas Pylon, Jonas Skarsgaard and Adrian Thomaz. The familiarity with players on the roster was something that none of the other teams could offer. In all honesty Kurri was about as close to signing with The American's as possible. The American's attempted to make a move to draft Erik Hedman and it's believed that Kurri would have agreed to sign New York's contract proposal had they been able to acquire Hedman's draft rights. Kurri is said to have been extremely impressed with how New York's management's handled the negotiations and the commitment to success within the organization. Kurri sent newly acquired Quebec City defenseman Jake Wylde a text and informed him that he was leaning towards signing a deal with New York. Wylde had been extremely helpful for Kurri leading up to the free agency period. While he never put any pressure on the Finn to sign with the club, it was apparent that the team's new star was a bit disappointed with the decision. Kurri decided that he would need to take some more time and look at every situation more closely before deciding which team he would ultimately end up signing with. After reviewing all of his contract offers one final time, Kurri decided that there was one club that was simply too good of an opportunity to pass up. The competitiveness of the organization, familiarity with the players on the roster and potential role with the team made Quebec City the best option. Kurri has fit in well with his new team and has enjoyed his time in Quebec City thus far. The Meute have big plans for this season and Nik hopes he can make a solid contribution and help bring Quebec City another VHL Cup Championship.

Kurri not listed, guessing that was intentional lol

Player Name: Niklas Kurri VHL Team: Quebec City Meute Cash you have: $7,750,000 Purchase Name: Double Predictions, Point Task Upgrade Cost of Purchase: $4,500,000 Cash Left: $3,250,000

#lapdance wait.. I mean #momentofsilence

I accept. Thank You to all of the teams who offered me an opportunity to join their franchises. It was really hard to turn down the chance to play for all of the teams that made contract offers as they all had their positives. Excited to go to Quebec !

Niklas Kurri - Center - #17 Player Info Name: Niklas Kurri Age: 18 Height: 6'2 Weight: 202 lbs Born: Helsinki, Finland Position: Center Shoots: Right Team: Unrestricted Free Agent Player Bio Niklas Kurri had a decent rookie season in the Victory Hockey League, playing for the Western Conference's Seattle Bears. Kurri is a native of Helsinki, Finland and is the nephew of former NHL star, Hall Of Famer Jari Kurri. Niklas won the Season 41 Yzerman Award as the VHLM's top 2-way forward. Niklas Kurri scored 16 goals for the Bears in his rookie season and added 20 assists. Kurri showed a tendency to fire the puck on net, recording over 200 shots on goal. Kurri was also a physical presence for Seattle, finishing the season with over 150 hits. Strengths Skating - One are that Kurri has focused on developing into a key component of his game is his skating ability. Niklas is a strong skater with good size and a powerful skating stride. Kurri is strong on the puck and uses his powerful stride down low in the corners to work the cycle and create scoring opportunity's for himself and his teammates. Kurri does not posses elite level speed but accelerates quickly and uses his powerful stride to catch unsuspecting defenders off guard. Defense - Defensive play has always been a key component to Kurri's game. Niklas was a dominant player for during his VHLM career, which he spent primarily with the Saskatoon Wild. Kurri's strong two-way play culminated with the center winning the Yzerman trophy. Nik finished his rookie season as a plus/minus -18. Kurri got off to a very rough start in this department but turned things around in the 2nd half of the season, despite Seattle's season going downhill. Kurri prides himself on being reliable in all three zones and looks to be a solid penalty killer in the future. Seattle did not play Kurri in many defensive situations. Physicality - Kurri is a very physical player and uses this to his advantage. Kurri's physicality is one area of his game that transitioned very well to the VHL. Kurri loves to take the body and seems to hit everything that moves when he is on his game. When retrieving loose pucks in the corner, opposing defenders need to be aware of where Kurri is on the ice. Kurri finished his rookie season in Seattle with 158 hits. Kurri is improving his overall strength and should continue to become a physical force for whatever team he ends up with. Weaknesses Passing - Niklas looks to shoot first and at times can overlook open teammates and fire low percentage shots. Kurri also is prone to forcing passes to teammates who are not in a advantages position which in turn results in turnovers. As Kurri continues to work on his puck handling skills and gains experience in the league, this is an area of his game that could definitely improve. Face-Offs - Face-offs are a area that Kurri was impressive in at the VHLM level. Kurri's technique was not adequate for the VHL and the rookie center won just 46% of his draws. Kurri needs to get stronger if he is going to win face-offs on a consistent basis at the professional level. Consistency - The biggest issue that has prevented significant progress during Kurri's career is his dedication off the ice, to improving his game on the ice. At times Kurri looks like a future superstar, other times it seems like he's not doing anything to try to become a better player. Kurri will go through stretches where he is among the very best players on his team, other games he'll look like he's floating around the ice, with when he's going to get back to the bench being his biggest concern. Perhaps a change of scenery and a new training regimen will bring some consistency to the streaky Finn's game. Summary Niklas Kurri is an intriguing young forward who could still develop into a top notch 2-way forward at the VHL level. While it doesn't appear he will reach the level of greatness as his famous uncle, Kurri could still have a very successful professional career.

Any late offers? I'll be making a decision tomorrow evening. Every team has a chance!

Nice Trade!

When did I say I was pissed? I just told you that your Co-gm didn't exactly display good ethics with his negotiating style.. When did I go inactive? I never claimed to be a superstar or anything 273 isn't too bad. I seem to remember you almost getting fired for dissapearing at one of the most inconvenient times possible for a gm. Whatever though I guess your team isn't about having an enjoyable experience while in the league. Shame because you have some great members on your team and I'll feel bad for them if that's your guy's management style. Good luck keeping everyone together. Cheers.

Ruutu Goody and Merica to wherever I sign

Rice I didn't wanna leave... things happen.

I got C.J. watching my back