nikkurri17

Glad we got the W with our backs against the wall, Looking forward to game 5. You never know what could happen!

Leo!

< Bottas

Thanks, I just need to proof read lol

How long is the break usually before the playoffs?

Good Article Jorma!

am i still on this team

No, I think your on Seattle.

Is Niklas Kurri the most improved player in all of the VHL? It certainly appears so. The third year VHL forward has improved his play drastically this season. With the VHL regular season winding downand only three games left before the post-season, Kurri finds himself among the leagues scoring leaders and has spearheaded the Americans offensive attack, helping lead the team during a tight battle with the Seattle Bears for the North American Conferences final playoff spot. Today we review Kurri's statistics over his career and get an idea of how much the two-way centers game has improved over the past season.

Goals

Season 42: 16

Season 43: 21

Season 44: 47

With three games remaining, Kurri has a legitaimate chance to reach the 50 goal plateau. Kurri's goalscoring has been consistent since the first couple weeks of the season and he has steadily climbed the VHL's leaderboard throughout the season. Nik has recorded two hat tricks and is always dangerous against the leagues top teams. Kurri's 47 goals lead all New York players by a wide mark and have absolutely descimated the Finn's previous career highs. Kurri has scored ten more goals this season then he had in his previous two campaignes combined.

Assists

Season 42: 20

Season 43: 26

Season 44: 52

While Kurri has shown more confidence in his shot then he ever has before, Kurri has also been able to find his teammates on a regular basis. Nik has already doubled his career high in assists with 52 so far. A number of Kurri's assists have been logged as a result of Niklas firing the puck on net and rookie forwards Edwin Reencarnacion and Jorma Ruutu driving the paint and tapping in loose rebounds. Rookie forwards Reencarnacion and Ruutu have had excellent rookie seasons on Kurri's wings and have helped form arguably the most dangerous second line in the VHL. You have to wonder though... Have the rookies been relying on Kurri's strong offensive play or has it been the other way around? Kurri is no stranger to playing with talented line-mates. Last season in Quebec, Kurri played with the likes of Aksel Thomassen, Travis Boychuck, Jack Wylde and Bruno Wolf.

Points

Season 42: 36

Season 43: 47

Season 44: 99

It's all but a lock that Kurri will reach the 100 point mark for the first time in his career this season. Kurri leads all Americans players in scoring by over 20 points. Kurri has went on multiple scoring streaks over the course of the season and if not for a mediocre first few weeks to the season, Kurri would probably be near the very top of the scoring lists league wide. Niklas is registering over 1.1 points per 20 minutes played, ranking in the top 5 league wide in scoring efficiency.

Kurri getting ready to score another goal​

Kurri has been excellent defensively as well blocking 49 shots and winning nearly 55.0% of his face-offs. Kurri has also seen a huge turnaround in the plus/minus catagory as the season progressed. At one point in the season, Kurri was nearly a -20. Kurri has turned that stat around and is now a +27, second on the team to Edwin Reencarnacion.

The Finnish forward is starting to show some of the star power that you would expect from a player with the last name Kurri. Nik has been the #1 star of games 11 times and has been one of the games three stars 21 times in 69 total games.

Kurri has been dedicated to improving his game off the ice and it has shown with his on ice results. No disrespect to Pablo Escobar who has seen a big increase in his scoring totals, but I would have to think that Kurri has the Dustin Funk award locked up. Hell, Nik may even be in MVP consideration when you consider that the award goes to the most valuable player to their team.

Cheers.

​

Lol I don't think so but that's fine, I just wanted to make sure you heard my pitch!

Hi Nike!

I trust you got my shl message yeah?

cheers. 

If it comes down to it you might be able to move up for a goalie. Let's make the playoffs and then go from there!

As the season beings to wind down, the New York Americans find themselves in a bit of an unexpected position in the standings. Most experts didn't expect New York to make the playoffs. A majority of them thought that The Seattle Bears would be the team to come out of the Western Conference as the #3 seed. For some reason Seattle appears to be tanking. They've traded players away and signed free agents who have no place in the VHL, a clear indication that they have no interest in winning and instead are trying to lose as often as possible. It's moves like this that Niklas Kurri wanted to avoid. By all reports, Kurri is thrilled that he escaped after his rookie season and that he's not a part of the Seattle franchise.


Seattle forward Mario De Rossi



The New York Americans have played solid yet unspectacular hockey all season. The team has struggled to find balanced scoring throughout the line-up and has played average defensively. New York has received a minimal amount of support from their defenseman in the offensive zone. As of the time of this article, the Americans were one game under 500 and have moved into the final playoff spot. It's not like they've been playing good either... the team is 5-5 over their last 10 games and have lost 3 in a row. Luckily for the Americans, the Seattle Bears have found a whole new level of horrible play and have basically moved out of the way, allowing the Americans to capitalize.


teammates congratulate Edwin Reencarnacion

One bright spot for the American has been the play of the teams 2nd line. Niklas Kurri is becoming one of the top forwards in the league and has been scoring consistently for a majority of the season. Kurri is climbing the VHL scoring leaderboards and is now firmly in the top ten league wide in goal scoring. Edwin Reencarnacion is beginning to find his scoring touch. Reencarnacion is second in rookie scoring and has recorded nearly a point per game. Reencarnacion has really stepped up his game since he was placed on a line with Kurri and Finnish grinder Jorma Ruutu. Ruutu is another rookie who has been playing very well. Ruutu is also among the top 5 in rookie scoring, totaling 50 points so far. Ruutu's two-way play has perhaps been undervalued. Ruutu has been excellent in all three zones. With a strong finish to the regular season, Both Reencarnacion and Ruutu are capable of being the leagues rookie of the year.

So will New York be able to close the deal and qualify for the post-season? All signs point to yes, thanks to Seattle throwing in the towel despite the fact it looked like they were about to cruise to a playoff birth. New York is looking forward to the opportunity to play spoiler in the post-season. If the playoffs began today, New York would match up with the Calgary Wranglers. The Wranglers have been on fire recently and haven't lost in regulation over the past 10 games.

Nice, Thanks.

You guys think I have a shot at the most improved Player award? Has anyone else had a breakout season on par with Kurri?

Eh Bushito may have dropped the ball here or there haha

Lol I bet!

Pretty nervous about game 7.. S22 game 7 didn't go that great for LA but went very well for Nike!

I've been very busy though... work, real life, SMJHL expansion team, phl off-season, haven't had much time for vhl haha. I'm still checking in everyday though, too bad we're falling away from a playoff spot.

yeah it's pretty quiet sometimes

Yep that's me!

VHL PT'S are usually pretty simple. I try to put together 450 words every weekend. Ive been able to do so without taking up too much time and I've been able to avoid welfare.

Anyways welcome to the team! We have a great future and I'm glad your on board.

Remember the NBA Jam video game series? Well Niklas Kurri is on fire. At the time of my last article, Kurri had seen a rise in his scoring production and moved his way to the top of The New York Americans scoring list for the season. Kurri recorded 19 points over a 13 game stretch and notched 29 points through 29 games. Kurri has built on his strong play and has found a new level of confidence in the offensive zone. Over the past 17 games, Kurri has scored 15 goals and has 31 total points. Kurri is leading The Americans in scoring by a wide margin and has established himself a one of the clubs most reliable players in pretty much every situation. In his third season in the VHL, Kurri is enjoying by far his best season in the league and has already established career highs in a number of different categories. While his offensive production is what has stood out, Kurri has been arguably The Americans best defensive forward as well. Kurri has blocked 45 shots through The Americans first 46 games which is two more than fellow Finn and line-mate Jorma Ruutu and leads all of the teams forwards. Kurri's 60 points are 16 more than any other player on The Americans and 13 more then the forwards previous career high. Kurri also leads the club with 29 goals, 31 assists, 7 powerplay goals, 14 powerplay points and 4 game winning goals.

We were lucky enough to catch up with Kurri after a recent game with The Riga Reign and ask him some questions.
 

Great game Niklas! You guys won 5-2 and you had a goal and 3 assists, Your thoughts on tonight's game?

"Thanks Bud, I'm glad we could get the win! The team played great and I think the result reflects that. We played a very physical brand of hockey and dictated the flow of the game. We were able to force some turnovers and kept the puck in the offensive zone, away from our own net. My teammates were in great position and capitalized on their scoring opportunities."

What's the difference in your game personally? What has sparked your offensive outburst?

"Yeah, I think I'm just working really hard off the ice and I have a lot more confidence with the puck. I've been working on getting stronger and I've been watching a lot of film to make sure I'm in the right position on the ice. I still think there's room for improvement and team success is definitely more important then individual statistics. Hopefully we can make a strong push for the playoffs and make some noise when we get there."

Thanks for your time Nik, good luck the rest of the way!

"No problem man anytime!"


 

Hey Nike!

We're finally teammates lol

Nice! Points in bunches.

6-2 Davos

Wranglers

Americans

Meute

Vikings

Yep, we've been playing fairly well recently and hopefully we keep playing better as the season progresses.

Reencarnacion has played well since joining the 2nd line with Ruutu and Kurri!

Close call

Nice win.