nikkurri17

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Looking forward to being a part of New York for the next 3 seasons!

Accept!

Looking forward to being a part of New York for the next 3 seasons!

S44: $2,500,000
S45: $2,500,000
S46: $2,500,000
 
The Trains are in need of more forwards to round to help round out or core would love it if you jumped on board. Join us!

S44: $2,500,000
S45: $2,500,000
S46: $2,500,000
 
NY BABY.  Come join us sir!

Let me know if you ever need ideas for writing, I'm Bottas in the shl.

Money isn't the most important thing but it is nice.

Nice write up Ruutu!

Niklas Kurri declines the mutual option. Gonna be a UFA again.

Kurri defends the corner in his own-zone

   It seems like just yesterday that Niklas Kurri failed to come to a contract agreement with The Seattle Bears. It may seem like yesterday but a lot has happened since Kurri declared for free agency. Kurri ended up signing a contract with the Quebec City Meute last off-season. The contract paid him just 2 million dollars for the season. Kurri reportedly asked for a mutual option with a slight raise to use as motivation to continue to improve as a player and hopefully earn the pay raise with the team. Quebec City stood pat and would only offer a mutual option at the same 2 million dollar salary that they were offering for the 1st year of the contract. Kurri took the deal with Quebec City and quickly began to improve his game. The Finnish forward improved by leaps and bounds over the course of his first season in Quebec City.
 
  Niklas Kurri has always been known as an all around player. During his rookie season with the Bears, Kurri was sometimes exposed as a defensive liability against the top VHL players. Kurri prides himself in his two-way play and made a commitment in the off-season to improve that part of his game before concentrating on putting the puck in the net. Kurri's hard work paid off. Kurri was a key member of the very successful, highly ranked, Quebec City penalty kill. Further more, Kurri dramatically improved his plus/minus rating. Kurri finished with as a +50 in the category and was consistently matched up with opponents top scoring forwards. Kurri's play improved to the point where he found himself paying on The Meute's top line by around the halfway point of the season. Kurri was paired on the line with Aksel Thomasen and Bruno Wolf. Surprisingly, Kurri's offensive production dropped off when he joined the line with Quebec City's top two scorers. Kurri ended up recording 21 goals and assisting on 26 of his teammates goals. More importantly then his statistical output, Kurri showed a willingness to dedicate himself to improving off the ice. This past season was easily the hardest Kurri has worked to improve as a player, since he joined the VHL. Kurri improved by leaps and bounds and is definitely a much more well rounded player then he was when he joined The Meute. Kurri was even selected as one of the forwards for Team Scandinavia.
 

 A couple of Team Scandinavia fans.
 
 
  By all accounts Kurri has really enjoyed his time in Quebec City since signing with the Meute. During the regular season, Quebec City was the the top team in the North American Conference. The Meute earned a first round bye in the post-season, before running into Kurri's former team, The Seattle Bears. The Bears really started to come alive in the second half of the season and have received clutch goals from Kurri's  former line-mate, German winger Wolfgang Strauss.
 
  There is a very good chance that Niklas Kurri will continue his career in Quebec City. The people in the organization have been great. But when free agency begins, nothing will be for certain. Kurri is opting out of his contract and will once again be an unrestricted free agent.
 


543 words

Congrats Seattle, Strauss a straight beast.

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.

Congrats Seattle, Strauss a straight beast.

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

Lets get games 3 & 4!

Lets get games 3 & 4!

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.

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.

Hoy.....
 
 
That is fuckin awesome

Kurri, Wastlund made this sig.

Nice win guys!

Part 1: The Journey Begins   Given essentially the whitest name in sports Alexander Davidson journey to the VHL has been extremely weird. You could almost compare it to walking into an elevator and being told press 5 to reach the 5th floor but when he pushed the button 5 it took him to the wrong floor. With that every attempt he tried always the same weird result. That's how Davidson's first bit tour around the VHL/VHLm Head Quarters went off. It wasn't until he hit the panic button security found him and all was good and they got him to where he needed to be.   He joined late so he landed in some place called Minot. Wherever that may be. Davidson wasn't sure how he got there or how he got to the arena as everything as confusing for him to begin with. Whisked away to some weird town that the locals made me uncomfortable.I guess you can say it was weird being plucked to Minot. It was liked I was drugged and brought there and someone magically made me play hockey. It is what it is as my journey just gets even more confusing coming into the draft.   After Minot was disbanded and I was rescued by the league as the Minot Gladiators were no longer and the fancy people in their fancy suits told us "you are going into the draft again and this time you could go anywhere!" Time goes by and once again I was kidnapped and taken across the globe to where I asked the locals they mentioned I was in Bratislava. It was weird like my kidnappers put on some voice translation technology on me. It was like they found this technology of the future so I could understand the locals and read everything. It was the weirdest experience. How I got here I honestly don't know. When I got here, I don't know. All I know was I began to play hockey for a bit. Got lost in Bratislava and then somehow got found again. Now with a GPS system in hand I guess I can say I can find my way around this city and around HQ once again just in time to be drafted into the VHL draft for one of these teams I may need to seek Google Maps to find so I don't get lost on my trip there.    For this Canadian kid, the journey will continue as the season moves forward. For the scouts and the managers worried that this draft is small and thinking they have to maximize every asset they can gain. Remember every player isn't going to be your 190 TPE players right now that some get off to a rocky start. If you are willing to invest the time and patience into the projects they can amount to something for you. As I have learned with a good compass and GPS I am good to go. I may need to configured and updated once in a while but fear not. The whitest name in VHL is here for the long haul.   512 word count. No pictures as this more of a 'tell all' type story that I felt the added pictures may not help with the content of the piece. I wanted to get creative as it gives me a fun wayto write this instead of being cold and boring. Hope its good enough as first piece here and Ivebroken myself down from my work required quick type to get a point across as fast as possible. So please forgive my grammar haha

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.

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.

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.

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.