Patrik Tallinder

Sweet, thanks for pointing that out. Complete oversight on my part lol F - FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY Analfist @CowboyinAmerica

F - Mac Atlas @CowboyinAmerica

1. I think our team has so much potential! I think we'll be a good team right out of the gate, but by playoff time we'll really be championship caliber. I'm looking forward to playing with our top pick Andrew Skilton, I think he has crazy potential. 2. I think the Ryan Sullivan Trophy would be cool, but the Founder's Cup is obviously the goal. 3. "Garbage Pale Kids" is one of the weirdest songs I've ever heard, and I'm not sure why I keep coming back to it lol 4. The Founder's Cup would be awesome, the LR would go crazy if we did win. I'd also like to be a good presence in the LR throughout the season. 5. I think my defence could use some work still, though it's not too bad. 6. Absolutely! I think we have a lot of passionate players with the potential to improve a ton over the course of this season.

D - Mark Calaway @CowboyinAmerica

Every sport has their superstars. Continued success is a difficult thing in sports, and those who are able to achieve it are celebrated endlessly by the cities and countries they represent; These players become almost greater-than-life figures to the people they inspire. However, none of them started as global superstars or household names. Every story begins on the same blank sheet of paper, and it is up to the author to make the most of each and every page. Today, we look at the promising first few pages of what could be an unforgettable story of hard work and success, but only time will tell how the rest of its pages unfold. During Season 74, just blocks away from the Prague Phantoms arena, a boy by the name of Alexandr Novotny was born. From the very beginning, Alexandr gravitated toward the booming cheers coming from that building, the sounds of which never ceased to reach his home during playoff time. The boy's family was not poor; They were more than able to make ends meet, but they did not have the kind of money to go to multiple games a season. Thus, he would watch the games on TV with his father and his sister, imitating every subtle movement from his favourite Phantom, Thomas Landry II. The glimmering reflection of the TV broadcasts never left his eyes, and the cutting sounds of skate blades across the ice never left his ears. It would not take long for Alexandr to ask his parents to sign him up for minor hockey. The Novotnys were a family that adored the winter. The father, Jakub, played hockey growing up, and it made sense that he wanted to share this passion with his children. He, along with Alexandr and his sister, Adela, would watch every Prague Phantoms game and play hockey out in the driveway. He also coached some of their minor hockey teams, choosing ultimately to step away from coaching after they got a bit older. However, his support remained unwavering. The mother, Anna, loved to ski. While she learned to love hockey as well, she relished being on the slopes and sharing that experience with the rest of her family. While the Novotnys were primarily a hockey family, they had a lot of fun skiing trips growing up as well. In his early days of minor hockey, Alexandr enjoyed much success. He was a passionate and hard-working kid who quickly found a knack for skating technique, where his edgework far surpassed his peers. He made high-level teams with relative ease, and seemed to hardly ever leave the rink. However, the young Czech was not doing particularly well academically during this time, as he took much less interest in his studying than his on-ice performance. When Alexandr turned 16, a catalytic event would change the course of his life and force him to re-evaluate his values and priorities as a whole. His girlfriend at the time, Maria, became pregnant with his child. Only 17 years old herself, this news completely flipped both of their lives upside down. For Alexandr specifically, he had taken a lackadaisical approach to his life thus far, not working towards anything that would resemble a future career. Since he had put such little effort into school, the only path the young man saw fit was to push all of his chips in to become a professional hockey player. He had dreamt about it before, but he had never wholeheartedly decided on it as a career path. Now that he had something - or someone, rather - to work for, he knew that his on-ice success would be instrumental in providing a quality childhood for his kid. Upon the end of the S90 season, the streets of Prague were densely populated with parading Phantoms fans, celebrating their long-awaited Continental Cup victory. The distant sounds of the parade could be heard through the walls of the very same hospital where Alexandr was born; and also where his newborn daughter, Eliska, was then born. The cheering never stopped in the city throughout Eliska's entire stay at the hospital, but it was noted by Maria that the white noise it produced helped her fall asleep. Alexandr looked into his daughter's eyes, as he listened to the masses roar on outside. In that moment, he felt the pride of Prague as a city, and more importantly, he felt the love of his daughter. He then knew that he needed to make it to the VHL and make both his city and his family proud. The now second-youngest Novotny wasted no time getting to work. Working tirelessly to take care of Eliska and hone his craft, Alexandr had finally found purpose in his life. He was driven like never before, and it produced rapid improvements in his game on the ice. After almost a year with this new mindset, he tried out for the Czechia U18 team. It was a pace he had never experienced before, but his work ethic impressed the coaches. The last round of cuts was complete, and Novotny found his name at the very bottom of the list; He made it, but barely. This was bittersweet for the boy, as he was grateful to have made it, but he had expected more from his relentless work over the many months since his daughter was born. However, he did not let the bad taste stay in his mouth for long, as he got to work once again. The U18 tournament first introduced Alexandr Novotny on the world stage. While it was not an easy feat making the team, he quickly found chemistry with his defense partner, Artur Voracek. The two quickly earned themselves more and more ice time, shutting down the other team's top players and sending the puck back up the other way. Novotny proved to be the more offensively gifted of the two, as he racked up assists throughout the tournament. While ultimately the team succumbed to Finland in the gold medal game, Alexandr was named MVP of Czechia's U18 team. It was from there that scouts began taking a liking to his game and awaiting his next move. Nowadays, Alexandr is one of the VHLM's top prospects to keep an eye on, as he could truly fall anywhere in the draft. He is still very raw in talent, but is also rapidly improving and motivated to get better every single day. He hopes to one day make it to the VHL to provide a stable environment for his daughter as she grows up, and to make his city proud of the player and person he has become.

Not my best lol but @leandrofg hope you like it!

Hello all, it's me again. Maybe you saw my last VHL.com article, maybe you didn't. In case you didn't, the brief rundown is that I am looking at reintroducing my scouting content, but I just was not sure of the form it would take. After mulling it over, I've landed on perhaps the most obvious, and least creative option: bringing back my draft profiles series. I will be bringing an entirely new look to the series, as well as numerous features that I am excited to share. Some of these features are pending actual agreements between myself and the participants, so what I mention in this article is not necessarily final. That being said, here is a general 9-week schedule I hopefully plan to follow from the time the S94 VHL draft is over, all the way up until the S95 draft. Week 1 - Previous season recap In Week 1, I plan to introduce my initial S95 draft rankings, as well as review the performance of S95 waiver pickups in the VHLM from the previous season. Additionally, I plan to hopefully interview one of the top re-creates of the draft, who may be an early favourite to go 1-3 overall in the draft. Week 2 In Week 2, I will bring back some familiar sections of my previous draft profiles, these being "Risers of the Week" and "Achievement Centre." The riser of the week and a player with a significant accomplishment (went high in the VHLM draft, got hired into a new league-related position, etc) will each get a player spotlight, where I give a few words on what I think their potential may look like. Additionally, I will present my updated rankings. Week 3 - VSN Scouting Feature This is the biggest "IF" of this whole series at the moment. My plan is to hopefully have a brief interview with a member of VSN Scouting to help paint the picture of the S95 draft's potential as a whole, as well as maybe highlighting some of their dark horses early in the season. I have not asked about this, but I will closer to when I plan on writing the article. People have busy lives, so if no one is able to do the interview, I'll make sure to find something else interesting in its place. This week will also feature updated rankings, risers of the week, achievement centre, and a player spotlight for whoever has a significant achievement that week. Week 4 This is a pretty standard week, featuring two player spotlights (riser of the week & achievement centre player of the week), as well as updated rankings. Week 5 - WJC Spotlight This week will cover everything that connects the S95 draft and the WJC, such as GM hires from the draft class, as well as player selectees. I'm banking on hopefully one of the GMs being from the S95 class, as I plan to do an interview with one of the WJC GMs. If not, it still works out, and I'll ask them about the S95 players they selected for their team. The riser of the week will get a player spotlight, and there will be achievement centre, but no player spotlight in that section. Rankings will be updated. Week 6 - Down to the numbers This article will be quite far along into the season, and it will look at the stat leaders among S95 draftees in the VHLM. There will be risers of the week and achievement centre, with achievement centre containing a player spotlight. Rankings will be updated once again. Week 7 - First gen spotlight This article will feature a recap of all the draft class' notable first gens and their rankings (yep, those are updated again too). There will be risers of the week and achievement centre, but all profiles will be saved for the first gen spotlight. I plan to hopefully do a "first gen panel" of maybe 3 first gens who have proven to be promising prospects, asking them about their future, how they're enjoying the website, and other fun stuff that I haven't really outlined yet. Week 8 - VHL GM Feature & Season Recap I'll hopefully be able to land an interview with a GM for this week, preferably someone with multiple first round picks or the 1OA pick. Just asking about their view of the draft class as a whole and what they hope to get out of it. I will look at VHLM award winners, such as cup winners, stat leaders, and potential individual awards that have not yet been voted on. There will be updated rankings, achievement centre, risers of the week, and a player spotlight for the riser of the week. Week 9 - My personal mock draft My final draft rankings Depending on the strength of the draft class, I will do the top 16/32 picks, making graphics for the top picks. I'll include a blurb about everyone covered, including bits about their TPE earning, community presence, player builds, and VHLM seasons. After that, we move on to the next batch of prospects. Let me know what you guys think of this format; I know it may be a bit difficult to visualize as I've kinda just thrown some key words and abstract sections with not much context at you. That being said, I'm excited to get this going again. If you're looking for any indication of what the achievement centre and risers of the week may look like, here's my last draft profiles article. The new ones will look different, but a lot of inspiration will be taken from those ones.

1. Pringles are always a good option 2. Idk if this counts but I can move both of my ears on command 3. Not 100% sure, I think I'd lean toward four cups because being in the LR is always super fun during championship runs, and it would be crazy to go through that four times. The individual awards are really cool, but you don't get to share the experience with anyone. 1) What NHL player closely resembles the build of your VHL/E/M player? 2) What member(s) was key in retaining you when you first joined the league? 3) What's your favourite sport outside of hockey?

Thank you! And I do make my own graphics on my phone haha

Alexandr Novotny | 19 | D | Prague, Czechia From humble beginnings in Prague, Czechia, Alexandr Novotny has soared onto the radar of the hockey world over the past few weeks. An intelligent defenseman with impeccable skating ability, he is able to be a game breaker in all three zones. Currently available in the upcoming VHLM Dispersal Draft, the name Alexandr Novotny is certainly one you do not want to forget. Now, let us dive into what makes him so special, as well as some pitfalls that could hinder his progress up to the elite levels. Pros Skating Novotny is a smooth, elegant skater with phenomenal four-way mobility and edgework. He uses this ability to open up plays offensively and defensively, as his agility and quick strides give him the space he needs to see open lanes occupied by his teammates. His technique is very impressive already, so he will undoubtedly be a force once he ages a bit and puts on more muscle to become more explosive. Hockey IQ Perhaps his most useful asset, Novotny's mind for the game is certainly a sight to behold. His ability to see the ice and find teammates on the transition, as well as to disrupt plays in the defensive zone are nearly unmatched at the junior level, and it will only get better with experience. The Czech defender also has a knack for finding cross-seam passes in the offensive zone, frequently picking up primary assists and finding success on the powerplay. Cons Physicality As a young man, Alexandr definitely has time to improve his strength and physicality, but it remains a weakness for now. When he is backed up against the boards and his skating fails to let him evade the forecheck, he can get pinned quite easily and the puck can quickly get turned over. If Novotny wants to succeed at the highest level, serious consideration needs to be given to his workout regimen and diet over the next few seasons. Shooting While he is able to see and read the game very well, Novotny is not quite as naturally gifted at finding the back of the net. His shot placement does not present much danger, and the velocity at which it comes at you is not nearly as threatening as most powerplay quarterbacks. In order to round out his offensive game, the young defenseman will surely need to strengthen this attribute. Conclusion Alexandr Novotny is an extremely promising prospect, with raw and unpolished talent that could potentially take him very far as a pro. The willingness of VHLM GMs to take a chance on him remains to be seen, but he will surely be working hard to prove himself as a capable candidate.

@Spartan

@dstevensonjr

Hello everyone, I guess it's been awhile. A lot of you may not know me, but I was a very active member from late 2019 until late 2021, when I had to step back and prioritize my personal life and studying. Since I have returned, I have been wondering what to do as far as content, as I really enjoy the scouting aspect of the VHL and I hope to get back to making content surrounding it. I am thinking about maybe bringing back my draft profiles series that I did from S70 to S72, except with some tweaks to make it fresh and new. That series is what first gave me a sense of purpose in the VHL community, and it seemed that people really enjoyed them. Looking ahead, I would definitely be open to bringing back the draft profiles. Another possibility is some in-depth coverage for the VHLM, looking at individual teams and the prospects they have that could become VHL stars. For example, I could look at the Miami Marauders, look at the TPE earning of their players, as well as their leading scorers, and then maybe interview a player or GM/AGM to ask about the future of certain players and the team as a whole. Other than those two ideas, I'm still trying to think of other possibilities, and I am 100% open to any suggestions. Hopefully I'll get back to draft-related content soon, and hopefully you guys will tune in thanks for listening to my ramble.

1. Definitely the burger king singing commercials, but it’s kind a love-to-hate-them relationship lmao 2. I’ll honestly have to brush back up with who’s competing at who’s rebuilding as I’ve been away for awhile lol but I’ll go with an optimistic guess of Calgary, my former team with both of my previous players. 3. I’m a big fan of ice cream or sun chips tbh 1) A world class chef offers to cook you one meal for free, no matter how basic or luxurious. What do you choose? 2) What brand of equipment does your player use? 3) if your player could have one major brand deal, what would it be?

Thank you man, that means a lot. Crazy to think some people still go back and read my old stuff, hopefully once I graduate this spring I can get something like that back up and running! I had a blast making those and keeping track of the drafts

This is really, really well done. The logo swap is seamless, and the background adds so much without taking away focus from the foreground. The choice of font is very good as well, as I think a taller graphic needs a taller font to look proportionate (idk if that makes sense). I could see this being used as a phone wallpaper, as the dimensions probably aren't far off. I'm looking for something to critique, but genuinely can't find anything to pick apart. Maybe a slight blur on the background might add some depth to the graphic? However, I think it looks great as it is. This is awesome work! A 9.5/10 imo

Nice graphic! I really like the placement of everything, it feels full without feeling crowded. I also really like the effects used to make the colours pop. I think the shoulder patch could be a bit bigger, but the fact that something as small as that is the most pressing issue I can find means you did a great job. I could see a design like this on a graphic T-shirt. Overall, great work! I'd give it a 9/10

1. I'm gonna go with 92. Not sure why, but I like the look of it. 2. A sweet spot right in the middle is perfect. Probably leaning toward high flex if I had to choose. 3. A rusty, musty, dusty, crusty 2001 Honda civic that someone gave him for $5. 1) What motivates your player to succeed in their career? 2) Would you rather play your whole career with one team or move around to experience different team cultures? 3) What is your pre-game meal?

Player Information Username: Patrik Tallinder Player Name: Alexandr Novotny Recruited From: Returning Age: 19 Position: D Height: 72 in. Weight: 190 lbs. Birthplace: Czechia Player Page @VHLM GM

Bust

Sweden's very own Patrik Tallinder made his name playing in the SuperElit at just 15 years old, where he was scouted by VHLM scouts and subsequently recruited into the VHL/M system. One Continental Cup, Mike Szatkowski Trophy, and Victory Cup later, Patrik finds himself in retirement back where it all started. These days, the former Reign and Wrangler winger finds himself much less involved with the VHL. He was an assistant GM in Calgary for a few seasons, but ultimately stepped down to enjoy a nice retirement with his family. He still checks in with the VHL though; especially the Calgary Wranglers and his brother, Nils Tallinder, who plays center on the team. Patrik Talllinder has purchased a small home in Sweden that is home to himself, his wife and his newborn daughter, Maja. The house is about a 20 minute drive away from his hometown, Stockholm. It is a beautiful home with a very warm, comforting atmosphere. It is a one-story home with three bedrooms, and it is surrounded with trees that create a nice sense of privacy. The backyard includes an outdoor rink during the winters, where Patrik frequently has guests over to play pickup hockey for fun. Life is much different for him now; His priorities used to be solely focused on improving his craft, and now he has his sights set on being the best father that he can be. Who knows what the future has in store - maybe he will guide Maja Tallinder to VHL superstardom many years down the line. Right now, he is just learning the ropes on how to be a father, but he would love to see Maja in skates when she gets old enough. Patrik was the first in his family to pursue hockey, so he never had the opportunity to enjoy hockey with his parents. He hopes to provide that for his daughter and for any other children that he may have in the future. Patrik likes to catch up with old teammates whenever he travels, most often being Guy Sasakamoose. Given all the seasons they spent together from Mississauga to Riga, it would be difficult to not form a solid relationship in the way that they did. Phil Marleau, Kris Rice, Jimmy Spyro, Lincoln Tate, Apollo Hackett, Greg Eagles, and many more names are still in touch with Talli. He says that those lifelong friendships may just be the most gratifying part of his career, given how strong they still are after all this time. While he is not the scouting wizard or gifted goal scorer that he once was, Patrik Tallinder finds himself just as happy out of the spotlight than he was when he was in it. He is proud of the footprint he left behind on the VHL, and the end of that chapter only served as a new beginning for the next. He has enjoyed retirement so far, being a father and a husband back home in Sweden. Thank you all for tuning in for this update on the life of former VHL star Patrik Tallinder!

So I have come to collect my last minute TPE once again, and I must think of some topics to write about. It's been really strange going from a super active user to someone who doesn't even log on daily anymore, but such is life with school and all. I do miss having the time to put more effort into my VHL work, but university has been a great time so far. As far as this season, I'm quite happy with my individual success. The team cooled off a lot recently, but I still have faith that we are one of the top teams in the league at the moment. Hopefully time will prove that point, but we will have to wait and see. I say this every season, but it feels like there is something special in Calgary. I could see us going all the way for sure, as it's only a matter of time in my eyes. Another fun fact is that I am slowly starting to run out of teams to make wallpapers for. I was looking through the VHL team list earlier, and I had to switch to the VHLE since I didn't have any inspiration for the few VHL logos that I had left. Anyways, I will just have to continue doing that and then I will figure out my next endeavour. That's it from me, thanks for stopping by!