KC15

Merry, merry Christmas!

EFL +6

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Great idea!

Wow - 3 TPE! Happy, happy, happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays!

Moscow 3-2

Moscow Malmo Helsinki Calgary

Happy holidays from the US capital. Go Dragons!

1 Season is ending soon and it looks like we are not going to make the playoffs. Are you disappointed with that or are you just looking forward to next season? Sure. Always like to win, but also did not expect to make it this year. But we improved and that's the main thing. 2 Which player from another team would you like for us to add this offseason? I have to be honest and say I don't follow the other teams that closely. 3 We're in the middle of theme week, and the theme is unsung heroes. Who's your candidate for unsung hero on our team? Pekka Pouta. Wrote my VHL.com article on this. 4 What team are you rooting for in the VHL Playoffs (if we don't make it)? Seattle. Predicted the repeat. lol 5 How does your production compare to your expectations? At first it felt much lower, but with more thought, I realized how unrealistic it would be to expect VHLM numbers as a first year VHL player. 6 Give me an idea for a name for my next player. Mack Wolfe

Enjoy the season!

VSN Reporter: Hello VHL fans! I’m here with D.C. Dragons RW, Guy Lesiur. We’ve been asking around the league for players’ takes on who are the unsung heroes of the league. Guy, thanks for your time. Who would you nominate as your unsung hero? Lesieur: That’s easy. For my money that’s got to be our goalie, Pekka Pouta @Snussu. I mean, when you play with VHL phenom, our captain, Mikk0 Aaltonen @GRZ, it’s kind of hard to get a lot of limelight. And that’s fine. Dude deserves it. What a beast on the ice! But Pekky comes out and gives it his all every night he gets the call in goal. He’s 9th in shutouts, 10th in goals against, and even has an assist from net. He’s improved his save percentage from .906 in S68 to .911 which puts him ever so slightly outside the top 10 in that category too. But Pekky brings way more than that to the team. He’s a huge factor in the LR as well. Always there for an encouraging word or to talk strategy. Excellent teammate. Definitely an unsung hero.

Yes, being new to the league I wasn’t sure myself, but I took in a “as GMs” sense.

When it comes to identifying unsung heroes in the VHL I do not need to look any further than my own GMs @Enorama and @McWolf That is – if they are considered unsung at this point, but I don’t see them getting the accolades they deserve. And it is quite clear why they might not. The lead one of the VHL’s two newest expansion teams, the D.C. Dragons, and that team is only in its second year of existence. Not many 2nd year teams garner a lot of publicity and hooplah. But let’s look at what they have done. In their first year, the Dragons compiled a record of 20-49-3 for a total of 43 points. Certainly not going to turn any heads or make eventual Cup winners quake in their skates, but not abysmal for a collection of expansion picks and rookies. But what have they done this year – their second in the league? D.C. has already skated to a 23-33-5 record and 51 total points with only 61 games played. 3 more wins, 16 less losses, and 8 more total points with 11 games left to be played. Let’s look at this another way to see the incredible accomplishment that is. If we projected out to the end of the season, the GM duo will have led their fledgling team to a 35% increase in wins (27) and an approximate 40% increase in points (60). In addition, they will have brought goals against down from 262 in S68 to 203 in S69 for a 22.5% reduction in teams lighting the Dragons’ goal lamp. Enorama and McWolf have done this through smart drafting. Not all of their rookies are burning up the league with goals scored, but as a group they are playing incredibly better defense and things will only improve from here. Who have they drafted and added to the team this year? Only the 140+ VHLM point producers Benny Graves and Jeff Tates – as well as their Las Vegas Ace teammates George Washington and Guy Lesieur. Add to this the crucial signing of Piotr Jerwa and you can readily see why these GMs are enjoying such success. But it is not all about going out and getting new talent as crucial as that is. You also have to retain great players. The Dragons’ captain, Mikko Aaltonen, is the 3rd highest goal scorer in the entire VHL. Defenseman Luciano Valentino is another standout on this young team. Both are happy to remain on the Dragons even though they could both enjoy more immediate success on a number of other teams. The reason for this is simple. Enorama and McWolf set such a great tone in the LR. It is a blast to hang out with your fellow Dragons and the GMs have created an upbeat, encouraging atmosphere where we all believe that D.C. will show it’s best face to the league and begin winning ways in the very near future. Indeed, though it is being done very quietly – behind the screen of a sub-30 win season – Enorama and McWolf are truly unsung heroes in the VHL. World Series (best of 7)

Happy Advent! (Dang - missed another day yesterday.)

Cool!

Dang! I thought posting to this thread was replying for Day 1. Now I see the separate topics and have replied for Day 2 at least.

Day 2 Happy Holidays!

Wonderful idea! Happy Holidays everyone!

Guy Lesieur has made it onto the WJC team which is a thrill – especially knowing that this will be his only chance to play for the world juniors team having been promoted up to the D.C. Dragons this season. And Europe has come out of the gate strong in the first 3 games going 2-1 and sitting number 2 in the standings for the round robin portion of the tournament. And he’s taking advantage of being paired with Mikko Lahtinen and Patrik Tallinder on the third line and Edu Stava and Jesse Nyman on the fourth line racking up 2 goals and 2 assists to be second on the team in both goals and assists. Maybe his Lahtinen-Tallinder line will even get moved up to second before the tourney is over and done. Then again, maybe not as Guy’s success seems mostly to be the result of shear volume. His 18 shots are the highest for any forward in the round robin, though some of those just behind him have played one less game. However, whether it’s from volume or high shot percentage, the main thing is to have more team goals than the team you’re facing so…. But in any case, that’s not the main thing. As long as Europe keeps burning up the ice and notching the wins, Guy is happy.

1. What order will the bottom five teams shake out to? (Calgary, New York, D.C., Prague, and Davos) 1. D.C., 2. New York, 3. Calgary, 4. Davos, 5. Prague 2. Who's taking home WJC gold? Europe 3. Do you keep cheering for your WJC home team even after you've graduated out or do you not care anymore? Sure, I'll always like to see Europe do well. 4. Would you rather make playoffs and go out in the first round or just miss it and have a chance at a lottery pick? I never want to play for a pick, but for a win. So, I'd rather make the playoffs. 5. Valentino's point production has fallen off a bit. Do Jerwa or Drumm catch him by the end of the season? Lot of confidence in Jerwa. Been playing well lately. But Valentino is not going to slump all season. I think he gets back on track and holds Jerwa and Drumm off. 6. Does anyone have a shot at ending Saskatoon's unreal season in the VHLM? Ending? No. You don't get to 49-1 by a fluke. Mississauga may have a shot at taking them down in the playoffs, but I don't think anyone catches them in the regular season.

VSN reporter Butch Netripper, former VHLM star center, caught up with D.C. Dragons RW Guy Lesieur to ask about his experiences making the jump to the VHL for S69. With just 13 games left in the season, this seemed a good time to check in with Guy’s current mindset. Netripper: Guy, you have had a meteoric rise to the VHL. You took to the ice early -especially for a Frenchman as we know hockey, and even figure skating isn’t as popular as it is in many parts of the world like Canada, the United States, Russia, Czechia, or Sweden and the other Scandinavian countries. You enjoyed success from the very beginning in midget leagues all the way through the VHLM. In juniors, you had to get used to playing in the shadows of the Las Vegas greats, Jeff Tates and Benny Graves, but got to see your name in the score sheet on most nights. What has it been like playing in D.C.? Finding the competition a bit stiffer here in the VHL? Lesieur: Man, Netripper, you can say that again. I mean, I don’t want to brag or anything, but I notched 60 points in the VHL with 31 goals. This season? I’ve only managed to bury the puck a paltry 10 times. At this pace, I’m not going to get to even half my goals from last year. Netripper: You talk about goals. That seems very important to you. Lesieur: C’mon man. I’m a sniper! I work all day in practice on my wrister and slapshot. I go to be bed thinking about beating these VHL goalies and lighting the lamp and I dream about scoring the game winner in a 7th game shootout to win the Cup. Of course I care about scoring goals! Netripper: Ok then. Why so many fewer goals? Issues with your linemates? Lesieur: Whoa! Back down, Netripper! Kiddy (Balentine Kidd) @TukTukTheGreat and Hoops (Mac Hooper) @MacH are formidable! Couldn’t ask for better guys on my center and opposing flank. Non, this is all on me, mon ami. Netripper: So….. Lesieur: Look, I had just one year in the VHLM. That’s a great league filled with great players, but I was a big fish in a smaller pond. I’m up here with some of the all-time greats now. I can’t expect to just waltz in here and take the league by storm. I’m going to have to put in the same kind of work these guys have to improve their games – and I will! Netripper: What’s the development plan then? Lesieur: Well, we’ve got some great on-ice leadership here in D.C. in Mikko Aaltonen and Piotr Jerwa. Amazing what you can learn about scoring from a defenseman who knows what he’s about! (laughs) And our coaching staff, @Enorama and @McWolf, is second to none. These guys really know what they’re doing. Netminder: So, not discouraged after all? Lesieur: Disappointed? Sure. I expect more from myself whether it’s realistic or not, but discouraged? Pas de tout! [Not at all!] I didn’t come here to fail nor did I come here to the VHL to have instant success or quit like a little bébé. I wanted to come to this fine hockey organization, the D.C. Dragons, because I believed in the vision of its coming success. I still believe in it and I believe I will have a part in making that happen for the fans of this country’s capital.

Malmo 4-2