Cusemode

2

Yes!

Claimed, thank you!

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Done Facebook/Insta

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1. Which four teams will miss playoffs this season? (Two in each conference) D.C., New York, HC Davos and Prague. 2. Washington, Graves, or Block for rookie of the year? Graves - he's a good, tough player who's always looking to improve and make his team better. 3. Who is the second most valuable Dragon so far this season? Luciano Valentino for sure, he's a well rounded hockey player who's great at handling the puck and creating opportunities for his team. 4. If we go by the actual definition of MVP, is there anyone else in the league who rivals Aaltonen in terms of value for their team's performance? I don't really think there is, Aaltonen is in a league of his own and his level of impact is way too significant for his team. 5. Did you play video games growing up? Which console/PC? Played console games mainly, started first with the Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64. I didn't get into PC gaming until I was around 12 or 13. 6. What's your guilty pleasure food? My guilty pleasure food is actually not food but alcohol. I feel terrible every time I drink. If I were to pick a food though, it'd probably be pizza. Love it, but I hate myself every time I eat it.

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Unlike many of the players in the league currently, my journey in hockey started much later in life. My parents weren't the richest people growing up, and I never had the opportunity to play hockey when I was young. However, everything changed when I turned 14. My dad managed to work his way up at his job and received a huge bonus as a reward for his efforts. With this new found wealth, he was able to help me get all the gear I needed to begin my journey. I soon signed up to try out for my high school's hockey team. Naturally, with only a few months of skating experience (through rentals), I felt my chances were pretty low. Fortune would see it my way though, and my lanky, 6'2 14 year old bod would manage to make the team as a 4th line d man. I'd be lying if I said I was confident going into my first season. I was playing with guys who were playing since they were kids, then there was me who just recently started skating only a few months prior. I knew I wasn't going to be an all-star in my first year, so I did everything I could to be an asset to my team. This really just meant showing up to practice day in and day out, all while getting smoked on the ice by the older and more experienced guys on the team. At one point, I nearly gave up, I was getting my ass handed to me in every practice and felt beyond useless in every game we played. But before I decided to hang up the skates, I decided to talk to my coach, and see what he had to say. When I told him that I wanted to quit, he didn't say anything right away. The room just fell silent, it was almost deafening actually. After what felt like forever, he looked at me and said "Son, I think I know exactly how you feel. I was in your shoes too at one point, believe me. You think these boys, these 17-18 year old guys, these guys who have been playing since they were kids, that they got there overnight? No. I can promise you that when they first started, they were just like you. They were raw, inexperienced and I doubt any one of them could skate more than 10 feet. These guys were all rookies who didn't quit. Now I understand you have doubts about yourself, but comparing yourself to these boys would be doing a disservice to yourself. You tried out for this team just like everyone else, and I would never have taken you on if I didn't believe you could do it. If you're still wanting to quit, I won't stop you. I could take you down to the locker room right now and have you collect your stuff, but I'd highly encourage you to stay. You have what it takes to make something of yourself in this league. It won't be easy, and it sure as hell won't happen overnight, but if there's anyone on this team that can do it, it's you." I was speechless and overwhelmed with emotion, but I knew what I needed to do. Hearing what my coach just said to me, I decided to continue to play throughout high school, finishing my last season with 27 points in our 25 games, walking away with the defensive player of the year award for our hockey division and making the Danish U20 team! While our national team never experienced much success, my performance on the ice managed to capture the attention of a few scouts in the VHLM. I figured now was as good a time as any, and declared myself eligible for the Season 69 VHL Minor League draft. I was confident that my time with the Danish national team would help me in the draft, and I was right! I was drafted in the 2nd round by the Philadelphia Reapers. While playing for the reapers this season, I managed to help get my cousin, Derek Eriksson, a private tryout. He was one of the best up and coming wingers coming out of Sweden, and his future was bright. Together, we're going to tear up the league and make our mark on the VHLM.

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1. Does the NHL exist in VHL canon? How do you think the two leagues would interact? I don't think the NHL exists in VHL canon. 2. Two VHLM teams are off to a roaring start at 7-1, which one of Saskatoon or Mexico City will maintain the momentum the longest? Saskatoon will, they live up north in the cold and are always playing good hockey let me tell ya. You got yourselves some good Saskatchewan boys and they play good tough hockey. 3. Would you rather be a HoF player with 0 cups, or a depth player with 2 cups? While it would be an honour to be inducted into the hall of fame, it's something I'm comfortable with missing as nothing compares to winning a championship (speaking from experience). For me, it's the ultimate testament to a team's will to win, utilization of talent and sheer grit and determination. 4. How much sleep should you be getting the night before a game? Are you a pre-game nap kind of guy? Sleep is an aspect to recovery and sports that should never be taken lightly. I try to get 9 hours of sleep minimum before a game as that maximizes the recovery time for my muscles after practice and ensures I'm mentally sharp for the game. Sleep deprivation is linked to numerous health problems including increased risk of heart disease and decreased mental performance, this could lead to a player being in bad physical shape for a game leaving them more susceptible to injury and mentally drained which greatly increases the likelihood of them making poor decisions. 5. Which of our additions in the off-season will have the most impact? (Lesieur, Graves, Washington, Jerwa, Kidd, Hooper, and Buster are all rookies or FA) Graves is looking extremely promising. He might not be as developed as some of the other FAs signed this year but he could turn out to be a very flexible player with a lot of depth to his playstyle. 6. Who's going to finish dead last in the EU this season? Hint: there's only one team with a lower team overall than us. I think Davos is going to finish last. They lost a lot of talent and their draft picks this season aren't developing at a rate that would allow them to be competitive against the better teams in the league.

1. One team in each division is guaranteed playoffs. Ours is a pretty weak one. Out of D.C., Toronto, and New York, who makes playoffs? Does more than one of us? I personally think D.C. makes playoffs. D.C. is in a (self proclaimed) weaker division, and they managed to get some really promising draft picks that could develop into some very solid 2nd-3rd line players later on down the road. With a team that is retaining a lot of former players, they stand the best chance of making playoffs. 2. Prague is off to a quick start, similar to Malmo in their second season. Where will they finish in the standings? Probably around 3rd or 4th overall. 3. Would you rather spread scoring out across a top six F core or load up a single line? I'd rather load up on a top six F core. Stacking your talent on a single line puts your at a severe disadvantage against teams with more depth since there's a higher disparity in talent for a longer portion of the game. 4. Right now, backups are required to play 8 games per year. With more human backups coming into the league, should this number be raised at all? I don't think so. 8 games is a decent sample size to give backup players a better feel for hockey in the big leagues while minimizing the risk of compromising wins. This could be raised to 10-12 in the future but 8 is still a decent number so far IMO. 5. How do you approach contract negotiations? I try to approach negotiations by understanding what my players want for themselves. After this, gauge to see if their demands are fair or if they're over/under estimating their value. Sometimes a player just isn't a good fit for the team and that's perfectly fine, but I try to keep my players compensated fairly since I believe developing chemistry and synergy is important for success without making my team a revolving door of players. 6. How would you approach draft interviews if you were a GM? Try to look for ways to connect with these prospects on a personal level. Outside of aspects related to the player's skill, finding out what the player's values are, and where they're looking to go in the VHL is important in ensuring that they'll be a good fit in the team. An extremely talented player with a toxic mentality holds far less value to me than a less talented player with the drive to mesh with his team and continue improving.

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Player Information Username: Cusemode Player Name: Kyle Andersen Recruited From: Member (Nykonax) Age: 20 Position: D Height: 80 in. Weight: 250 lbs. Birthplace: Denmark Player Page @VHLM GM