Spence King

At the request of @Spence King, a drafted graphic for @RomanesEuntDomus
 

Transaction ID: 20510626001125632
 
Free Week
Doubles Week
5 Uncapped TPE

These main rules of defending are what Tom Eagles has learned over the years and is now sharing with everyone in this article. This is more for younger players trying to make it into the league but can be a good use to even veteran players. If you want to be a top defender in the VHLM and VHL then you should follow most of these rules. The best Defenders in the VHL follow these Golden Rules most often. A player of average skill will do very well if these rules are trained and if he always has them in the back of his head. While the rules are basic and seem obvious, it may take many years of concentrated effort for most players to automatically perform them properly.
 
1. Always back your defensive partner whether its on the offensive blue line, in the neutral zone or, especially, in the defensive zone.

2. Always one defenseman in front of the net when the opposition has the puck in your zone or there is danger that they may gain possession. This is used to help clear out any players in front of the net so that your goalie can see or that a rebound will not be scored by the opposing team

3. Do not leave the offensive zone too soon. Leaving too soon is a much more common mistake than leaving too early. A lot of new defenders will be seen making this mistake but if you want to make it to the pro’s, you need to know when to leave and when to stay.

4. Always play defense first. If attacking with the puck, only go deep into the offensive zone until the prime scoring opportunity is over and you are part of it. All Defenseman want to help and put up points but always remember your main priority is and always will be Defense.

5. Never play a 1-on-1 head on. Give the attacker a little room on one side to force him to go where you want him to go. This will help you having a higher success in taking the puck away from him but also gives your goalie a higher percentage to make a save.

6. Shoot intelligently from the point. The best shot is always low, generally not too hard and accurate. This will help produce rebounds or will give someone a chance to tip the puck into the net. Most skilled Defensmen seldom shoot to score, but rather to put the puck into the scoring area so that forwards can score.

7. Do not tie-up the opposing players in front of the net, rather gain position and control. This will make it easier for you and your goalie to prevent anything slipping past and into the net

8. Do not tie-up with an opposing player anywhere when your team is a man short. As the players on the team with a penalty tie up and are out of the play, the odds get better on the power play, i.e. 4-on-3 is better than 5-on-4, 3-on-2 is better than 4-on-3, etc.

9. Do not stand looking for someone to pass to, especially in the defensive zone. Always move your feet, always be skating as this will make it harder for the opposing team to know where you will be sending the puck and harder for them to strip you off the puck. This will also make your pass more accurate as it will have more momentum then when you are standing still

10. Always train your backwards skating and turning. A defenseman must be as comfortable going backwards and sideways as forward. You may find it easy but it always helps to practice to make sure your backward skating is always as smooth as possible and that you can keep up with the incoming forwards.

11. One of Tom’s biggest rules is to check only for purpose. Checking just for the sake of a hit is seldom of value and creates risk of self-injury, missed checks and open opposition players, as well as penalties. While hitting is always fun and makes the fan’s get excited, don’t go for a hit that can open up a opportunity for the opposing team to score.

12. Communicate with your defensive partner, your goalie and your forwards. It is an important part of teamwork. Without communication and team-work and team will not gel well. Make sure to call out where to pass or if the other teams players are nearby.

13. The blue lines are critical. Always clear the puck over the defensive blue line as a first priority, then, move up to the blue line quickly.

14. Learn the critical skills of flipping the puck out of your zone and deflecting the puck off the glass without sending it over the glass. This is always vital in a penalty killing situation, but you want to make sure you don’t get an extra penalty for going over the glass.

With these 14 simple rules, you will be on your way to becoming a great VHLM and VHL Defender
 

I've congratulated everyone else, so why not Prague? 
 
Good luck this season Phantoms. 

, 
 
The VHLM Power Rankings are back for another season and the VHLM landscape has changed dramatically since last season. Season 75 playoffs wrapped up and saw the Philadelphia Reapers conquer the Mexico City Kings in 6 games. The Reapers championship was well deserved as they took out both the Kings and the San Diego Marlins, both  teams widely considered among the league's very best last season. Congratulations to DMaximus and his Philadelphia Reapers on their second ever Founder's Cup title in franchise history! As we officially close the book on S75, we now jump to the present and things have changed dramatically. It is a vastly different season this time around. The S76 Draft Class while good, was much smaller than the mega draft class of S75, and as a result their seems to be less parity in the league. Last season you had 7-8 super competitive teams and it was a true dogfight during the season. This season is a little different, there is one undeniable powerhouse that reigns above the rest, two or three teams who look to potentially compete, and everyone else is just sort of there, opting to focus their sights on competing in future seasons. So without further ado, let's break it down and see how the teams look this season.
 

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The undisputed number one team in the VHLM this season are the Houston Bulls, and it's not really close. In fact, I would say they are a lock to be #1 in the Power Rankings for the entire season. They have built a juggernaut for this season by doing a mixture of things. They had a formidable list returnees from last season to start. On top of that they had a ton of assets in the draft, and Bulls GM rjfryman put on a masterclass in the first round. When it was all said and done and the dust settled, Houston took 5 of the first 6 players taken in the draft. This included the top three coveted recreates and two of the best first-gens to boot. If this wasn't enough, they went on to sign elite recreate Reylynn Reinhart on waivers prior to the start of the season. There are stacked rosters, and then there are the S76 Bulls. They could potentially be a threat to smash some records this season if things go well for them. And if the first week of sims is any indication, they are well on their way. They opened up the season on a massive 11 game win streak and just dropped their first game last night. Asher Reinhart and the Webber brothers have led the way offensively so far, but multiple players have been off to hot starts with 9 players already notching 10 points or more.
 

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After a miserable Season 75, the Storm are back and making a surge in Season 76. They brought back a couple bodies from last season including their starting goalie Tater Tot. The bread and butter of the storm's roster came in via the draft though, as the Storm boasted a ton of 2nd and 3rd round picks. Having a ton of picks doesn't always guarantee success though, and credit has to goto Rayzor for hitting on alot of his picks and getting great value by snatching up guys that fell in the draft. Post-draft, Minnesota also made a big trade landing defenseman Logan Moore, who immediately would step in as the leader on the blueline. The Storm have jumped out of the gate red hot and are sporting a 9-1-2 to start the season. Minnesota drafted Brandan Telker, after having him on their roster in S75. The Storm must have liked what they saw in him last season as he is off to a fantastic start with 21 points (11G, 10A). Like the Bulls, Minnesota has gotten a ton of production throughout their entire lineup. Left winger Brian Moreau  is one of the aforementioned players who dropped in the draft, and so far Moreau is making the teams who passed on him pay dearly. He leads the team in scoring with 24 points (10G, 14A) and seems poised to have a breakout year. It's still early, but the Storm seem to be in good position to be the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. 
 

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Coming in somewhat surprisingly at #3 are the Mexico City Kings. When you lead the league in points the prior season, usually in the VHLM that means you went all in for the chance to win a Founder's Cup and the after effects of that usually includes an extensive rebuild. I suppose this is a testament to the great job GM Hylands has done during his tenure. While they lost a handful of great players to the VHL this season, they managed to have some decent returnees. While they didn't have an earth-shattering draft, they did manage to execute a couple of major trades before the season got underway. First they traded for the elite offensive defenseman Clinton Giftopoulos from Halifax in exchange for a 1st and a 3rd round pick next season. Then they turned their focus to offense and snagged Jon  Strider from the San Diego Marlins. After 12 contests the Kings are sitting second in the West with a 9-3-0 record. Returning winger Magnus Verlander has set the tone offensively for Mexico City with 24 points (10G, 14A) including an impressive 3 shorthanded goals! When you have a player who can be an a threat on offense even on the penalty kill, you are doing something right and the Kings management has to be thrilled with his play thus far. Speaking of Kings management, the Kings brought on Juice as their new AGM as rory was promoted to GM of the Halifax 21st. Juice is a saavy user with excellent people skills and surely will be an asset to Hylands going forward. Both on and off the ice, the Kings are looking stellar.
 

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Yukon opens the season at the 4 spot and are another team in the mix to be competitive this season. Last season the Rush were amongst many of the teams duking it out with playoff aspirations. Midway through the season the Rush made a decision to sell off some players at the deadline to re-focus for this season. Before the draft took place, Yukon struck a deal with Miami  that would secure them their goalie for S76. For a 2nd and a 4th they acquired Matthew Sovick Jr. They had a pair of first round picks in the draft and took the elite winger Abe Roque and highly touted recreate MacGruber. Following the draft, they sought to bolster their roster further. They brought back center Jim Allen for another season after signing him to a one year deal in hopes he could solidify their team down the middle. Finally, the Rush inked defender Ernie King to a one year deal to help bolster the blueline. The Rush have gotten out to a mostly positive start at 9-5-0, but they look to improve. Roque has been red hot, scoring 13 goals in 13 games, which is good for third in league scoring. Returnee Michael Scmidt is also off to a great start with 20 points (10G, 10A). While the Rush were frustrated to drop a pair of games to the San Diego Marlins, they can at least hang their hat on the fact that they were able to snap the Bulls' undefeated streak at 11. 
 

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Much like the Kings, I'm surprised to see the Reapers check in on the Power Rankings in the upper half of the list. Coming off of their S75 Founder's Cup, they are back again with another solid nucleus of players. Their certainly has been no Cup hangover as the Reapers have started strong with a 7-5-1 record. The club does not have much quantity or depth, but their top line on offense is absolutely dominating. Returnees Kjell Nilsson and Thomas King are sitting 1-2 in league scoring with 15 and 14 goals respectively. On defense, the Reapers were able to land big time recreate Nixon Caldwell, who is sure to develop nicely this season and could potentially be a player worth watching this season as we go into the S77 VHLM Dispersal Draft or maybe even the S77 VHL Entry Draft. It's hard to say whether the Reapers will try to compete this season. The Reapers have options but my guess is that DMaximus will be measured in his expectations and perhaps sell off his big guns at the deadline to stock up for the future. Until then though, the Reapers first line barrage makes them dangerous and they are good enough to be in the 5 spot!
 

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After a major shakeup this offseason, the 21st is under new leadership this season. Manning the anchor is GM rory. Since coming in, rory has done a nice job throwing together a respectable roster.  Their top forwards Phillip Stein, Eeli Rantanen, and Willy Myers all were scooped up in the draft by Halifax and will be relied upon to do most of the heavy lifting this season. The boat gang has also had a decent amount of success acquiring talent off of waivers so far this season. Adding recreates Shawn Glade IV and Joe Madison were great additions, and both players should be reliable to develop their players at a decent rate this season. These rookies will be worth keeping an eye on this season. Halifax also scooped up free agent tender Dexter Vaughn, giving them a two-headed monster situation in the crease. Vaughn will battle Jurgis Kalvelis Blazevicius for ice time in net and the two should provide healthy competiton amongst themselves. Stein has been the team's best forward so far with 29 points (10G, 19A) and Glade has proven to be a solid puck moving defensemen already, with an impressive 14 assists. Halifax has managed to go 6-6 so far this season, and I think they could beat up on some of the weaker teams in the Eastern Conference this season and sneak into the playoffs, much like how they did last season.
 

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This one may seem a bit odd at first glance. The Aces have fumbled out the gate and sport an ugly 2-7-3 record which is good for dead last in the West. That being said, I don't expect them to be there for long. Two of these contests were OT losses to the powerhouse Bulls squad. Spartan is a savvy GM that will always find a way to compete. He had key returnees including top tier netminder Aksu Maronen. Up front Angel Wachiure and Andy Nexber are also doubling down for another season before making their jumps to the VHL next season.  The Aces also drafted super-sophomore Lenny Sanderson to add to their firepower up front. Post-draft Vegas continued to improve as they signed back defenseman Joakim Lund for another season. Lund was part of the brick wall the Aces had last season on defense. Finally, the Aces made a big time waiver pickup when they secured blueliner Rolf Fizzlebeef Jr who is a highly respected recreate that is expected to make an instant impact for Vegas.  The previous mentioned returnees Nexber and Wachiure have been responsible for most of the offense for Vegas thus far with 19 and 17 points respectively. I think that while Vegas is far from a complete team, they are too good to stay at the bottom of the standings. Look for them to bounce back sooner rather than later.
 
 

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The 8 spot is a bit of a shocker to me. I had pegged the Marlins to be amongst the bottom of the league this season. The Marlins were a team last season that went all in to go for a Cup and came up short when they ran into the eventual champs in the semi finals. The Marlins didn't make a pick in the S76 Dispersal Draft until the 7th round. On top of that they only had 4 players returning for this season, mind you they are all good ones, and will definitely be the key to any success the Marlins might have this season. Post-draft the Marlins has 5 players on their roster. The newly formed management team of Thad and Prout definitely had their work cut out for them. Thus far it seems the rookie management duo has been up for the task. They have signed a handful of players off waivers, and that could largely be thanks to the impressive recruitment video the Marlins have deployed on their waiver claims. Additionally, the Marlins signed free agent forward Theodore James St. Louis for this season. St. Louis was one of the best forwards in the entire VHLM last season and is a huge signing for San Diego. They also inked goaltender Darcy Cat to a contract. Although the Marlins are 4-8-0, I think they have a chance to hang around and round up some wins this season. The Marlins may opt to sell their big guns at the trade deadline, but I think they have the firepower to gather up some wins this season if they choose to stay the course. 
 

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The next couple of teams are fairly close and are pretty much interchangeable. The bottom quarter of the league are all teams I would consider to be in full rebuild mode. While Miami has a decent group of forwards, they just don't have the defense to compete this season. In a lot of ways, this is a league-wide issue. There is a real shortage on quality defensemen right now. This has been supplemented a little bit with most of the recreates rolling d-men, but there are still many teams with less than 4 players on their bluelines. On top of their woes on defense, the Marauders are rolling with netminder ClapbombsRUs. While Clapbombs is a great developing player, he is still a ways away from being a difference maker for a VHLM team. Season 77 could be a huge year for Clapbombs, but for now, with a thin defensive core in front of him, their will be struggles. Phoenix Dawson will be on his victory lap this season before moving up to the Bears next season. Look for him and Alexander The Great to lead the way offensively for Miami. I think these two forwards could both be shipped out for picks come trade deadline, but Ricer loves to compete, so we will see how it goes. Also congrats to tinafrombobsburgers on the promotion to AGM. The brotherly tandem in Miami will be a strong one and I can see these guys doing big things for along time in Miami.
 

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The Hounds, much like the Marlins, are under new management this season as Zetterberg and tcookie have teamed up to take the reigns of Mississauga. Despite having a massive arsenal of picks at their disposal for the S76 draft, the rookie management team decided to defer this season and really load up for Season 77. I think this was an intelligent move. They didn't have a ton in terms of returning players for this season, and with a draft pool that wasn't super deep in high end talent, opting to compete next season instead makes a lot of sense. That being said, there are still some interesting players to watch. Recreated player Druss Deathwalker will surely lead the way offensively for the Hounds and I would expect to see him get dealt by the deadline. There are some really good players that could develop into solid players next season for Mississauga. Miks Sunish and Elvis Michael could be key players for them in Season 77.  Much like the Marauders, the Hounds are short on defense, but the recent waiver pick up of Kirby Pandora seems like a solid addition and Pandora could be solid player worth watching going forward. In net, Luke Spinelli will look to develop another season and could potentially be the high end guy the Hounds need next season when they are ready to compete.
 
 

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After fielding a playoff-caliber team for many seasons in a row, the Wild were due for an offseason and this is definitely it. After a coming up just short in a 7 game war versus the Aces in the playoffs last season, the Wild are picking up the pieces and in full rebuild mode. The only remnants of last season that remain are Braxton Hunter and Gabriel Johnson. The Wild were unfortunately in a rough spot going into the first week of the season as they were not able to land a starting goalie to play for their squad until late into the week. Luckily they struck a deal with the Hounds that saw them pick up netminder Andrew Bowman. Bowman served as a backup for Yukon last season and he is definitely worthy of getting a shot as a starter in his sophomore season. If the Wild reload for next season, Bowman should be primed to be a major piece of the puzzle for Saskatoon. For now though, the Sasky Boys will have to endure a long and painful season. Like I said before though, they were due. It was quite a feat in itself that the Wild were competitive for as long as they were. Look for Doomsday to deal Hunter and Johnson come trade deadline time. 
 

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Sadly for Ottawa and their fanbase, this season will be Team Rebuild 2: Electric Boogaloo. Another season ushered in, and unfortunately it's another season at the bottom of the power rankings. The Lynx were in rough shape last season but what made matters worse was they didn't even have their first round pick to reap the benefits. And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but they don't have their 1st round pick for next draft either. Much like last season, they find themselves with only one defensemen to start off the season. That means more "MAXIMUM ICE TIME" ads to be had in waiver claims this season. While they do have a half decent record, don't expect the Lynx to stick around for too long before falling back down to the basement of the Eastern Conference. They do have a solid goalie in Barry Taffe but he could be making the jump to the pros next season. For the meantime it will be rookie watch from here on out as maybe Ottawa will produce another prime rookie like Philip Stein from season 75. 
 
That's it for this week everyone. If you made it to the end thanks for reading! It certainly is a different feel in the M this season. There is a steep decline in the bottom half of the league this year. And even then, the teams at the top will have a hard time trying to compete with Houston, who is already pretty much in playoff form. Last season I did the power rankings as a weekly feature because their was so much competition, but I think this season it will be a lot of the same results over and over so I may do them bi-weekly for the remainder of this season just to avoid things getting repetitive and boring for the reader. All the best to all the teams and players in the M. Keep earning and developing! Cheers!
 
 

Bootcast | Talents Behind The Trophies | Critiquing The Crests
 
As the second round of the VHLM playoffs draws to a close, it seems things will be coming down to this season’s two biggest powerhouses in the finals. Upsets are fun, but don’t always happen, and in this particular season there’s been a definite lack of them. This is surely not ideal from the perspective of the casual viewer, but for the teams that put in the work to get to the top of the league, they’ll definitely be happy to find such work being rewarded. The second round involved one series between two teams that finished pretty closely in the standings, but ultimately the team that finished marginally better in the regular season seemed to be significantly better in the playoffs. The other series was the one team that pulled even a minor upset in the first round, and the top team bringing them back to reality.
 
#2 Reapers vs #3 Marlins

 
The series between the #2 seed Philadelphia Reapers and the #3 seed San Diego Marlins should have been close. This was a 106 point team vs. a 104 point team, both with 51 wins, and the only difference in the regular season was that the Reapers took two more of their losses to OT/SO than the Marlins did. Both teams swept their first round opponents to set this pairing up, and for that matter, the Marlins swept a much better team in the Marauders compared to the Rush, who were swept by the Reapers. Going into this series, both teams would have expected it to be closely fought and to go to 6 or 7 games. It was not. The Reapers opened the series with a statement of intent, a 5-2 win and a fantastic goaltending performance by Jacob Carson stopping 33 of 35 shots. Gustav Hjalmarsson and Addison McLaren each put up 3 points, and the Reapers were just too much for the Marlins.

In the second game, the Marlins would try to get back into the series, and Nero Endrizzi’s hat trick made sure they did. A 4-2 win, right on the back of the opening 5-2 loss, and the Marlins would win here to push the series to 1-1. It would, however, be the final time they would win this season. Game 3 would be a close fight that actually saw the Marlins get out to a 2-0 lead and hold it for over half the game. Thomas King would cut the lead in half near the end of the second period, and a late game collapse by Michael Olson would give the Reapers their own two goal lead, at 4-2. With less than a minute left, the Marlins cut it to 4-3, but it would not be enough. In game 4, the Reapers would control the opening period with two goals from Robert Bouchard, but the second period was all Marlins, who would pull back to 2-2 and set up a decisive third period. With more goals scored in the third than in the other periods combined, it was a bit of a wild finish, but one that would see the Reapers come out on top 5-4 and pull a game away from closing the series out. In contrast to game 4, game 5 was either a poor effort by both offenses, or a stellar defensive and goaltending performance by both teams. Not a single goal was scored in regulation. The Marlins would head out for overtime with their backs against the wall, knowing that they were a goal away from elimination, but ultimately could not stop it from happening, as Pekko Viitanen ended the game and the series in favor of the Reapers. Coincidentally, the Marlins actually led in shots in 4 of the 5 games, so the argument could be made that Jacob Carson was one of the main catalysts for their success, but in any case it only took them 5 games to knock out a team that looked very much their equal.
 
#1 Kings vs #5 Aces

 
The other series was between the #1 seed Mexico City Kings and the #5 seed Las Vegas Aces. The Aces accomplished more than they’d have been expected to by even getting to this round, as the #5 seed is technically an underdog to the #4 seed (although often not by much, and in this season the difference was a 5 point deficit to the Saskatoon Wild). Compared to the other series, this one shouldn’t have been as close, it should have been a fairly straightforward series in favor of the Kings. Unlike the other series, this one very much stayed true to form, and was in fact a comfortable Kings win, although nothing is ever as easy in practice as it looks on paper. Game 1, much like game 1 of the other series, set the tone for how the series would go. For the first (but not only) time this round, the Kings would score often enough early to chase Thadius Sales and cause Aksu Maronen to come into the game. The first two goals were actually for the Aces, but ultimately the Kings overwhelmed them, putting five past Sales out of the first 20 shots en route to a 7-3 win. 
 
Game 2 looked a little better for the Aces, but it still wouldn’t be enough. After the first period they kept even, heading back to the locker room at 1-1. The second would not go their way, and the Kings took a 3-1 lead, which they would increase to 4-1 early in the third. The Aces would ultimately pull one back, but it wasn’t enough as it finished 4-2. Still, a closer result (and a higher shot total for the Aces in game 2 than the Kings) would give them confidence heading into game 3. Two goals in the first period would find the Aces on the front foot, and they’d carry that momentum throughout the game to a 4-1 win that was less than a period away from a shutout. They also figured out that the best way to prevent Sales getting chased is to limit the shots he faces, only allowing 13 (12 saves). Unfortunately, that would be the last time he’d see the end of a game. In Game 4, the first period would be even again at 1-1, but the second was all Kings. They’d go into the third up 4-1, ultimately winning the game 5-1and putting the Aces on the edge of elimination. The Kings would go into game 5 with two big goals in the first period, and an early one in the second to go up 3-0. The Aces would quickly nip one back, only to concede yet again toward the end of the second. This was enough to push Sales out for the third time this series, and put the Kings a single period away from the finals. Artair McCloud would come out of the gate and pull another goal back for the Aces, closing to 4-2, but it would be the last goal the Aces would score on the season, as the Kings simply put two more past Maronen and closed out the game and the series. 
 
This will pit the Reapers and Kings against each other in the finals, with the winner taking home a much deserved Founders Cup. Neither team has lost more than one game in any series coming into this, with the Kings beating the Halifax 21st in the first round in 5 games, followed by the Aces in the same, and the Reapers sweeping the Yukon Rush en route to their Marlins series. In the regular season, the Kings were the stronger team, but in the playoffs so far there hasn’t been much separating the two.

If a person is skipped two times, then they are disqualified. There is no such thing as an "auto pick" for people who are still drafting.
 
Being disqualified means that cx will not receive any TPE, and I took control of their roster after disqualification.
 
Please tag me after sixers has made their final pick and you have updated your roster. Thanks

Same here my friend. We'll go at it pretty good this season!

Last season the Chicago Phoenix managed to make the playoffs for the first time in our short history and even made it all the way to game seven of the conference finals. It was a year of exceeding expectations and I don't think it could have been done without the great leadership group we have assembled here in Chicago as well as our still young and improving roster. Here it to taking it a step further in the playoffs this season 🍻
 
With that being said our captains for this coming season will be unchanged from last season!
 
Team Captain: C - Christian Mingle @Quik
Alternate Captain: LW - Lee Xin @Blazzer
Alternate Captain: D - Matty Socks @fishy
 
Congratulations to those selected. Now let's make that finals push!

It's hard for Spence Elsby to believe he's entering just his FOURTH VHL season.
 
"We technically have had 5 [training] camps, one at the start of last year, the following year where I surprised a lot of people and cracked the opening night roster, and this now being my FIFTH its really hard too believe ," said the Vancouver Canuck defenceman. "It does kind of feel like my fourth year as a Pro… a bit."
The 20-year-old Hughes joins forwards Superstar VHL forwards in Ola Vikingstad, 25, Valtteri Vaakanainen , 23, and Patrik Laine, 18, plus goaltender and fellow S72 Draft Class mate Zamboni Driver, 42, as the core of a Canuck team that opened the S76 season this week hoping to build off a successful offseason and training camp run last summer.
 
"We took a step last season," said Elsby, who was picked seventeenth overall by Helsinki in the S72 VHL draft. "For us, there's an excitement that we just have to keep going."
Elsby experienced an unusual rookie season. He had played 72 games and established himself as a Rookie of the year candidate by scoring 14 goals, 31 assists and 45 points, some pretty incredible numbers from a rookie defenceman in a league like the VHL. He followed the regular season up with a homecoming party going all the way  to the continental cup finals against Seattle. Elsby lead the playoffs for the entire VHL for Shots blocked for the majority of the playoffs and finished with an outstanding 5 goals, 7 assists and 15 points in just 17 Playoff games as a rookie.
 
'He shows a lot of maturity'
Veteran Helsinki defenceman Erik Summers had a front-row seat watching Elsby grow and adapt to the VHL.
"He was such a good player to even start out the year last year," his teammates said. "The things you see with with him, he developed a consistency you don't see too often in young guys, especially for his age.
 
Elsby has continued throughout his VHL tenure showing no signs of rust keeping strong when the VHL resumed this most recent week. Elsby  collected 11 assists and 12 points in 11 games, along with one goal to date. Elsby starts the season atop the Helsinki defensive depth chart full of promising youngsters and a solid mixture of veteran and experience to mix in with Rune and Summers.

And chose to find the "A" elsewhere by leading the league in assists 😎

He was an A one season then the next he lost his letter 

im getting more lazy by the years
 
A- Rhynex Entertainment @Rhynex Entertainment
A- Red Lite @Tate
A- Thadius Sales @thadthrasher

IMMMM BACKKKKKK
1)hopefully good cause I’m excited lol
2) no idea but I’m back and ready to go had so issues I’m life to deal with but we are back baby 
3)I’m sure it will level off just an early season boom
4)Not sure hopefully as a very productive player 
5)slow start for my penguins they are picking it up tho
6)pizza

They were skipped but then made the picks after the 12 hours were up I believe

@GreenGato
 

Just saw it hit the 12 hour mark as i saw your post thanks Matty ! and @Cxsquared that is strike two and the rest of your picks will be skipped as well and are free to make your picks when appropriate
 

@Blazzer

@PatrikLaine Let me answer this for the Press.
 
"As Helsinki AGM I would just like to say that Laine's value to our team as a member both on an of the ice is almost incalculable.  To put things in plain terms for the members of the press we in Helsinki see our players a people, not pawns to be traded on a whim.  The value on any trade that would go through with Laine's name on it, would have to give a borderline unallowable amount of assets to the Titans. Because when you see his presence both on and off the ice, you start seeing why it would be hard to get Helsinki to allow such an asset to leave their LR. Now I may only be an AGM but I truly believe my feelings on this matter are backed by @Jubo07 and the entire Helsinki Head office. Now are you all going to leave my player alone or do I have to remove you myself" - AGM Katherine Blade

Some topics are better left untouched in conversation. Helsinki Titans forward Patrik Laine didn't hold back when a reporter, who has had a history of trashing and making things up about the young finnish star, attempted to touch one of those topics in a post-game interview after Helsinki's 5-4 OT Win against Riga.
 
"Patrik, Helsinki is currently sitting at 3-2-0 on the season including tonight's win against Riga. There is so much on this team that can be improved upon with a few trades. This can make you an expendable asset. My question is, do you see yourself bei-"
 
"Don't even go there....Don't even go there.....It doesn't matter what I answer, you're gonna write f**king s**t anyways. Like what do you want me to say? Can/will I be traded? Yes, definitely a possibility, but it's not going to happen as far as I know. I know I'm a big piece for the future of this team moving forward. Helsinki wouldn't just throw me away for nothing. We're a team that is contending for the Continental Cup and that's all we have on our minds at this time. So, do something not just for my sake but for everyone else's sakes as well. Stop making up sh*t rumours every time a star player bats an eyelash and report on some actual sh*t. Or better yet, just drop out of sports journalism all together. Next Question."
 
Near the end of the media availability, Laine was asked about the outburst, and issued an apology out to the other reporters who were present"
 
"I mean, I just don't like being slandered. I've made it pretty clear that I love being in Helsinki and there isn't any other place I'd rather be. Makes it hard though when you have to deal with the same guy spreading the same rumours all over again. Sorry you guys had to see me go off like that."
 
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GOLD MEDAL 🥇
Team World
 
GM: @JigglyGumballs

Captains:
Pistil Stamen@DMaximus
Phoenix Dawson@Toast
RJ Thatcher@jhatty8
 
 
SILVER MEDAL 🥈
Team Europe
 
GM: @Ledge_and_Dairy
 
Captains:
L @gorlab
Jeff Odinson @GoldGear88
Artair McCloud @Hoopydog
 
 
BRONZE MEDAL 🥉
Team Canada
 
GM: @fromtheinside

Captains:
Robert Bouchard @Gaikoku-hito
Dominic Gobeil @domg5

Finally, the moment we've all been waiting for: The Gold Medal Game. The heroics of the semi-finals set up a rematch of the S74 tournament: Team Europe, defending champs, taking on their rivals Team World. Like everyone expected, this was a tough, tight match-up. Team World had no intention of taking home silver again this year. Chicken Wing @chikn got the World on the board in under 2 minutes, and they never looked back. Dolant Fertitta @Dolantgot one back for the Europeans (assisted by future Hall-of-Fame D pairing R and L @Kylrad and @gorlab), but those three Europeans were the only ones who got onto the scoresheet. In the third, already down 3-1, the R, L, F trio connected again for Europe, but Lenny Sanderson's @Gally second period marker for Team World stood as the medal-winning goal. Just to be safe, Pistil Stamen @DMaximus iced the game with two quick goals in the last half of the third, stifling any chance of a European comeback. Team World overcame their torturous history to defeat their rivals and claim the Gold Medal.