Spence King

Welcoming a New Face to the Family!: 
Presented By Lucas Tallinder
It has been quite some time since we came out with a RavenSkill Newsletter, but we felt that this was an occasion that really called for an update to our supporters. We have two stories to cover today, so buckle in!
 
Our first story is that S79 draft-eligible winger Tyler Reinhart has joined the program! We are thrilled to bring in the talented young player, and to give him an opportunity to train with some of the best players in the VHL. Along with Red Lite and Nils Tallinder, Reinhart has added on to a surge of youth at RavenSkill that has been phenomenal to see.
 

Credit to @Zetterberg
 
All three of the young players mentioned are some of the best players of their draft classes, and are making massive strides in their game every season. I met Tyler through my brother Patrik, who has some strong ties to the Mississauga organization from his time playing there. I was blown away with his drive and compete level, and I knew that I had to get him on board if he was willing to join us. We wish him the best of luck with his brother Tobias in the playoffs, and then we are so excited to welcome him to Stockholm in the offseason to train with us.
 
The S77 RavenSkill Graphic Collection is coming!
Last offseason, we introduced a new form of content for the RavenSkill supporters out there. We made a three-piece collection of graphics that included some of our clients, and we have done the exact same for this upcoming offseason. See if you can pick out your player in this teaser! We don't want to reveal too much, so stay tuned for the full graphics 😉
 

 
And with that, we say goodbye for now. You can check out the RavenSkill Graphic Collection Hub for updates on the upcoming graphics, and you can even check out last season's collection!
 
 

I would LOVE nothing more than another chance to participate in this tournament ! This would be a great way for me to get my toes wet and back into the front office game and prove to the community my abilities to make the most realistic and fun experience through discord and media spots , I promise not to disappoint, Thank you for your time and consideration and all hopes that I hear from you soon ❤️
 
Sincerely 
 
Former (Philadelphia Reapers & Vancouver Wolves) AGM -Spence King  

Claim 2
 
ALSO, UPDATE: yesterday DC had a 2-0 sim and Groovy Dood got a hat trick....!!!

Groovy Dood's Annual Slow-down
 
I wish I had more data to back this up, but unfortunately I didn't take as many screenshots as I needed to. I don't think STHS allows for 'snapshots' from days past. But, it's that time of the year again when Groovy Dood dials back the individual stats and prioritizes team success.
 
In each of the last three seasons, Groovy has started HAWT. Every year, he ends up in the discussion for top 5 players in the league. Every year, he fails to end up in the top 5 scorers in the league.
 
Season 75
It started in S75. That year, the second line of DC feasted on the league. Guy Lesieur fucking crushed it that season, scoring a league-best 47 goals and winning the Kevin Brooks Trophy for Goodest Putting the Puck in the Net. Xavier leFlamant, X-Man, the Big Flamer, passed the puck really good onto the sticks of the goal scorers. He finished 7th in league assists with 63 apps. And Groovy, the hero of his own story, tied the line together. Guy scored, X passed, and Groovy scored and passed.
 
Early in the season, this line was the talk of the town. They didn't have a fancy name, but the duo of X and Dood were tearing up the league. They were inseparable on the ice and off the ice, and fed off each others success. Again, the data doesn't exist to objectively prove that, but they were one of the most potent lines through the first half of the season.
 
Of course, that didn't keep up. Around the midway mark of the season, DC was struggling. This was the season of the "aggressively average" Dragons. Name a more iconic duo: DC and 1-1 sims. We lived for 3-sim days because there was no possible way we could go 1-1 (usually it ended up 1-1-1 because of fucking course). We weren't good by any stretch, but we also weren't bad. We were average, extremely average, aggressively average. But nonetheless, the individual success piled up. Scoring lots of points is fun! Seeing your name on the leaderboard is fun! Line 2 was killing it! But the only trophy that matters is the Continental Cup, and change needed to happen.
 
Groovy and X remembered how to play defense. They stopped trying to run up the score. They took shorter shifts. They let the stars like Benny Graves take the reins of their team again. They blocked shots and threw hits. They stopped bragging about their otherworldly offensive skills and lauded the team defensive prowess. Things turned around.
 
The 1-1 sims stopped. In the final 28 games of that horribly mediocre season, the Dragons turned it up. They went an absurd 22-3-3, including two 4-win streaks, a 5-winner and a wild 7-win streak near the end of the run. This catapulted DC into the playoff spot that they've been staring at longingly all year. To everyone's surprise, the Dragons skipped the play-in round and finished ahead of Seattle by one win and one OTL.
 
To the point of the article, we can see that Groovy Dood stepped back during that epic run. In the 7-game win streak, Groovy went 3-3--6. That looks pretty good, but a pair of 1-1--2 inflate those stats. He went pointless in 3 of the 7 games. In the five-gamer, he went 1-3--4, and pointless in 2 of the five games. While those numbers aren't bad, they weren't at "competing for points leader all season" levels.
 
When everything was all said and done, Groovy fell short of individual expectations. He was competing with John Merrick and Andrew Su for the points lead all season, with X riding shotgun alongside in the Top 10 leaderboard. John Merrick ended up winning the Szatkowski with 107 points, one ahead of Andrew Su. Future Kanou winner Chris Hylands finished third with 100 points, and perennial Boulet winner ahead of Groovy finished fourth with 99 points. Dagmar Havlova, flying high on the "good player, bad team" drug, rounded out the Top 5 with 97 points. Groovy, desperate to make the Top 5, finished sixth with 95 points. What about goals? Nope, finished in sole possession of sixth on the list, ahead of supreme draft-lottery-tournament producer Jeffy Pines, with 42 goals. A shoot first scorer, Groovy didn't even end up in the Top 10 for assists, but his set-up man Xavier finished T-5 with 63 points. Because Dragons can't have anything nice, the portal lists leFlamant as 7th in assists scoring.
 
But, TeAm SuCcEsS! The Dragons finished ridiculously, unbelievably hot, and kept that rolling into the playoffs. Fears about being rusty after missing the play-in round (which they have historically dominated, with a 3-0 sweep of the heavily favoured Calgary Wranglers fresh in their minds from S74), the Dragons showed UP In the quarter-finals. There was some slight regression to the "aggressively mediocre" DC we saw most of the year, but this time, they were juuuuuust enough on the right side of mediocre. In their first round, they out-duelled Vancouver to a 4-3 series win. In the next round, guess what, they out-gunned Chicago to a 4-3 win. When the Dragons won, it was tight. When they lost, it was a 7-1 blowout. Doesn't matter, because losing one game automatically means winning another game for these average Dragons. The lack of finishing power finally exposed the cracks in the Dragons in the Finals. The Malmao Nightjokes defeated the Dragons 4-2 to take home their well-deserved Continental Cup.
 
The moral of the story from S75: individual success is nice, but it cannot coexist with team success. Despite playing an absurd 20 games in the playoffs, Groovy Dood did not feature in the top-10 playoff scoring.
 
Season 76
Groovy Dood learned a lot between S75 and S76. He reimagined his game to be more conducive to team success. He began to hit more, block more, and put his body on the line for the team. He saw Mikko Lahtinen combine physical play with a scoring touch and wanted his trophy. Despite being again nominated for the Boulet, Dood had a down year and didn't crack the top 10. In fact, he finished 24th in points, 23rd in goals, and who gives a shit in assists. This is all surprising because, again, Groovy (anecdotally) came out hawt. Even more surprising is the obscene volume of shots the Dood takes. Regularly in the top-10 of shots, Groovy finished S76 in ninth, four shots back of sixth. Unfortunately, very few of those 445 shots actually went in.
 
But that's fine, that's okay, DC once again made the real life playoffs. The race to the finish was intense, and DC secured the final spot on the last day by once again edging out the Seattle Bears by one point. Most of that was shit luck to be completely honest. The aggressively average Dragons did away with the 1-1 sims and instead chose to go on crazy hot and crazy cold streaks. The final 10 games saw 5 wins and 5 losses, including a 5-win streak from game T-9-4, and finishing the final four games with four straight losses.
 
Last season's run to the Finals proved to be lightning in a bottle, and the Dragons got ruthlessly bounced in 5 games in the first round. However, Groovy Dood finished second on the team scoring with one goal and four assists. When Groovy is hot, the team is ass: it's just science.
 
Season 77
This season, Groovy Dood came out hotter than ever. The guy loves to score goals. The one stat I clearly remember: after 32 games, Groovy Dood had 31 goals. He wasn't just a point-per-game player, he was a friggin' goal-a-game player! Since then, he's been, uhh, "DC good". In the last 8, Groovy has alternated between going pointless and getting an assist or two, then pointless again, then another assist or two. The leading goal-scorer hasn't scored a goal in a while and is losing his grip on the scoring race. When the 31-in-32 snapshot was taken, Groovy Dood was ten goals ahead of second-place scorer Isabella Campbell from the Stinky Seattle Bears and held a commanding lead over Dakota "Not a Dragon" Lamb in the overall points race. Now, after 39 points, Dood is second in scoring, sandwiched between Warsaw's Aloe Dear (67) and dlamb (62). Groovy still leads the league in scoring, but that ten-goal gap has tightened down to a four-goal lead on Aloe Dear. In the only stat that matters, Groovy Dood is T-7 with four game-winning-goals, two of them behind the sole leader Jeffy Pines.
 
Like always, individual fire has equalled team poo. For the entire season, DC has occupied the basement of the league. The NA conference is objectively worse than the EU, but with powerhouses in Europe, one would assume the bottom-feeders in EU would be more garbo than the bottom-feeders in NA. Not true! The all-in, the competing DC Dragons are behind the rebuilding Nighthawks and the Riga "we murdered Simon T's mother and now he's taking vengeance on us" Reign. Luckily, last in the league only means 8 points out of a playoff spot in NA. There's half the season left, and Groovy Dood is cooling off. That's a recipe for another Cinderella run into the playoffs.
 
But, unfortunately for the Dragons, individual poo has not translated to team diamond. In the last 10, prime Groovy skid mark time, the Dragons have gone 4-6 without grabbing a single loser point. There's not much time left in the season to turn things on. Groovy Dood is doing everything he can to will the team to victory. He's skipping shifts. He's taking poops during the game instead of waiting for an intermission. He's prioritizing keeping the water bottles full over keeping the net full of pucks. He knows what it takes to make the playoffs, and he knows what it takes to get the team to the Finals.
 
The real question for the Dragons: can Groovy Dood shit the bed hard enough to save the team's season? Only time will tell.
 
1684 words.
 

I would LOVE nothing more than another chance to participate in this tournament ! This would be a great way for me to get my toes wet and back into the front office game and prove to the community my abilities to make the most realistic and fun experience through discord and media spots , I promise not to disappoint, Thank you for your time and consideration and all hopes that I hear from you soon ❤️
 
Sincerely 
 
Former (Philadelphia Reapers & Vancouver Wolves) AGM -Spence King  

I would LOVE nothing more than another chance to participate in this tournament ! This would be a great way for me to get my toes wet and back into the front office game and prove to the community my abilities to make the most realistic and fun experience through discord and media spots , I promise not to disappoint, Thank you for your time and consideration and all hopes that I hear from you soon ❤️
 
Sincerely 
 
Former (Philadelphia Reapers & Vancouver Wolves) AGM -Spence King  

I would LOVE nothing more than another chance to participate in this tournament ! This would be a great way for me to get my toes wet and back into the front office game and prove to the community my abilities to make the most realistic and fun experience through discord and media spots , I promise not to disappoint, Thank you for your time and consideration and all hopes that I hear from you soon ❤️
 
Sincerely 
 
Former (Philadelphia Reapers & Vancouver Wolves) AGM -Spence King  

Sure  

i'm in, again, @Ledge_and_Dairy i'm doing this for you!
 
i would like to have Europe or Asia.

Hell yeah, WJC time!!!!
 
Europe and Canada are my teams
 
Plz have newer guys take priority over me 🙏

My first time beating Platinum was the single most dramatic battle I’ve ever had against the Champion. Her Garchomp pwnd most my team or something and it came down to Garchomp vs Garchomp. Mine was like 5 or 10 levels behind, and I probably should have lost, but mine was faster and got a critical hit kill for the win. Shit was wild.

Any room left ??

BIGGGG rip

Dear diary,
It’s late. I read a book today. It was nice. It really made me think about how tiny decisions can really snowball in your life to end up having a huge impact on the big picture of things. I think that applies to the Phoenix just like everything else.
 
Of course, last season could have gone very differently. Had each individual person not joined us, had we not run the lines that we did, had we lost touch with each other - it all could have come crashing down. But it didn’t.
 
Well, I guess it kind of did, but the best place to start when sharing a thought is the beginning.
 
Geoff probably didn’t think twice when he started the first count. He was giving us a game - a small exercise, like when you’re on a long drive as a child and look for signs with words beginning with each letter of the alphabet from the backseat. October 14 was the day that Geoff sent the first signal.
 


On October 14, our first counting streak began and ended. It should have been a sign that Hogan, our AGM of the time, would be bad luck in time to come when he ruined the first streak.
 
The game is simple. We send a number, the bot gives a tick, the next person counts. On October 14, it was season 74. We beat the Seattle Bears 4-1 that day.
There were only a few rules. First, don’t send two numbers back to back. That ruins the streak. Second, vote for the bot and collect saves. They come in handy even when you don’t think you’ll need them. Mistakes happen. Third, no typing while someone else is typing. Similarly, if there’s a speed count happening, don’t intervene. Fourth, and most importantly, don’t kill the count.
 
It took us a while to really refine our rules.
 

 
Eventually, after some of our teammates got tired of ruining the count on purpose, we started getting the hang of things. We ironed out our previously unwritten rules and decided to stop using math. It’s too difficult anyway.
 
Season 75 was a breakthrough season for us in #counting. It brought us closer together, something to do, something to be proud of. We used the momentum from speed counting and group think sessions to push us through the season. Chicago’s playoff run was a complete surprise - and I just know that it happened because of the #counting channel. The vibes were too good for Simon to overlook.
 
Then, on December 27, we played in the wildcard series against (you guessed it) the Seattle Bears. We swept them. It was glorious.
 
And then Hogan reminded us that he was, in fact, still in our locker room. We had somewhat forgotten he was there since he probably muted the server after he left the AGM position. We pondered about him now and again, and little did we know that he would return with a taste of spiteful revenge.
 
After we swept Seattle, Hogan arrived.
 


None of us were glad to see him.
-----
At the end of the day on January 20, the first day of Season 76, we had already surpassed our previous record.
 

 
It was a good feeling. The energy was different this season. We’d established our brand, the fire cat, and figured out a way to knit ourselves together as a team into one, flowing unit. We managed to come together, despite the player movement. Winter and Oferson joined us, their eyes on a cup. That’s not to say that the rest of us had our eyes anywhere else - it’s what we all wanted, to raise a cup in glory.
 
But we had to stay focused. We finished the regular season first in the North American conference, third overall. By that point, we had nearly doubled our counting streak.
 
And, well, we all know how the season ended. Chicago took home the cup after a brutal faceoff with Warsaw.
 
I attribute that win to the counting channel. There are no other teams in the VHL that can gather so tightly around one tiny, little thing. There are a lot of things that we share as a team - pet photos, silly stories, music recs, and sometimes a picture of a well-cooked meal. You never know; when you have a well-developed community of people, it’s hard to know what’s going to come next.
 
This happy little team doesn’t exist in an alternate reality. That reality doesn’t appeal to me.
 
In that reality, our counting streak is not as high as it is now. (I'd flex on all y'all but I can already hear gorlab telling me not to reveal my whole hand.) In that reality, Hogan never ruined our streak. He never ignited our fury to return to the ice with a vengeance focused entirely on proving ourselves, rebuilding. In that reality, our new teammates from season 76 don’t feel like they fit in. In that reality, we are disconnected. No matter what lines we run, it never works. In that reality, we aren’t a team.
 
I suppose that last part could mean a lot of different things. Maybe that all the people are there and just can’t connect on the ice. Or it could be that, because we never started counting, we never created a team brand, never rallied behind firecat, never established our visibility. Or maybe it’s that the Chicago Phoenix doesn’t even exist.
 
Either way, that reality doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun. In season 76, we didn’t just write franchise history, we left our mark on the team for what it looks like to be a part of something bigger than yourself. We proved the importance of having something behind which your team can rally. Most of all, we proved to ourselves that we were good enough - not just lucky enough, like we heard all through playoffs in season 75 - to show up and finish the deal.
 
Yeah, I think this reality is a pretty good one. Of all the realities I could be conscious of, I guess I’m glad it’s this one. There aren’t many realities where I could write over 1000 words about counting in a discord server.
 
- fishy
 
(a little over 1000 words, claiming weeks ending 4/18 & 4/25)

With the Yukon Rush now 16 points behind San Diego for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference of the VHLM many of their undrafted players have started to turn their attention toward the upcoming off-season and most importantly the VHL draft and for some also the VHLM draft. In this article we will break down each player strengths and weaknesses as well as make some projections about the draft as well, followed by an exclusive interview with the GM of the Yukon Rush @Juice.
 
 
Alex Johnston @Alex_J32
Position: RW
Age: 20
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 198lbs
Birthplace: Vancouver, Canada
Current TPE: 142
Johnston has had a solid season, albeit shorter than most as he joined the Rush 20 games into the season. With that said he has been a good addition to a team that needed a productive forward following the Gaspar Zarevsky trade. In 42 games played Johnston has 20 goals and 18 assists for 38 points. This is a player that loves to generate offence however, his defensive game leaves some to be desired as he is currently a -15 on the year and has racked up 34 penalty minutes. Johnston is also not the most physical player as he prefers to use his speed instead of his body having only 61 hits and 21 blocked shots. Current draft projections have Johnston as the 16th ranked prospect heading into the VHL draft and the 5th ranked VHLM draft eligible player. Among Wingers 3rd heading into the VHL draft. When asked about his potential draft position Johnston said:
 
               "Personally, I don't care when or where I get drafted whether It's in the first or last round. Either way I plan to hopefully have a long and successful career and will play my heart out every game to help my team win.”
 
Johnston went on:
 
                “I know that it is very unlikely that I get picked in the first round given that I have played a rather short season, I would like any team who does take a chance on me to know that I plan to be very active and will constantly improve in whatever areas I can to help the team succeed”
 
Johnston acknowledges that it is very unlikely that he will be a first round pick as he is only a first generation player.
 

Jaromir Lemiuex @hockeyis66
VHLM Drafted: 64th Overall (S77)
Position: RW
Age: 18
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 200lbs
Birthplace: Denmark
Current TPE: 135
Lemiuex has had a great season for the Rush playing in all 62 games. The Rush’s 64th overall pick in the S77 VHLM dispersal draft appears to have been an incredible steal as he’s currently just under a point per game with 16 goals and a total of 59 points and has proven himself to be a top 6 forward in this league. In terms of strengths Lemiuex has an impressive 200-foot game and has managed to maintain a relatively high for the team minus 13 +/-. Although his game is pretty complete Lemiuex’s biggest weakness would be his checking and strength as he hopes to be a more aggressive player in the corners and to win more puck battles along the boards. Heading into the draft Lemiuex is currently ranked 20th overall and is ranked 6th among wingers. Lemiuex had this to say in regard to the upcoming draft when asked about his potential draft position:
 
                “I really don’t have a lot of expectations heading into the draft other than I feel like i am going to get picked late second round to mid third round. I have tried a couple of players before so I am sure that will knock down a bit since they didn’t pan out for me but I have enjoyed writing quotes and articles in the VHL so far and I do not see that changing anytime soon.”
 
Lemiuex added that:
 
                 “I will be happy to be drafted to any team and will do my best to continue to improve while playing at least a couple more seasons in the VHLM before joining the big club. A few teams have reached out so far with questionnaires and have had productive conversations so far with those management teams.”
 

Nathan Powers @JB123
VHLM Drafted: 57th Overall (S77)
Position: D
Age: 17
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 187lbs
Birthplace: Mississauga, Canada
Current TPE: 135
The Rush’s 57th pick in the S77 VHLM draft has proven himself to be a staple on the backend, putting up an impress 6 goals and 47 assists in 62 games. More impressively is Powers’ physical play as he currently ranks 11th in the entire VHLM in hits with 174 and 7th for blocked shots with 100. Needless to say, whom ever drafts this player is getting a dominant physical puck moving defenseman. Overall Powers has a very well rounded game however he does struggle to stay out of the penalty box wit 106 penalty minutes, good enough for 10th in the league. Powers is currently ranked 21st overall heading into the draft and is the 10th ranked defenseman. When asked about his hopes for the draft Powers said:
 
                “My number one goal heading into the draft is to be a 1st round pick. I'm not quite sure how realistic that is as of now, but I think if I continue to work hard, it's a definite possibility.”
 

James P Albini @Ttro89
VHLM Drafted: 56th Overall (S77)
Position: LW
Age: 18
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 175lbs
Birthplace: Denmark
Current TPE: 61
The Rush’s 56th overall pick from the S77 draft has had a relatively poor season recording 13 goals and 19 assists for 32 points in 62 games played. Albini has also seen his minutes drop from 18 to an average of 13 minutes a game. Over the 59 games this season Albini has recorded 56 penalty minutes, 13 blocked shots and is a minus 15. Albini is currently the 97th ranked draft eligible player however I wouldn’t be surprised if he went undrafted as he has been inactive since the week of April 4th. Albini was unavailable for comment.
 

Zen Raider @bRaidsz
Position: RW
Age: 17
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 180lbs
Birthplace: St. Louis, USA
Current TPE: 84
Raider another rookie signed as a free agent by the Rush has had an impressive impact on the roster given his rather limited role averaging around 12 minutes a night. Raider has been a solid depth piece for the Rush Scoring 3 goals and adding 3 assists in 20 games. Scoring is not Raiders strongest feature that would be his physical play recording 21 hits while only having 6 penalty minutes. The defensive aspect of Raiders game is impressive as well as he is only a minus 5 despite the Rush’s recent struggles to keep the puck out of the net. Raider is currently the 58th ranked player heading into the VHL draft and is ranked 30th among those eligible for the draft. When asked about his expectations for the draft  Raider stated that:
 
                “I don’t necessarily have to high of expectations for the draft since I haven’t been reached out to yet.”
 
Raider added in regards to a hopeful team to be drafted by:
 
                 “ I don’t have a preference as being drafted is a reward in its own right.”
 

Pippo Coca @pippo
Position: C
Age: 20
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 150lbs
Birthplace: Italy
Current TPE: 88
So far Coca has had a very short lived VHLM career having only played 18 games. In those 18 games Coca has shown some promise as a productive scoring center scoring 5 goals on only 34 shots, Coca added 2 assists for a total of 7 points. Coca’s game does however lack defence and a physical aspect as he is a minus 5 +/- and only has 4 hits and no blocked shots. Coca is improving at a solid consistent rate over his career and I look forward to seeing what the future brings for this goal scoring center. Currently Coca is ranked 46th in the VHL draft class and 20th among the player eligible for the VHLM draft. When asked about his hopes for the upcoming draft Coca stated that he hopes to become one of the all-time greats in the VHL.
 

Mitchell Osborne @OzNasty 
Position: D
Age: 23
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 212lbs
Birthplace: Canada
Current TPE: 82
Osborne joined the rush as a rookie free agent on just the second day of the season and since then has developed into a physical defensive defenceman that should strike fear into the opposing team. In just 59 games Osborne has recorded 114 hits, 91 shots blocked and 82 penalty minutes, the most impressive stat has to be Osborne’s +/- as he currently is the only player on a struggling team to have a positive +/-, sitting at a remarkable +10. Osborne’s offensive production is not quite at the level of others in the draft class as he only has 6 goals and 23 assists for a total of 29 points. With that being said those 6 goals have come off of only 57 shots for an above average shooting percentage, Osborne has also been solid on the powerplay scoring 4 powerplay goals on the season. Heading into the final week of the season Osborne is ranked 59th for the VHL draft and 31st among those eligible for the VHLM draft. Osborne was unavailable for comment.
 

Jacob Rask @BostonBruinsFan1806 
Position: G
Age: 16
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 189lbs
Birthplace: Canada
Current TPE: 86
Rask has had an impressive stretch of games lately and has contributed positively toward pulling the Rush out of their recent slump. Having played 19 games Rask has recorded 6 wins, 11 losses, and 2 overtime losses. Throughout the time that Rask has been in the league he has put up a 0.88 save percentage and a 4.05 goals against average. Given the small sample size it is difficult to identify any strengths and weaknesses yet however, it will surely be interesting to see how Rask develops in the coming seasons and to see if he can earn a starting role next season in the VHLM. Currently Rask is ranked 47th for the VHL draft and is the 5th ranked goalie, Rask is ranked 21st among VHLM draft eligible players. When asked about his thoughts going into the draft Rask said that he hopes to go in the first round, in the VHLM draft he hopes to stay in Yukon furthermore, Rask also hopes to get drafted by Toronto in the VHL draft as it is "Close to home".
 
 
As @Juice prepares for the VHLM Draft I decided to ask him a few questions regarding his hopes for his draft eligible players, as well as if he had any words for his players, here is that conversation:
 
With 2 of your first 4 picks in the last VHLM draft you selected Powers and Lemiuex, what sort of impact have they had on the team this year?
 
Juice: “Immense impact. To be honest, going into the draft as a newer GM with only a few picks, and all of them only being in the very late rounds, I was a bit scared that we'd only hit inactive players if anything. To grab a top-2 defenseman and a top-6 forward, both of whom are earning like crazy as well is absolutely heart warming to see. Their impact on the stat-sheet says it for themselves that they're top line players, but their impact as great team members away from the sim is also great to see. Both Powers and Lemiuex want to make their players the best they can be, and ultimately be a great addition to the team overall. I've been approached a few times to see if they are at all available, and I can for sure say that they are untouchable.”
 
You have made several rookie signings throughout the year, what are your expectations for them heading into both the VHL and VHLM draft?
 
Juice: “Yes, thankfully the Rush have been able to pick-up quite a few rookies, and some great rookies at that like Johnston that have been amazing additions to the team and ultimately core members that have 'Yukon Rush' written all over them, and are obvious targets for me in the upcoming draft. In regards to expectations, I have none. I want each player to experience the VHL anyway they please, whether it's max earning and making a god-tier player, or having a more casual route. Thus with that being said, don't let the draft mold your experience either. You can be taken 1st overall or 50th overall, but where you go from there is what counts. What I will say is that I have glowing recommendations for all my Rush players, as each one has amazing qualities and I'll definitely be looking at them at the VHLM draft.”
 
Being a GM do you have any words for your draft eligible players?
 
Juice: “My only words would be to have fun with the draft. I know several players have approached me and let me know that they want to be Rush for as long as they are with the VHLM. Don't be gutted if you don't go where you're hoping to in both the VHLM and VHL draft. You are all amazing players and people in your own right, and I know that wherever you go that you'll be quality there too. You'll always be a Rush at heart though.”
 
As the Yukon Rush’s season comes to a close there is still a chance that they could overcome the 16 point deficit and squeak their way into the playoffs as they do have several games left against the team that they are chasing. Let’s keep extra attention on these draft eligible players to see if they can impress the VHL or will they crack under the pressure.
 
A special thank you to everyone who answered my questions:
@Juice
@hockeyis66
@bRaidsz
@JB123
@pippo
@BostonBruinsFan1806
 
Words: 2283
Claiming 1/4

I guess it all depends what “a word” is. 
 
Cause that’s 40 words there, and there’s 17 of them = 680 words. 
 
I’m not an updater (and don’t know if Sonnet is) so I don’t care either way about the word count. I just like math. 
 
With all that being said, it’s an ok article. I wish I knew whose players each one of those are. Some more detail about the background of the players and how they came to end up on NYA would be helpful, because I couldn’t (and still can’t) name 8 players on the team. I like the gifs, they make it fun; I like the colour cause it makes it easy to read; and I LOVE the big font because I’m an old man with bad eyes and too much screen time. I wish more people upped the font to 12 or 14 or 16. 

In an alternate universe where Spence Elsby is the General Manager of the Colorado Avalanche organization of the FNHL (Fantasy National Hockey League) and today April 17th happens to be the day of the 2024 FNHL Draft.
 
Relying on all the hard work done by Mr Elsby and his scouting staff over the last calendar year, the Avalanche added 5 new prospects to their organization when the 2026 draft was all said and done. 
Going into the draft the Avalanche had One draft pick on the list, with two draft Day blockbusters moves between Colorado and Florida.The first trade was panther moving pick #24 in return for Nashville's 1st round pick in 2028 and a 2nd in 2031 . Picks 58, 61 and 63 in this year's 2nd Round for Colorado's 1st in 2030 
 
With the 14th overall pick in the 2026 NHL draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs have selected Rodion Amirov. He’s a Russian winger who does a bit of everything well, including defense. In that sense he seems to be a perfect fit for what the Avalanche need, especially after some better options were off the board at that point (Marco Rossi, Connor Zary).
 
With the 24th pick in the 2024 FNHL Entry Draft, the Colorado Avalanche select right-winger Jacob Perreault from the Sarnia Sting of the OHL. Perreault finished with 39 goals and 70 points in 57 games in the 2019-20 season
 
The Elsby regime selected made their first of three selections in the 2nd round With the 58th overall pick, the Avalanche selected forward Will Cuylle.
 
Cuylle, 18, skated in 62 games with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) this past season, registering 22 goals and 20 assists for 42 points, along with 37 penalty minutes. 
 
The 6-3, 212-pounder has skated in 125 career OHL games over two seasons (2018-19 and 2019-20), both with Windsor, registering 48 goals and 35 assists for 83 points, along with 87 penalty minutes. 
 
Quickly then after Elsby wasn't hesitant to make the pick on drafting Donovan Sebrango in the 2nd round, 62nd overall, in the 2020 draft. The Avalanche now have signed the 19-year-old defenseman to a three-year entry-level contract
 
The Colorado Avalanche picked another Ontario Hockey League prospect and Windsor Spitfires teammate, center Jean-Luc Foudy at No. 64 overall in the 2nd round of the 2024 NHL Draft.
 
Foudy, 18, recorded 43 points (15 goals, 28 assists) in 59 contests with the Windsor Spitfires in 2019-20, his second campaign in the Ontario Hockey League. The Scarborough, Ontario, native had 49 points (eight goals, 41 assists) in 63 contests in his rookie season in 2018-19, leading all OHL rookies in assists and ranked fifth in points.
 
 
Posted this quickly intime before the deadline of midnight ! Going to tidy it up in the morning 💕
 

After 10 seasons with us in the VHLM @DMaximus has decided to step down at the end of the season to let someone else have the reigns of the Philadelphia Reapers. @DMaximus was Philadelphia’s GM for 10 seasons and brought them a cup and many successful seasons in that time. He has molded a lot of great members in this league and I would personally like to thank him for his time and effort on making the league a much better place.
 
 
With that said, we will be looking for his replacement.
 
If you’re interested please reply to this thread.
 
 
This is for the position starting the offseason. @DMaximuswill still be GM until that time. 
 

@Frank you out did yourself man! Words cannot express how amazing this is.. you killed it, thank you soo much man 🔥❤

@Spence King
 

Let's goooooo! I love Theme Week!

Seattle receives:
Marshall James Frostbeard
S79 MAL 3rd

Malmo receives:
Randy Marsh
S79 SEA 1st


This trade has been accepted by all parties and is pending league approval.

Current standings for group 16:

1 @BladeMaiden 459.78 2 @Spence King 451.96 3 @hedgehog337 437.32 4 @Webberj 432.84 5 @Seabass 403.7 6 @RomanesEuntDomus 373.69