flatl99

In light of current events, Minnesota Storm defender, and DC Dragons prospect, Liam Flaten made this statement yesterday on his personal twitter account: "My deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of George Floyd and the countless other senseless victims of racism. I’m not going to pretend that I know what people of colour go through on an everday basis, but what I do know is that there needs to be change… we need to do better, that we need to work together to find justice, peace and love. We all need to do our part and say it more: I stand against racism and the systems in place that are deeply prejudice. I believe that we are all equal under the blood of Jesus, and we are all created in His image. Our sinfulness is disgusting and it is vile, and we all need help to love, and to forgive. There is no prejudice in the Kingdom of God. I want to live a life that is full of love and full of compassion for all people. Being an athlete has placed me in a place where I have a platform, and I want to use it to share the truth. Racism is pathetic and sickening to me. My heart aches for all affected"

ID: 7L989223TN295982A Confirmed. -sterling

tag me in the future

1. Feeling great, we have been really vibing together well 2. There are a couple great teams, but I think that Saskatoon is going to be really competitive with us till the end. 3. Honestly not a big fan, but it is what it is 4. Not too sure what you mean by that, but sure! 5. maybe 50 mph??? 6. Love deeply, without borders

1. I heard about it through a friend who found it on Reddit 2. This is my first player 3. No way, I was having so much fun out there, they are obviously tanking which I have no respect for, so just gonna crush them 4. I mean, we had a bit of a shaky start but we have been in every game, I know that we can win the regular season or at least be one of the top teams, and I am confident we will win the cup this year 5. I think that it will be Ike Bennet, he has been off to a great start, might also be my D partner DeYeeto 6. Bear’s Den, Lumineers, Something for me to relax to 7. Public, first class, it pretty much is private these days

G - Jacques LaFontaine @oilmandan

F - Soren Jensen @bigAL

F - Owen Nolan @oilmandan

Oh Sens - Dakota Lamb - Florent Vericel -

Player Card Template Name: Liam Flaten Team: DC Dragons Player Number: 77 Render Choice: Alex Edler Are you S72?: Yes Signature Template Name: Liam Flaten Team: DC Dragons Player Number: 77 Render Choice: Alex Edler Are you S72?: Yes

@bigAL Johnson was taken already

D Luciano Valentino @bigAL

D- Condor Adrienne @oilmandan

F Scott Greene @bigAL

1. So, are you excited for the draft? Watching it live, or just catching up after the fact? I was very excited for the draft. Watched it live and was ecstatic to go to such an outstanding club like Minnesota! They have such a great organization from the top up and down. 2. Given our roster, how do you feel about our cup chances? Im feeling great about our chances this year. As I looked at our locker room, we have a lot of quality guys and are going to be very competitive. Personally I've put in a lot of work in the offseason and I'm ready to roll. 3. What has been your offseason training routine? I have been getting up early and going on a short run. Then the team has sent us workouts which I run through with my own personal trainer with a few other guys from around the league, including Gregg Stallion. I've been focusing on my shot and trying to bulk up a bit. 4. Do you relax better with alone time, or getting out and about and doing things? I definitely wind down by taking some time to myself and being outdoors. So a good hike or walk will do it for me. 5. Would you rather never talk again, or lose your ability to hear? Probably never talk again, because I would be able to communicate non-verbally. Hearing is such an important thing in life. 6. Did you always want to be a hockey player? Oh yeah, ever since I can remember I was holding a stick and shooting a ball around. Always loved to skate, as a kid I could skate for hours and hours. 7. If you didn’t play hockey, what would you do? My family owns a dairy cow farm, so I would probably help my Dad out on the farm and eventually take it over when he steps down.

Hey man, great graphic. I like the way that you isolated the colour to just the player. You also edited the logo onto the jersey exceptionally well. This graphic might have been better if you put something exciting as the cakground instead of the black and white boards, which is just a bit bland. 7/10

This is a really great article! I love how you used Russian and then translated it. The article kept me engaged and interested throughout the entire read. One suggestion I would have is that is is a little hard to look at with so much writing. maybe adding colour or bolding the russian woud make it better. 9/10

SCOUTING REPORT: Liam was recently drafted sixteenth overall by the DC Dragons. Liam has played 1 season in the VHLM with the Philadelphia Reapers. In sixty-nine games played for the Reapers, Liam scored two goals and added twenty-nine assists. He finished the season also with seventy-one hits and was a plus twenty-three player. In the playoffs, Liam played his best hockey, by contributing five assists in seven games before they were eliminated in seven games by the Las Vegas Aces. Liam will look to imporve his game this next season in the VHLM before looking to be called up by his VHL club. PROS: Poise: Liam has demonstrated an immense amount of poise and composure for such a young player. He was a rock for the Reapers in the playoffs, and never seemed to be too shaken up by the emotions of the game. He has a patient and calm personality which definitely translate to his game. This gives him the opportunity to not make many mistakes when the pressure is on. Skating: Smooth skating defencemen is almost a must have in today's game of hockey, and Liam is no exception. He has an incredible stride, and can really take advantage of a forward that over commits to one side and burn right past him. We were able to watch him go end to end with his incredible speed and agility. Liam has game winning skating and we are sure that it will only imporve from here. CONS: Confidence: We have watched Liam sometimes hesitate when he has has the puck, and you can tell that he is debating whether or not he wants to pass the puck away, or skate past the forechecking forward. There is the occasional time where he is unsure about what he wants to do with the puck, and it has cost him in giving the puck away. Liam needs to become more assertive with the puck. He has the ability and know how to dominate from the backend, he just needs to get out of his head. Scoring: Liam definitely does not have a shot that is to be envied by other players. He only scored 2 goals on the season. His shot was inaccurate and slow. Liam has expressed that this was an area that he would like to improve this upcoming offseason, so it will be interesting to see if he contributes more to the score sheet this upcoming season. If he can improve his shot, Liam will be a deadly force on the ice.

Yesterday, the VHL held their annual draft combine, where they invited the S72 draftees to undergo physical testing and meet with various team representatives. Flaten put in a great effort and scouts were impressed with what they saw from the young defenseman physically. Flaten ranked 2nd in vertical jump with a height of 25.56 inches. In bench press he ranked tied for 3rd with 15 reps. Then tied for 4th in pull ups with 11 reps. He performed great in the long jump where his length of 117.5 inches ranked 1st in the class. Other notable performances were from Gregg Stallion, who ranked first in bench press with 18 reps and 1st in pull ups with 15 reps. Top ranked SS Hornet also dominated the combine with top scores in nearly every category. Notable players who performed poorly were the likes of #6 ranked player General Zod. Scouts reported that Zod looked clunky and slow, and that his interviews went very poorly. Along with Zod, was fellow defenceman DeFenz Mann, scouts reported that his attitude was poor, and that showed in the performances that he showcased. #3 ranked player Robin Winter did not participate due to a slight injury in his shoulder.