ahockeyguy

Good work on this, and good advice! I look forward to seeing what King does, especially next season. Maybe hold out for Miami? I thought a brief advice section like this is wonderful; I'd love to see it added as a kind of resource for brand-new players on how to manage time. That said, it might have been good to have a kind of step-by-step approach to the advice (e.g., "First, make sure to gain your practice right away on Mondays!"). Under Step 1, it also might have been good if you had named one or more of the reasons you think the simulation engine is flawed, and how that affected you (I'm not disagreeing with you, just saying it might have been good). I also loved the self-referential nature of the end of the first paragraph of Step 2. I didn't think this was long-winded; I thought it was great! I'd like to see King develop and look forward to more writing from you! Score: 8.5/10

Dude I love the trash talk even when down 3-1. But I also liked that you explained the reasoning: the games have been close, so there's no reason to back down now. It might have been unnecessarily harsh, especially the poor arena complaining. Or at least I might think that if it weren't obvious this was written for laughs. And on that front I think you succeeded quite well! I enjoyed it, and I knew it was good because I could see this being a piece that Moscow would respond to with equal humor. Aside from all that, the only other thing I can think of is there are some grammatical issues (with respect to commas). Overall this is a good piece; keep it up! Score: 7.5/10

1. We made the playoffs! At time of writing, we’re up 2-0 on the hated Minnesota Storm. Make a prediction about the rest of the series, or the rest of the playoffs. Well we're up 3-1, so I will do both. We win the series 4-2, and push in the second-round before falling in six. We vow vengeance on the league next season, and take it all. 2. We’re lucky to get a RIVALRY SERIES in Round 1 with the Storm. Other than Minnesota, who/what else is your rival? Why? It has to be Groovy Dood. We haven't spoken much since draft day separated us, but this playoff series is bringing out the best! 3. Obviously, we’re all picking the Miami Marauders to win the Founder’s Cup. Which of the other 7 teams do you think has the best chance to win this season? I'd like Philly, Las Vegas, and Mexico City. They're all pretty good--or at least they have been against us. Don't count out Miss. 4. When ESPN inevitably makes a 30 for 30 documentary about Miami’s inaugural season, what will be the title of our documentary? The First Dance: All the Booty 5. Every VHLM player is eligible for VHLM Awards. Which Marauders should win a league award, and why? Kramerev for best D-man, Bacon for goalie, and if there's some kind of leadership award, Andre. 6. Guessing game: How many games will the Founder’s Cup winner lose during their playoff run? Remember, there’s only 3 rounds in VHLM playoffs. Correct answers will get a lil prize! 5. Final series is 4-1.

Are you ready for the playoffs? This is the question Miami Marauders are asking their die-hard fans. In only their inaugural season, the Miami squad has posted a 29-39-4 record for 62 points. While they were outscored overall 220-269, they simply got better and better as the season went on. Surprisingly, they were better on the road (16-18-2) than they were at home (13-21-2). Throughout the season, Miami boasted a decent PP (21.81%), but needed to do some more work on the PK (77.19%). Captained by @Andre LeBastard, and assisted by @dlamb and @ahockeyguy, Miami saw highlight wins over Minnesota at different points in the season, including their very first game. @Mongoose87 led all scorers with 29 goals and 77 assists for 106 points. Lamb led the team in goals with 37 (followed by Stansson at 30). The playoffs include the eight best teams in the VHLM, and the first-round matchup Miami will likely have will be with Minnesota. There’s a bit of a rivalry there, as mentioned earlier, since Miami has beaten them more than once. Nevertheless, do not make a mistake here: Minnesota is favored in this series. Only time will tell which team will ultimately prevail. Go Marauders!

Posting out-of-character, I like developing the idea that Wolf is always on the precipice of deciding whether he becomes Wolf "The Dentist" Stansson or not. This is kind of an alternate-universe Stansson, where he may or may not become the kind of guy who was the villain in D2.

I really like it. And my head is spinning with what would have to take place to do what I suggested lol.

I love this podcast feel of an article. I missed the first one, but I'll have to check in on these in the future. I liked the questions, and the answers. Both were thorough and generally of real interest. I really enjoyed both the focus on the VHLM (where we are now) and the VHL (where we're going). It felt like both got appropriate coverage. Some minor (but hopefully constructive) criticism would be to check on the punctuation and/or capitalization in the future. That was a very minor distraction from an otherwise-awesome read! Additionally, I have one suggestion: just as you linked to your teammate's prior article, it would be good to link to your prior episode as well. That's it from me! Score: 7.5/10

I loved this! Had one quick point, but please take these as a sign of great interest, which means you wrote something awesome! A question about methodology: I loved that we have an expected points metric from this. But what if we had taken the TPE from the beginning and extrapolated based on average gains? Or perhaps even more complex, average gains for the number of active players on the team? If we did that, we'd have, in my opinion, a better picture what we should have really expected. Since VHLM players' TPE changes fairly radically (most of us on Miami started with under 100 TPE) vs. some players who are stuck at 250, we might have expected Miami to lose even more than we in fact did. I know there's no way to do that now, but it would be interesting for sure! Score: 9/10

What kind of player should Wolf Stansson be? What kind of person should he be? With the drama of the playoffs approaching, these questions are more than simply academic. Stansson has always been a nice, thoughtful guy. In the locker room, he’s as likely to quote Socrates as he is the latest sitcom. Yet there’s not always a welcome for him. What? In expansion franchise Miami Marauders’ locker room? No, he says. Not there. “They’re some of the best guys I could ever hope to play with, and management is great.” He gets a lot of flack, sometimes from other players, for being European. Not in terms of nationality, but in terms of style of play. Stansson plays an up-front, in-your-face style as a blue-liner. But it’s an offensive, rather than purely defensive, style. Wolf bristles at the idea he’s an offensive defenseman. “Look at the stats!” he says, aggressively pointing to the air next to him, as if to indicate the league index. “I hit! I block shots!” And he’s right. He does play a two-way game. But all that can be overshadowed by reputation. A reputation that many in hockey think is outdated. Stansson is trying to decide if he should go out of his way to show his toughness. Pick a fight here, a late hit there. Develop into the bad guy. Collect more teeth than goals. Maybe even punch out his own coach one day. But this is where Stansson the potentially-dirty player runs into Stansson the nice guy. He just isn’t the kind of guy to go around picking fights, slashing opposing forwards, and mouthing off. “I try to let my game do the talking, and play it the right way,” he groans, “But not everybody appreciates that.” Wolf’s teammates have let him know they appreciate him, and each Marauder stands by the other no matter what. Miami’s sometimes-adversarial relationship with the media (cf. @Andre LeBastard and @osens) doesn’t seem to be coming into play here. He’s genuinely frustrated with the way opponents have treated him. When asked if he really wants to become a goon, a disgrace, even, he responds with words from his father. “Don’t change who you are to get what you want,” Wolf breathes, eyes looking past, out into the distance. “Without this advice, I probably would’ve changed already.” I ask if Wolf talks to Jan Stansson often. He nods. The elder Stansson has been a fixture in the life of Wolf. He has asked his father if one can change his game and not change who he is. This is where philosophical hockey comes into play. “You can’t change your game without changing who you are,” Wolf recalls Jan saying, “because how you play comes in part from who you are. Only if the two are consistent with each other can you change your play. Otherwise, you will either fail at changing the play or staying true to your basic personality. Perhaps you’ll even fail at both.” It is his father’s words that keep Wolf going, for now. And, for now, it is his father’s words preventing him from becoming an enforcer, and keep him on the path of playing two-way hockey.

Press Conference for week ending June 28 2020 1. It’s the last week of the regular season! What’s been your highlight of the season so far? Probably scoring the hat trick. 3 goals in one game for a D-man is nice! 2. The team is still unclear about the playoff qualification rules. If we’re outside the playoff picture, this week could be our final week of S72. What are your plans for S73? I plan on returning to Miami, the team that gave me a shot, to bring a championship to the franchise! 3. S73 will see four new VHL franchises added to the league. After your experience as an inaugural member of the Miami Marauders, would you want to play for a first-year expansion franchise again? Why or why not? I definitely would. It's a great chance to make your mark on the league, working on something from the ground up. If I didn't get into one of the expansions, I would like to play for a contender. Basically, you want to be going places and learn from the more experienced in that situation. 4. Many of us have only ever played in the VHLM. Are you looking forward to moving up to the VHL, or are you enjoying your time in the M? I am enjoying my time here. I think I will enjoy the VHL, but it may take a season or two to feel like I belong. 5. Today’s Fathers Day in many countries! What’s a valuable lesson you’ve learned from a father-figure in your life? Work hard and care about others. Both of those things can be difficult to balance in truth. We tend to favor one over the other. But when we find that balance, it's a really good spot for us and for others. 6. What will be your song of Summer 2020 (or Winter 2020 for Andre )? That's a great question! Since Wolf is from Iceland, I suppose something by Bjork? Maybe not. Landslide by Fleetwood Mac is such a great song. But Ed Sheeran always brings something good from a current standpoint. So we'll see!

Wolf Stansson loves to be on the power play unit of the Miami Marauders. You can see it on his face. But more than that, you can deduce it from analyzing the numbers. In 54 games, the defenseman has scored 26 goals and has 33 assists for a total of 59 points. While he has served 56 minutes in the box himself, he’s done his fair share of playing on the man-advantage. While playing 251 minutes on the power play, he has scored 12 goals on 96 shots, while dishing for 14 assists. It is fascinating to compare this to his overall season numbers. Stansson has 26 goals on 168 shots in 1626 minutes, while recording 33 assists. This is an expected goal every 62 ½ minutes, roughly, or a shooting percentage of 15.48%. To compare, on the power play, Stansson has an expected goal every 20.92 minutes, roughly, or a shooting percentage of 12.5%. What this suggests is that Stansson puts a lot of pucks on net on the power play. These shots are naturally going to be saved, perhaps even at a higher clip, since opposing netminders know more shots are coming when their team is a man down. However, one should also note the ferocious clip at which Stansson is producing shots, and thus goals. The best strategy, therefore, is taking away the shooting lane, forcing Stansson to pass down low or across to Kramerev (which is a different nightmare unto itself) to reduce the number of shots he takes. Perhaps when playing against Miami and putting them on the power play, the old expression “pick your poison” comes into play.

I loved this article, especially since my guy plays in the VHLM, and has serious interaction with Dood and Kramerev. I thought the layout of this article was great. It was easy to understand, gave good details on draft position(s), strengths and weaknesses, and I thought had notable things to look for from each player. The one thing I would do differently, plausibly, would be to have an introductory paragraph explaining it was a scouting report on some top players from the VHLM. While your title communicated some of that, it didn't necessarily communicate all of that. Perhaps because I am new--I just didn't know whether I was looking for VHL or VHLM until we jumped right in! Again, thanks for this: I tend to really like history and scouting reports on this site! Score: 9/10

Being somewhat new to the league (only in first season on first created player!), I am always fascinated by the history lessons the ones who have been here for 8-10+ seasons can give, and I like seeing where careers can go, especially with multiple players. That said, this was a great read! There were a couple of things that a newbie just wouldn't be able to understand, even if only because they simply weren't present for the events. For example, what happened with you and inactivity? Was there something that drove you to that? Why was Higgins a lame duck? Questions like these are not essential to understanding your article (hence why I still loved it!), but they provide some needed context for those who are not veterans. It would have helped me understand more. In any case, I look forward to seeing more of your writing! Score, 7/10

Wolf Stansson is lonely. More specifically, he misses his family. His father moved with him last year to train in the United States, to better prepare himself for the North American style of hockey that is present in the VHL. To be clear, there are European styles present. However, the level of play—both in the VHL and its minor-league affiliate, the VHLM—is so much higher, it takes quite a bit of getting used to. Since Stansson was only 17, his father, Jan Stansson, moved out with him, seemingly across the world. Since then, Stansson has not seen his mother or two younger siblings—a brother and a sister. They have remained in Iceland and have generally gone about life as usual during this time. “My father spent the year with me. He sacrificed everything so I could not only have an opportunity to play hockey, but also so I could get an education,” Wolf recalls. “He set me up with a private tutor so that I wouldn’t fall behind in my studies.” Pictured below, the Stansson family, about 13-14 years ago As Wolf alternated timeslots between skates, workouts, and tutoring sessions, Jan always seemed to find time for him. “I made sure he could Skype or FaceTime with his mother and brother and sister,” Jan says, smiling. He suddenly gets serious. “Family is really the most important thing. Not hockey, not this,” he says, gesturing around him at the VHLM workout facility when this initial interview was done. “Wolf loves his family. And if he holds on to that, I will have done my job, no matter what else.” At the time, this reporter was impressed with the cohesion of the Stansson family, even from so far away. With some distance, that impression has just grown even greater. Why? Because Wolf has emerged as a standout defensive player on a rising Miami Marauders squad in the VHLM. It would be easy—justifiable, even—to forget, for a while, where one has come from. Not to fundamentally change, mind you, but just to be caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday VHLM life. Not Wolf. Not when he comes from this family. “We raised him better than that,” Jan laughs over a Skype call. It’s getting later and later in that initial season of Wolf Stansson. The Stansson family are all reunited now, save one: their eldest son. The family generally don’t want to be interviewed, but they all express to me how proud they are of Wolf, and how excited they will be to see him once the season comes to an end. “Do you think Miami will make the playoffs?” I ask. They nod excitedly. A brief comment here and there suggests to me they’re far more than causal observers of the VHLM. They may now and forever be Miami Marauders diehards. One of the children, about 12 or so, says something about Wolf setting records. The mother laughs. Jan explains: “Wolf always said he was going to set records in the VHL, so his younger siblings look up to that. Maybe they take it too seriously,” he said with a smile. Then again, maybe not. When I relay this to Wolf, he just laughs. “Yeah, that is one of my goals. But it’s OK if I don’t set any records. I just want to be a good teammate, go out there, and win. Every time.” Wolf Stansson misses his family. But he just wants to be away from them a little while longer, to see this season through.

1. Holy heck, it’s the trade deadline this week! Mark your calendars for Monday, June 15 at 3pm EDT. If you answer before the trade deadline: what do you think Miami will do at the deadline? If you answer after June 15: how do you think Miami did at the deadline? I don't even know what happened, so I assume we will do OK. We will make minor changes, perhaps a pickup of a solid defensive winger. 2. Start a VHLM trade rumour. All of the Houston franchise for the VHLM leading scorer. 3. Who “will/did win” the VHLM trade deadline? Not us, but we don't need to. Perhaps Mexico City, to be provacative. 4. What professional sports trade impacted you the most, and why? Honestly, overall I would say when the Portland Trail Blazers traded away Clyde Drexler. This was my childhood team, and its best player! From a hockey standpoint, it was only later that I realized that Gretzky being traded was terrible! 5. Have you ever been traded? What does it feel like to be traded? I never have; this is a first-gen guy! 6. Let’s put on our “GMs-in-training” hats. What would you do if, as a GM, one of your players publicly demands a trade one day before the trade deadline? It depends on whether he's going to be a free agent. If so, I desperately try to move him to avoid losing him for nothing. If not, I shop him, but I'm not desperate.

I'm not, but I like Arturs Irbe!

Note: The following was authored by Wolf Stansson. This is his perspective of his teammate, Oh Sens. I love having @osens [Oh Sens] as my teammate. The man is a workhorse, and doesn’t take any crap from anyone! That’s the kind of fire you need to succeed, in my opinion. Recently, I got a chance to learn more about my teammate—not simply as a hockey player, but as a person. And that is a truly valuable experience. The following is an interview with light editing and commentary. WS: Oh Sens, I love having you as a teammate. You play hard, you have personality, and heart. Tell me, what is it like to play for the expansion Miami Marauders? OS: Hello, thanks for asking me for an interview, it has been a pleasure to be a part of this historic run with Miami Marauders. It has been really fun to play for the Miami Marauders. This team is awesome and my teammates are very friendly. I have gotten in some trouble with Miami journalists, but [the] team knows these allegations are fake and I am clean as a blank paper sheet. Team board is really good, they fight for their players and it gives me confidence, that I won't be left on the edge of the cliff stranded without any help. WS note: It has been an especially awesome pleasure to watch Oh Sens deal with this drama. Contrary to being a locker-room distraction, Sens’ response has been one of galvanization. Say what you will about the Marauders, they band together when the going gets tough. WS: Would it have been better to play for someone else your first season? WS note: I asked this question because, up until recently, there has been a lot of losing. We’re all competitors here; no one likes to lose. So it’s a natural enough question: would you like to have been on another team, perhaps one that wins at a bit higher clip than we do? OS: I wouldn't have grown so much on other teams, because here we have [a] really great GM and AGM. Both of them are really friendly and they will help with everything. I have a feeling I would just feel invisible in other teams. In Miami our board always checks on every player and how they are feeling. A lot of people always are saying that Miami is one of the best places to be in VHLM so I am really happy to be here and I am excited what the future holds for us! WS note: By this question and response, there was no indication that we were slamming other players, GMs/AGMs, or other teams. We were just in agreement that Miami has been a fun place to be and a great learning experience, if I may extrapolate from what Oh Sens and I conversed about. WS: What kinds of things do you like? Give us some insight into that personality! OS: I like a lot of things about sports. I love that everything is unpredictable and exciting. Also I am pretty big gaming fun. Duh, who isn't. Gaming is my place to take a pause from everyday [life]. WS: Where do you call home now [in real life]? OS: I live in Latvia right now. WS: What was your first experience watching hockey, and do you play at all? OS: I don't remember my first time watching hockey, because I was really young then. But my parents said I knew all of my local team player names so I was really into it. I don't personally play hockey, closest thing to hockey I have played is floorball, where I was a goalie but that was also on amateur level so nothing serious. Just playing in local gym with some lads. WS note: One thing I absolutely love about theme week is it forced me to learn some basic facts about people—facts that, if I knew them in real life, would be readily apparent, but here, I could theoretically go years and years without ever knowing about Oh Sens. I have never known anyone who lived in Latvia, and so this basic, fundamental question gives me avenues for new questions, and new opportunities to know people outside of my normal circle. I love it! WS: If you could describe your real-life personality in seven words or less, what would you say? OS: Pretty ambitious young man who is scared of bullies. WS note: I know this wasn’t seven words or less, but the fact is it was both insightful and concise—in other words, it met the spirit of the law, if not the letter. WS: Last question: do you think Miami will hold on to that playoff spot? OS: I would love for Miami to hold that spot in playoffs and I think we have a lot of potential to do it, but this season is not the most important one. This season we are young and up and coming team, we are hungry challengers, but next season we will be ready for something bigger, hopefully winning it all so we can be a part of VHLM history. So here we have a player who contributes on the ice, who fights for himself and his teammates off of it, and someone who is vulnerable when he needs to be. He wants to do well, to prove to himself and others that he belongs—and yet we see that softer side as well. Time will tell whether he proves himself to the main people who matter—Oh Sens and his loved ones!

I wanna play for London!

This is the quest of the Miami Marauders to make the playoffs in their inaugural season. Yes, you’ve read that correctly. The expansion VHLM franchise was often the butt of jokes in the early-going season, and, truth be told, the top teams probably don’t regard them as much of a threat. Nonetheless, their players have put in the work to become a team that cannot simply be overlooked. They play with a chip on their collective shoulder, and it shows. While they sit just one point behind the Yukon Rush in the standings, the Rush are in a playoff position while the Marauders aren’t nearly as close. This is because the two teams sit in different conferences. “I’m not complaining about what conference who is in,” blue-liner Wolf Stansson chimes in. “I’m just here to play hockey, and watch our team improve. And they have done, and are doing, just that.” Stansson’s attitude reflects the general climate around Miami. There’s a feeling of camaraderie within their locker room born of these circumstances that have thrust them together. This kind of locker room is absolutely essential to a winning attitude. And while their 14-27-3 record may not fully reflect that reality, the truth is the Marauders are coming. So other teams had better watch out.

Man, that is impressive you have been here and involved that long! I enjoyed seeing this from your perspective, as I am new and don't really know the history of the VHL, or even necessarily how everything works. I love the portal and am in agreement with you. Just a couple of opinion-based things you might consider: it might have been better to organize the material chronologically, so we could more easily see that you started the league early, it nearly failed, and came back, and then your reflection paragraph(s) coming in. Second, it would have been cool to see where you would like the league to go from here, though I would understand if you said that was beyond the scope of the article. Great job! Score: 8/10

Dude, what a great article. First, your passion for the team you help run is evident. You have given us not just numbers, but real insights into real personalities that these people bring each and every day. My one "criticism," if you could even call it that, is that I want more--I would love to have seen anecdotes or quotes from all the players. Basically, I am loving this article so much I want to see more of it. Tough to complain about. Good work, man! Score 9.5/10

1. It’s WJC week! Do you follow the irl World Junior Championships? I really don't to be honest. But I do end up hearing about the winners and championship games and whatnot. It's cool; I just don't have a lot of extra time! 2. What is your favourite WJC moment ever? Honestly, because of the above and I am new to VHL, I don't really have one. Though in real life the US seems to have been well represented in recent years, and I like that. 3. In S72, the VHLM WJC is made up of 5 teams: Canada, USA, Europe, Asia, and Team World. If the tournament expanded to include one more team, what team would it be? I think it would be cool if it were one of the traditional European powers, like Russia, Sweden, Finland, Slovakia, etc. It would feel a little more connected to real life than an entire Team Europe does. 4. As a WJC fan or player, what bonus perks or experiences would you want from the tournament? Well this season I am definitely just a fan. Umm...I honestly can't think of any, but if Stansson could get press box seats, I suppose, that would be good. He would really appreciate getting to cheer for all the teams! 5. Sum up our season so far with a gif. 6. What’s your hidden talent? I'm actually pretty good at beatboxing.

I assume this is indeed an article about roosters! Otherwise it's a bit risque haha. It was funny, and provided an insight into the farm-escapades of your player. It would be interesting to see more! That was not some kind of double entendre. It would have been kind of cool if reference to his hockey playing career could have been made. Like linking the cheating here to a specific season of higher penalty minutes or something. Still, it was well-written, albeit odd. At least this wasn't a cockfighting contest, as cruelty to animals isn't cool. Good work overall! Score: 7/10

I loved this! As someone who has his player in the VHLM right now, it made me excited to see the VHL draft and where these guys go. I loved the consistent and symmetrical structure that you had (e.g., weakness, strengths, etc.). I wonder if hits make as big of a difference in the game as may often be said. After all, the more hits you have, the less you have the puck. Though, on the flip side, if you separate the man from the puck, that's a good thing. So it likely depends on whether you are then recovering the loose puck, or if your guy doing the hitting is also the one doing the losing of the puck in the first place. Hard things to dissect. Great thoughts! Score: 9.5/10

Wolf Stansson is one among a whole crop of brand-new players for the expansion Miami Marauders. They’re having a difficult time as of late, having just ended an 11-game losing streak to bring their record to 5-19-0 after 24 games. They run a decent power play, of which Stansson is a significant part, to the tune of 19.44%. Their penalty kill (which, in fairness, Stansson also takes a large role in) is atrocious, at just 68.27%. Fellow blue-liner @Mongoose87 Kramerev leads the team in points with 34. Stansson is tied with team captain @Andre LeBastard for fourth with 23 points. While Stansson’s friendships on the team will be explored down the line, for now it’s just the cold, hard stats. First, the good: he has scored nine goals on just 72 shots, an unusually high shooting percentage for a defenseman. But then there’s the bad: he’s scored just three goals on 25 shots during even-strength time. What does this mean? It means he is fairly productive on the power-play unit. He has played 112 minutes this season on the power-play, registering six goals on 47 shots and five of his 14 assists. That’s roughly 25 shots every 60 minutes, and roughly 3.2 goals every 60 minutes. It also means that Stansson is either scoring or assisting on a power-play goal roughly for every 10 minutes of man-advantage time. Stansson’s shooting from the point is becoming fairly reliable and valuable. The good: Stansson has 72 shots on goal. You can’t score if you’re not shooting (typically). The bad: between having shots blocked or missing entirely, Stansson has more (74) shots blocked or go wide than he does registering on net. This equates to a lot of missed opportunities. Or does it? It’s not immediately clear. Here’s why: suppose Stansson trails Lebastard entering the offensive zone, and the latter drops the puck back to Stansson. Lebastard, being the center, is going to position himself somewhere in front of that net, either to screen the goaltender, collect a rebound, tip a deflection into the net, or some combination. Stansson’s attempt to pass it to Lebastard down low will nearly always fail, since an opponent can simply get enough sticks and bodies in the way to make this impossible. But if Stansson lowers the boom on the puck and shoots it low and hard, it has a chance to find the back of the net. If it doesn’t, it may generate a rebound that the goalie has a hard time seeing, or Lebastard might redirect it past him. Or it may even miss the net entirely but hold a favorable bounce; perhaps Stansson himself might collect the loose puck and find an open player, or Lebastard grabs the carom off the boards and snap-shots one with deadly accuracy. There are, unquestionably, things in Stansson’s game he must work on to be an effective player at this level (and much moreso in the next one!). But there are also reasons Stansson and company do what they do—reasons that, once explained, don’t look nearly as bad or crazy as they did at first glance.