Laine

G - Zamboni Driver @diamond_ace

D - Reylynn Reinhart @Domg5

HD is a lot of fun. Joined last year, would recommend for those waiting to get a GM spot and want experience.

F - Patrik Laine @diamond_ace

Welcome to the VHL, @usouj! The Minnesota Storm are looking to be a wild card team this season, but we have plenty of room for you on our roster. We have an excellent locker room environment, guides to help you build your player, and much more to help you build your player the way you want to! Our top priority is to help prepare you for a successful VHL career! Right now, we are prepared to offer you a spot on our Top Pair! To accept our offer, simply quote this post and say "Let's go Storm!" to accept our offer! If you have any questions, feel free to ask! We are eager to see you join the Storm! - Laine, Minnesota Storm GM

F - Valtteri Vaakanainen

D - Kasper Kankkunen @diamond_ace

That is absolutely beautiful as always @Frank! Gonna miss having you around!

F - Dakota Lamb @Domg5

Happy Birthday VHL!

no me @JB123

Welcome back, @Mr Bohannan! We can't sign waivers at the moment, but signings will open on Sunday Night into Monday after the VHLM Draft, so keep your eyes open! If there is any way I can help, please let me know.

Congrats @16z!

Davos, Switzerland - It's been an emotional 48 hours for Patrik Laine. The 25 year old Finn woke up on Tuesday Morning to the news that he had been shipped off to Davos for a sum that included 3 roster players, and countless draft picks. Later that same day, he learned that Team Nordic, the World Cup team he watched growing up, hadn't selected him to represent their roster at this year's World Cup. Instead, Laine was picked up by Team Mercenaries for the second World Cup in a row. These pieces of news seemed to fire up the Finn, as he put on a show during Day 1 of the World Cup today. In 5 games, Laine recorded 6 goals and 5 assists, including a hat trick. He ranks 1st in points and goals so far. We managed to catch up with the Finn and ask him some questions. Laine (pictured) was traded alongside a pair of 4th round picks to the HC Davos Dynamo on Tuesday for CGY's S80 1st, DAV's S80 2nd, DAV's S80 4th, and DAV's S81 2nd as well as Raihan Heavems, Griff Mackenzie, and Declan Wolf. Laine was asked to comment on the trade. He says he was really upset at first. "You know, I had a great thing going in Helsinki. We had a great bunch and to wake up to that news was genuinely shocking to me. I spent the day saying goodbyes to my teammates and it was an emotional ride, especially with other players on their way out as well. Saying goodbye to Valtteri [Vaakanainen] was probably the hardest of all. Him and I had been through thick and thin together and were practically brothers of the ice. I'm really going to miss playing on a line with him." Laine tells us he's still really excited for his new journey in Davos. "Davos is obviously a really good team. They have a great fanbase and I know Reinhart which will make the transition easier. They were the first to text me after the trade and I'm really excited for the opportunity that has presented itself to me." Laine said he was really disappointed initially when he heard that Nordic had not selected him. "To me, that was a painful punch in the gut. Getting skipped earlier in my career made sense, but I'm in my prime and they still overlook me. They set this fire off inside me by not selecting me, and its going to be burning all season long." Laine says when he got the call from the GM of the Mercs, he says it was a sigh of relief. "The Mercs selected me last time and when I got that call from [Alex], I was really excited. I had played on the Mercs last time and had a lot of fun. It was a sigh of relief to know that I can still have a shot at this high of a stage." Laine talked about his individual performances on the day. He says a lot of them didn't start with him. "You know, I get all the credit because I am the leader in points, but my teammates were great. It only took one practice to get us in sync and I owe my success so far to them." The second set of World Cup games will be played on Thursday. (563 words)

Way to go @bigAL!

Fire as always @Frank! (can I get a Davos one?)

Same happened to me in my early days, so I took pride in realizing I can't be fired from not having a job

Applying!

Congrats @dlamb! I know you'll do great in Warsaw!

Well this aged poorly

Signing up

I want to first acknowledge how thankful I am for my time in Helsinki. @Jubo and @Rayzor_7 were great GMs to play under and I appreciate all that you guys did for me. I also want to say thanks to all my teammates that I had. We had some great times together. As for you @GustavMattias, really pumped to be heading to Davos with a new group. LET'S GO WIN A CUP!

@Frank

Venus on the move again

Helsinki, Finland - You wouldn't surprise anyone if you told them that Patrik Laine would be exploring free agency. The 25 year old Finn is coming off a career worst season and has been rumoured to be looking for a fresh start. Just like every fake VHL Trade Rumour site, the claims ended up falling through. Laine signed a 1 year deal with Helsinki for 4 million dollars. When asked about the contract, Laine said it had been in the works for awhile. "Me and Funk had been talking about an extension all season, but I was focused on helping the team win during the season so we didn't go too far. We sat down yesterday and I'm super happy we were able to get a deal done. It was the term that Helsinki wanted and a salary that I feel is right for me. Hopefully this will be a great season for me and its a bit of peace after all of those trade rumours that were swirling around me earlier." Laine, who has been a subject to trade rumours throughout his entire career, was pretty straight forward when talking about what he thought of the rumours. "I don't know who was behind pumping those rumours, but get the f--k out of here. It's super easy for someone to write fake rumours on a computer and for people to believe it. I've been in Helsinki throughout my entire career for a reason, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon. I'm staying in Helsinki this season. Plain and simple. I don't know what else I have to say to get these people making rumours to stop." Laine says he needs to take his play to the next level after a disappointing showing last season. "To score 15 in 15 to begin the season, and have 14 goals across the remaining 57 games. Are you f--king kidding me? I know I can be better than that and I gotta be better to help the team win. I was the major reason why we lost last season. I couldn't do sh-t at either end of the ice. It sucks but hopefully I can learn from that and have a career year this season. I don't have much playing time left so I need to be at my best to help Helsinki win a cup in the next few seasons." Laine says he knows this Helsinki group can go all the way, and he's seen it before. "We have a team that can go all the way. People doubt us because we don't have the star power of a Seattle or a Warsaw, but we've got the experience and the skill to beat BOTH of those teams. This isn't to say it will be easy, but we can definitely go toe-to-toe with the best teams. Sometimes it is the team that comes out of nowhere and steals victory from those powerhouses. Helsinki can be that team, and I'm proud I'm coming back for another season." (502 words)