Boomcheck

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Rick Nash.

That swiss cheese Tampa Bay defense beating the Canucks. 'Nucks had me worried for a few moments though, especially most of the second period.

Steven Stamkos That's all.

What are you doing Colorado Nah, don't worry Kes, i'm just pulling your strings. Tampa's weak D-core? Hahahahahah .... It's fine, especially if Hedman keeps up his play.

Don't diss Florida. Tampa Bay gon' put a spanking on the Canucks tonight.

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Still waiting for Heatley to score 50 CBJ looking solid.

R.I.P Colorado.

Adam Burish will also lead the league in assists. John Scott looked real fast, NHL quality. Or maybe it's because the defenseman was Orpik.

What if you are one of those people that don't want to be spending extra season down in the minors. This rule would just keep more people in the VHLM and less in the VHL. People generally want to stay in minors to: - Win an award - Win a Founder's Cup - Dominate - Afraid that their player will suck so bad they won't have any shot at ROTY, thus they build up their TPE totals. Maybe just make it 175-200 TPE, and you can choose if you want to go up if you're within that range or something. And if you're above you have to go up. Don't know.

Great game.

Stammer and Hedman killing it vs. Montreal.

Suuuuuuuure.

Quebec and New York are neck and neck right now in the NA Conference. The American started off an impressive streak but have settled down, allowing the Meute to close the gap considerably and solidify themselves as a contender. Naomi Young has been tearing up the league, steadily producing alongside Matt Bentley, Felix Zamora and Bruno Wolf with Azhishchenkov round off most of their core group of guys. Both teams are young with veteran talent leading the way and several of these players will certainly be up for awards.The Americans are ahead of them by one point, but Quebec is riding an eight game winning streak. How do I think the season will end? Probably still neck-and-neck but I will give the advantage to New York due to better goaltending, but I have a feeling that anything can happen in the playoffs and it can go either way between the two of them. Who do you think is better?

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Jakub Rhinehart Nationality: German Defense - #84 76 in. - 210 lbs Jakub Rhinehart is a prospect for the upcoming S41 Entry Draft but there is still a lot that people do not know about him. He was born in Essen, Germany to a rich family, allowing him to have no worries when it came to equipment or needs. His two eldest brothers went through hockey careers, one of them even making the Deutsche Eishockey Liga to play for the Kölner Haie so his family was well versed when it came to hockey. Jakub was raised in a family with good morals and standards, staying relatively level-headed throughout his life.The boy learned to skate when he was just five years old, and not long after he was skating laps around the arena. He was being taught how to play by all his siblings, but he only started to play in organized games when he was twelve years old. He was scouted by many German scouts, touting him as a great prospect that will have an impact on German hockey. Jakub was very fortunate by being born in a rich family and took complete advantage of such, hiring private coaches and a small rink build into the house. His father was not a hockey player but was proud that his sons had ambitious goals, supporting them in any situation. High school was quite smooth sailing for the German lad. Keeping up with his school work by providing excellent grades and playing hockey for his school's team where he would absolutely tear it up. Several scouts went to many of his games, watching him develop throughout the season. Jakub was not bogged down by any injuries, other than a minor flu that kept him out for a few games. He was featured in several newspaper articles and magazines by the time he was fifteen. His post-season play was no joke either, managing to win MVP in all of his years in high school hockey by putting up impressive numbers that lead the league by large margins. His ability to see the ice was evident, being considered to one of the greatest German players of all time. There was a lot of hype behind him and people were certain that Jakub would be team Germany's savior. He ended his high school career at seventeen, having won three championships at the district level. He was called on to play for Germany's under 20 squad, only at the age of seventeen. Many were certain that the team's luck was about to change with an addition of what most considered to be a prodigious defender, having already agreed to play for Kölner Haie the upcoming season, alongside his brother. It didn't take long for the German people to notice that Jakub was completely out of his element. Booed off the ice on several occasions for atrocious errors and ill defensive play. Rhinehart looked elite when playing with kids of his age, but when playing against older competition he struggled to make a difference on the big ice. He went into Haie camp feeling demotivated and weak. It was a surprise to himself when he put together a productive season with the club, almost scoring at a 0.5 point per game clip. He wasn't elite, or spectacular but his play was definitely steady and a tad bit safer. Shock. That was what took place in the upcoming days after his team was eliminated in the first round. Rhinehart declared himself for the VHL Entry Draft and fell into the waiver system, deciding that this was an opportunity to redeem himself while playing against high quality competition. Pros His skating is considered one of his greatest assets, based on sheer speed and agile movement. He can definitely keep up with the best of them, using his long and powerful strides. Jakub's skating ability is generally used to balance out his defensive deficiency and allows him the opportunity to return to his position so there isn't an odd-man rush. He was highly touted for his vision because of his ability to read the game at a high level. There had definitely been some hiccups but he turned it around and rebounded, his eyes having a lot to do with that. He is able to make accurate tape-to-tape passes and predict plays accurately. He could potentially help out a team's power play with his puck possession game and quick thinking in the offensive zone. He may not be the main option to score, but Jakub provides a decent alternative for complimentary scoring. His stick work is definitely impressive, using the massive wingspan and strong reach to check players. He is definitely a physical specimen with all the tools, gifted with traitors that should allow him to succeed in a hockey environment. Poke checking and attentively keeping track of his opponents are definitely ways that allow his body to progress into the frame he was given. Cons There is much concern for his defensive game, although he has an active stick, at times he can be caught out of position due to his rushing mentality. His shot can be hard but often misses the net entirely, thus proving to be a factor for his inability to turn into an actual top-pairing defenseman. He needs to learn when to join rushed and to make sure he is not caught flat-footed if another player looses the puck. He needs to learn more discipline. It's not as if he has anger issues, he is quite calm but at times he will be over-aggressive with the stick and take penalties such as slashing or hooking unintentionally as he aims to strip the opponent of the puck. This may be due to his lack of experience but Jakub should get better as his career moves along. Rhinehart needs to grow into his big frame and add on some proper muscle. He can look downright terrifying for forwards but he is not the type of player that will be crushing players through boards or anything. As a defenseman he should have some strength in his arms and upper body to make sure he can make safe plays and out-muscle opponents.

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Colorado. Dafuq.

Jakub Rhinehart Born in Essen, Germany Defense - #84 (DEL) Kölner Haie - GP: 55 G: 2 A: 22 P: 24 +/-: +17 H: 92 SB: 12 (VHLM) Saskatoon Wild - GP: 12 G: 0 A: 0 P: 0 +/-: +6 H:32 SB: 8 Physicality Rhinehart is a physical specimen, standing at 76 inches and weighing in around 210 pounds. Impressive for a young player trying to break into the league. This young man is not afraid to throw his body around, but he still needs time to grow into the large frame of his. A tad bit on the skinny side from what most have seen, but his ability to punish is not questioned. This player does not go out onto the ice aiming to flatten someone, but to patrol the blue lines to make sure opposing teams don't get too far into the zone with his ability to stick check. Strength is not the best quality but he has expressed interest in spending more time in the gym. Jakub is not a fighter whatsoever, his careless play might drag him into one or two but that is rare; bottom line, this isn't a defenseman that looks to drop gloves on a nightly basis. Skating is absolutely his best ability, using his long leg to make powerful strides. Quick on his feet and responsible, he can keep up with the best of the prospects while on the rush or skating back to return to his position. Given his style of play, Jakub will often find himself in the penalty box for high-sticking, hooking and slashing. Defensive Ability His decision making his questionable. Jakub's defensive abilities are not up to par with the best of them in the VHLM, prone to mistakes and poor play under heavy pressure. The one upside is his skating which allowed him to return to his position faster, making up for a bulk of his mistakes. He has an active stick, combined with his long reach make for impressive play but he needs to make better choices while on the ice. At times he joins the rush at the worst of times, leaving the goaltender and his partner out to dry. He is definitely willing to sacrifice the body, learning from American coaches. These are some the reasons we believe he will need a great defensive partner to cover up for his mistakes. He will not be elite by any means defensively, but he should be able to do enough to be considered a depth defenseman. Offensive Ability Decent at best. He has no real stand-out qualities as a wizard or play maker, but he has the tools to become an all-around defenseman. He won't ever be a 'go-to' player for scoring but his abilities should compliment other players nicely. He has no real preference as of yet, the source coming from the games he has currently played in. Conserved but German scouts believe him to be a better passer in comparison to his shooting abilities. Vision is one of the most important factor for players and he has one of the best in the VHLM but still has to put together all his tools for him to showcase the biggest asset in his arsenal. His experience is little in the VHLM so it will be interesting to see what he can do with the season still having lots of games to be played. He has definitely made more progress than the previous season where he played in Germany. There is constant growth in other areas so Jakub should be able to put up points as the season goes along.

This is one question I have always had. Sometimes it feels completely random, as in that a certain player is somehow blessed with insane abilities to perform well in the sim. Many attribute to high TPE, but I remember back in the day Jason had a defenseman named Lars Intranquilo [Did I get that right?] who had over a thousand TPE but couldn't produce like a player that has a thousand TPE should. Is it player build? I'm sure that many people have followed builds of other great players but still fall short of expectations. I am a firm believer in opportunity and situations when it comes to the VHL and how a player can be successful. Your teammates play a vital role in your ability and performance, many can compliment while others can be a detriment to your stats. When you put two super-studs together you expect them to be amazing right? At times they put out career-lows or finish much lower than previous totals. Generally there will be on elite player and some very good players around them for team success. How do you become the 'elite' player?High ice-time and a cohesive group of teammates can only do so much. Being Elite. Is it just by chance?