JigglyGumballs

Imagine getting wrecked by Houston. Smh my head.

I was voted by someone? But seriously even if I wasn't in the ballot, great thanks for whoever did vote for me! HUGE honor to be even considered for this award.

Stardom?? ???

“Begin by seizing something which your opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will.” - Sun Tzu A hockey player's main weapons are his stick and skates, thus these are the things they hold dear. Without them, the player is useless in the icy battlefield of the rink. In my experience in prank warfare, targeting these items are some of the oldest tricks in the book. Though for proper effectiveness, stealth and proficiency is required. It is preferable if the locker room is empty, if not you must have allied who are willing to participate in this strategy. Then you must act swift like lightning. The stick must be untapped and filled with water then taped in the same way again to prevent suspicion. The skates must have only one clear layer of tape. For you must keep the tampering hidden. It is key to not be caught off guard, For it can be a fatal blow to your operation. A true strategist in the art of prank warfare should know their target's behaviors and routines. Wars are always won with information. Without the information collected, it would be a lost cause. Once the mission is complete, it is even more important to leave without a trace. Leaving tracks could give the enemy suspicion of tampering, so one must leave the room as it was in the beginning. To push for true effectiveness, it is recommended to tamper with all of the sticks in the enemy's possession. For it will prove that they are unable to do anything but to bend to your will. If everything is executed perfectly. Then the battle would be won. Useless effort would be exerted lifting and using the stick, and the skates would render the enemy immobile and open for attack. "The greatest victory is that which requires no battle." - Sun Tzu. A victory that requires no battle, or effort in this form of prank warfare is the simple bottle of water. You needn't be swift, only silent. A simple unscrewing of the cap and the enemy's desperation for replenishing bodily fluid is all that is needed for victory. Once the battle is won, it is best to offer another bottle as a sign of reconciliation. However, a true master will use this as a crushing defeat. The second blow will have an already demoralized enemy defeated. If not, the anger of revenge can be used in the battlefields of the rink. Providing a one man army who can challenge all those who oppose. It is also of best interest to target your entire team as your enemies in the field. Prank warfare is of good intention and not made to single one out. Prank warfare can be rewarding, but those you have won against will rise up against you in retaliation. For that one must be prepared beforehand to prevent such retaliatory advances from taking place. One must also be aware of the same strategies used in battle, for it can be effective against the initial user as well. Caution is of utmost importance, for it will prepare you for the long war ahead. However in the end of the day, bygones be bygones, and those who were once enemies may share a drink celebrating the battles they fought. Note: This is a bit different for this weeks article lol (and no this part isn't me just pushing for 500 words the article is already above I think). But I think it would be interesting to detail my locker room shenanigans in a sort of fun, poetic (if you even call it that XD) sort of way with this new series. Wiggles, Wobbles, and Jiggles will be back but this week's article is a nice change from the usual.

Open for an AGM role. Don't own STHS for now. Even though I'm still a 1st gen, I really want to help contribute to a team in terms of management and I'm ready to learn the ropes!

It was 9 rolls!!

What goes around comes around. Hello Hello welcome to the second edition of Wiggles, Wobbles, and Jiggles with your host, the man with a weird name, Jiggly Gumballs. On the previous episode which was the premiere of WWJ, we discussed the reasons as to why the Houston Bulls were losing a lot. Funnily enough afterwards we got some wins. Though this episode isn’t about that. In a recent article by Patrik Laine, I participated in a pre-draft interview. Now I’m here to return the favor. So how are you doing Patty? PL: I'm doing good. I've been developing my skills and I feel confident. That’s great! So first off, a recent mock draft had you projected high in the second round of the VHL draft. I personally thought you were a first rounder but I guess a high second round is close enough. What are your thoughts on this? Do you think you should’ve been projected higher? PL: I think a high second round pick is perfect. Of course I want to increase my draft stock but second round is exactly where I want to be right now. Hmm well anyways, I’m pretty curious as to what VHL team would you want to get drafted to. Adding to that, would you like to be drafted in a team where your other teammates whom you’ve played previously are also drafted there? If so, who would they be? Also just to be fair, I’m excluded from the players you choose. PL: I would want to go to a team who sees me as a potential star player. If I were to choose, Helsinki and Seattle would be my prime choices. Helsinki is close to friends and family back home in Finland and Seattle is because I am very good friends with their GM. I would want to go a team with Drew Minott. We are great friends and competitors on and off the ice. Well we both know that he’s a great guy. Funny how all three of us rookie’s are pretty good bros together. I know you’ve asked me this in your article, but what made you sign in Houston? I know you have the ability to put up the points and be a great goal scorer in this league. Yet you are playing in a basement team with me. So what made you sign with the Bulls? PL: A lot of teams were offering me third line minutes when I was on waivers. Houston offered me first line minutes right away with premium focus from the coaches and management to turn me into a star player. When I signed, I knew I was jumping into a dumpster fire but I thought it would be the best chance for me to develop as a player and so far it is paying off. I see. So what do you think makes you a great goal scorer? By that I mean, what do you think is the reason why you’re able to put up points? Natural talent? Hard work or dedication? I would mention team support but… well we both know there’s not much of that until recently. On the other side of the spectrum, what do you think is your biggest weakness? PL: Goal scoring is my natural strength. I have a good one timer and wrist shot. I think it is mix of talent and hard work. I work day and night knowing this it what it takes to become a VHL player but also as a good scorer I know when to pass so assists are a good help to my points. My biggest weakness right now has to be my checking. I have a big frame and I haven't been using it to my advantage and I've been working on it over the past few weeks so hopefully I can develop it more over the summer. Natural born scorers are always good. Moving on, can you describe your personality? Who are you as a person and how would you fit in a locker room? Doesn’t matter if it’s in the VHL or in the VHLM, just how would you fit in? Do you also think with your scoring talents, could you possibly be a hall of famer or at least an amazing player sometime soon in perhaps the VHL? PL: I'm a very passionate person with a soft spot. I love making memories with the fans and I enjoy the media attention. I think I would be a locker room leader and push everyone to be their best. I would be fine sitting in a smaller role if it is best for the team. I wouldn't say I could be a hall of famer yet but if I keep working it is a possibility. Possibility eh? Interesting. From what I’ve seen, your assists seem to be coming a lot from the top pairing defense pair of Riley Knight Gee and James Rose. Same goes when they score. Do you think it’s because of your chemistry together?? Or maybe it’s just the structure of how the team plays, with top line with top defensive pairing. PL: Yeah, Gee and Rose feed me the puck really good. Jiggs signed a couple of weeks ago and he has been feeding it pretty good to me for 5 on 5 play and I think our defense will be good heading into next year. There is definitely a chemistry forming here. We all know what to do and put our best foot forward every shift. We both know Houston’s situation in the upcoming VHLM dispersal draft. Houston’s young players including me and you along with Drew Minott will be exposed in the draft. What are your thoughts regarding how Houston will handle this situation. Houston currently has a first rounder from Yukon and three second round picks. Do you think we’ll be able to maintain our core for the next season? PL: I think we may keep some guys but we will lose some as well. I hope I'm picked up by Houston but it is still business and anything can happen so we will see.I think we may keep some guys but we will lose some as well. I hope I'm picked up by Houston but it is still business and anything can happen so we will see. Anyways that’s all we have for now, thank you so much for coming by. I’ve got to say, Patrik’s Picks is a nice show and I actually took your show as inspiration for WWJ. So it’s really nice to have you here. Any closing remarks? PL: Thanks for inviting me. This interview was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun having you around as well. So that’s this edition of Wiggles, Wobbles, and Jiggles! I’m Jiggly Gumballs and I’ll see ya in the next episode! People mentioned: @PatrikLaine @DreMin15 @MattyIce @KnightRiley

+10 Jiggly Gumballs

DATA: (PS: I didn't know the abbreviations for the teams so I assumed them... LVA is Las Vegas Aces, MEX is Mexico City Kings, SDM is San Diego Marlins, OTT is Ottawa Lynx, and finally HAL is the Halifax 21st. HOU is obviously Houston as well.) Game 298: HOU vs LVA 2-4 L Shots: LVA 33, HOU 17. -16 HOU pp: 66.67%, LVA pp: 16.67% HOU pk: 83.33%, LVA pp: 33.33% HOU pm: 12 LVA pm: 6 Goalie stats: HOU: 29/33 (.879) LVA: 15/17 (.882) Game 291: HOU vs MEX 2-4 L Shots: MEX 35, HOU 17. -18 HOU pp: 33.33% MEX pp: 14.29% HOU pk: 85.71% MEX pk: 66.67% HOU pm: 16 MEX pm: 8 Goalie stats: HOU: 31/35 (.886) MEX: 15/17 (.882) Game 287: HOU vs MEX 1-3 L Shots: MEX 29, HOU 19. -10 HOU pp: 0% MEX pp: 0% HOU pk: 100% MEX pk: 100% HOU pm: 8 MEX pm: 6 Goalie stats: HOU: 26/29 (.897) MEX: 18/19 (.947) Game 278: HOU vs HAL 1-2 L Shots: HAL 16, HOU 33. +17 HOU pp: 0% HAL pp: 0% HOU pk: 100% HAL pk: 100% HOU pm: 10 HAL pm: 12 Goalie stats: HOU: 14/16 (.875) HAL: 32/33 (.970) Game 272: HOU vs OTT 5-8 L Shots: OTT 50, HOU 30. -20 HOU pp: 50% OTT pp: 42.86% HOU pk: 57.14% OTT pk: 50% HOU pm: 14 OTT pm: 4 Goalie stats: HOU: 42/50 (.840) OTT: 25/30 (.833) Game 267: HOU vs SDM 0-1 Shutout L Shots: SDM 10, HOU 33. +23 HOU pp: 0% SDM pp: 0% HOU pk: 100% SDM pk: 100% HOU pm: 6 SDM pm: 8 Goalie stats: HOU: 9/10 (.900) SDM: 33/33 (1.00) Game 259: HOU vs OTT 4-5 L Shots: OTT 23, HOU 19. -4 HOU pp: 66.67% OTT pp: 25% HOU pk: 75% OTT pk: 33.33% HOU pm: 8 OTT pm:6 Goalie stats: HOU: 18/23 (.783) OTT: 15/19 (.789) Game 253: HOU vs LVA 1-2 L Shots: LVA 17, HOU 29. +12 HOU pp: 11.11% LVA pp: 0% HOU pk: 100% LVA pk: 88.89% HOU pm: 4 LVA pm: 18 Goalie stats: HOU: 15/17 (.889) LVA: 28/29 (.966) Game 249: HOU vs LVA 5-4 W (for once...) Shots: LVA 26, HOU 29. +3 HOU pp: 25% LVA pp: 0% HOU pk: 100% LVA pk: 75% HOU pm: 2 LVA pm: 16 Goalie stats: HOU: 22/26 (.846) LVA: 24/29 (.828) Game 241: HOU vs OTT 2-5 L Shots: OTT 33, HOU 27. -5 HOU pp: 0% OTT pp: 0% HOU pk: 100% OTT pk: 100% HOU pm: 6 OTT pm: 6 Goalie stats: HOU: 28/33 (.848) OTT: 25/27 (.926) HOU averages (in last 10): Shots: 25.3 Shot differential: -1.8 (-18 in shots last 10) Power Play: 25.28% Penalty Kill: 90.12% Penalty Minutes: 8.6 Opponent averages (in last 10): Shots: 27.2 Shot differential: +1.8 (+18 in shots last 10) Power Play: 9.88% Penalty Kill: 74.72% Penalty Minutes: 9

Houston, we have a problem. Hello I'm Jiggly Gumballs and welcome to the first edition of Wiggles, Wobbles, and Jiggles. A topic based show that tries to entertain you with interesting topics. In this first episode of the show, I will be discussing the Houston Bulls of the VHLM and their current 8 game losing streak. Using data from the past 10 games (game 298 being the most recent), I will try to make an assumption as to why the Bulls have been losing lately. Note: Yes I could've used more games to collect data. The more data, the more accuracy. With 50 games played this season, recording data from the past 10 should get an accurate enough answer to what might be causing the recent losing and the possible continued losing in the future. The data I've also decided to use are simply things that may cause teams to lose or win. In this case, it would be shots, penalty kills, power plays, penalty minutes, and goalie stats. This doesn't really involve individual efforts as this is more of an assumption based on the team as a whole. You're welcome to use other sorts of data and can correct me on anything if you find something wrong or something you disagree with. I am open to constructive criticism and hopefully if I do something like this again, I will be better suited. Also, all data was taken using the VHML’s game links. Thank god for VHL bot. The Bulls have lost 9 out of the past 10 games, while only winning once. That being a 5-4 win against the Las Vegas Aces. And their current record is 3-45-2 this season. So that made me wonder what has been causing these losses? The obvious answers would be either the Bulls suck, or they simply aren't scoring enough goals. Though the thing I'm trying to find out is what is causing the lack of scoring. The first thing I did once I compiled my data is compare the amount of shots made by Houston compared to their opponents. I found out that on an average in the last 10 games. Houston would shoot 25.3 shots per game whilst their opponents would shoot 27.2 shots on average. So Houston was shooting less. I also calculated the shot differential between the two teams in each game. If Houston shot less, it would be a negative number, vise versa if they shot more. I found that the shot differential was -18 in the past 10 games. Meaning that they took a total of 18 less shots in that span. I then thought it wasn't enough so I moved on to special teams. I thought that maybe it was the penalty killing that needs work or there was a lack of power play goals. Or maybe they were just taking too many penalties. The thing is, Houston has an amazing penalty kill during that span with an average of 90.12%. They were perfect in the PK in six out of the ten games. It was substantially better than the 74.72% average Houston's opponents put up. It wasn't just their PK either. Their power play was decent as well with an average of 25.28% compared to the opponent's 9.88% average. Houston's opponents seem to be giving up more penalty minutes as well, having an average of 9 whilst Houston has an average of 8.6 minutes. Though in more recent games, Houston has been giving up more penalties. I know all I’m doing is talking averages but I’ll post the exact data I’ve collected for my case so you can see where I’m getting these averages from. With special teams out of the question, only one thing was left. How good was the goalie? Houston's goaltender who's started and played all these games, Drew Minott, has been consistent despite all the losses. The most goals given up by their goaltender was 8 and the fewest 1. You simply can't blame everything on the goalie though. You also can't count on your goalie for every opportunity. Minott has put up arguably solid numbers despite taking more shots. Houston's had its share of blocking shots, but when it comes down to it, it takes a team's effort to win. So giving away so many shot opportunities like that and letting the goalie take so many shots is going to cause the opponent to have more opportunities to score more. So in conclusion, the ultimate reason why Houston has been losing is mostly due to the lack of shots being thrown at the opponent and the lack of support for the goaltender, thus allowing the opposing team to take more shots and have better opportunities to score goals. If this keeps up, expect more losing in the near future. I reached out to the Bull's current GM Sonnet and asked for their insight on the issue. Specifically asking them these two questions: 1) JG: Houston has won 1 out of the last 10. With the data I've collected, it seems like the reason as to why the losing keeps coming is a lack of shots. With an average of 25.3 shots in the last 10 compared to the 27.2 shots by the opponents. What might be causing the lack of shooting? Team depth? Structure? Sonnet: A lack of depth within our top 6, for sure. We've signed enough forwards to fill out the spots, but most of them seemed to disappear right after signing. If Laine had a little more support out there, we'd definitely start to shoot above that average. Alas, given the point of the season, that's easier said than done. 2) JG: With the current 8 game losing streak, is there a need for change? Are there thoughts about signing or trading for new players to help with the team? Sonnet: With the trade deadline coming up, there's certainly an interest in signing players. We usually see a spike in quality players as older ones retire, so right now is a great opportunity to pick up a few guys who are looking for playing time. As far as trades go, I'm not interested at all in trying to sacrifice long-term solutions in order to stop the short-term bleeding. Houston is built for a killer run in season 73, and the unfortunate truth of the matter is that no trade could salvage our spot in the standings. We'll just have to hope that we're able to sign on a few key players, and continue building upon what we already have, hopefully we can win a few statement games to end the season on a good note. And with that, this will be the end of today's episode of Wiggles, Wobbles, and Jiggles. As a recently signed Houston Bull myself, it is a bit frustrating to see my team lose lately but hopefully we can turn things around. This is Jiggly Gumballs and stay tuned for the next episode! People Mentioned: @Sonnet @DreMin15 @PatrikLaine

So by the time I'm posting this I literally just joined. Since this is a place of discussion I would honestly like to share my first impressions on the VHL and what I think of this place. I first discovered this place via a good friend of mine @PatrikLaine. He out of the blue just asked me if I wanted to join. I hesitated but I figured why not? So I signed up and, all I can say is just wow. I'm loving this place. I loved how welcoming it was and I honestly felt I fit right in. Though I honestly didn't know how to react when people welcomed me since I suck at social interactions. At first glance, I struggled navigating through the place since I didn't know what I was doing. I simply asked Patrik for help and figured out how to create my player. I didn't exactly know what to name my guy since I didn't know if people put proper names or meme names at the time, so I ended up just using my username as my player name. I learned that only after I had created my player though I should've known on my part. I already knew what kind of player I wanted so I allocated my points I started off with and literally just asked Patrik for more guidance for my lack of knowledge. I soon learned stuff about TPE and how to get them. When I noticed how detailed people were with their players and how much thought others put into their stuff with full on banners, I honestly fell in love with the place even more. I knew that this place was for me. I wanted to participate more in this community. I joined the discord and then I went to work with my junior review as I pondered on which team to join. Whilst writing my junior review, I realized how lacking my hockey knowledge really was compared to others and that made me want to learn more. The amount of detail and just how great the community felt made me want to participate more and improve my knowledge and make myself better. I'm a harsh critic on my work so I also felt that my junior review was bad. However, it's still my first day so I can only go up from here. I eventually joined the Houston Bulls of the VHML and I again, loved the great community. I almost immediately felt pride being a Bull and felt like I was part of the team. I then learned a bit more on how things work around here and decided to participate in the team's press conference. This is where I ran a bit of trouble and unintentionally making a new topic rather than replying to the one I was supposed to. I'm sorry for that but I was still trying to navigate through things. Once I figured that out I tried to fix my mistake and just went on with my day. Occasionally checking back on any news. My honest first impressions were all positive with my only real issue is navigating through messages and forums. Though that's on me. In the future, I personally would love to be in a GM or AGM position after seeing how nice this place is. Though since I literally just joined, I need to further develop myself in this community and as well as to sharpen my understanding of the league and how it works. I really feel like this place is awesome and I may recommend this to others who I think would appreciate this as well. I personally want to thank everyone in staff, the GMs and just the people here in general for being great. It's fun being here and I'll definitely stick around. I hope I can have fun here with everyone around.

Jiggly Gumballs was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Raised in a low-income family that had immigrated to Canada only 5 years prior, Jiggly became fantasized with hockey after watching a few random games on the TV when nothing else was really on. He then dreamed of becoming a pro hockey player. At the age of 5, he learned how to skate and once his father found a higher paying job, he began practicing on his own. Going to local rinks to practice his skating and learning how to pass and shoot in his garage. Starting at first with cardboard boxes, then moving to a net once they had enough money. As time went on and the young boy grew older. His parents gathered enough to allow him to participate in the U-11 program. Allowing him to actually train as a hockey player rather than just shooting and skating. His small stature was a immediately noticed though Jiggly pushed on, his hard work and dedication allowing him to improve on his skills. He began developing a balance between defending and going on the offense. His years practicing with a lone net making him dangerous on the point. He was often picked on by other players for his short size. Demoralizing yes, but he never gave up on his ambitions. He wanted to become a hockey player no matter what. So he trained harder, finding ways to be able to take on larger players. Eventually his skills would allow him to be drafted by his own hometown team, The Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL. A sixth round pick due to his small size. That didn't stop him from working on his game. His first season wasn't much with only 13 points, 3 goals, 10 assists in 58 games, but the following season, he broke out and reached 47 points in 60 games with a plus 4 rating, 21 of those 47 points, goals. A substantial difference from his previous year. When he was asked about his season back then, he mentioned about hard work, dedication, and not letting people judge you as a player based on size. He also mentioned in his own words "I wanted to make people in opposing teams realize that they got scored on by a short guy named Gumballs. Like imagine that out of context?" His style of play continued to evolve as he has shown signs of becoming a great two-way defender who is reliable on both ends of the ice. He has had issues with skating and checking though there is still much time for improvement. His small size may also make him prone to injuries though luckily, his career so far has seen only minor ones. Scouts have mentioned the possibility of Gumball's breakout junior season as a fluke, though gumballs would prove them wrong with a 40 point season in 63 games. Less point production yes, but it was still somewhat consistent from the previous season. Gumballs has since signed a 1.5 million dollar contract with the Houston Bulls and finally moved out of the comfort of his home province. A new home away from home.

Nice

Accepted

Player Information Username: JigglyGumballs Player Name: Jiggly Gumballs Recruited From: Member (Username PatrikLaine) Age: 18 Position: D Height: 70 in. Weight: 178 lbs. Birthplace: Canada Player Page @VHLM GM