Mason

1) Through trade the Titans said good bye to Jim Bob after almost 4 seasons in Helsinki. How did you bid him farewell? I didn't get the chance to say goodbye as I'm not currently on the team, but good luck to him in his new spot! 2) The trade saw us acquire center Ola Vikingstad. What do you think he brings to the roster? I know Vikingstad is a huge name in the league, so it's definitely going to be a big boost to the team having him on the squad. 3) This week we saw Erik Draven announce retirement after 5 seasons in Helsinki. He will remain with us for the rest of the season and playoffs. What was your favorite memory of Draven as a Titan? I never really got the chance to play with him or watch him, but I've head nothing but good things. Hope he enjoys retirement! 4) With the trade and pending retirement noted above, how motivated are you going forward? I'm motivated to keep working hard so I can crack the roster next season. Loads of exciting things happening with the team at the minute, would love to be a part of it! 5) If the Titans were to sport a 3rd jersey, what fun color scheme would you suggest? The team should go all out and add a pink or neon green color scheme. 6) Last week was Dream Team theme week. What was the best line mate(s) you had in your career? That's a tough one, I've not had too many yet but I've enjoyed every line mate I've played with so not able to pick just one!

Western Conference Deep Dive: Mexico City Kings Carrying on a season that I started last season but haven't looked at for some time, I'm going to be doing a deep dive on one of the teams in the Western Conference of the VHLM. Last season I primarily focused on writing about the teams at the top of the standings, but for the sake of variety this time around I'm going to be writing about a team that's a bit more middle of the pack; the Mexico City Kings. When I came into the league last season, the Kings were one of the teams that offered me a spot, and although i ultimately declined and went to join the Las Vegas Aces, I have followed the team and how they've done with some interest. Last season, the Kings lacked an identity and found themselves languishing at the bottom of the standings. This time around, things seemed to have picked up somewhat, and the Kings look to have a bit more substance around them. Let's take a look at the Kings and what it is that has lead them to some improved performances this season. Through the 55 games they've played so far this season, the Kings have managed to earn a 26-22-7 record. A marked improvement on the 16-51-5 record they posted last season, it's clear to see that the Kings are a much more competitive side this time around. Perhaps the biggest add to the team and the main contributor to their success has been RJ Thatcher. The S75 draftee currently has the most TPE on the team, and although he isn't their leading scorer at this point in time, his position as the second leading scorer on the team as a rookie speaks to the potential that he has. His 72 points in 55 games has been an invaluable contribution, and its likely a big reason why there's been such a notable improvement in the team. The team's leading scorer, Chris Foley has also given an incredibly important contribution, putting up 74 points on the season. The Kings simply didn't have this type of play to rely on last year, and the addition of this level of talent has really changed the fortunes of this franchise. The Western Conference as a whole this year seems to be a lot more competitive, and although the Kings are currently 5th in the conference, it's not unreasonable to think that the gap between them and 4th place is something that could be closed. The Kings will be hoping this season that they have the ability to make their way into the playoffs, but even if they don't they should still be primed to compete next season, particularly with the addition of some more talent in the next VHLM draft. There's been a definite change in fortunes for the Kings this season, and hopefully they'll be able to continue on the path that they've started this season. They've been incredibly promising, and I'm excited to see what it is they're able to do through the last 17 games of this year's season. (517 words)

Halifax Going Strong Despite the terrible play from defenseman Gabriel Akerstrom that I touched on in my article last week, it’s no exaggeration to say that the Halifax 21st as a team are having a great season. They are currently holding down the top spot in the VHLM’s Eastern conference with a 6 point cushion over second place, and their current total has them 10 points ahead of 1st place in the Western conference. It’s safe to say that things are going how everyone involved in the team would have hoped they would back at the start of the season, and we’ve seen some great contributions from members of the team to help guide them to the position they’re in now. The end of the season keeps getting closer and closer, and for the 21st the big challenge beyond finishing the regular season strong is to get themselves into playoff mode to make a run at the cup. Despite there being some tough competition in the league this season, Halifax will definitely see themselves as the team to beat, so it’s going to be interesting to see what teams do to try and beat them in a series matchup. Based on what we’ve seen so far, it’s not going to be an easy thing to do. (213 words)

1) Week 3 was a rollercoaster but ended with back-to-back wins. How are you feeling about going into week 4? I feel confident for the team. Obviously I'm not a part of the roster but I'm cheering on from the side-line and I think the team looks great and should have a strong week. 2) Oh Sens was moved to Toronto on the weekend. How did you bid him farewell? I sent him a text, never got to play with the guy unfortunately but still had to wish him well in his new home. 3) We have a negative goal differential, aside from tinkering with lines what do we need to do better as a team? I think focusing on puck possession would help a lot, making sure we don't give it away unneccesarily. I think that would help a lot with the goal differential too, allowing us to maximise our time with the puck and preventing the bad guys from getting easy scores. 4) Who on the team would you pick to take a penalty shot? Tough question given how little I know about the team but I'm going with Hiroshi Okada. The guy is our leading scorer so obviously knows what he's doing with the puck. 5) What sport are you 2nd best at behind Hockey? Gabriel Akerstrom loves playing soccer, it's always been his second sport behind hockey and he still plays to this day. 6) Who on the team would you send up to the stage to sing Karaoke? I'm taking that one on myself. Gabriel is a notorious karaoke singer and I think he wouldn't give up the chance to show off to his teammates.

Theme Week PT

My VHLM Dream Team For this season's theme week PT, I'm going to keep it simple and pick my dream team from the VHLM at present. I'm going to follow the rules of three forwards, 2 defensemen and a goalie as set out, and choose the best in my opinion who are currently playing in the VHLM. I probably wouldn't have normally thought of doing this but it should be a fun way for me to check out a few of the other players in the VHLM currently and become familiar with what they're doing, as well as giving myself a chance to earn some extra uncapped by hitting that Theme Week criteria. My picks: C - Brian Strong Jr. Brian is playing out of his damn mind at the minute, having put up 89 points already in the 38 games that he's played this season. This is an astonishing rate of production, and I'm honestly very impressed in seeing what he's been able to do up to this point. I'm not really familiar with VHLM records or anything like that, so I've got no idea how good the season he's having is when considered against other great VHLM seasons, but I'm certainly very impressed at what he's doing out there. He makes for an easy pick on my Dream Team, and hopefully he'd be the focal point of our offense. W - Florent Vericel I'm going with Strong's teammate here, Florent Vericel. Currently sporting 81 points in 38 games, Florent is just a tad behind Brian but is still having an undoubtedly crazy season. The fact that he's Strong's teammate makes this a very easy choice, as there's no doubt that the chemistry the two have will help the team gel somewhat. W - Taro Tsujimoto Apologies to Taro for playing him as a winger because I know he's really a centre, but given that he has slightly less TPE than Strong but I still want to get him into the team, he's pushed out of his natural position. I still think he'd be a real threat on the wing though, and can see him really bringing a lot to the team. The 75 points in 38 games he's put up so far shows the kind of scoring he could also bring to the team, and I think the three forwards we have here would make one hell of a line together. D - Jackson Philliefan Not much explanation needed here, the highest scoring defenseman in the VHLM who also has a ton of shot blocks too. Makes for a no brainer pick when it comes to my dream team roster. D - Kasper Kankkunen Have to give this spot to my former teammate, Kankkunen is having a great season with nearly 50 points in 38 games played as a defenseman. He's dominating for the Aces and I'd love to bring what he has to offer to my dream team roster. G - Kevin Malone My current teammate in Halifax, this is a much easier pick than I anticipated. Malone currently leads the league in save percentage, wins and shutouts. When picking a goalie for a team like this, I don't think there's anything more you could ask for. That makes my dream team complete. I would genuinely be curious to see just how bad this team would dominate your average VHLM squad, it's loaded top to bottom with stud players. Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading this one, I actually found it pretty fun to put together! (582 words)

A Disappointing Season It's safe to say that this season probably hasn't seen the level of return for Gabriel Akerstrom that he or his team were hoping for before it all began. Taken with the second overall pick in the most recent VHLM draft, Gabriel was looked at as a player who could drive his team's offense for the blue line and put up some great offensive numbers whilst being a force defensively too, but it looks as if that simply won't be the case. This has sadly not been the case, as he's only succeeded in putting up mediocre numbers across the board, seeing a major decrease in production from his rookie year in the VHLM with just 25 points in the 36 games that he's so far played in. It's simply not what he was hoping for going into this season, and he's well aware that if he wants his team to have the kind of season they're hoping for, it's something that he's going to need to address. The 21st are having a great season so far, sitting on top of the Eastern Conference, but that doesn't mean that anyone on the team can get complacent, and Gabriel certainly isn't going to sit back and avoid doing the work he needs to improve his play on the ice. (221 words)

5GJ555326X414262T Free Week (12 TPE Capped) (claimed) 5 TPE Uncapped (claimed) Doubles Week (6 TPE uncapped from a PT being done)

Slow Start After being drafted with the second overall pick in the most recent VHLM draft, a high level of expectation rests on the shoulders of Gabriel Akerstrom. The Swedish defenseman was a first round pick in the VHL draft also, and so has been marked as someone that really should be elevating the play of the Halifax 21st this season, as the team looks to go on a run and secure a Founders Cup. With that in mind, the level of production that we've seen from Gabriel so far has to be considered disappointing. Currently sitting on a total of 6 points in the 10 games that he's played so far despite being primarily marketed as an offensive defenseman, the lack of offensive production that we've seen from him so far is certainly something that will need to be addressed. One positive thing to note for Gabriel is that there is still plenty of time left in the season. He has the time remaining to address his issues, work with his coaches and hopefully improve his offensive output as the season goes on. The first ten games with a new team were never going to be a total cakewalk, but Gabriel knows he is capable of better and hopes that he can demonstrate that in the games still to come. (221 words)

G - Stone Wolski @Doomsday

that’s unreal man thank you!

F - Squirrely Dan @OrbitingDeath

D - Cinnamon Block @Doomsday

Moving to Helsinki Last week saw a season of hard work culminated in something that Gabriel Akerstrom wouldn't have believed to be possible just a few weeks ago; him being selected in the first round of the VHL Entry Draft. Based on the fact that he was a late join in the season and certainly wasn't in the first round spots based on pure TPE alone, the fact that Gabriel had been able to establish himself as someone deserving of being even looked at in such a high position was something that he really hadn't anticipated, and the fact that he was able to go so far as secure his place as the 15th overall pick in the draft was an unbelievable outcome for him. Although a lot of hard work had gone in to get him to the spot that he was taken at, Gabriel understands that such a high draft spot means that this is where the hard work really begins. He now has to elevate himself, his commitment and his play on the ice to match the spot he was drafted at, and do everything he can to deliver on the expectations that the team who drafted him now have of him. The draft itself was a nervous affair for Gabriel. Watching along, there were certainly some picks made that he hadn't expected to happen in the order that they did. A particular example of this is the way in which prospect Luke Thornton fell down the draft, and seeing someone widely considered to be a top prospect slide out of the first few picks of the draft really brought home the volatility of the process. Gabriel began to wonder exactly how far down in the draft he could be taken, and as picks continued to be announced, he reasoned that a likely draft spot would be somewhere down in the early to mid part of the second round. Then suddenly and rather unexpectedly, Gabriel heard his name be called for the 15th overall pick for the Helsinki Titans. Although pre-draft conversations with the Titans had been incredibly productive, Gabriel had really not expected them to believe in him so much to use a 1st round pick to acquire him. The show of trust by the team has really motivated Gabriel to do everything that he can to justify the team making the move that they did. Although he may not have as much TPE currently as others who were taken before him on the night, Gabriel is determined to keep the high pace he has kept since joining the league in order to close the gap and pull ahead of some other players in the long run. The opportunity to play for such a historic and successful team as Helsinki is incredibly exciting for Gabriel, and he can't wait for when the time comes to get the call up and join the team. With another season of work still to do in the VHLM, even though Gabriel isn't with the team at this moment his eyes are firmly on the prize in the long run. (519 words)

F - Ola Vikingstad D - James Rose @OrbitingDeath

Mikko Lahtinen @OrbitingDeath

The last week was certainly nothing but tiring for Gabriel Akerstrom. The emotional and physical toll that being a part of two drafts in such a close space of time has left him feeling a bit worn out before the start of the season, but in good spirits nonetheless. With a lot of time spent on the phone to scouts and GMs, asking questions and fretting over where it is that he would be playing hockey in the seasons to come, Gabriel almost struggled to find any time at all to fit in to actually play any hockey and get himself ready for the season that's to come. He is therefore desperately devoting himself this week to getting himself in order, working on his game and pushing his fitness as much as he can so that he's in the best shape possible for the season to come. With high hopes of dominating the VHLM this season as one of the best players in the league, Gabriel will need to be at his very best in order to get the job done, and that's going to take a lot more off season preparation than we've seen so far. With the distractions now out of the way however, he has no excuses for not knuckling down and nailing the next stage in the offseason. (222 words)

1) Off-season is well underway, what are you focusing on improving? I'm still a young player so there's a lot to improve. Working on my defensive game mostly tho so I can go back down to the VHLM and dominate this season 2) We acquired Seabass Perrin from UFA. What do you think his greatest benefit will be to the team? I'm not really familiar with Perrin but if he is able to help push the team over the edge and get us winning the cup this season that's got to be a pretty huge benefit. 3) Zamboni Driver is prepped to be the new starter. How exciting is it to have a young goalie on board for the long-haul? It's really exciting. As a young player it's good to see the guy I'll be spending my career playing with getting the call up. 4) Three rookies (Laine, Sens, Harvey) will make their debut this season. What is your best words of advice for them? And for the rookies answering; what is your biggest strength you bring to the team? I'm not a rookie or someone to give advice to rookies, but I'm looking forward to being able to bring some powerful offense from the point to the team in the next few seasons. 5) Who do you see as our conference rival this coming season? I'm going with Riga being a tough conference rival this season, they looked good last time around and we'll have to stay working hard to beat them 6) Predict how many goals we score this season (last season: 258). I'm saying we go slightly better and hit 270 goals this season. Always improving

Sign me up

1) So what do you think of the new logo so far? Do you miss the yellow? I miss the yellow a bit and I liked the old logo, but the new one is nice too 2) The VHLM Dispersal Draft is coming soon, if you're eligible, would you like to be on a different team? If so which team(s) would it be? I’m fine with going anywhere tbh, would love to come back to Vegas too if that was at all possible tho 3) What are your plans this offseason? Any sort of tournament or are you just looking to relax? Just trying to relax and get my player as developed as I can 4) What got you into hockey? Just watching it on TV and family being into it when I was a kid 5) Do you think the Aces will be any good next season? Or will they be a basement team? I don’t know what the pick situation is like but I imagine that’ll be what determines it, hopefully the team won’t be a basement team whatever happens 6) If you were to play along with someone from another team whether it be the VHL or the VHLM, who would it be? Anyone from the league tbh, got no preference about anyone who I’m playing with at this point

I’m in

Looking Ahead to the Draft With the conclusion of the VHL playoffs yesterday, we enter the offseason and the next major item in the league's calendar becomes the VHL Entry Draft that will be taking place this week. For Gabriel Akerstrom, it's a very exciting time. As someone who missed out on the draft process last season and joined the VHLM during the course of the regular season, it's a novel feeling to be involved in this kind of event and something that he has been looking forward to for a long time. As a young player who is confident in his ability to help change a franchise's long term trajectory and play a big role on a team that accomplishes great things down the line, knowing where he will begin his career in the VHL certainly makes for a very exciting development. When it comes to working out which team is a likely destination for him however, that's a little bit more difficult. It's understood that Gabriel and his player representatitves have had some productive conversations with a few different VHL franchises, so there's certainly some interest from scouting departments in what he can bring to the table. With the landscape of the VHL notably different following last season's expansion that added four new teams into the league, there's a wide range of situations that Gabriel could find himself joining. There's certainly a lot of obvious appeal to joining a team with a proven track record that will offer a good chance of success immediately. Gabriel has no problems spending some time in a limited role if needs be while he finds his feet if the team has a lot of depth at defense that they're able to utilise. Additionally, the chance to go to a newly founded team and immediately become a big part of the team's immediate present day look also is something that's definitely appealing. While it may mean that there's a longer wait before Gabriel finds himself playing on a high level team and challenging for a cup, this is outweighed by the excitement of being able to forge a legacy as part of a new team. The different scenarios both have their positives and negatives, but as long as Gabriel ends up at a team that has a clear plan for the long term and management that can get a team behind them and set the team up successfully, then Gabriel has nothing to be worried about. The prospect of being a part of the VHLM Dispersal Draft is also incredibly exciting. Although the long term impact of the VHL Draft means that there's definitely more significance in that one and how it plays out, the chance to be a part of two in one offseason certainly adds to the fun of it all, and it's going to be interesting to see how that one plays out. All in all, it looks like it's going to be a very important week in the scheme of Akerstrom's career, and it'll be a lot of fun to see how it plays out! (516 words)

Draft Week After an early exit from the playoffs of the Las Vegas Aces, Gabriel Akerstrom has spent more time sat waiting for something to happen than he would normally like. With that being said however, good things can come around all at once and that seems to be the case this week as he will take part in not one, but two different drafts. The VHL and the VHLM drafts are planned to take place this week, and as a prospect in both, Gabriel will certainly have a lot to focus on in the coming days. While the level of prospect he is evaluated to be by those in the VHL is still unclear, he's hopeful that he is set to be recognised as one of the top picks in the VHLM Draft, being one of the most developed and ready for immediate success that teams will be able to pick. The fact that he spent a large amount of time in the league already will likely be attractive to teams too as it gives them confirmation that he has what it takes to perform at a high level in the VHLM and fill the gap that they have. Although the VHL Draft is a little more unclear, Gabriel has had some positive conversations with teams involved and is hopeful that can be an indication of a desire from teams to draft him. All that remains now is for him to sit back and see how things play out this week. (250 words)

1. A brief look back at the playoffs. What did you think about the Minnesota series? It sucked. I thought beforehand we were the favorites so to end up missing out is really disappointing. 2. Looking back a bit further, reflect upon your season. How do you think this season went for you? I can't complain, I think on the whole it was pretty good. Gabriel put up good point totals and had the chance to play on a good team so as far as I'm concerned I can't really complain. 3. If you had any goals for yourself, did you meet them? I wanted to go at a point per game pace so didn't quite hit that, but came close enough to feel proud. 4. Las Vegas was honored to have so many active players on the team. Who was someone on the team who you loved to be around and chat with? I honestly enjoyed speaking with everyone who I did during the season, everyone on the team was a gem. 5. With the upcoming VHL draft, and most of you eligible, which team would you like to play for? I'm totally fine with whichever team I go to, I've got no preference at all and will give whichever team drafts me everything I can. 6. What was your favorite moment this season on Las Vegas? Every time we won was a great moment, team had a great feeling going throughout the regular season.

Leaving Las Vegas After a rookie season in the VHLM that has been full of ups and downs, the time has come for Gabriel Akerstrom to say farewell to the rest of his teammates on the Las Vegas Aces as he likely moves on to pastures new. With his next season in the VHLM requiring him to go through the VHLM Dispersal Draft, it's likely that he could end up on a different team, although depending on the picks that the Aces possess come draft day, a return there certainly isn't totally out of the question. Getting to play on a team as competitive and well-run as Vegas during his first season in the league was certainly a huge boost to Gabriel's young career, and he leaves the team with a wealth of experience that he's gained over the course of the season. It's possible that he still may be a part of the team's future, but if not, he feels like he's been able to gain a lot from the experience and hopefully the contributions that he made to the team and their success repaid the faith the team showed in him. Gabriel looks forward to being able to take the lessons he learned and apply them to his new environments this season, helping the teams that pick him in both the VHL and VHLM drafts. (223 words)