CowboyinAmerica

1. We’ve only got a few regular season sims left, who do you predict will be the Continental Cup champion? I've still got Toronto. Europe is going to be a slog to get through, and the Legion have had such a strong team from day one. 2. Our beauty of a captain, David Jokinen, has had a career year! Any words to commend him on this feat? Oh captain my captain! And assistant captain! And other assistant captain! Here's to hoping it continues next season when I'm also up. 3. What do you believe we can learn from this season that we can carry onto the next? Any bold predictions or suggestions? To be honest? Not really. There's going to largely be a new roster next season, so while it's been great to get a few wins, I think a lot of the game planning will start from square one. 4. If you had a chance to add a new award to the VHL, what would it be and what would you name it? You say people don't build players with fighting? Then let's change that - most fights won now gets an award. We're calling it the Rocky Award until we get a good VHL legend to name it after. 5. Regarding fighting in hockey, do you believe it is a staple of the sport? Or is it something that should be phased out of the game entirely? I swear I didn't see this question before answering the last one. Honestly, the reason that a lot of people play sports is to get some aggression out. As long as it's not causing lasting injuries, then yeah, let them have at it. 8. Since this debate has flared up again recently: is a hot dog a sandwich? People focus too much on this question and not the alternative: I think every ham sandwich should be called a hot dog. Think about it - contains a pig-based meat, you typically want to eat it with condiments for flavor, comes within some sort of bun. Real geniuses have been saying this.

Claim 3

1. Happy TDL week! What trade surprised you most leading up to it, if any? Not necessarily an individual trade, but Seattle trading so aggressively surprised me. They had the prospects and picks to do more of a slow build, but I guess they saw a whole. 2. In your opinion, do you think putting TPE into the LD attribute has any impact on sims? I know I'm in the minority here, but absolutely. Not for individual stats, but I believe LD and EX has an effect on a team's overall success rate. It's all anecdotal evidence but I've seen it work - and which is why I love to remind people to take the free EX points every year. 3. Which team do you believe has been Davos’ biggest rival this season? Backup goalies. We've faced a lot of them, and damn it, it feels good to beat an overmatched bot. 4. Are you a member of any other sim leagues? Just the SBA right now. I tend to be all or nothing in how I approach sim leagues but don't have unlimited time, so just the ones I have the most investment in already (like the VHL) are the most fun for me. 5. In the spirit of last week’s theme week: which VHL team is most due for a rebrand? I really do think it's due for London, especially when even the GM is admitting it. I'll be really curious to see what they come up with. 8. Are you an early bird or a night owl? I'm noticing that I'm becoming a cliche - was definitely a night owl, but that's starting to drift as I get older. Also doesn't help that work often has me on early morning meetings with people from the UK, so it's a bit of a necessity.

Oslo, Norway -- Throughout the season, the fortunes of the Oslo Storm and first overall VHLE draft pick Antonia Bucatini have mirrored one another. In the beginning of the season, the Storm dropped a few easy games, were behind the Stockholm Vikings in the standings, and there were questions whether this team with title aspirations were a true contender. Similarly, Bucatini was averaging less than a point per game, not clicking with her linemates, and couldn't figure out the formula in moving up to the VHLE. But now, time has changed both of those fortunes. After winning an astounding 15 of the team's last 16 games, the Storm have rocketed up the standings past a similarly hot Vasteras Iron Eagles to sit second in the VHLE, just four points behind the league-leading Cologne Express. At the same time, Bucatini has more than found her offense - her 67 points are tied for the league lead with teammate Wayne Gretzky, and her 30 goals are just one off the league lead held by Rome forward (and former Bucatini linemate in Houston) Nathan Ecker. To Bucatini, it was a matter of time to put things together. "Cold snaps will happen, but it's always a bit concerning when those cold snaps start the season. I'm just glad team management was patient," Bucatini said after a recent win against Vasteras. "We're finally playing like the team I knew we'd be to start the season and it feels fantastic." In order to have the best record in the league, though, a crucial stretch is coming up. Six of Oslo's next seven games are against either Cologne or Vasteras, the two teams they're competing against at the top of the standings. If they can get through that stretch with a winning record, the team says it will feel very good about its chances going down the stretch. "I really want that one seed. It would be proof of what we've built here," Bucatini added. "But to get there, we know what we have to do. It's a 72 game season, and the home stretch starts now. For everybody in our locker room, it's go time."

1. Happy theme week, everyone! What do you think of this season’s theme: rebrand? I'm a fan, I think it's something that both writers and graphics experts can do a lot with. And that's coming from somebody who's been critical of theme weeks in the past. 2. Now that we’re halfway through the season, are we performing as you’ve expected? I mean, it sounds bad... but maybe better? The first line has been holding strong, and being so far clear of L.A. at the bottom isn't what I expected. 3. The rebuild is still going strong. Any draftees in the upcoming class catch your interest to add to our squad? I don't think it's too much of a secret to be looking at defense after the forwards and goalie of the S93 class. Woods and Hardy are both very interesting, but we'll see what happens in the lottery. 5. How many goals and assists has your player scored this season? Bucatini's got 22/23 splits right now, which has me top 10 in both goals and points in the VHLE! It was a bit of a slow start to the season, so glad things are coming around and can maybe make a run for most goals. 7. I went to a San Diego Gulls game last weekend! Have you ever gone to a professional hockey game live? Been to a few, most recent was actually the home opener for the Minnesota PWHL team. Was a lot of fun, I really want to get back to some more of their games when I've got time. 8. How well would your player fare in an Easter egg hunt? I'd be way, way too competitive about it. You know, pushing people out of the way for an egg, angry when I only get a single hershey's kiss, that sort of thing.

2000+ words For the weeks ending: 4/14 4/21 4/28 5/5

VHL: The Sister Cities Rebranding Because I’m a bit of a nerd, I get fascinated by random things. One that grabbed me recently is the idea of Sister Cities, or Twin Towns as they’re known in the U.K. As the story (on Wikipedia) goes, there has long been collaboration between cities in various locales. But the idea of a formal arrangement began during World War II, when the English city of Coventry began exchanging telegrams with the Soviet city of Stalingrad. Both cities had experienced tragic bombings, and sent aid and friendship back and forth to foster peace and reconciliation between the former rivals. A tablecloth embroidered with “Little help is better than a lot of pity” was sent with money to rebuild Stalingrad following the Nazi invasion of the country; the tablecloth still hangs at the Museum of the Battle of Stalingrad today. Following this example, a number of cities joined the organization Sister Cities International. Cities of all sizes now have “sisters” in countries around the world. This caught my attention because if you walk to the train station connected to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, banners commemorating these sister cities hang prominently - Chicago alone has more than a dozen sister cities across the globe. So what does this mean for the VHL? Well, I figure it’d be good to spread the wealth. If VHL teams were to move from their current locations, I think it’d be helpful to move them to a Sister City of their current location. That way, they could have new branding, but still maintain a connection (and fans) with the previous team. Plus, it could help the VHL expand hockey’s reach in areas that might not have a current NHL team - a problem that afflicts the current VHL roster. With that in mind, here’s my pick for the city and team name that would result from moving current VHL franchises to their sister cities. Team names are chosen based on something interesting about the city, so ignore if it sounds ridiculous (which it probably does). Calgary Wranglers -> Jaipur Roses Team colors: Pink and black The largest city in the northwest Indian state of Rajasthan, Jaipur is known as the “Pink City” due to a large number of pink buildings in its old city. This would not only provide a very unique color combination to the VHL spectrum, but it would also introduce VHL hockey to South Asia - no VHL/VHLE/VHLM franchise has ever played in the country. The Roses name fits with the pink theme, but it could also provide some interesting graphical opportunities and something a bit more flowery (pardon the pun) to what can sometimes be a standard choice of logos. Chicago Phoenix -> Mexico City Quetzal Team colors: Teal and red As mentioned above, there is a whole host of options that I could choose for Chicago’s sister city, from Athens to Shanghai to two existing VHL cities in Prague and Toronto. So why am I choosing a pre-existing VHLM city in Mexico City? Because I think the synergy in going from the Phoenix with the Quetzal - or specifically to Quetzalcoatl - is too great. The Aztecs believed the god Quetzalcoatl helped create the earth; Quetzalcoatl was likely formed from the majestic Quetzal birds that still roam the earth today. It’s a nice piece of synergy between the two franchises. D.C. Dragons -> Brussels Dinos Team colors: Yellow and black The D.C. Dragons are named after a creature of myth and legend. Well, if we’re moving from the capital of the U.S. to the capital of Belgium, why not take a cue from myth and legend once again? According to Wikipedia, the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences houses the world's largest hall completely dedicated to dinosaurs, with its collection of 30 fossilized Iguanodon skeletons. I don’t know what color Iguanodons were supposed to be, but I do know that yellow and black is part of the Belgian flag and would be a unique mix for our teams here, so that’s our selection. Los Angeles Stars -> St. Petersburg Knights Team colors: Black and white We’re eventually going to be moving a team away from Moscow in this series, but I don’t want to ignore Russia entirely. As a result we’re ending up in St. Petersburg, the country’s second largest city, which obviously has a large KHL presence but our team will be cooler. For branding, I’m staying away from overtly pro-Russia imagery, but I do find it interesting that the chess title of “grandmaster” was first given at a 1914 international tournament within the city from the czar to five players. Queens and kings don’t work here, but Knights would look cool - and give a nod to VHL history. New York Americans -> Tokyo Mecha Team colors: Silver and blue I strongly considered picking London here just for the memes. I wanted to stay away from Jerusalem with a 39 and a half foot pole. And while taking a VHL team back to Madrid was tempting, I like the idea of some East Asian representation here as well. With Godzilla-like monsters off the board, I loved the idea of going something futuristic and tech-y - and my mind immediately went to Gundam-like robots. I went Mecha here to avoid copyright, but there’s a lot you could do with large robot-like logos and sharp colors that stay similar to what current Americans fans know and love. Seattle Bears -> Reykjavík Glaciers Team colors: Light blue and maroon I don’t want to go away from the large Nordic influence on the VHL entirely, but I didn’t necessarily want to go to Bergen, Norway either. So this is my compromise, particularly as Iceland has become a major tourist destination for many from North America. Naming a team after volcanoes also seemed mean, so I’m going with a different geological formation in the glaciers. Not particularly fearsome but still imposing, the red would also present a bit of volcanic danger, tie into the Icelandic flag, and give a nod to the former Bears franchise. Toronto Legion -> HC Forza Milano Team colors: Red and yellow Milan, Italy, has a renowned sporting heritage, particularly with the football clubs AC Milan and Inter Milan. But it’s a nearby attraction that I’m taking inspiration from for the name - the Monza racing circuit is right outside the city, home of Italy’s primary Formula 1 race and the epicenter of Ferrari’s global influence. With colors inspired by Ferrari and a similar stallion-inspired logo, the Forza Milano franchise would bring in a lot of crossover fans. Or maybe I just have Italy on the brain with Bucatini as my current player. Vancouver Wolves -> Edinburgh Nessies Team colors: Blue and green What, you thought we were supposed to be moving London to Edinburgh? Forget that, let’s just cut out all of the middle men and move Vancouver halfway across the globe. The reasons for a team in Edinburgh have been well-stated, and I love the idea of naming a team after the Loch Ness Monster. In my mind’s eye I envision the branding as similar to the collegiate baseball team the Vermont Lake Monsters, just with a Scottish spin that really highlights the blue. I also wouldn’t be opposed to the Highlanders or something with similar colors if the Nessies would be too close to the Dinos. HC Davos Dynamo -> Colorado Aspens Team colors: Dark green and white Davos only has three sister cities. Unhelpfully, two of them are a ski town in France, and a suburb of Nagano, Japan. But the third one may be somewhat helpful - Aspen, Colorado, USA. Known as another ski town, I didn’t want to make the branding too similar to the nearby NHL’s Avalanche. But by making a reference to the Aspen tree instead, we can add in a little more nature imagery as well as a green color palette that would be distinct from the Avalanche’s maroon. Thankfully the rich Davos fans have another ski town to visit to watch some hockey. Helsinki Titans -> Gothenburg Lions Team colors: Blue and yellow Well shit. I knew I might run into this, but I didn’t think it’d be a city the size of Helsinki. With that in mind, I turned to sister cities for Turku, which had a VHLM franchise back in the day. There, I found a bunch of other historical VHL cities, including two current VHLE cities in Bratislava and Cologne. But it’s a city that was also briefly VHL-affiliated that caught my eye: Gothenburg, Sweden. Gothenburg was founded by Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus, who was known as "the Lion from the North" from his involvement in the Thirty Years War. The seal of arms for the city also similarly features a lion, in the blue and yellow Swedish colors. Works for me. London United -> Bogotá Warriors Team colors: Emerald green and gold As far as I’m aware, there has never been a VHL franchise located in South America. We’re changing that by placing the London franchise in the third largest city on the continent, Bogotá, Colombia. For the branding, I’m taking a cue from the Muisca people, whose confederation of peoples that founded the city were one of the best organized indigenous peoples on the continent. The Muisca warriors known as güeches were chosen by merit and attitude rather than class, and often adorned in the emeralds and gold that characterize the region. Given the colonialism England’s done in its day, it feels right to give something back. Malmo Nighthawks -> Tallinn Rally Team colors: Maroon and white There aren’t too many options for Malmo’s sister city, but I think we’ve got a great one in Tallinn. The capital of winter sports-loving Estonia, Tallinn has also produced its fair share of rally and racing drivers, dating back to the country’s Soviet Union days in which many of the USSR’s rally drivers would hail from the region. It’s from that tradition that we draw this name, and in doing so introduce a new color to the VHL color palette - maroon (almost brown), drawing from the dirt that’s kicked up from the rally cars. Maybe not the most pleasing to the eye, but I think can be a good color in the right designer’s hands. Moscow Menace -> Dubai Thoroughbreds Team colors: Gold and red There are a couple different ways I could go with Moscow’s sister city, particularly in Asia with Seoul, Beijing and Manila. But let’s be real, every good league needs to have a villain. It’s why I called for Vasteras to be returned to the VHL for so many years. And if you put a team in Dubai, you’re going to have a villain quickly - something that the Moscow fans may be used to anyway. We’re really going to lean into it with an expensive racehorse logo, with an accompanying gold and red color scheme. You might not want to, but I think it’d be fun to play here and thumb my nose at the rest of the VHL. Prague Phantoms -> Phoenix Outlaws Team colors: Tan and black If we’re moving so many teams out of North America, then it stands to reason that we need to move a few back in. Plus, it’s not like the Phoenix area has an NHL team or anything (cue laugh track). I don’t want to go full Coyotes here, but I do think I can draw from the old American West heritage with a cowboy theme. The tan that is part of the wardrobe isn’t a color you see in sports logos too often either, and could stand out with so many reds and greens in the palette so far. Riga Reign -> Dallas Kings Team colors: Orange and blue Similar to the last team, we’re headed back to the U.S. here. This time, we’re erasing the Dallas Stars from memory similar to how they erased the Minnesota North Stars from memory (not that Minnesota fans are bitter or anything). I want to stay away from the Cowboys imagery here for obvious reasons to American football fans, but we can take some cues from the Reign’s former branding. The Kings are already a hockey team as well, sure, but if you don’t think we can steal that too, you’ve never been to Texas. Warsaw Predators -> Rio de Janeiro Toucans Team colors: Orange and green We’re ending this by creating a South American rivalry, which I think would be a lot of fun. We’re also going to take the Predators, which I find to be a pretty generic name, and give them the exact opposite by calling a team the Toucans. There aren’t many orange and green combinations out there but I really like the colors, and the Toucans would be a unique team name that isn’t used anywhere else. Maybe Brazil isn’t a hockey center yet, but I plan on making it one through the new Toucans dynasty.

Oslo Storm Press Conference 1. What are your personal statistical goals this season? I think being top 10 in goals would be fun. I've been hanging around that mark so far, but really need to turn it up to complete that. 2. What is your favourite donut? Maple bacon may seem like a fancy person's donut, but damn is it good. If I'm getting the calories anyway, I'm going to make sure I'm doing it right. 3. Who’s the biggest bum in the VHLM and why? I was teammates with Billy Joel for a full season and never once heard them sing in the locker room. Now that's just rude. 4. What is your go-to pizza order? A Supreme pizza minus olives is the easy one. I tend to play around with my pizza, but for something quick and easy in a pinch, just give me all of it. 5. What can the staff here in Oslo do to improve your experience? I think I should be allowed to play goalie some games. I've asked, but nobody quite takes me seriously and I'm not sure why. 6. How much beer can @Rhynex Entertainment chug? See, I don't think they want to chug that much beer. But because of the good leadership, just to make sure everyone is engaged, they just keep going indefinitely. It's awe-inspiring, really.

Davos, Switzerland -- Naturally, a lot of the focus in the VHL through one-third of the season is at the top of the standings, with teams like D.C., Toronto, Moscow, Malmo and London all in the mix for the top record. But at the same time, there's an important arms race happening at the bottom of the standings - except these arms are perhaps less nuclear warheads and more squirt guns. Yes, I'm talking about L.A. vs. Davos, the race to the bottom for the top odds in the lottery. The Stars won their second game of the season, then have promptly lost 24 straight games to still sit with 2 points. The Dynamo, meanwhile, have managed to double up the Stars - a whopping 4 points, with 3 of those funny enough coming against top teams in Malmo and Toronto. But there remains one big key to this slap fight that hasn't yet occurred: the head-to-head games. In fact, Davos and L.A. will not face each other until Game 327, at which point they'll face each other 4 times between Games 327-455 (roughly between halfway and 75% through the season). So what can you expect out of those games? It won't be the most exciting hockey for the neutral, to be fair. But to Davos prospect Antonia Bucatini, who will be joining this Davos team next season, there's still some positives that can come from a strong showing. "Look, I'm not naïve. I get the whole tanking deal. But we're still competitors at the end of the day," Bucatini said. "I've been through training camp with Walker, with MacAvoy. I know it's not fun to lose, and when they have a chance to prove themselves, I think they're going to take it." And if that means lessened lottery odds with Davos wins? Bucatini isn't as concerned about that. "We're talking a 5% difference here, maybe one slot lower. I'll be getting a good teammate regardless of where we sit in the draft, I think. And who knows? Maybe second is the slot to be - the VHL gods respond in mysterious ways sometimes."

Outside of everything else, trying to explain the VHL and this legal action to an actual lawyer would be very fun to watch

Claim 3

Was out of touch for Easter travel so just seeing this now - thank you so much @kirbithan! This is amazing, going in the sig right now.

Oslo, Norway -- The start of the season is here for the VHLE, and for first overall pick and Oslo Storm forward Antonia Bucatini, the result has been a resounding "meh." The Oslo Storm were hopeful to be near the top of the league, but through 12 games, sit in fourth place with a 6-5-1 record. Bucatini, meanwhile, does have 11 points in 12 games - but that's only due to a hat trick and four points against Bratislava, before which she was struggling. It's a bit of a continuation with Bucatini's time with Houston, where there was some team success, but also the nagging feeling that she should be playing better and really assert her will. "This feels good, because I haven't had too many of these feelings this season," Bucatini said after that Bratislava game. "It's been a slow start for me. I know that. And while I'm thankful to have teammates to pick me up, I wish they didn't have to." Will she get going soon? Word from Oslo management is that they've started to play around with lines in recent games, with Miner VHLer even getting some time playing alongside Bucatini on the first line. It remains to be seen whether that or something else is the right combination, but Bucatini's hopeful. "We just have too much talent here, and I really think it'll come together," she added. "It's a long season, 12 games is just one-sixth of the way done. And I really do think good things should be ahead for us with the Storm."

1. With one week of sims down, is the team performing as you’ve expected? Oslo's been alright, maybe a little behind where I'd want to be so far. But a tough schedule and some backup goalie games to start the season will do, we'll get there. 2. Who do you predict will be Davos’ MVP this season? I have a tough choice - is it our captain, our first assistant captain, or our second assistant captain? In the end, I think I'll have to split the difference and say Jokinen. 3. What are your thoughts on our current prospect pool? Obviously I'm slightly biased, but I'm really happy where things are headed. And not just with the S93 Draft either, I think Sunset Moth, Ivan Ivanov and others can help us build something really cool here. 5. What is your most controversial VHL opinion? Simmers should be paid. But not in TPE - like actual, real money. It's a job and a lot of people donate, let's compensate people with such an important position. 6. If Davos had a mascot, what would it look like? An anthropomorphic mountain would be entertaining, but not super practical. I'll say it's a cartoon skier - but in all purple and with hockey stick-like poles. 8. What was the last video game you played? MLB the Show came on Game Pass recently and I really enjoy it. If you like baseball I highly suggest the Storyline modes - maybe my favorite thing a sports game has done in years, both last year and this year.

D Kronchy Kardashian for me please

G Jesse Teno Back to @Knight

F - Owen Lazaro @Patrik Tallinder for 2

D Phil Strasmore Really just thought it'd be fun to take Phil before @Knight's pick

You've actually got two picks since you're on the end of the snake draft, if you'd like to make another.

1. I was doing good generally. But then my AGM decided to post a press conference that is in a complete other language (unreadable to people in light mode) and now I think the team's out to get me. 2. I have! It's an apartment right on the water in downtown Oslo. Walking distance to the arena, but still peaceful and serene being able to look out on the docks. Reminds me of home a bit. 3. I'll say this about BjorkaBjorn BjornaBjorkson - all those years in the VHLE and you've never once played for Oslo? What you got against Norwegians bro? Damn Swedes. 4. I mean, I'm pretty sure of it. But I plan to make this a one season to remember. 5. Other than not having white text for PCs? Not much, I've been happy with the team so far and excited to get the season started. 6. If it's me specifically - not much of a chugger, can drink a lot of beer but prefer my own pace thank you very much. If you're talking Antonia Bucatini - all of it. Just dare her.

F - Wann Kerr @Patrik Tallinder

1500+ words, claiming for the weeks ending: 3/24 3/31 4/7

S93 VHLE Power Rankings It’s going to be a big season for the VHLE. Following a very successful recruitment drive that saw a bunch of new players enter the VHLM at the start of last season, VHLE GMs had to be licking their chops at the upcoming draft and all the players that would be joining their teams. And indeed, those dreams came to fruition - with an 11 round draft that saw 200+ TPE players being selected as late as the sixth round, meaning there’s going to be a whole lot of talent in the league this season. I’d even argue this may be the most talent the VHLE has seen in many seasons, with most teams able to field at least two full lines, and often lines of active players. But for the six-team VHLE where four teams make the playoffs, who’s at the top and who’s fighting to sneak into that final playoff spot? It’s perhaps tougher to determine in the VHLE, where there isn’t as much spread between the TPE levels, and player builds are starting to take shape in a greater way than the VHLM. With so much potential parity this season, it would be a fool’s errand to try and predict what’s going to happen this season. Luckily, I’m just that fool. Here’s one person’s power rankings to start the VHLE season. Right now, I see two real tiers between the bottom two teams and the top four teams, but that’s subject to change with all of these teams so close. In particular, I think there’s going to be a few teams that look really good to start the season, but others will rise as those young S93 draftees continue to train and grow as players throughout the year. As always, assume I know nothing and these won’t be the final standings, unless I’ve chosen your team to win, then I’m an oracle that you can trust with zero hesitation. Everybody likes when you say good things about them after all. (For another view, also see @Noodle Enjoyer's excellent rankings posted yesterday. I wrote most of this on Thursday, my apologies for any duplication.) 6. Bratislava Watchmen The Watchmen were a juggernaut last season, winning eight of their nine playoff games en route to the title. The unfortunate nature of the VHLE, though, is that having a talented team probably means A. a lot of your players are headed to the VHL, and B. you probably mortgaged some of your future to get those talented players. Thus is the case for the Watchmen, who didn’t pick in this year’s VHLE Draft until pick 29 and thus got no players expected to play in the VHLE this season. As a result the roster is a bit bare, with only three forwards, two defensemen and a goalie, all of which being S91 or older. The only capped player in Luke Glendenning is a face-off and defense specialist as well, meaning this team may struggle to score from the jump. Bratislava fans will get to bask in their championship for a while, which is good, because there might not be much to cheer about on the ice this season. 5. Stockholm Vikings The other team that I’d expect to be rebuilding a bit this season, the Vikings have a much fuller roster than the Watchmen do, but perhaps the same level of immediate star talent. The Vikings’ top two picks, defenseman WWumbo and goalie Aleksanteri Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen, are players with a lot of potential, but also likely to be playing in the VHLE for each of the next two seasons. Outside of them, I’m expecting a big jump from potential first liners Dan jr and Nico Belique in their second seasons in Stockholm following last season’s 49 and 40 point affair, respectively. Former first round VHL Draft pick Wayne Shotzky will also probably get some good run in his first VHLE season. But still, the firepower to keep up with the top of the VHLE isn’t quite there yet. Just wait for another season of growth from these players, because this was a team that was constructed with next season rather than this season in mind. They’re absolutely already my pick to be one of, if not the top of, the Season 94 contenders. 4. Rome Gladiators If Bratislava and Stockholm are in their own tier this season, I think there’s a significant step up to the top four. And the only reason that have Rome in the four slot is youth. There’s a lot of talent here from recent draft picks, with Nathan Ecker, Steve French, Tyler Lawson (who’s playing up), Vanuza Kolesinska, and Gul Dukat all showing a ton of potential to be real impact players at some point this season. But that last clause is the rub: Even if I could see all of those players being close to their full VHLE potential by the time the playoffs roll around, they all still have some room to grow during the season to get there. With Miroslav their most seasoned player in terms of practice, will that put Rome too far behind the standings eight ball to keep pace with the top VHLE teams? Perhaps, but even if that’s the case, this one team I would certainly not want to play in the playoffs once all that growth hits. This will be a very different team on Game 72 than it will be on Game 1. 3. Cologne Express There’s a lot to like about the Cologne team. Returning goalie Clark and incoming forward BjorkaBjorn BjornaBjorkson bring a VHLE pedigree of success that is rather rare at this level. Newcomers like Annie Oaks, Forum Content and the playing up Maverick Goncalves bring a lot of offensive firepower. And, of course, a team that made the finals last season and had won three straight titles before that knows how to have playoff success. But if I’m picking nits near the top end of the VHLE, do they have top-end talent to be able to compete early and often? Similar to my argument for Rome, Oaks, Content and Goncalves will be great, but also it’ll take a bit of time to get to the top levels of VHLE talent. I’m a bit worried about a defensive corps with a VHLM-level second line. And though Clark is the most talented goalie in the VHLE right now, I think others will catch him by the time we get into the season. It’s never smart to bet against the Express, as VHL Fantasy Zone players have learned in recent seasons, but for now I have them with a bit of room left to grow. 2. Oslo Storm Following last season’s last place finish, the cupboard was pretty bare for Oslo in terms of VHLE-ready talent. But a lot can change over the course of an offseason. In come a whole hoard of players from the VHLM, including first overall pick Antonia Bucatini, fellow wingers UghSike, Chris Reynolds Jr and Miner VHLer, and defenseman Benjamin Abeduct. Talented forwards in Jussi Jokinenegg (57 points last season), Olumide Anderson (30 points last season), and liam oinas (56 points last season) are hoping to take another step forward, especially as Jokinenegg and Anderson are likely to graduate to the VHL next season. And David Slezak, entering his third season in Oslo, is set to get a full season with a talented roster for the first time. Plus, there’s the Great One Wayne Gretzky lurking as an X-Factor to any team. It’s a whole lot of disparate pieces, and the pressure is on Oslo to win this season. But with some specialist players (VHLer’s Leadership focus, Abenduct’s pure defense) will the lines be able to gel? That’s a puzzle that the coaching staff will be trying to put together from day one. 1. Vasteras Iron Eagles The Iron Eagles have not won a Renaissance Cup since the very first VHLE season, where a goalie with a particularly handsome agency (Doomsday, ofc) helped lead the team to victory. But now may be the time for a second. With two of the first four picks in the draft, the Iron Eagles were able to bolster their offense with Gianfranco Del Rocco and Lucy Leitner. Two rounds later, they added Yermolai Nabokov, then followed that up with the first two goalies taken in this year’s VHL Draft: Jorgen Lovstrom and Ondrej Vencko. They join a roster that is absolutely loaded - seriously, just look at the number of bodies, with 10 forwards alone. That’s a lot for management to juggle, but it’s a wealth of riches mostly, with forwards like Crosby, Dufour, Smith Jr and Bell all in the upper half of VHLE talent level. Acquiring defenseman Sunset Moth was also a very shrewd move, especially as he’s returned to practice. The main question: Can the two-headed monster of Lovstrom and Vencko get up to speed quickly enough in stopping the top-end VHLE talent? Both acquitted themselves well in the VHLM, but the VHLE is a different beast. If so though, the Iron Eagles certainly have the talent all over the roster to make a run at the King’s Cup, then the Renaissance Cup after that.

F Daryl Dixon @Knight

Antonia Bucatini, in Europe Once Again When Antonia Bucatini moved to North America to play in the VHLM, it was the biggest move of her life. Born and raised in Italy, she had traveled around Southern Europe and the Mediterranean to play in junior tournaments, sure, but she didn’t know what to expect in beginning her professional career. As it turned out, Halifax was like another world. On the water just like her native Rome, sure, but different culturally in every way. Halifax wasn’t particularly prone to late afternoon meals, to late night travels on a vespa, to exploring different cultures with a heavy tourist season. Not bad at all, Bucatini would say, just different. Then after a late season trade, Houston was a different animal altogether. She was used to the heat, sure, but not necessarily the humidity. The sprawl of Houston also proved to be a barrier - for someone who loves walking down to the corner to get a coffee, unless she was right downtown, the massive highways and the need to drive everywhere seemed like a different world. But now, Bucatini is returning to Europe. Sure, Oslo isn’t Rome, not by a long shot. The Norwegian city is colder, its inhabitants more staid, the level of play on the ice higher in the VHLE than the VHLM. Even with those caveats, though, Bucatini believes coming to the Storm is somewhat like home. “The past season of my life was all hockey, all the time, which has its positives and negatives,” Bucatini said. “I loved my teammates, the play and the fans. But I don’t know that I necessarily fell in love with the cities, if that makes sense. I always had in my head that this would be a one-season thing, so it felt like there was always some distance.” It was noted by the press and fans alike that, soon after the season ended, Bucatini absconded back to Europe and the beaches of Italy - with fellow Italian player Gianfranco Del Rocco, no less. Now, following the VHLE Draft, she is back on the continent full-time. Granted, Oslo is likely to be a one season thing for Bucatini as well. However, following Oslo will be Davos - another cold-weather European city, with fans that love their hockey and a whole host of things to do and people to see. Sure, it may not be near loved ones located in Rome (or perhaps Vasteras?), but those are a shorter flight away as well. Walking into the practice facility for training camp for the first time as a member of the Storm, Bucatini said she felt at peace for the first time in a while. She sees Norway and Switzerland becoming a new home that she can get used to, as she adjusts to the new rigors of the VHLE, and following it, the VHL. “I thought becoming a professional in the first place was tough, but it doesn’t get any easier from here. What can really help my play on the ice, though, is being a bit more settled off the ice,” Bucatini said. “But now I’m close to friends and family. My future VHL home is a short bit away. And my personal life is starting to blossom in ways that I never had given much thought to. I think this is going to be a good season for me, in all ways. Oslo: Bring it on.”