CowboyinAmerica

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.”

1. I'm really excited to see how @Rhynex Entertainment fits into this team. Not only a great person to have around the locker room, but I'm all for experiments with the sim to see how things are affected. 2. Cookie dough is just so heavy. Give me a good cookie any day, it's old fashioned but I'm going chocolate chip. 3. I want to be a playmaker, first and foremost. So pumping up those offensive skills - not only passing/scoring, but skating and puck handling - is priority #1. 4. Why Davos of course! I'm happy that I just got drafted there, and while it may be a tough few seasons with a rebuild, we're getting to something great. 5. Nothing right now, just keeping the energy and activity high is great. We have a great mix of players where I don't think it'll be too tough. 6. Not as much as me, I'll say that for sure. I mean actually, probably should cut down on the beer drinking if I'm being honest with myself...

Transaction ID: 7U146271EC213134T $1M Player Store Cash 5 TPE Uncapped Doubles Week Claiming all now

Claim 4

Thanks! Didn't know this was a thing until the draft chat last night, but very cool now that I know I've got it.

Davos, Switzerland -- Leading up to the draft, former Houston Bulls forward Antonia Bucatini felt good, but not secure. After all, she had conversations with HC Davos Dynamo, the first pick in the draft, conversations she felt good about. But at the same time, she didn't have a guarantee from the franchise, and she had talked with Seattle, Riga, and even Prague and New York, just in case. Would Bucatini go first, or would she fall in the draft? Ultimately, it was meant to be: Davos took Bucatini first overall, becoming a centerpiece player in the team's rebuild. And talking to Bucatini after the draft, she couldn't be happier, both with the team and her new teammates. "This is a place I not only know some people, but I know they're going to do what it takes to win. That jives with me," Bucatini said. "I'm not really here for awards or any of that. I want titles, something my agency hasn't had since Season 61 - also with Davos, it turns out. We're ready to win once again." There's also another positive factor at play in Bucatini's mind: A longer rebuild could actually be a good thing. All along, she said, she wants to be at her peak near the end of her career, particularly around the exciting seasons of S100 and S101. "Did you know my agency's never spent an entire career with one team? That's crazy," she added. "Maybe Davos will be the first. I'd like that. And I like the group we've got here to do some damage on a prolonged basis as I'm going into my prime. We're just getting started, but it feels like the Dynamo have got something cooking."

-> Bucatini Eligible for VHLE Draft Houston -- As we enter the VHL offseason, a lot of the focus for the large S93 class has been where they'd land in the VHL Draft. But with so many players, it's bound to be just as chaotic of a draft on the VHLE side, where 19 players (more than 3 full rounds) in the S93 draft class would be eligible to play in the VHLE next season. One of those is former Houston forward Antonia Bucatini, but her story is a bit more complex - given her current practice time, she would be eligible to skip the VHLE altogether if she so chose. In addition, she probably would be capped from practicing further in the VHLE due to league rules about competition. Still, Bucatini held a press conference today to officially announce: She's forgoing a direct path to the VHL, instead planning to take a season in the VHLE. "I think it's what's best for my development. I want to do a normal progression path, and I feel like I can really make an impact for some E team next year," Bucatini said. Which team will that be? There's no way of knowing until next week. But Bucatini believes today's announcement may help clarify that path. "I just didn't want any confusion whether or not I'd be eligible. So this is just to let the VHLE GMs know: I'm there to be chosen, and I'm ready to play."

1. I'm excited! Drafts are just generally fun for me anyway, but being involved is great. Whoever ends up on my team, ready to embrace them with open arms. 2. Well first putting on my fireproof gloves. Second, I'm learning Tackle and Defense Curl to be able to play with them, but not in a way where they'd faint or anything. 3. Big girl pay* But yeah, everybody's gotta have a draft party. A little food, a little booze, let's spend that signing bonus before I get it. 4. I mean, there's a perfect good Litten that's now around the locker room that can be AGM instead. A kitty is good for morale, can come up with gameplans (always attack), and I'm fine answering PCs that are all meows. 5. I'm sure we'll all keep in contact. But I also wouldn't be shocked if I end up on a team with one or two - there's about to be a lot of Bulls entering the VHL. 6. You did a great job, but now you're also going to have another job! So AJ will have to find another person to do these unfortunately, and best of luck in the new gig!

@VHL Santa pls let us earn TPE from March Madness

Claim week 3

Houston -- It was a season of ups and downs for Italian center Antonia Bucatini. It started on a Halifax team that, while rebuilding, couldn’t quite much going in the win column. Then at the trade deadline, Bucatini was traded to a Houston team with a lot of energy, a lot of hope, and soon after a lot of winning. There was high expectations entering the playoffs, but in the end, it all came crashing down with a semifinals loss to the eventual champion Philadelphia Reapers. A roller coaster, that’s how Bucatini put it. But does she think she’s worse off for the ride? “I wouldn’t change a thing,” Bucatini told reporters at the Bulls’ post-season media debrief. “There’s a lot that’s happened this past season, more than I would have ever thought possible. But through the ups and downs, I think I’ve learned – and I’ve also made a few friends.” Bucatini has spoken publicly before about how she has enjoyed playing in such a vibrant environment like the one in Houston. And even now, as the team’s players are set to go their separate ways, she’s hopeful that future locker rooms will take cues from what she just experienced. “It’s just the starting line for so many of us in the VHLM, and that’s true for more people than ever before,” she added. “I’m aware it’s a long career and that people fade away. But it’s my sincere hope that locker rooms everywhere are able to engage people like Houston, Miami and some of the other top VHLM clubhouses have this year. Because so many people active and on board makes things more fun for everybody.”

I support this story line. (Or do I? Perhaps you'll never know...)