CowboyinAmerica

Review: 9/10 Congrats on beginning to come around! I've been there with a frustrating early start to the career, and a bit of team success can indeed also go a long way towards getting past those struggles. The article itself read very cleanly, didn't notice any grammar issues on a first read. I really appreciate the sections and the subheads as well, certainly helped with readability. I'm good with the font and size changes - if I had a nitpick it's that I'm always a fan of photos and/or headlines as well, but that's a small thing. Great story of Luc's career thus far, and best of luck in the playoffs!

2000+ words, for the weeks ending 1/2, 1/9, 1/16 and 1/23

Where Every VHL Team's Goalie Situation Stands Right Now The Season 75 Draft was a banner one for goalies, with five top netminders all finding homes and promising to duke it out for the entirety of their careers. With Sales, Rasputin, UnGuri, Tretiak and Klamasteris all reaching above 1000 TPE, it solidified that they would be grabbing all of the goalie awards for the coming seasons. And if that discouraged players from building goalies in the coming drafts, well, VHL teams would deal with the reckoning when it came. My friends, the reckoning is about here. Due to a dearth of active goalies between the S76 and S78 Drafts, there are a number of top VHL teams that could be facing a goalie crisis as soon as next offseason when those S75 players retire. Still others are looking to reload their goalie shelves this offseason, with a number of top netminders up for grabs in a strong S82 Draft. And then there’s the teams in the middle, looking to capitalize on the goalie vacuum by riding their goaltenders to the top in the mid-80s. Below, here’s a look at where every VHL team stands with their goalie situation entering the S81 offseason. As always, this is one person’s opinion, I'm bound to get things wrong, and all it takes is one major trade or free agency signing to make all of this moot. Still, I hope it’s an interesting breakdown to see where the goalie market lies entering what could be a chaotic offseason. Calgary Wranglers Starter: Sirkants Klamasteris (S75, 1050 TPE) Active in System: The Red Menace (S80, 261 TPE) Breakdown: The Wranglers are certainly a team built to win now, and despite being an expiring contract, I’d imagine Klamasteris will be brought back for his final season next year. But with Tallinder, Kotkakoivu and Jokinen, the Wranglers have pieces to win in S83 and beyond as well. The Red Menace can be serviceable, but he’d need to start earning more than 5 TPE a week to be Calgary’s answer in S83 and S84, I figure. They could definitely be a team active in the trade market or free agency next offseason. Chicago Phoenix Starter: Barry Taffe (S76, 300 TPE) Active in System: N/A Breakdown: It’s pure rebuild time in Chicago, and the goalie coffers are completely bare. I can absolutely see the Phoenix taking a goalie early like they did as an expansion team, as Jean Pierre Camus was the team’s netminder for every year of its existence until now. With currently the second-best lottery odds, a Pearce, Utonium or Arpa would make a lot of sense at that part of the first. With the S83 goalie chest looking a bit more bare, I’d be surprised if they don’t come out of this draft with a goalie. D.C. Dragons Starter: What’s a Goalie? Active in System: N/A Breakdown: When the only goalie in the system is S81 third round pick Mike Hroch, who hasn’t updated since mid-November, you know you’re hurting for some talent. The Dragons have the worst record, and thus the best lottery odds. But with talent needs all over the board, would they want to start the rebuild with a goalie over someone like Lamb, DeGroot or Torq? Having the L.A. pick helps here – I wouldn’t be shocked if they either hope one of the top three fall, or grab someone like Wumbo mid-first. Los Angeles Stars Starter: Rara Rasputin (S75, 1111 TPE) Active in System: N/A Breakdown: Similar to the Wranglers, the Stars are built to win right now, but they also have some young pieces (Williams, Sova) where it’d be reasonable to want to win in S83 and beyond as well. But there’s not even a Menace in the pipeline here, and as just noted, they don’t have their own first this year. I can see L.A. being active in the goalie trade market next offseason—or perhaps even this offseason, since Rasputin’s an expiring contract and has been a mercenary in his later years. New York Americans Starter: Morgan Karlsson (S76, 396 TPE) Active in System: Tadhg Byrne (S81, 240 TPE)? Breakdown: Another rebuilding team with an under 400 TPE goalie, it’s clear that Karlsson isn’t the goalie of the future. The Americans are in an interesting spot though – they thought they had their next goalie in taking Byrne with the 16th pick of last year’s draft. Bryne, however, has earned exactly 1 TPE in December. With the fourth-best lottery odds, could the Americans cut bait that quickly and take one of the top three goalies in the draft? With goalie at a premium, it wouldn’t shock me. Seattle Bears Starter: Em Em Flex (S79, 511 TPE) Active in System: N/A Breakdown: Finally, we have a team that has reason to feel secure in its goalie situation long-term. Taken with the 11th pick in the S79 Draft, Em Em Flex may not be a max earner, but he’s more than consistent enough to lock down the starting job for the Bears long-term. With the S81 Draft cavalry coming shortly, things could get sticky when he’s in year seven and eight and regressing. But S85-86 is a ways off, and I expect to see him in place for at least 3-4 more seasons. Toronto Legion Starter: Oskar Lindbergh (S80, 502 TPE) Active in System: Boris Tsezar (S81, 239 TPE) Breakdown: The Legion also have their goalie of the future, and after a short break last season, the former fourth overall pick now looks to be back on track with his TPE earning. Given the preponderance of S80 and S81 forwards in Toronto, they’re angling for a mid-80s dynasty, and Lindbergh’s timeline is right along with that goal. Don’t sleep on Tsezar in goal either though – the third round pick is looking like a potential steal as he moves up to VHLE next year, and could be a trade piece to a goalie-starved team. Vancouver Wolves Starter: Thadius Sales (S75, 1214 TPE) Active in System: Aike van Giersbergen (S78, 493 TPE)? Breakdown: The Wolves have one of the more fascinating goalie conundrums coming up. Particularly with their S79 forward stars, they’re going to want to extend their recent dominance as long as possible. Sales, though, only has one more season. The assumed goalie of the future, former sixth overall pick van Giersbergen, hasn’t been around since mid-November. He’s good enough to be a stopgap, and that may be all Vancouver needs with the rest of their talent. I wouldn’t be shocked if they pay highly for another star goalie next offseason though. HC Davos Dynamo Starter: Kunibuni UnGuri (S75, 1104 TPE) Active in System: N/A Breakdown: They’ve got one more go around with UnGuri, who has 104 TPE banked and I would assume would re-sign for an eighth go-around in Davos. Once he retires (alongside Tsujimoto) though, it may be rebuild time in Davos. Seattle has the Davos first this season, so trying to jumpstart the goalie rebuild in this draft may be tough. But they’re a team I wouldn’t be surprised to see them already eyeing someone like Brandt Fuhr in the S83 Draft. Helsinki Titans Starter: Xavier Booberry (S80, 679 TPE) Active in System: Anime Protagonist (S78, 354 TPE) Breakdown: I like to think I’m secure in my position, right? Seriously though, Booberry’s probably going to be second, right behind Emeritus, in goalie TPA in a season or two’s time, so the talent’s there. And his timeline matches up with a Helsinki team looking to be competitive as soon as next season after bringing Johnston on board. As long as there’s not a serious front office mishap, you can lock him in as the starter for the next several seasons. It’s also worth noting too that Protagonist is still chugging along at 5 TPE a week, and could be a definite FA pick up for a team with a retiring S75 goalie. London United Starter: Tater Tot (S76, 624 TPE) Active in System: Ed Nu (S81, 236 TPE) Breakdown: Raise your hand if you had Tater Tot as the goalie with the highest save percentage this season. Now, put your hand down, you filthy liar. Especially with his excellent season for a rebuilding team, I’d expect Tater Tot to get a fourth and fifth season in London before retirement if he wants it. But this United team has long-term aspirations and wants a goalie of the future. Could that be Nu? The third rounder has been progressing nicely in Ottawa, and could be a diamond in the rough should London use its early first to go defense (also a position of need) rather than goalie. I can see them going either way. Malmo Nighthawks Starter: Artem Tretiak (S75, 1061 TPE) Active in System: Thomas Price (S81, 214 TPE) Breakdown: Tretiak’s had an excellent run in Malmo, winning two cups and hoping for a third with this season and next year to go. But the time to look post-Tretiak is certainly here, especially with the Nighthawks viewing S83 and S84 very much in Telker, Deathwalker and Mourning’s window. S81 third rounder Price had stalled out a bit, though he’s used Christmas giveaways to get into VHLE territory recently. I could see Malmo being very active in the trade market next offseason for a goalie to extend their window a season or two further. Moscow Menace Starter: Papa Emeritus (S79, 726 TPE) Active in System: Leroy Johnson (S78, 390 TPE) Breakdown: There was a time a season or two ago, when they signed Rara Rasputin ahead of him, where I was curious if Emeritus might request a trade so he could get more early playing time. But he ultimately banked on having a strong six season career as Moscow’s S77 players entered their peaks, and it’s paying off this year. Emeritus will go into next season as the likely goalie TPA leader, and there’s no reason to believe he’s headed anywhere else anytime soon. Johnson, by the way, updated for the first time in a month last week and could be a trade piece for a goalie-desperate team as he’s signed through next season in Moscow. Prague Phantoms Starter: David Davis (S80, 531 TPE) Active in System: N/A Breakdown: Taken with the seventh overall pick in the S80 Draft, Prague put all of their chips on Davis as the goalie of the future. With his auto-12s, seems it would be a smart bet as well, as he’s kept up the growth since then and will likely be in contention for Shaws throughout the mid-80s. With strong S78 defensemen like Powers and Reikkinen in front of him as well, I don’t see much reason that he’d jump ship in free agency, but if a godfather offer is there from a Calgary or Malmo trying to extend their window, would Prague consider it? Riga Reign Starter: Tobias Reinhart (S78, 497 TPE) Active in System: N/A Breakdown: The Reign are an interesting one to me – they’ve got a bunch of S75 players to make a run this season and next, but Reinhart as a S78 player is actually more of a post-S82 goalie play at his current TPE level. If there’s one goalie I’d have my eye on to potentially be moved this offseason or next, Reinhart is it. He’s stuck between Riga’s present and future (with S81s Leduc, Chiang and Cheese up soon), and with the sixth-best lottery odds, taking a swing on a goalie this draft that more lines up with their window wouldn’t shock me at all. A very possible Arpa landing spot. Warsaw Predators Starter: Andrew Bowman (S76, 601 TPE) Active in System: Orion D H Chiester IX (S79, 379 TPE) Breakdown: Bowman was a sneaky strong free agency signing that you might have missed – after splitting last year between Toronto and Riga, Bowman’s found his home in Warsaw and has helped make them a likely playoff team. He’s a pending free agent, but with his recent activity, I wouldn’t be shocked if they bring him back for another two seasons to finish out his career. The downside is, that may leave Chiester out in the lurch – he’d be entering regression as Bowman finished his career, and may end up a trade piece should Warsaw end up in a future rebuild.

Helsinki -- With only two games remaining between the pipes for Titans rookie goaltender Xavier Booberry, he's been doing a bit of reflecting recently. It was a bit of an up and down year for the goalie - a .909 save percentage and three shutouts isn't bad at all for a rookie, but for a goalie coming off a VHLE title, it was a bit hard to swallow at times. "I'm my own worst critic, and there were definitely games that I think the Titans could have won if I played better," Booberry said. "I strive for perfection, but some games I was clearly less than that." Still, the Titans have taken a step forward this season from the team that finished last in Europe the past two seasons. With 61 points through 64 games, they're actually still technically in the playoff race (even if it's unlikely). With more of those wins this season, Booberry hopes the team will be able to take a step forward next season. "We know we're building towards something, and especially the way that Johnston came in and took our offense to the next level, we've got something here," Booberry added. "Bring in Nezuko, Remy, Karjalainen and others next season from the VHLE, and we've really got a stew going." Plus, he said, there's another offseason of training ahead. "I really think I'll be up near the top of goalies by the start of next season, and that's not bluster," Booberry said. "We'll see where the offseason goes."

Answering for the following week: 1) Yes or No: do marshmallows belong in a fruit salad? It's not my preference, but I can see it. It's all sweet stuff, and if that's what you're in the mood for, why not add more? 2) What is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to your teammates? I like to get in the zone before games, and sometimes that means taking some time by myself. If you're interrupting my routine, you're not helping anybody. 3) Do you have any holiday plans coming up? I did! Spent some time with family, and also some time inside as the snow comes down. Everybody needs some chill time at the end of the year. 4) Have you been signing up for the VHL 12 Days of Christmas events? Of course, it's easy. Hope that it all turns out ok with me winning something! 5) Do you think there are any potential point tasks that we could be doing instead of Media Spots, Graphics, or Podcasts? Or does that cover pretty much everything? I'm for experimentation with other things that may work, but they need to be balanced in accordance with those three. If it's too much work for 6 TPE - or if it's significantly less work - then it's not going to be feasible. 6) What do you think the best indicator of a Two Way Forward's performance is? I don't have all the answers, but I do think that hits are being way too devalued around here recently. There's tangible value in having a forward who can be physical, harass the other team and get the puck back.

Congrats all for the excellent drive! Is the free week for donating fair game to call a double PT? (Just +6 rather than +12 I know)

And again

I'm around

Hi there

Review: 8/10 Especially since I'm a bit of a geography nerd, I always enjoy these articles taking a look at potentially different places for hockey. I like the Long Necks idea in particular, since it's a pretty unique name, but also one that is relevant to the region and I definitely could see fans rallying behind. The article itself read quick from beginning to end and didn't drag on, though a few grammar errors that could have been fixed with another read like spacing after commas ("ice,and" and "distances,need"). Also, may be a good idea to include a photo of Botswana/Kenya within Africa to help those who don't know the country to have a bit of context? But all in all, good stuff here.

Review: 9/10 I enjoyed it! Think the way you wrote it made for a fun back and forth, like a real interview would be. None of the answers dragged on too long either, which made it a breezy read from beginning to end. I appreciated the bolding to put the interviewer's words apart, though I wouldn't have minded a photo or a lead image to make it seem more like a real piece. Only other thing I'd say is just another read through before posting would help, just some small errors like the one question's formatting being off and "any team would be luck to have me". But all in all, good piece!

Nueve

Happy birthday!

Claiming day 8. YES I'M FROM THE FUTURE

Here I am, once again, I'm torn into pieces

That red line gives my mom a beach house. I've always wanted a beach house in the family. I approve.

I'm here

Uncapped TPE Package claim 5/5

Helsinki, Finland -- After a recent losing streak, Helsinki Titans goalie Xavier Booberry noticed that a few of his teammates around the locker room were feeling down. But, Booberry figured, it's the holidays! So he decided to take it upon himself to spread a little joy around the team. First was the practice facility: When the team came in to practice the next morning, they were treated by a fully decorated Christmas tree, string lights around the locker room's ceiling, and custom stockings for every player hanging at their lockers. Then, it was the food and drink - holiday catering and glögi, a Finnish mulled wine typically served on Christmas Eve. And finally, it was a gift exchange - white elephant style with a budget of course, with the hopes of spreading the holiday cheer over the next couple of days. Booberry himself drew forward Magnus Verlander, though he wouldn't give any hints to what his present would be. What he would reveal, though, was his goals with the holiday cheer. "Sometimes, I feel like you can get caught in a rut, just traveling from city to city and doing the same thing day after day. Occasionally, you need to shake things up," Booberry said. "The holidays are a great time for that, to take a step back and reassess. We're not just hockey players, we're people. And we all need some time to relax and celebrate." It remains to be seen whether that relaxation translates over to the ice, though coaches did note the team looked a bit looser at the morning skate that day. And for Booberry's part, he's hoping to make the Holidays in Helsinki celebration a yearly tradition.

Answers: 1) Do you think Ovechkin can claim Gretzky's goal record before retirement? Nah. I think Washington will give him every chance to try, but he's basically got to continue 50+ goal seasons for the next 3-4 years. Time catches up with all of us eventually. 2) Did answering a question about Ovechkin's retirement made you feel old? That ship sailed a while ago. I'll wait until there's literally not any players that I'm younger than in the league anymore, then I'll feel it. 3) Pepsi or coke? I'm embarrassingly addicted to Diet Coke, it's not even a contest. Though if I'm being honest (and this goes back to me being old), the real answer's probably Bubbly, which I think is a Pepsi product? Questions: 1. What's your favorite hockey memory? 2. If you could play/watch an outdoor Winter Classic in one location, what would it be? 3. What's one VHL/VHLE/VHLM award you would really like to win that you haven't done yet?

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It's definitely not practical and will never happen in the VHL for the reasons Bek said. But I think it'd be fun, just to see how it operates. Would probably need to be one of those things you're implementing from the start of a league, so everybody knows what they're getting into and can buy in from the start.

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