CowboyinAmerica

D - Hulk Hogan @BushitoGriimace

F - Ryuu Crimson @TheFlash

1) Where do you see the Rush ending up this year and why? Is there any other answer other than a championship? Of course, only one team in 11 are actually going to get there, so the odds are naturally stacked against it. But if I didn't believe that we're getting one, then what are we even doing here? 2) What are your first impressions of Yukon? I feel like "cold" is too easy of an answer. I'll say more rabid than I expected. When you think of the Yukon Territory, you think of wide spaces and not that many people. But people here do love their hockey, and on a team with a lot of history, they've certainly bought in. 3) Which team do you see having the biggest rivalry with? And player in specific? I'm sure the Reapers are a bunch of nice guys, and Condor Adrienne is always a delight. But come on - the defending champs that we want to take down, and him playing the same position and fighting for a top draft spot. It's only natural, right? 4) Is there a player you model your game after? I'd have to say that it's modeled after the prime version of Duncan Keith - somebody who isn't going to be the top star on a team, but is an absolutely essential cog to keeping everything together, and can do some nifty things passing and checking as well 5) If you have been drafted in the VHL, are you happy with how it went? If you haven't, where do you expect to go in next season's draft? It might seem a bit arrogant to say that I'll go in the lottery, but I mean, it's where the TPE is landing currently. My agency has had players go 1 (McAllister), 2 (Olsen) and 3 (Wingate), so I'll say going 4th seems to have some nice symmetry. 6) What has to happen for you to consider this season a success? As a team or personally. The answers are one in the same - winning as much as possible, a championship if we can. Sure, it'd be nice to wrack up some assists, but that's not what this is all about. The championship trophy, that's the ultimate goal.

Yukon -- Going into the VHLM Draft, defenseman Lance Flowers had no clue where he’d end up. That’s usually not a true cliche—many draft prospects have at least some idea—but in Flowers’ case it fits. Could he slip, because defensemen weren’t highly valued? Could he go early, even number one, because of his high skill level? Would the team taking him be rebuilding, or an already formed playoff team? So when Flowers went off the board early at No. 2, he was as surprised as everyone else. But now, as one of the newest members of the Yukon Rush, he’s thankful and ecstatic for the opportunity to be playing on the team. “I feel good about this one. It feels right,” Flowers told reporters shortly after being drafted. “I’m only likely here one season, which means I want to get after it, early. I think this is a team that could do that.” Indeed, with many early picks, Yukon could be set up to do just that. It’s telling that of the top four prospects currently in the S68 by TPE, three of them are on this Yukon team. Wolf Stansson Jr. will likely be Flowers’ defensive teammate on the first line, while S68 forward Frans Eller is set to be the team’s top offensive star. When other talent like Plunkett, Draven, Rushmore and Perrin are added in, there’s a distinct core for this Rush team. Could that mean a championship? It’s certainly too early to tell, but Flowers isn’t shy about saying that’s the goal. “To me, it’s title or bust,” he explained. “I feel fine putting that as the expectation, because I think this team can get there. It’s just a matter of working for it.”

F - Leph Twinger @TheGriimace ... slash @Bushito, may want to take over for my dude with 2 posts?

Flowers +5

G - Alexander Pepper @TheFlash

F - Julian Borwinn @TheGriimace

I'm in

Questions from February 2018, let's gooooooo 1. What do you hope to accomplish this year with the Rush? It's all about the winning, baby. Yeah, it'd be nice to do something like lead the league in assists, I'm not going to lie. But especially with the young team that we have, I think there's an opportunity to grow as the season goes on and be that team nobody wants to face by the time the playoffs roll around. 2. Who would scouts compare you to in another hockey league? By another hockey league, you obviously mean the VHL since there are no other hockey leagues. And there, I'll say an Ay Ay Ron type of player - definitely a facilitator on the offensive end, and a hard hitter that can mess you up on the defensive end. 3. Out of the 8 VHL teams, who would you like to be drafted by if you haven't been draft yet? 8 VHL teams, eh? Oy vey. I do think it'd be fun to be drafted by one of the expansion teams in Moscow or Malmo, though. I'd take some pride in helping those markets get to their first VHL title. 5. What type of player should we expect to see from you this season, and moving forward in your VHL career? Expect to see an important cog to a title-winning team. I'm never going to win any MVP awards or be a 50 goal scorer, but every great team has one or two players that specialize in doing all of the little things. That's going to be Flowers for Yukon and some lucky VHL team. 1b. What do you think about the VHL during your time in the league? My agency's been around the block for a while and obviously is enjoying the league. It's a good mix of people, a lot of history to try and chase after, and a good pace to the seasons. All in all a fun time. 5b. Where do you see yourself in 5 VHL seasons? Winning somewhere. I'm fine being on a losing team if there's a plan, but I have no patience for multiple rebuilds. Since my skill set is best on a team that's actively trying to compete, that's where I'd like to be for as much of my VHL career as possible.

+ Is there a list of available players somewhere?

Gold: Canada Silver: USA Bronze: World

Halifax, NS -- The offseason moves quickly in the VHL and the VHLM—the finals of both leagues may have just ended late last week, but already, we’re a day away from the VHLM Draft. Especially given the sheer amount of players in the VHLM Draft pool, there hasn’t been much time for GMs to fully develop their draft boards. However, there are a few names that may be at the top of the list. Defenseman Lance Flowers, most recently of Halifax 21st, may well be one of those names. The Season 68 draftee will be extremely close to the maximum 200 TPE by the time the season starts, making him one of the most talented players in the league. However, defense has proven to be a low-priority position for many VHLM teams in the past, and goalies in particular may be in high demand when the draft actually begins on Tuesday. The result is that Flowers and his camp aren’t quite sure where they’ll land. His representatives have already had initial overtures from two teams, sources say, but no further details were given, and it’s possible (if not likely) that more will reach out by the time the draft comes along. Either way, Flowers will be satisfied no matter where he ends up. “I’ve gotten the beginning of my VHLM career under my belt, and now I’m ready for the full experience,” Flowers told reporters after a recent work out. “I’m ready to go to a team who wants me, who wants to win, and no matter where in the draft I go I’ll be ready to give my all. Let’s do this.”

Helsinki Vancouver Helsinki 3-2 Helsinki Point Leader: Glade Goal Leader: Borwinn Assist leader: Glade

Following Sweep, Lance Flowers Looks Back Coming into the playoffs, Lance Flowers and his Halifax 21st teammates had high hopes for a potential finals run, which would have been the third straight for the franchise. But alas, it wasn't meant to be, as Halifax fell in a clean sweep to the third seeded Ottawa Lynx. To make the loss more excruciating, three of the four losses were in overtime, including the final two in the series. Still, there are some bright spots for Flowers personally as he prepares to enter the VHLM Draft. He proved to be a consistent defender for Halifax during his time with the team, despite only joining via a waiver claim at the trade deadline. By the time of the Ottawa series, Flowers had worked his way up to the team's first line, and he finished with 6 assists and a +2 rating in 8 playoff games. "We didn't reach our ultimate goal, but I'm still happy with the season we had," Flowers told reporters in a season-ending press conference. "When you remember that we were fighting for the four seed when I signed, I'd say our regular season run was an absolute success. I can be proud of what we did." Now, Flowers will enter the VHLM Draft, where he may very well be a high pick. He's certainly not a scorer, but his defensive and passing ability would be welcomed on many teams across the VHLM. And, of course, there is the Season 68 VHL Draft past that. But for now, Flowers expects a long vacation and isn't thinking too much about the future. "I'm ready to refocus and get ready for the next phase of my career," Flowers said. "I'm ready to work on the future, but I also think a little rest and relaxation isn't the worst thing in the world."

1.) The finals are Ottawa vs Philadelphia, who do you think is going to win? My money's on Ottawa on this one. Sure, Philadelphia may have the more depth and the better team overall. But Ottawa has the luck and the love of STHS on their side, as evidenced by the sweep with three OT wins against Halifax. And despite the recent Eagles victory, the baseline of Philadelphia sports is still heartbreak. 2.) What do you think was Halifax's defining moment in the season? Defining in a positive or negative way? In a positive way, it would be coming back to get the two seed with that defining win on the last game of the season against Ottawa. It was a long climb, capped off perfectly by that big win. But ultimately, unfortunately, the season may very well be remembered by the playoff sweep against those same Lynx. It's not a great place to be. 4.) Are you happy with the results from your player during the regular season? More or less, yes. There wasn't much regular season for me, since I came in on the trade deadline. But all in all, getting a number of assists very quickly and being able to contribute to the team is a positive for me. I'm just happy to have made an impact. 5.) If you haven't been drafted, what is your top choice for VHL teams? The honest answer is that I don't really have a top choice right now, since so much of what I'm looking for is team and personal fit. But very generically, I tend to go for teams that are up-and-coming, and also ones that past players of my agency haven't played for. The two recent expansion teams would seem to be perfect fits in that regard. 6.) What are your goals for next season? I'd like to win a championship. Yes, I know that's easier said than done, especially with 11 teams now in the VHLM and many of them having fully active squads. But I'm more of a team player than a personal stats type of guy, and if there's any way I can help the team, I want to do it. 7.) What is one thing you would have changed this season? A championship, of course! It's simple to say, but a few bounces of the puck a different way in those three overtimes, and this series would still be going. It's unfortunate, but that's the way the cookie crumbles, and I'm happy for my time in Halifax.

It was a fun ride team. Happy to have been in Halifax

This is for the weeks ending 6/30 and 7/7, since I already claimed Welfare this week. This also counts for the Theme Week, 8 points including this VHL.com article.

/ The Matchups to Watch It was the matchup that fans expected when the playoff bracket was finalized, and now we’re here: two versus three, Halifax versus Ottawa, with a chance to go to the VHLM finals on the line. By all accounts, it should represent a particularly close matchup – the 21st did pass the Lynx on just the very last day of the season, after all. However, the trend line seems to be of two teams going in the opposite direction, with Halifax rising from fourth to second and Ottawa falling from first to third within the final ten games of the season. Will those trends continue? We decided to break down the two teams side-by-side to see which could have an edge come this tough series. Forwards Halifax Player to Watch: AJ Axelsen Ottawa Player to Watch: Aston Martin At first glance, these would seem to be two similar teams. Both know how to get the puck in the net with a lead scorer in Gaudette and Martin, and both feature two top offensive lines with all players at 180 TPE or above. It’s no surprise that both are among the highest scoring teams in the league. However, the systems for both are slightly different. For Ottawa, whose only forward with a higher passing ability than scoring ability is third line center Pascal Batz, the name of the game is putting the puck on net early and often. You won’t see the Lynx play around with the puck in front of the net too often, instead relying on their snipers’ ability to do the work themselves. It’s no surprise then that despite having two of the top eight goal scorers in the league, Batz was the only Ottawa forward to top 53 assists. It means that those snipers, led by Martin, will need to be hitting for the Lynx to make an impact. Halifax, meanwhile, does have one of those facilitators. It’s perhaps odd to see Axelsen leading all point scorers through the first four games of the playoffs without a single goal, but it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who’s seen his play all season or his 60/80 scoring/passing attribute split. He’s the fulcrum through which Gaudette and Halifax’s other scorers are able to find space, and his ability to open up the ice will be more important than ever this series. Verdict: Draw Defense Halifax Player to Watch: Lance Flowers Ottawa Player to Watch: Brendan James Lawn It’s a common maxim that a team is only as strong as its weakest link. For both squads’ first lines, that is definitely found in the defense, and more specifically in the team’s second defenders. Guy LeGrande and Ambrose Stark are great first defenders for Halifax and Ottawa, respectively, but especially facing an onslaught of offensive talent, it will be incumbent on the top line’s second defenders to hold their own in this series. For Halifax’s Lance Flowers, who recently moved up to the first line in replacing Hugh Chan, that means being better than a student of everything and a master of none. The new player has taken a balanced approach to becoming better over the past third of the regular season, focusing on unflashy stats like defense and puck handling as compared to becoming a big hitter or scorer. The result is a mere two goals and 20 points in 29 games after joining the team, but a surprising +14 in the regular season and +4 thus far in the playoffs. He’s not a star but can plug a hole, which is what Halifax needs. Lawn, meanwhile, is a similar type of player, but perhaps even more well rounded—which in this case could be interpreted as mediocre in many respects. Lawn has focused in practice on attributes like discipline and fighting that don’t mesh well with others on the Ottawa squad, lowering his overall effectiveness in passing and skating below what it could be. He’s serviceable, but especially for the 11th pick in the VHLM Draft, Ottawa likely expected more out of him. That, plus Boheem Bismarck’s stronger play than David Lindberg, could be the difference. Verdict: Halifax Goalie You know who the players to watch here are: It’s the starting goaltenders Michael Johnson and Pekka Pouta. While Halifax’s Thorvald Gunnarsson may get a bit of run, particularly if Johnson starts out poorly, I’m going to assume that Johnson will be Halifax’s primary goaltender throughout the playoffs. It will be an interesting question, though, exactly what Johnson the Halifax fans will see in the playoffs. Johnson was one of the weakest goalies in the VHLM season, posting a .874 save percentage in his 42 games played (splitting time with Gunnarsson). That figure didn’t even make the VHLM’s top ten, and he ranked just ninth in GAA (3.02) and eighth in shutouts (3). It’s worth mentioning, though, that many top VHLM goaltenders were at or near 200 TPE from the beginning of the season; Johnson just hit that mark within the past week. There’s reason to believe that his regular season performance may not reflect his current skills, but there’s no way to know that for certain without playing the games. With Pouta, however, we know what he is at this point; it’s his third straight season as a VHLM starter, after all, and second in net for the Lynx. This season, he saw his save percentage rise to .895 (fifth among qualified VHLM goalies) and his GAA lower to 2.34 (third), easily the best marks of his career. He beat up on lesser competition to a certain extent, with 8 total shutouts, but the fact that he has more or less maintained both numbers through the first round of the playoffs indicates his regular season performance may not have been a one hit wonder. The attributes say Pouta and Johnson are at the same level, but Pouta’s got the consistency to back it up. Verdict: Ottawa Final Prediction It’s going to be a close game no matter what, as evidenced by just how closely matched these two teams are. I fully expect this series to go six or seven, and as STHS has proved a number of times, anything can happen from there. But because of their defensive advantage and the distinct roles of their offensive system, as well as the fact they won many matchups between these two teams down the stretch, I’m giving the edge to Halifax to reach another finals. Halifax 21st in 7.

@Quik I had already claimed welfare for this week before I saw there was an announcement. Should I commit seppuku for the shame I have brought the VHL?

It's Playoff Time in Halifax! When Lance Flowers joined Halifax 21st at the two-thirds mark of the season, the young defenseman assumed that he was joining a fourth-place team. Maybe, just maybe, he thought they could get to third and avoid the tough 4/5, then potentially 1/4 matchups. But this? This was just unexpected. By beating Ottawa on the final day of the season, Halifax pulled ahead of the Lynx for second in the VHLM, finishing with 108 points to Ottawa’s 107 and Saskatoon’s 105. For Flowers, the late season surge simply reinforced that he made the right decision with his waivers selection and that he was truly on a contender. “I knew the team looked strong when I got here, but I even have to admit that I didn’t see this coming,” Flowers said following the end of the regular season. “It’s not like we played weak competition either, there are multiple wins against Ottawa, Saskatoon and other playoff teams in this stretch. We did this up right.” Halifax opens the playoffs against the San Diego Marlins on Tuesday – a matchup that isn’t lost on Flowers, seeing as how San Diego was another one of his suitors. Some fans may be looking past the first round to a potential face off against Ottawa in the second round, but you won’t see that sentiment anywhere in the locker room. “San Diego’s not your normal 7 seed; they finished with 84 points, after all,” Flowers explained. “We have a tough test ahead of us as far as we go in these playoffs, but I feel confident in our ability to pick up the wins.”

1. What is the best VHLM Logo, why? I have to go with the Hounds. It's a unique name, the colors pop and would look on a jersey, and the good puppo looks fierce enough to be good at hockey but not enough to give me nightmares. 2. What is the best VHL logo, why? I'll say the Dynamo, and not just because it's the last team that I won a title with. The logo looks similar to a soccer crest, which tends to be my logo style. The mountains are also a nice touch for something as abstract as "Dynamo." 3. What would you pick as Halifax's mascot? I pick the Screaming Seamen. It's an historic VHLM name, I swear! (And also because Halifax is by the sea and all that junk, but come on: Screaming Seamen.) 8. What are your personal goals for the future? It's all about the titles for me. And I don't mean that in a "boring sports person speech" sort of way - it's just that I've won a lot of personal awards with past players, and I find the championship races more fun because they include more people. 9. Who is the Halifax Goat? Having exactly zero conception of Halifax history before this season, I'm going to go with Blake Gaudette. Naturally it's important that he's second in the VHLM in points this season, but everybody loves a growth narrative - and going from 31 points in year one in Halifax to this season instantly makes him a fan favorite. 10. Worst topping for a pizza? People always pick anchovies, but that's supposed to be bad. On the flip side, is there anybody out there that really loves olives? Have olives really ever improved any single food that they've been a part of? Come on now.

Flowers +5

(Enjoyed the article)

This might've been the game to clinch third right here, hell yeah