tcookie

1) probably cheesecake, I dunno why it's just very good lol 2) I think Halifax has a shot 3) McDavid, because he is the best player in the league by far and I think it's always crazy to bet against him --- 1) What has been the biggest surprise for you in the VHL this season? 2) Do you miss the VHLE or is everything better this way? 3) Where would you go on vacation if you could go anywhere?

Phillip Rave has cooled down a bit over the last few weeks, but he's still in the midst of his best VHL season to date, with 36 goals and 71 points through 49 games. "I'd like to find a little more consistency," Rave said. "It's been a good season for the most part but I don't think I've been bringing it quite at the level I can these last few weeks which kind of sucks. The EU is a battleground right now, every game, every point is huge. So it feels a little like letting your team down when you have those off nights. Just need to clean that up a bit." "The guys are playing great, man, they're awesome. As usual. It's such a great team and I know we have a chance to win every night with these guys so that makes it easy. Eases a little pressure too when you know that when you do play poorly, you've got guys who will help you out. I'm excited to see how this last third of the season goes. I think, although I haven't always been at the top of my game, we have been playing very well as a team lately. And that's the main thing."

The VHL has been around for nearly 100 seasons, and every year the entry draft marks the arrival of a slew of new prospects. For tons of young hockey players, draft day is the biggest day of their lives and represents a dream come true. But one VHL draft in particular was even bigger than that. The S75 draft saw a whopping 112 selections made, 32 more than the next closest draft. Selected 106th overall, goaltender Matthew A Sovick Jr. became the latest-selected player to ever play a VHL game, by almost two full rounds worth of picks. So many players came during an S74 recruitment drive that ultimately, the VHL ecosystem as it were couldn't sustain them. There were too many players to reasonably fit in the VHLM, and it ultimately necessitated the creation of the VHLE. The S75 draft had plenty of storylines, with the defender pairing of L and R demanding to be drafted together, and the Riga Reign blowing up their team - risking ending one of the longest playoff streaks in VHL history in the process - in order to take advantage of the loaded draft class to start their rebuild. The Reign would use their first two picks at 7th and 8th overall to select first-gen Miami Marauders teammates Cabe McJake and Addison McLaren before also selecting Dolant Fertitta, Joe Kelly, and Sirkants Klamasteris with their other three first rounders. Riga had five more picks in the top-38, too, and built a core that really should have seen more success than it did. Alas, the Reign rebuild ultimately proved ill-fated, but not for a lack of talent that came out of this draft. L and R did get drafted together, but probably fell short of expectations overall, considering the hefty draft capital committed by the Chicago Phoenix (the 3rd and 5th overall picks). They each played a full eight-season VHL career, though, and did help Chicago win a Continental Cup together in S76. The first overall pick was Pistil Stamen of the Yukon Rush, who went to the LA Stars. Stamen had a bit of a rough go of things to start his career, with 205 points in his first four seasons - but then exploded for four straight 100-point years to conclude his career, with 439 points during that time. Though he didn't end up in the Hall of Fame, he certainly still had a career worth holding the mantle of #1 overall pick in the league's biggest draft ever. Only one of the 112 players picked did make it into the revered Hall of Fame - 9th overall pick Taro Tsujimoto of Davos. Tsujimoto put up 724 points and won a pair of Scotty Campbell trophies during his career, beginning with seasons of 43 and 65 points before a breakout season of 92 points. After that, he scored 86+ points every season of his career. But Tsujimoto did save the best for last - in his 8th and final season, and only one not with Davos - he had an incredible campaign, scoring 53 goals and 139 points. As far down as 38th overall, where Riga got Isau DaMoose, there were players capable of leading a franchise forward available for selection. DaMoose ended his career with 528 points in 504 VHL games. Not a bad use of a third rounder! The S75 draft didn't just change the lives of 112 young hockey players, it completely changed the league, and we may never see another draft like it again.

A very well-earned 1000 TPE, the content you put out is consistently fantastic. Congrats!

1) Rave's been playing great. That said, I DO think he's been held to 1 point over the 3 losses vs. Moscow. It will be important to score against them at some point so I'll need to do my part there. 2) Nope, but yesterday I had a whole family come to my door dressed as Bluey, Bingo, Bandit, and Chilli from Bluey and that is probably my favourite now 3) Lucifer 4) I'm not aware of one within the discord LR; from a hockey context, it's probably some classic non-creative hockey nickname like Raver. 5) I'm generally loyal but I'm also not delusional, some things are a bit too far. I'll try to see everyone's side and I'll defend you if you're on my team, but if you're in the wrong you gotta have that conversation. Generally not out in the open though. 6) I don't know why but it feels like the answer is RJ lol

Although the Malmo Nighthawks find themselves very comfortably in a playoff position as we start to approach the halfway point of S96, they are not in their familiar perch near the top of the EU. Instead, the Moscow Menace have been running away with the league, with an incredible 29-1-2 record through their first 32 games. Malmo, for their part, sit 19-8-3 through 30 games - good for fourth place and 19 points back of Moscow, but also 23 points ahead of fifth-place Warsaw. From a team point of view, the Nighthawks might welcome the opportunity to play in the wildcard round of the playoffs, given how things have gone when they’ve avoided it the past several seasons. That said, there’s a lot of hockey left to play this season and while it will be close to impossible for anyone to track down Moscow, there will be plenty of jockeying for position among Riga, Davos, and Malmo in the second half. The Nighthawks do top the individual leaderboards, however, with defenseman Jacob Stone the league’s highest-scoring defenseman with 45 points through 30 games. Stone is also eighth in the league with 80 blocked shots and has 80 hits as well. Up front, it has been a fantastic start to the season for Phillip Rave, who leads the VHL with 24 goals and has been atop the league points race for most of the season. Now two games behind several VHL teams, Rave has dropped to fifth in the scoring race with 48 points in 30 games, but he’s only four points behind the leader and every player ahead of him has 32 games played.

1) Normal Jacob Stone stuff... 90 points, close to 200 hits and blocks, an individual award or two. He's a beast. 2) Probably Moscow, they're always good and are off to an incredible start this season. 3) I'll say Vancouver, Calgary is a close second. 4) He in fact lives on his own mostly because I haven't given that any thought. But I feel like Rave would be a dog person so perhaps he's looking into adopting a dog. 5) Tzesar hasn't been as productive as usual, but I'm sure he isn't far off, he's too good. I know he'll get back to his normal level soon and it'll make us even more dangerous. 6) That's a crazy question lol, I'll take the bun from Popeyes, spicy chicken from Mary Brown's, toppings from the Wendy's asiago ranch chicken club, and ... I think I gotta go with curly fries from Arby's as the side even though that's copying from the question

That's quite a series of events to go through in such a short span. Sim leagues are pretty great for a bit of a refuge. I'm glad to hear things are starting to get better now!

Phillip Rave has gotten off to a solid start in S96, his 5th season in the VHL. As the Nighthawks sit amongst a mix of contending teams in the European Conference with a 4-1-2 record, Rave has opened the season off with 6 goals in his first 7 games, as well as 4 assists. He has been playing mostly alongside Viktor Jensen and Savaisk Tzesar on the team's first line. The Nighthawks have been a little more up-and-down than they'd have liked, but fortunately have managed to snag points by forcing two of their three losses so far into overtime, including a shootout loss against another of the strong European Conference teams in Moscow. While there is no reason to worry in Malmo, especially this early on, there is still some talk of shaking the lines up a bit to see if they can squeeze a bit more out of this talented lineup. "I've got all the confidence in the world in every member of this team, it doesn't matter much what mix we put out there, I think we can get it done," said Rave. "It's been a decent start to the season, a little sloppy at times, we know we have some things to clean up and we know we can do it."

1) Probably like a ghost or something because it fits the theme but also it's pretty low effort lol 2) I dunno the whole locker room is great to be a part of and I've got enough going on that I basically keep to myself when not doing VHL stuff, so don't really have an answer for you there, but I love our whole team 3) The only reality show that's ever really interested me much is The Circle, so let's go with that 4) Iced tea 5) Skating, working on just general improvements to his game. Working on the shot as always, trying to score 50 this year lol. Defensive coverage drills. 6) Actually I think I agree with Tzesar here. Find somewhere quiet and dark with fresh snow on the ground on a night where the aurora are dancing and tell me there's anything on earth that could better fit the descriptor magical.

Claim week 2/2

Take care of yourself! VHL's always here when you're feeling up to it, hope things are going better for you soon!

Over the past several seasons, the Malmo Nighthawks have a well-established track record of both great regular season success and great playoff failure. For the players involved it's been frustrating, but they have remained steadfast in their belief that this is the right core to get the job done. Malmo GM Victor Grachev @KaleebtheMighty has made tweaks around the same central core to no avail, but the philosophy is to continue putting a talented team on the ice and eventually they should break through. Heading into S96, the only change from last season's lineup sees Isaac Mclflopper entering the Malmo lineup in place of the retiring Randy Bobandy @AJW. Let's review the squad that hopes to break the now-infamous playoff curse. FORWARDS Phillip Rave @tcookie Rave has come a long way from being a second-round pick in the S91 draft, with the third-most TPA in the entire league at time of writing. He's a dynamic sniper, strong on the puck with quick hands and an excellent defensive game and should play a huge role for Malmo this year. Maybe Rave's ascendance to stardom could be Malmo's missing piece? Last season's 45 goals and 89 points were career highs, but on paper, he is capable of a place among the VHL leaders. Viktor Jensen @Advantage Jensen has been the face of the Malmo franchise up front for the past several seasons, with 533 career points in a Nighthawks uniform and four straight 85+ point seasons to his name. He's a complete player; a good playmaker with a well-rounded game and one of the league's best face-off men. Ronald Johnson MacWallace III @RJMW With a career-high 94 points last year, MacWallace is a physical presence who is still a threat to score and take care of his own end of the ice. He has steadily improved throughout his time in the VHL and should continue to be a key contributor for the Nighthawks. Savaisk Tzesar @comrade cat While MacWallace is a physical presence, Tzesar is an outright menace on the ice; one of the more physical forwards in the entire league. He is an excellent two-way forward and offensively leans into a more shoot-first style of play. Tzesar is a former 40-goal scorer and should continue to threaten the 40 goal, 80 point, and 300 hit marks, numbers he has been right around each of the past three seasons. Martin Kemp @leafsman Kemp's first season in Malmo saw him put up 60 points and 233 hits. He plays similar to Tzesar whose physicality is turned down slightly, although he probably has a little more offensive tendency to his game, with a better shot but a little weaker defensively. Wherever he lines up, Kemp will surely contribute to giving Malmo two great offensive lines. Isaac Mclflopper @sportexperts show Mclflopper is the lone addition to the Malmo roster over the off-season, and he fits the same mold as Tzesar and Kemp. Drafted in the second round of S91 just like Rave, he has become a great VHL forward in his own right, breaking out last season for 43 goals and 82 points. He could stand to protect the puck a little better in traffic, but has an excellent shot. DEFENSEMEN Jacob Stone @scoop For the last several seasons, Stone has been Malmo's best player. A lynchpin on the back end who has logged big minutes season after season - generally as the #1 defenseman for one of the best defenses in the league - Stone is one of the best defensive defensemen of his era, and the two Wylde Trophies he's earned prove it. But he's got plenty of offensive punch too, with four straight 20+ goal, PPG seasons including career-bests with 35 goals and 95 points in S95. Stone is entering his final VHL season looking to put an exclamation mark on his potential Hall of Fame resume. Conference Prince-de-Galles @UnkemptCL4PTP His physicality and all-around game have been a boon to the Nighthawks' defense since he was acquired in S92, and he's evolved into a very reliable player having posted 182 points and a +117 rating in his four VHL seasons. His main calling card is his excellent vision on-ice, being one of the best puck distributors on the blueline in the entire league. Vlad Von Carstein @Dom Von Carstein is kind of an old-school defender, with a massive 6'8, 240 pound frame and nasty physical presence to his game. On the other hand, he doesn't have a ton of offense to speak of and is a relatively weak skater. Nevertheless, he is a fantastic compliment to the other Nighthawks defenders and certainly carries his weight as a second-pairing player. GOALIES Jorgen Lovstrom @Pifferfish All you can really say about Lovstrom's first VHL season is that it was a resounding success, as he led the league in GAA and SV% and captured the Clegane Trophy in his first VHL action. Were it not for a platoon with Karl Herzlich for most of the season, Lovstrom probably would have won the Shaw, too, but his chances were diminished playing just 43 games instead of the standard 64 for a VHL starter. What the Nighthawks hope for is that Lovstrom will continue to excel with the increased workload this year, and consistently elite netminding would certainly keep them dangerous in the EU. The Nighthawks are, once again, a team built around a deep, balanced lineup offensively with several players capable of contributing. They have six forwards who you could easily place on the first line of a contending team without them looking out of place, so they will have the freedom to mix and match to find something that works for them. Defensively, they have been an elite team season after season, and the influence of Jacob Stone has to be a factor. Stone will likely once again play first-pairing minutes alongside a bot defender, and his ability to continue to succeed that role will play a factor in how successful the Nighthawks can be defensively. If history is any indication, they will be one of the best defensive teams yet again, especially with the success of Lovstrom between the pipes as the last line of defense. --- 1000+ words for this week and next

As he reports to training camp for S96, Phillip Rave's VHL career is officially at the halfway point. Over his first four seasons, Rave has compiled 128 goals and 277 points in 288 games with a +127 rating, including a breakout season in S95 where he scored 45 goals and 89 points. Still, although his career is half over, Rave believes it's really just beginning. "I think there's a lot I have left to do, and a lot I can bring to the table now that I feel more comfortable in the VHL. I think these first four seasons have gone well, they have helped me learn the game, my teammates have been awesome. But I also have higher expectations of myself going forward now. I think my last four seasons will be a lot better than my first four. And obviously, in the case of my team, I think we have some unfinished business." Although Rave has broken onto the team in a big way, the Nighthawks core is largely comprised of S88 and S89 draft class players, with franchise defenseman Jacob Stone entering the last season of his career. "Jacob is the best player I've ever been around," says Rave of his teammate. "He's unbelievable, he's done so much for our team during his time year, and I hope we get to watch him enter the Hall of Fame one day. We want nothing more than to win a Cup for him this year."

1) He's probably heading back to school for something first. Kind of all the backstory I have for him is sports-related, but I've personally been on a weather kick with the two major hurricanes lately, so the first thing that comes to mind is meteorology 2) Nighthawks Break Playoff Curse! (I was tempted to go with "Nighthawks Clinch Victory Cup" for the memes) 3) Yeah I don't see why not. Still a great team around him and he's only improving as a player himself. 4) My real answer is unfortunately Kansas City but I think a while ago I said Tampa Bay to be more interesting and I'm willing to stick with that. 5) If you don't pay attention to skiing you'll have never heard of her, but this answer is almost canon with the backstory I've written for Rave already - Tina Weirather 6) I'm of two very opposite minds here. On one hand I don't even think I want a flashy car because I don't particularly want to stand out like that. On the other hand, I have to admit that some of these supercars look pretty sick. So we'll go with the fun answer here and say the Bugatti Divo