tcookie

The Malmo Nighthawks have come out of the gate hot - as we get past the first third of the season, the Nighthawks currently lead the EU with a 17-6-3 record, just ahead of the Moscow Menace. The Nighthawks' offense has taken some time to get going, with 73 goals in 26 games - that ranks them as the 7th best offense in the league - but they have shone defensively and between the pipes, Ash Sparks is having the best season of his career so far. He has shaken off a bit of a slow start to sit at 14-6-3 with a 2.18 GAA and .932 SV%. The Nighthawks have allowed just 58 goals in 26 games. Fortunately for the Nighthawks - who are led in scoring by defenseman Jacob Stone and centre Viktor Jensen, each of whom has 26 points in 26 games and are tied for 33rd in league scoring - they have shown some signs of life over the last few games. Over their first 19 games, they had been averaging just 2.52 GPG but in their past 7, they have lit the lamp 25 times, 3.57 GPG, bringing them up to 2.81 on the year. There is plenty of talent on the Nighthawks roster up front, and there is no reason to suspect any of Jensen, Yaroslav Bogatyrev, or Henry Eagles will sit behind the PPG mark for an entire season. If the Nighthawks have truly turned the corner offensively, they could be a force to be reckoned with in a competitive European Conference.

1) Ever since I saw the video of Edwin Diaz walking to the mound to "Narco" a few years ago, I've thought it's a brilliant intro/entrance song, and while it probably fits a little better as that than as a goal song, I think it would be pretty cool to hear after a goal, too. I'd probably go with that, but maybe "Break" by Three Days Grace. 2) The first things I can closely remember are all from a time where I was growing up in Thompson and watching the Norman Northstars, a Midget AAA team that to any hockey-loving kids there was pretty much the coolest thing. We idolized the guys that were good enough to make that team. I lived there for four years and we went to a ton of games. Loved the rink, every seat in the place was up close to the action, it really captured the whole "small hockey town" vibe, though I don't know if it really did or if it just felt that way because I was a young kid. One year they auctioned off the jerseys... we won the one won by Shane Clarkson and I wore it to one of the games. He came out of the locker room that night with his stick; lots of kids were grabbing at it and he picked me out and said, "this one's for the kid with the cool number". So that was pretty awesome! Watching the Northstars makes up a lot of my childhood hockey memories. I remember being at Manitoba Moose games prior to that but I was too young to have any real recollection of what was going on beyond just, "I was in the stands". 3) Number 11. I kind of just try to pick a number that I think will look good on a jersey. I'm usually a little partial to single digits but I wanted to pick something different this time around. I don't know if there's particularly any rhyme or reason to it, although my dad did wear 11 when he played hockey growing up and I may have subconciously factored that in a bit. 4) I'd probably say Daryl Dixon - Rice was my original GM when I got into the league and was such a good GM and helped so many of us first gens out in those early years. I've never got to play on a team with him (at least not while I was active, possibly towards the end of McLaren's career I might have ended up somewhere with him but I don't know), but it would be cool to get the opportunity. Plus, Dixon's a darn good player with one of the few 1250+ TPA builds out there so it probably couldn't hurt to be on his line! 5) I generally entertain myself with video games, so I'd probably prefer to just bring a Nintendo Switch with a Pokemon game or Tears of the Kingdom and occupy myself with that - but in the interest of answering the question that was asked, I'd say a movie. I'd probably bring Infinity War and Endgame, although if I wanted to keep it on brand, being a hockey road trip and all, might just go for Miracle. 6) I've been doing a lot of research & practice in the field of content creation ... stuff like social media marketing, video editing, creating good titles/thumbnails for YouTube, etc. but I'm self-taught, work a full-time job, and there's SO much to learn! I love doing it and I know I've improved a lot, but it would be pretty cool to just instantaneously be really good at all of it. It's the kind of thing that I would really enjoy being able to do as a full-time job over working a 9-5 in the office, not that I dislike my current situation or anything.

This is great, well done!

These are awesome Z

I think 9 season careers aren't necessarily supposed to work super smoothly, right? Like, of course it should be completely possible to make a Hall of Famer that plays a 9-year career, absolutely, but it is supposed to be very hard. The VHL has been based around 8 season careers for its entire existence. I kind of disappeared right around when the 9th season started to become an option, but if I recall correctly, the whole thing was you can try the 9th season, but it's going to be very difficult. It was never hidden, and it isn't intended to be the main route you take just because it's available and you earn a lot. Besides, there are a LOT of guys on this list that are in a 1200-1500 TPE kind of range. Not that it's a small amount of TPE, but then again - you have Nico Pearce showing you can maintain a build (and Spartan mentions he even over-prepared for depreciation, so you don't need 2200 TPE for it) throughout a 9-season career. If you can maintain the build, then obviously you can have a Hall of Famer. But yeah, you aren't gonna maintain it with 1500 TPE. And I think that's entirely by design and also a good thing. I might be a little biased because I just really like the whole 8-year career for everyone thing. But I think 9 being an option that is sort of disincentivized, not even close to the default, but an option for those who want to try it... is exactly the right place for it. I will admit, encouraging top earners to sandbag to avoid going over the TPE limit for the E isn't a good outcome. But then maybe the E TPE limit should be increased so that you don't have to sandbag (I'm not familiar with how far over you can get, haven't done that math) and the option is always there for you.

In S74 when I joined, there was the massive recruitment drive a couple days after me, and in Miami we ended up with 4 or 5 really active first gens all signing up at basically the same time. As a new member, it was cool to have a lot of people at the same stage of their VHL careers who all wanted to improve and I think that environment helped motivate and push us all to improve together. GM Rice was a big part of it too. I see the same kind of thing happening right now, maybe in a couple of VHLM places, but especially in Houston!

GAME RECAP: Game 46 - Houston Bulls vs. Saskatoon Wild Houston and Saskatoon are not at the top of the VHLM standings early on, but this was nonetheless an exciting matchup for fans as it prominently featured some of the most promising new players in the VHL system. Fans that turned the game on got rewarded with a back-and-forth, 13-goal thriller. Two goals from Saskatoon's Forum Content got the game going but Houston newcomer Nathan Ecker answered the second of those just eleven seconds later, keeping the game close heading into the second period. The second period was an eerie parallel of the first, with Saskatoon scoring two goals and Houston answering (this time courtesy of Trimiskez Artav) twelve seconds after the second. With the score 4-2, the Bulls came out hot in the third period, scoring four goals in 1:26 to jump to a 6-4 lead. Chris Reynolds scored twice in that run, while Lucy Leitner picked up a pair of assists. Then, Artav, with three points on the night already, scored again to stretch the lead to 7-4. There was no quit in the Wild, who stormed back as Annie Oaks set up Xavier Barbeau to cut the lead to 7-5, then Forum Content completed the hat-trick with his 6th of the season with just over two minutes left. Try as they might, however, the Wild couldn't put another puck past Ondrej Vencko in the final two minutes and the Bulls hung on for the 7-6 victory. Players like Artav, Leitner, Ecker, and Oaks have quickly gained attention from VHL scouts and are flying up the rankings for the S93 draft, and for scouts, this will be a prime game to throw the film on to get a good look at a lot of great young players at once.

Early on in S92, the Malmo Nighthawks have raced to the top of the EU Conference standings, sporting a 7-2-2 record through 11 games. Their 16 points has them just ahead of the Helsinki Titans, Moscow Menace, and London United in a tightly-packed, competitive group. Over the off-season the Nighthawks faced some controversy over some "non-traditional" choices, such as naming a goaltender captain. The Nighthawks took a defiant response in defense of Sparks when facing questions about it. Sparks is currently 5-2-2 with an 0.925 SV% in addition to providing his strong leadership. "I mean... we all tried to tell you he was the right man for the job," said rookie winger Phillip Rave when asked about Sparks' leadership and start to the season. Then came the day where most of the Nighthawks were spotted at Taco Bell ahead of practice, flying directly in the face of modern science as far as keeping your body in top athletic shape is concerned. "I'm feeling good," Rave shrugged. "The team has had a blast, it's a team bonding experience, you know? It's not like I'm sitting on the couch with eight tacos and a 2L of Baja Blast every night. We still work hard, practice hard. We just like tacos." The Nighthawks have prioritized being a tight-knit group over following best practice, conforming to tradition, and the results on the ice - at least so far - speak for themselves. But it's a long season, and the Nighthawks will continue to be tested every night. We'll see if they can maintain this hot start.

claim week 2/2

Captain Sparks going off we do whatever we want

Oh no what has Vencko gotten himself into hahaha

On the eve of S92, Malmo Nighthawks general manager Christopher James held a press conference introducing the team’s leadership group for the upcoming season. The Nighthawks hope to be a playoff contender in S92, and these are the players who will be leading the way. Wearing an “A” on his jersey will be Viktor Jensen. Jensen posted the first PPG season of his career in S91 with 75 points in 72 games, and he seems poised to take another step forward in S92. While Henry Eagles and Yaroslav Bogatyrev are bigger names, Jensen is the player who carries the “face of the franchise” mantle as the #1 centre and high upside former top draft pick. “We had some shakeups this past season, but Viktor remained committed and has helped create a fantastic culture in the locker room,” James told the media. “We’re definitely excited to have him with us!” The second “A” goes to another S89 first-rounder, second-year forward Savaisk Tzesar. Tzesar has consistently impressed with his leadership for a player of his youth; he is a key member of the Nighthawks’ locker room and showed some promise in his rookie season with 15 goals and 33 points. Tzesar is a well-rounded power forward with some physicality to his game and has improved his game a lot over the off-season. With the opportunity to step into a first line role this season, look for big things from Tzesar in his sophomore season. Tzesar maintains that his goals are entirely team focused: “my goals are to help lead this team into the playoffs and further!” Finally, sporting a “C”, goaltender Ash Sparks. Sparks has become a Malmo mainstay since coming over from Seattle, with this being his fourth year holding the starting job. Last season, Sparks posted a 38-21-5 record and 0.923 SV%. With 92 wins and 14 shutouts in a Malmo jersey so far, Sparks is a constant source of stability in net. Of course, more importantly for the captain of a team, Sparks is also a prominent member in the locker room. “He's been a staple of the Nighthawks for quite some time and has formed into a great leader within our locker room. We are extremely thrilled to have him back in net with Malmo and are excited to see him use his experience to lead us forward!” explained James. In a moment, we will get more reaction from the Nighthawks on their leadership group and the upcoming season, but first, a word from our sponsors! — When you need a taco, you need a taco. And sometimes, that just happens to be at 6am on your way to practice. That’s why we’ve partnered with the Malmo Nighthawks and new captain Ash Sparks to bring you the Taco Bell Breakfast Box deal. Grab yourself two tacos and a burrito of your choice, plus a drink and a Malmo Nighthawks S92 team poster featuring Ash Sparks for $5. Available every morning until 9:30am for a limited time only. Live Más with Ash Sparks and the Malmo Nighthawks. — The Nighthawks have some big names in Henry Eagles, Yaroslav Bogatyrev, and Jacob Stone that will not be wearing a letter this season, but the Nighthawks emphasized that, with so many good options and leaders on the team, you don’t need a letter to lead. Eagles, an eighth-year vet in his third season with the team, is expected to wear an “A” on nights when Sparks has the night off for rest. “It’s a great honour to be named Captain and play along such a great group”, Sparks told the media after being introduced as the new captain. “I’m confident in the leadership group, the management group keeping us on track and focused, and of course the entirety of the team. Every skater on our roster is critical to us making a push for the cup and I’m excited to chase after glory with these guys!” “I’ve had a blast with these guys since getting here,” said rookie forward Phillip Rave. “It’s been a lot of fun in the locker room and you notice that guys like Tzesar and Sparks are always such a big part of it, so I think we’re all pretty united in feeling that they deserve some recognition. It’s such a good group, so it’s never easy to pick a few guys as the leaders, and I think we all know we can contribute to leading this team in our own ways, but these guys all deserve to wear those letters so much.” With the leadership group in place, a talented roster, and by all accounts a strong locker room atmosphere, the Nighthawks believe they have what it takes to contend in S92. There are elite, first-line calibre talents in Jensen, Bogatyrev, and Eagles, a bonafide #1 defenseman in Stone, a proven veteran goaltender in Sparks, and plenty of good young players ready to make an impression. “I'm proud of the team we've assembled in Malmo and look forward to S92 with these wonderful individuals leading the charge,” concluded James. “I’m just fired up and ready to lead our team back to the promised land,” Sparks said as the media wrapped up their duties, clearly looking forward to getting on the ice and embarking on the quest to the Continental Cup. Forward Ronald Johnson MacWallace III echoed his excitement for the upcoming season. “I want to flatten other teams players like a hydraulic press coming down on an empty aluminum can.” With the team assembling for one final team bonding session ahead of the new season, Rave grinned at the chaos ensuing as players left the press conference. “See, it’s an awesome group,” he told a reporter as he hung back for a minute. “Pretty happy I ended up here, just thankful overall for everything working out as it did. We all can’t wait to get out there. I think we have a good thing going here, and you can’t discount the value of good chemistry in a team sport.” --- 1003 words, this week & next @DarkSpyro @hylands @KaleebtheMighty @Bojovnik @RJMW @comrade cat @Advantage @Greg_Di @Spaz @scoop @UnkemptCL4PTP

Transaction ID: 77185952FW8258152 $10 5 Uncapped TPE Doubles Week

So, so good! Captivating writing and I love the dialogue - realistic-sounding dialogue is so hard to get right and I think you nailed it. This is one of my favourite pieces of writing I've read on here, well done! And welcome to the league!

After finishing the world juniors round robin 8-1-1, good for first place in the tournament heading into the medal round, Team Europe let their guard down at the most important time. Despite boasting a 39-31 edge in shots, the European squad could not solve Olober Syko, who made 38 saves on 39 shots for Team USA and led them to a 2-1 upset victory. The Americans had earlier defeated Team Canada in the wildcard game to earn a chance to play Europe. USA's Chris Sanzone scored both goals to help lift an elated American squad into the gold medal game. Expectations were high coming into the tournament, as the Europeans have owned the event recently. They had appeared in the past six gold medal games going back to S85, and won five of those six, including the last three in a row. Unfortunately for this group of players, they will be a part of history for the wrong reasons as those streaks have come to an end. "It's never what you set out for; obviously we have had a lot of success at this tournament recently and you come here with an expectation to win, not to play for bronze. But full credit to those guys, they played hard and their goalie stood on his head and they took advantage of their opportunities when they came. They played a great game, they earned it, but yeah it always hurts to lose that chance to play for gold," said Europe centre Phillip Rave after the loss.

let's do this

Phillip Rave took the ice today at Malmo Nighthawks training camp, for the first time attending camp with an expectation of making the VHL team ahead of him. But it will, Rave hopes, be a brief stay at training camp this year, as the S92 World Junior Championships are set to take place this week in Geneva, Switzerland. With rosters to be announced shortly, Rave is anxiously hoping he gets the call to represent Team Europe. "It's a great opportunity, great event and Geneva is beautiful so I'd love to be there, obviously," says Rave. "I think we'd have a pretty good team, though obviously, that makes the competition to make it even stiffer, so... who knows. Ultimately that's up to the GM to pick the roster, and I don't want to worry too much about something that's out of my control. But yeah - it would be pretty cool." Rave's VHL career may have appeared a bit of a longshot two years ago when he signed with the San Diego Marlins with limited organized hockey experience in his lifetime, but he appears on the cusp of making it a reality. A trip to the world juniors would make a nice, neatly-wrapped bow on top of Rave's pre-VHL career.

claim week 2/2

Nighthawks Prepare for S92 S92 Malmo squad characterized by young players ready to break out The Malmo Nighthawks had high hopes for the S91 season, but saw them crashing to a halt in the wildcard round of the playoffs as the upstart Helsinki Titans took them down in five games. It wasn’t supposed to be that way; the Nighthawks were by all accounts a great team on paper and in contention for 1st in the EU much of the year. They were held back by inconsistency in a season full of both high highs (a pair of ten-game winning streaks) and low lows (finishing 4th in the EU and losing in the wildcard round). Entering S92, what will the Nighthawks be like this time around? There’s plenty of young talent in Malmo: the Nighthawks drafted defenseman Jacob Stone 5th overall in S88, then had three first-round picks in S89 to build a solid foundation. With those picks, they selected centres Viktor Jensen (1st overall) and Ronald Johnson MacWilliam (7th overall), as well as winger Savaisk Tzesar (12th overall). Add to that a high S90 first-rounder in defenseman Jebediah Big Ol Doinks in Amish and you have a pretty good core of players from the S88-S90 draft classes. Last season, the Nighthawks were built to contend. They scored a huge prize when they signed forward Yaroslav Bogatyrev in Free Agency, and they brought in arguably the league’s best defenseman, Skor McFleury, too. After failing to make waves last year, though, McFleury’s contract expired and he was shipped to Calgary in a sign-and-trade as he was expected to depart in Free Agency. Yaroslav Trunov, a Malmo-lifer who played five years with the team after being selected 6th overall in S87, found himself sent off to Chicago. The Nighthawks aren’t rebuilding, but perhaps building around their strengths a little. With Henry Eagles and Bogatyrev in the fold, they will surely be competitive again this season. But with McFleury and Trunov out and newcomers Conference Prince-de-Galles (S90) and Phillip Rave (S91) replacing them, the Nighthawks’ lineup appears more focused around that S88-S90 class of players. As they develop - Jensen and Stone are prime candidates to break out this year, and MacWilliam, Tzesar, and Rave are probably not far off - there will be plenty of talent in Malmo peaking as Eagles and Bogatyrev play their final couple of seasons. The Nighthawks feel that’s the right mix. And while they will surely miss McFleury and Trunov, they do have another year of development from their key players, especially Stone and Jensen, coming into S91. So there is no shortage of belief in Malmo that they can contend this year. “I think we’ve got another great group of players in Malmo. We’ve recently found success and I believe bringing back the big players we needed while also getting some help from our new players will drive us forward. The EU conference will be competitive but Malmo should make a name for itself this season,” forecast Malmo GM Christopher James when asked about the upcoming season. Bogatyrev, Eagles, and Jensen will be counted on to lead the offense. Eagles set career highs with 42 goals and 96 points last season, and Bogatyrev completed a seamless transition from Seattle by putting up 40 goals and 82 points of his own. Down the middle, Jensen put up 75 points in 72 games for the best season of his VHL career. With the weapons around him, he’ll surely continue to improve entering his fourth VHL season. The former #1 overall pick continues to flash more and more signs of the dominant player he was expected to develop into at the S89 draft. There’s little doubt that franchise-changing impact is not far away. MacWallace and Tzesar had 34 and 33-point rookie seasons, respectively, but with a full year of development behind them, they’ll feature more prominently in the attack this year, backing up that formidable trio of top-end talent. Entering season five of his VHL career - a common time for VHL players to take a step forward from good to great - defenseman Jacob Stone is Malmo’s stalwart and after posting 69 points, 191 hits, and 175 blocked shots last year, the do-it-all defender is going to be key to Malmo’s efforts this year. Replacing Skor McFleury is a nearly-impossible task, but Stone is a good bet to give it a run. The younger McFleury, Reese, remains on Malmo’s back end and, with Big Ol Doinks in Amish, gives Malmo an effective 2-3 punch - though both will probably need to add some more physicality to their game to continue to grow their defense at the VHL level. Ash Sparks returns between the pipes for another year after going 38-21-5 with an 0.923 SV% and 2.56 GAA (with 3 shutouts) last season. Sparks has been fairly successful since coming to Malmo, sporting an 0.926 SV% over three seasons. The Nighthawks will need quality goaltending in a very competitive European Conference this season, so Sparks will need to be at the top of his game. By and large, Malmo’s season this year will come down to whether or not their young players can step up to the plate and deliver on their promise. This is a team that has the potential to do great things, but they have some difficult losses to overcome on their off-season slate. If the strong collection of young talent assembled here has it in them to, collectively, make up for the departures of McFleury and Trunov, we could see a big year out of the Nighthawks. Rave, for his part, can’t wait to get on the ice. While he won’t play the biggest role in the team’s offense out of the gate, his work ethic has shone through over the off-season and his excitement for the game and desire to make an impact can’t be overstated. “I think we’ve got a great group of guys here, a lot of guys that are hungry to take that next step. Obviously, I never got to play with Skor or with Trunov and those guys are great… Skor is probably on track to the Hall of Fame one day, and you don’t just replace those guys overnight. But man, we’ve got talent here, you know? I know these guys can do it and I know Henry (Eagles) and Boga (Bogatyrev) have a lot left in them. I’m really excited to play with those guys, to get on the ice with this team and show the VHL what we’ve got.” --- 1076 words, for this week & next. @Advantage@Greg_Di@Bojovnik@RJMW@comrade cat@UnkemptCL4PTP@hylands@Spaz@scoop@DarkSpyro@KaleebtheMighty

I was bored today, so we got this done fast lol

Ronan Lavelle - Class of S91 Position: Left Wing Height: 5-foot-11 Weight: 190 lbs. Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland VHL Draft: S82 - 1st round (7th overall) - DC Dragons Username: @Arce Career Awards Dustin Funk Trophy (Most Improved Player) S84 Daisuke Kanou Trophy (Playoff MVP): S85 Mike Szatkowski Trophy (Most Points): S88, S89 Brett Slobodzian Trophy (Most Outstanding Player): S88 Kevin Brooks Trophy (Most Goals): S89 ------------------------------ Continental Cup: S85 - DC Victory Cup: S89 - MOS ------------------------------ First Team All-VHL: S88, S89 Second Team All-VHL: S84, S85, S90 The S82 VHL draft was loaded with talent. It was a deep draft at the time, and it still is when you look back on it: 10 of the first-round picks in S82 eclipsed the 1000 TPE mark, several of those by a huge margin. Not only was it full of talented players, it was loaded with players brought to the VHL by well-known agencies. Ronan Lavelle was a return to the VHL for @Arce after quite a bit of time away from the league. On draft day, he was ranked 15th in the class in TPE. The DC Dragons took the plunge with the #7 pick in the draft, and here, ten seasons later, do they ever look like geniuses for doing so. Growing up a two-sport athlete in Dublin, Lavelle played both soccer and hockey early in his career. He was a bit of a prodigy in hockey, leading to his family moving to Canada seeking a higher level of competition. Lavelle’s career flourished with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires before he committed to the VHL and signed with the Mexico City Kings. What followed next was history. S81 - VHLM (Mexico City) 72 GP | 42 G | 41 A | 83 PTS | 38 PIM | -35 | 345 SOG | 127 HIT | 38 SB Playoffs: 4 GP | 0 G | 4 A | 4 PTS | 2 PIM | -3 | 28 SOG | 8 HIT | 1 SB Lavelle acclimatized quickly to the VHLM, stepping into a big role with the Kings. They weren’t a particularly great team, but Lavelle gave them a chance to win every night with his dynamic offensive play and certainly caught the eyes of VHL scouts. Lavelle finished the season with 42 goals (8th in the VHLM) and 83 points (18th), far and away leading his team in both categories. The Kings finished the season 23-47-2, however, and while they claimed the last playoff spot, they were swept aside quickly by the league’s best team and eventual champion Ottawa Lynx. Lavelle put up 4 points in 4 playoff games, and he would go on to be selected 7th overall by the DC Dragons in the VHL Draft. S82 - VHLE (Geneva) 72 GP | 49 G | 52 A | 101 PTS | 34 PIM | +23 | 483 SOG | 72 HIT | 21 SB Playoffs: Did Not Qualify Lavelle was also selected 9th overall by the Geneva Rush in the VHLE Draft, and headed off to Switzerland to spend a year in the relatively new European league. Here, he gave everyone a glimpse of what was to come, taking his game to even another level over what he showed in Mexico. Lavelle was the best player on the ice most nights and led the E in goals (49), points (101), and shots on goal (483) in a dominant season that saw him capture the league’s MVP award - an award which today bears his own name, the Ronan Lavelle Trophy. Somehow, despite Lavelle’s best efforts, the Rush failed to qualify for the playoffs as their 34-35-3 record came up 13 points short… but Lavelle’s status as a high-end VHL prospect was firmly cemented. S83 - DC Dragons 72 GP | 13 G | 27 A | 40 PTS | 15 PIM | +6 | 206 SOG | 46 HIT | 13 SB Playoffs: 3 GP | 2 G | 1 A | 3 PTS | 0 PIM | -3 | 7 SOG | 1 HIT | 0 SB As a lot of the S82 draft class moved up to the big leagues for S83, Lavelle hoped to hit the ground running with DC. The Dragons were a middling team with a lot of good young talent but little depth, and they offered plenty of opportunity for a young Lavelle, who played all year on the team’s first line and averaged more than 29:30 of ice time per game. However, the success didn’t come immediately and Lavelle struggled his way to a 13 goal, 40 point rookie campaign. Rookie scoring leader The Board Game Clue on Skates more than doubled up on Lavelle’s point total. Then, the Dragons were swept out of the North American Conference wildcard round by the Chicago Phoenix. It was a bit of a rough start to his career, but one that would quickly be erased. S84 - DC Dragons 72 GP | 38 G | 60 A | 98 PTS | 19 PIM | +41 | 447 SOG | 40 HIT | 20 SB Playoffs: 9 GP | 4 G | 6 A | 10 PTS | 0 PIM | -3 | 41 SOG | 7 HIT | 4 SB With another year of improvement from Lavelle, Tui Sova, Bubbles Utonium, and the seismic addition of Duncan Idaho over the off-season, the DC Dragons were a new team in S84, and Lavelle announced himself to the VHL in a big way. Idaho would lead the VHL in scoring in S84 with 122 points, and playing alongside him, Lavelle jumped from 40 points to 98, capturing the Dustin Funk Trophy as the VHL’s Most Improved Player and landing himself inside the league’s top-10 in scoring - a position he would find himself getting used to throughout his career. The Dragons improved from a wildcard team to leading the NA with a 48-19-5 record. Unfortunately, after making quick work of Calgary in the first round, they ran into a Seattle Bears team that had all the answers and went out in five games in the NA Conference Finals. However, the foundation had been laid for success in DC. S85 - DC Dragons 72 GP | 46 G | 52 A | 98 PTS | 96 PIM | +30 | 512 SOG | 275 HIT | 34 SB Playoffs: 18 GP | 12 G | 14 A | 26 PTS | 22 PIM | +9 | 134 SOG | 83 HIT | 12 SB With Idaho gone in S85, Lavelle was officially the star of the show in DC and he came through with another top-10 finish in league scoring (6th), posting his second-straight 98-point season and reaching a career high in goals with 46. Lavelle further incorporated a more physical side to his game - something he had shied away from a bit in his early years - and tallied 275 hits to go along with that offensive production. The Dragons, with a weaker roster and worse regular season record, entered the playoffs as underdogs. But the experience their core players had gained shone through. With Lavelle leading the charge, the Dragons marched through the Vancouver Wolves and Chicago Phoenix to find themselves head-to-head with the Moscow Menace in the finals. They dispatched Moscow in five games, earning Lavelle his first Continental Cup, and the Daisuke Kanou Trophy as Playoff MVP along with it. S86 - DC Dragons 72 GP | 51 G | 43 A | 94 PTS | 121 PIM | +6 | 558 SOG | 304 HIT | 34 SB Playoffs: 7 GP | 9 G | 5 A | 14 PTS | 22 PIM | -2 | 65 SOG | 28 HIT | 3 SB The Dragons found themselves down another superstar in S86 as defenseman Tui Sova would move on, and it left a significant hole on the blueline, but the Dragons found themselves in the mix in the North American Conference once again. Establishing a new career high with 51 goals while adding 304 hits, eclipsing the 90-point mark for a third-straight season, Lavelle did everything in his power to keep the Dragons competitive. He dug in and attempted to drag the Dragons through the first round with a 9-goal, 14-point effort in their playoff series against the Chicago Phoenix, but it wasn’t meant to be; the Phoenix lost in seven games. Despite only playing 7 games, Lavelle finished eighth in the league in playoff goals. With their competitive window seemingly behind them, the Dragons made the difficult decision to move on from their franchise player and start a rebuild. Lavelle was traded to the Moscow Menace for Robert Wilk and a draft pick. S87 - Moscow 72 GP | 40 G | 50 A | 90 PTS | 120 PIM | +6 | 582 SOG | 202 HIT | 48 SB Playoffs: 6 GP | 4 G | 3 A | 7 PTS | 2 PIM | -2 | 41 SOG | 11 HIT | 2 SB Lavelle stepped onto a stacked team in Moscow that featured the likes of Nico Pearce, Tomas Sogaard, Hammar Voss, and AK92 Wit da Hoodie. Unfortunately for them, Lavelle experienced a bit of a lull in production, at least by his own lofty standards. Though he did put up a fourth-straight 90-point season, S87 would mark the second-lowest scoring season of Lavelle’s career. Though favoured on paper heading into a playoff series against Malmo, the Menace couldn’t get on track and were eliminated in six games. Even though the start of the Ronan Lavelle era in Moscow didn’t go quite as planned, there were very good things in store… S88 - Moscow 72 GP | 38 G | 71 A | 109 PTS | 101 PIM | +29 | 497 SOG | 199 HIT | 41 SB Playoffs: 7 GP | 4 G | 7 A | 11 PTS | 2 PIM | -2 | 60 SOG | 18 HIT | 2 SB S88 marked the season where Lavelle would go from one of the best offensive players in the VHL to the best offensive player in the VHL. Playing the role of playmaker to teammate Tomas Sogaard’s sniper, Lavelle reached career highs in assist (71) and points (109), finishing third in assists and capturing the Mike Szatkowski Trophy as the league’s scoring champ. Lavelle was one of just three players to eclipse the 100-point mark, and he helped Sogaard become the league’s only 50-goal scorer (51) on the season. Lavelle would also add the Brett Slobodzian Trophy as the league’s Most Outstanding Player to his trophy case following the season. The Menace entered the post-season eager to wipe last season’s disappointment off the map. Alas, despite 11 points in 7 games from Lavelle, the HC Davos Dynamo would send Moscow to a second-straight early exit. S89 - Moscow 72 GP | 56 G | 59 A | 115 PTS | 125 PIM | +31 | 616 SOG | 202 HIT | 60 SB Playoffs: 6 GP | 4 G | 4 A | 8 PTS | 8 PIM | +0 | 41 SOG | 18 HIT | 7 SB Entering S89, it was now-or-never for the Menace. With two seasons left in Lavelle’s career and the additions of Jason up front, Deron Nesbitt on the blueline, and Clueless Wallob in net, the Menace were loaded up. Lavelle delivered the finest season of a Hall-of-Fame career, setting career highs with 56 goals and 11 5 points. That earned him back-to-back Szatkowski Trophies while also earning him the Kevin Brooks Trophy for leading the league in goals. Although he narrowly missed out on adding Campbell and Szatkowski Trophies to his resume in the brilliant campaign, Lavelle was clearly driving the bus for the VHL’s best team. Moscow went 50-18-4 to capture the Victory Cup, entering the playoffs as heavy favourites against Prague. But the unthinkable happened: the Menace held a 2-1 series lead before seeing the Phantoms win three straight to take series. Moscow outscored Prague 17-16 in the series, but were unable to take home the win. Lavelle put up a team-high 8 points in the series, but it wasn’t enough. After another disappointing post-season, the Menace decided to enter a rebuild of their own, and Lavelle was shipped alongside Sogaard to the Toronto Legion in exchange for Alexander Stroheim, Timothy Swearingen, and three draft picks. S90 - Toronto 72 GP | 40 G | 55 A | 95 PTS | 89 PIM | +26 | 510 SOG | 205 HIT | 53 SB Playoffs: 14 GP | 5 G | 11 A | 16 PTS | 37 PIM | +0 | 74 SOG | 46 HIT | 5 SB Lavelle delivered all that you would expect of him in his final VHL season, bringing every bit of that veteran leadership and high-scoring talent to his new team in Toronto. With 40 goals and 95 points, Lavelle racked up another top-10 finish in the scoring race and a seventh-straight 90-point campaign, something unheard of in recent VHL history. The Legion completed a worst-to-first turnaround in the North American Conference, going from 26-37-9 in S89 to 45-14-13 in S90, and Lavelle led the way as he so often did - he leading his team in scoring for the fifth time in his career. The Legion took a back-and-forth series with the Vancouver Wolves in seven games to book a ticket to the North American Conference finals, where another back-and-forth series with the Los Angeles Stars would see the Legion sent home, ending Lavelle’s historic career. Lavelle led the Legion in playoff scoring, too, adding 16 points in their 14-game playoff run. It was another remarkable accomplishment: Lavelle’s team’s made the playoffs every year of his career, and he never finished a post-season with less than a point-per-game scoring average. It wasn’t a Continental Cup. But Lavelle’s career was, nevertheless, an incredible ride. Career Totals 576 GP | 322 G | 417 A | 739 PTS | 686 PIM | +175 | 3928 SOG | 1473 HIT | 303 SB Playoffs: 70 GP | 44 G | 51 A | 95 PTS | 93 PIM | -3 | 463 SOG | 212 HIT | 37 SB Throughout his career, Lavelle was a dominant offensive force. It’s not to say he wasn’t great at both ends - he certainly was - but his calling card was being a highly consistent, highly productive scoring machine. After a slow rookie season, Lavelle never scored below 38 goals or 90 points in a season. He finishes his career second all-time in points in the VHL’s hybrid attribute era. Lavelle was an immediate sensation in the VHLM and VHLE and quickly became one at the VHL level, too. Although at times his teams failed to get it done in the playoffs, it’s through no fault of Lavelle’s, who can lay claim to a playoff streak spanning his entire career, in which he scored 95 points in 70 games and never had a single post-season run below a point-per-game. He captured 6 individual awards and won back-to-back scoring titles. Lavelle has a legitimate argument for being the greatest player of the VHL’s hybrid era, and his truly brilliant career is now capped off with a very deserving induction into the Hall of Fame.

Phillip Rave - Rookie Experience Rave taking a face-off for the Cologne Express It was near the beginning of an ultimately successful post-season run with the Cologne Express that Phillip Rave got the good news, a phone call from the Malmo Nighthawks organization indicating that he was in the organization's plans for S92. While he kept his focus on his business in the VHLE and the Express would go on to win a Renaissance Cup, there was a weight lifted off of Rave's shoulders when he learned the opportunity to play in the VHL would be awaiting him at the end of next season's training camp. "It validated all the work I put in over the season, for sure," says Rave. "I felt like my game had come a long way. It was nice to know Malmo felt that way about it too. I can't wait to just get out there and prove them right." Rave was selected 17th overall in the S91 draft. A raw and relatively unknown prospect with high upside at the time, Rave's development has gone well over the last season. It seems likely that if the draft were re-done today, he would go in the 10-12 range. In the Nighthawks, Rave joins a team that was one of a cluster of European Conference teams that had established themselves as contenders last year. However, in getting slightly younger this year, the Nighthawks might drop off slightly. Yaroslav Trunov has been shipped to Chicago to make room for Rave coming up, and it seems as though Skor McFleury, an MVP candidate and probably the VHL's best defenseman, will be moving on in S92. Make no mistake, though, the Nighthawks do still have a very good roster, and they are perhaps built to have a longer contention window with the changes to the roster. To that end, Rave's goals - as they were in Cologne last season - are primarly team-oriented. "It's never about the numbers for me. I scored 13 points in 72 games last year but at the end of the day, we won the Renaissance Cup and that's all that matters. Obviously, if I come up to the VHL level and score 13 points in 72 games... that's a different story. That would mean I'm not doing my job, not contributing to helping my team win games. But I'm all about the team success and just taking care of the little things that put us in a position to win games," Rave explains. "I want to win. I've been fortunate to play in the finals both of my years in the VHL system so far, and I don't intend for that to stop next season. That's my goal - to help this team get to the playoffs and go on a playoff run." Though he's a natural centre, it seems unlikely Rave will debut there. With highly-regarded S89 draft picks Viktor Jensen and Ronald Johnson MacWallace III already established down the middle for Malmo, it would seem to make the most sense for Rave to start out on the wing, where he has taken plenty of reps in off-season team activities. While providing a little less space to work with for his power game, Rave is a natural fit on the wing with his nasty shot and hands and will still be able to be a force along the boards and in front of the net. In the long-term, Rave does hope to find a home at his natural position in the VHL - but he will need to develop his face-off skills and his range on the ice. Starting out on the wing will allow Rave to build those skills without the pressure of doing so alongside taking a huge step up in competition.

Very interesting little article - and dang, Eno really set a high bar with Kastelic.

After a season in the VHLE in which Phillip Rave experienced huge team success but minimal individual success, there were some question marks as to whether or not Rave was ready to make the jump to the VHL for S92. With just 13 points in 72 games for Cologne, it was unclear if the step up in competition would be too big or not. A second VHLE season to play a bigger role and build up his confidence seemed to be on the table for Rave based on his level of production. The Malmo Nighthawks, however, recently shipped out forward Yaroslav Trunov to Chicago, opening up a roster spot up front, and through conversation with the team, it certainly sounds as though Rave will be wearing Malmo colours next season. For Rave, this has always been the goal and he feels he has done enough to earn that opportunity. "I didn't play a ton in Cologne last year; we had a deep team and I started a little far down the depth chart, it was what it was. I feel like my game personally came a long way... the stats were never something I was worried about, especially with the success we had, obviously winning a Renaissance Cup. It was a season I'll always remember, for sure, but I feel ready for the VHL. I think I'm capable of playing at that level."

Looks like I'm gonna need a different strategy next year lol