tcookie

For a lot of VHL prospects, their foray into the European league is a bit of a culture shock. For Phillip Rave, it's almost like a welcome home.

 

For the last year or so, Rave's hockey career has taken him worlds away from the place he spent most of his life. While Rave has been successful enough in a variety of winter sports to have competed nationally in skiing and speed skating at the junior level, he's hardly spent more than a couple of days in North America. For him, the culture shock was spending a year in San Diego.

 

After a brief stop in Malmo attending Nighthawks' training camp, Rave headed to Cologne today, where he was drafted 9th overall in the most recent VHLE draft. Compared to where the last year has taken him, Rave is pretty much in his own back yard in Cologne. Much of his adolescence was spent on the slopes in Switzerland and Austria, but you can hit Germany within about an hour of his hometown Vaduz, Liechtenstein, if you want to. Cologne is about a six-hour drive.

 

Rave is excited to be back closer to home. "It's been a bit of a whirlwind year and I don't know if I really had time to miss it," he says, "but now that I'm in Cologne it's kind of started to hit me. I've got a lot to take care of to get settled in here and ready for the season, but I'll definitely be making a trip or two back home and I think my friends and family will be able to come watch me play a few times this year, so that's pretty cool. I probably won't get to hit the slopes - I don't know if Malmo or Cologne would appreciate that very much - but I'll definitely be back and it's just a beautiful part of the world, I love it, and I'm happy to be back at least relatively close."

 

With the Express, Rave joins a team hoping to become a dynasty, as they have captured back-to-back Renaissance Cups. "I'm so excited to be here - honestly I think I was picked a little higher than I expected in the VHLE draft to get to come here - they obviously wanted me to be a part of the team and that's awesome. Obviously, they're such a strong team. Back-to-back Cups and you know they'll be in the hunt again this year. I was fortunate to play for a good team in San Diego, unfortunately, we just couldn't get it done in the playoffs but that's where you want to be, right? It's nice to be on a team where that's the expectation, where you know they are going to be competitive and do what it takes to win games. I know my role might not be huge here to start, but I look forward to growing into a bigger role and to helping this team win a third title."

 

Rave's hockey career is likely to take him away from this neck of the woods a little more permanently, one of these days. But for now, he's just happy to be back in a place that's a little more familiar and comfortable. "You know, some guys get drafted out here to play in the VHLE and they take a while to transition and get used to everything. That was me last year in the M and so I'm hoping that... being from the area, I can sort of skip that transition period this year and just get to focusing on hockey. There's a lot I need to work on if I'm going to play in the VHL next year and ultimately, that's the goal."

 

While he's probably going to start the year out as Cologne's third-line centre, don't rule out a rapid ascent up the lineup for Rave this year - after all, just look at what he did as a raw rookie in San Diego one year ago.

1 hour ago, Sjin said:

 Express Press Conference 

Answering three questions gets you 1 Capped TPE

Answering six questions gets you 2 Capped TPE
 

1. Who do you think should be Captain and Alternate Captain's of the Cologne Express this season?

 

2. What are the goals you've set for your player this season?

 

3. What has surprised you the most and least about your player since creating him?

4. Who do you think our biggest rivals will be this season?

 

5. Who is your favourite NHL team and how do you think they are doing this season?

 

6. Who is winning the rocket this season in the NHL?

 

1) I haven't been back/around long enough to know everyone we have here so I'll have some bias towards the guys that were in the Marlins locker room, but I'll say Bennett, White, Marchand

2) I'm not sure how much ice time I'll see especially early on, so I'm not expecting a ton of production. Just happy to be playing on a good team and to contribute where I can. My goals will be more geared towards improvement. Hoping that by season's end I'm close to the VHLE cap and have earned myself a significant role.

3) I didn't expect to step in and be a PPG player on a good team in the VHLM last year - I thought I would have to be playing on a weaker team with a bigger role to get that kind of production. I've been playing pretty well.

4) Looks like Vasteras has a pretty good team.

5) I'm a Jets fan, and I'm not super optimistic at the moment.

6) McDavid, as long as he only misses this next week or two

Over the last couple of days, Phillip Rave's future has been determined as the talented young centre was selected on Thursday with the first pick of the second round, 17th overall, by the VHL's Malmo Nighthawks. Then, on Saturday, Rave went 9th overall to the Cologne Express in the VHLE draft.

 

Cologne won the VHLE championship last season and will be the S91 home of Eric White Jr, a teammate of Rave's in San Diego last year, as well. Fellow S91 draftees Joshua Schwarzer and Theo Allard will be in Cologne, too.

 

"It'll be nice to have a few familiar faces, guys I've played both with and against last season, around as I transition to the next level. I know the E is a place that some guys struggle with especially at first so I think having some guys at a similar stage in their career, some faces that I know, will definitely help out."

 

Rave is looking forward to his new home in Malmo, too. Shortly after the draft, he signed a three-year, $6 million contract with the Nighthawks and is expected to push for a roster spot in S92. The Nighthawks missed the playoffs last year, but there's a solid collection of talent from the S87-on VHL drafts in Malmo, and they should be in a good spot to contend. "I mean, we have a big year ahead of us in Cologne before that - I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. But I had good conversations with the Malmo GM, I'm happy to be there and I think they're excited to have me in the fold, which is always nice. Draft position is just a number - it's what you do after the draft that people remember - and I'm looking forward to showing Malmo they made a great choice."

Today is draft day - there's nothing more for Phillip Rave to do. He has put forth a strong showing (27 points in 24 games so far) in the JST, completed a good rookie year at the VHLM level (74 points in 72 regular season games, 15 points in 11 playoff games) with the San Diego Marlins, gone through the VHL combine, and done interviews with several VHL (and VHLE) teams leading up to the big night. As teams finalize their draft boards and broker deals to jockey for draft position, all any of the players involved can do is watch.

 

As of the week leading up to the draft, Rave was the draft's 17th-ranked prospect by TPE. For most of the season, Rave was projected as an early-second round pick, but being ranked 17th with three goalies ahead of him - goalies can sometimes slip in the draft with how few goaltending spots are available at the VHL level - it's possible that Rave sees himself sneak into the late first-round thanks to a strong effort over the course of the season. Much of that will depend on the impression he left on GMs throughout the interview process.

 

"I had a few good chats with some teams and have an idea of where some of the interest is, but you never know what will happen on draft day," says Rave. "I will be happy to land anywhere I'm picked, just hope to do my best for that team down the road."

 

Rave will likely spend S91 in the VHLE before moving up to the VHL squad that drafts him for S92. Though he spent most of the first 22 years of his life in Europe, Rave is looking forward to at least one more season closer to home before whatever the VHL has in store for him. "Obviously, there are European teams in the VHL, too - so it may not be the last year I play close to home. It would be cool to continue my career in Europe, but I also really enjoyed the experience in San Diego this year and seeing the lifestyle in North America. I think whatever happens I'm just fortunate to be in this position to potentially play professional hockey as a career, so I'm just going to embrace that."

On 10/17/2023 at 8:43 PM, Arce said:

 

San Diego Marlins Press Conference Week of 10/22/2023

 

1. The season obviously did not end the way we wanted it to, how did you feel about being apart of the Marlins this past season?

2. Were you happy with how your player performed this season?

3. What are you looking to improve on your player this offseason?

4. Where will your player end up in S91?

5. The NHL season has just started who is your team?

6. Final thoughts on the S90 Marlins?

 

1) It was a disappointing finish, but it was a very fun season overall.

2) I didn't really expect to be PPG out of the gate and I ended up having a pretty consistent year, a good post-season too even though it didn't work out in the end as far as the team success goes, so I'd say I was pretty happy overall

3) Become a better shooter and two-way player as I get ready to move up to the E. It can be a tough transition but hopefully I can make some sort of impact early on.

4) I'll be spending a season in the VHLE - as of right now, who knows where.

5) A Jets fan, unfortunately. Not sure if there is much direction with that team right now but I guess we'll see how it goes.

6) I mean it kinda sucks any time you have a team that good and don't get the job done in the playoffs, but I had a great time being on the team and there was a lot more good than bad over the course of the season. I'm happy I chose to play in San Diego and am happy for the opportunity!

claiming week 4/4

Game Recap - Miami vs. Mississauga
It was Game 7 of the VHLM Finals as the upstart Miami Marauders took on the Mississauga Hounds, a stacked team hoping to finally bring Mississauga their first VHLM title. A scoreless first period went by as both Red Panda (Mississauga) and David Slezak (Miami) stood tall in net. The Hounds finally broke through at 6:33 of the second period on James MacAvoy's 6th of the postseason. Two and a half minutes later, they extended the lead with a goal by Alexsander Kasanova. Miami's Eno Velvson notched his 9th of the playoffs to bring his team back within one as we headed to the third period with a 2-1 score. In a tightly played defensive game, that didn't change much in the final frame as neither team wanted to make a key mistake. Unfortunately for Miami, about halfway through the frame, they did let an opportunity slip by and Grimgor Ironhide made no mistake to put the Hounds up 3-1 - a scoreline that would hold for the rest of the game, and bring the Founders Cup to Mississauga.

Game Recap - Cologne vs. Rome

In a thrilling Game 7, the Cologne Express captured the S90 Renaissance Cup by defeating the Rome Gladiators by a final score of 4-2. Cologne jumped out to an early lead with goals from Martin Kemp and Sjin while outshooting Rome 15-7 in the opening frame, but the Gladiators would not go down without a fight in such a big game. Swinsola scored early in the 2nd period to cut the lead to 2-1, though Kemp would extend the lead back to 2 just past the halfway point of the game. The Gladiators got an early 3rd period goal as well to continue to make it close. The third period saw plenty of action with 34 shots on goal in total - 23 for Cologne and 11 for Rome as they tried to mount a rally. They could not get a third puck past Clark, however, and Al Land scored the insurance marker with 2 minutes left in the game. It was a strong performance from both goalies named Clark, as Clark (Cologne) made 32 saves on 34 shots while Travis Clark (Rome) made 48 saves on 52.

With his San Diego Marlins squad eliminated from post-season contention, Phillip Rave has turned his attention to preparing for the S91 VHL Entry Draft. Projected to go somewhere around the early-2nd round, Rave hopes to build on the name he's made for himself with a 74-point VHLM campaign (plus 15 points in 11 playoff games) with strong showings in the VHL's prospect events, including the annual combine and the Junior Showcase Tournament.

 

Rave was selected 15th in the Junior Showcase Tournament draft by the Yukon Rush and will head there to begin practicing with his new team for the event, an annual congregation of the top VHLM players attended by many VHL scouts.

 

"It'll be fun, it's a unique event and a great experience. I get to play alongside a lot of guys I have been competing with all season so it's neat in that way. And obviously you want to look good in front of the scouts and hopefully earn your way up in the draft. I'm excited, just want to get back on the ice. Our season in San Diego ended too early," says Rave.

 

Going from San Diego to Yukon will be a big change in pretty much every way off the ice, but this showcase is all about the hockey, says Rave. "It's all the same once you get out there on the ice and that's what this is about. Yukon is a pretty established brand out there that a lot of people feel belong in the VHLM and even going back and forth to practices you notice the fans care here. Hopefully we can bring 'em a JST win."

claiming week 3/4

They were the VHLM's top team all season long, but it's disappointment in San Diego today after the Marlins were unable to get the job done in Game 7 against the Miami Marauders, dropping a close 3-2 decision that allows Miami to advance to the Founders Cup Finals against the Mississauga Hounds.

 

Eric White put up 20 points in 11 games as the Marlins' captain gave his best effort in an attempt to drag his team to back-to-back titles. But while the Marlins frantically tried to come back, trailing 3-2 for the last 11:14 of the game, the Marauders defense stood tall and shut them down. The Marlins managed just 7 shots on goal in the third period.

 

Miami netminder David Slezak stood tall between the pipes all series and currently sports a .915 SV% in the playoffs, while defenseman Lionel Collberg is making himself a case for Playoff MVP with 18 points (second in the playoffs) in 13 games as a defenseman.

 

The Hounds will be favoured in the finals on the strength of their 54-16-2 regular season record (Miami was 39-27-6), but after knocking off the Marlins, the Marauders will be riding a high and this franchise has been historically known to pull off some surprising feats in the post-season. This should be a thrilling final.

12 hours ago, Arce said:

San Diego Marlins Press Conference Week of 10/8/2023

 

1. Weekly check in, how are you feeling about your player’s performance this past week?

2. What were your thoughts on our sweep of the Halifax 21st?

3. What was going through your mind when we went down 2-0 against Miami?

4. Do you still feel confident in your player and the Marlins?

5. What are your thought's on Olober Syko's performance this postseason?

6. Will Mississauga finish off Saskatoon tonight?

 

1) I've been having a pretty good playoff run so far, it's been fun. Hopefully both myself and the team can keep this going.

2) We came out ready to play and didn't take them lightly. It was a great series for the whole team all around.

3) The series isn't over until someone wins 4, just have to stay focused and play like we can.

4) Absolutely, we have a great team. It's going to be tough for anyone to beat us 4 times even if they get a bit of a head start.

5) He's been the best goalie in the M all season and he continues to show it.

6) Nope, I do think they win the series but Saskatoon has been great for the last like 3/4 of the season, just had a slow start. They are a threat to anyone and I think they will push this to 6 or 7 games.

 

Claiming week 2/4

1 hour ago, Lemorse7 said:

miss a red panda gif so Im here to fix it 

perfect, much appreciated

With the S90 regular season in the rearview mirror, some teams shift focus to a playoff run while others - those in the rebuilding state - will instead shift their focus to draft day. The S91 VHL Entry Draft will feature a solid crop of young prospects looking to take the next step in their hockey careers, including a surprisingly large presence from Greenland. Let's take a look at the upcoming draft's top-20 ranked prospects and how they fared during their S90 campaigns.

Notes: TPE counts are as of the week ending September 24th. the "Central Scouting Rank" is just rank by TPE. The "Victory Prospect Network Rank" also mentioned is slightly different ... partially based on earning rates & partially just changed up for fun, because strictly ranking by TPE is kind of boring.

 

@N0HBDY

Central Scouting Rank: 1 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 1

One of the S90 draft's three S91 prospects playing in the VHLE this season, Reingaard found himself buried in the lineup of a very strong team and averaged just a little over 8 minutes of ice time per game. Reingaard finished the season with just 3 goals and 4 points in 72 games, but the fact that a draft-eligible player even managed to get into the Vasteras lineup this season is generally seen as a positive. Reingaard is a good skater who is strong on his skates, has an excellent shot, and has no discernible weaknesses in his game - he has even begun to evolve some face-off ability to potentially play centre at the next level. Reingaard's lack of production should not scare teams off; expect him to hear his name called very early in the S91 draft.

 

@Renomitsu

Central Scouting Rank: 2 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 2

Spanish Moon Moth spent the year with the Bratislava Watchmen and managed to carve out a regular role, finishing up the season with 27 points, 210 shots, and 132 hits. Moth is particularly responsible defensively for a draft-eligible player and used that defensive acumen to fit right in at the VHLE level. Moth has good offensive instincts, but compared to top prospect Reingaard, is a little better defensively but a little worse offensively.

 

@Daniel Janser

Central Scouting Rank: 3 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 3

The big Swiss-born defenseman Callum Gary Yannick Janer is your prototypical old-school defenseman - physical, nasty, and excellent defensively - blending in some mobility that renders him a royal pain in the butt for VHLM forwards to try to get around. Janser's 48 points is a relatively middling total compared to some of the other draft-eligible defensemen that played in this league this year, but that's because it's not Janser's game - he is clearly the most advanced defensive defenseman in this year's draft class; those 48 points were just a bonus. Piling up a whopping 260 hits, no forward wants to be tasked with entering the zone on Janser's side, and his playstyle will surely serve him well at the next level.

 

@FrostBeard

Central Scouting Rank: 4 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 4

Ironhide might not be the top-ranked prospect on this list, but if we were going just based on the draft year they just had, he would certainly be the first player off the board. The 6'8, 250 pound monster left a trail of destruction in his wake at the VHLM level this season, leading the league with 55 goals, 125 points, and 522 shots. Goaltenders were not the only victims Ironhide claimed as he also racked up 203 hits. At the S90 VHLM awards, it's a sure bet that Ironhide will hear his name called a few times.

 

@Zetterberg

Central Scouting Rank: 5 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 5

The second Reingaard on the list, Reingaard is the most offensively gifted of the three defensemen you'll find at the top of this year's draft class. Reingaard is definitely on the small side (5'9 165) but possesses plenty of talent to make up for it. Reingaard's good all-around offensive skills are highlighted by excellent vision that saw him register 65 assists this year. Despite that, he's plenty comfortable in his own end too, posting a +51 rating for the Marlins while also blocking 132 shots. 

 

@McWolf

Central Scouting Rank: 6 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 6

With Janser and Reingaard, Sunset Moth completes the trio of defensemen that will come off the board very early on in this draft. Like Janser, Moth is excellent defensively but not very developed offensively, however, unlike Janser, Moth is pretty small and lacking in physicality. That said, Moth was the only member of the S91 draft class to secure big minutes in the VHLE this season, taking a regular shift in Bratislava's top-4 and tallying 44 points in 72 games to go along with 143 hits and 167 blocked shots.

 

@ROOKIE745

Central Scouting Rank: 7 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 9

Toby Kadachi is a big forward with some fire to his game. You'd like to see a little more focus to his game - Kadachi really his no weaknesses, but no particularly standout strength - perhaps an above average shot is his calling card. What you do have in Kadachi is a big body that isn't afraid to play the game on the edge. If he does continue to develop his skills, Kadachi is a high-upside player who has some qualities that are a little more rare at the VHL level than just your stereotypical two-way scoring forward.

 

@Velevra

Central Scouting Rank: 8 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 8

Schwarzer was lighting up the VHLM with Houston (25 points in 16 games) before the rebuilding Bulls sent him packing to a contender in Saskatoon. While Schwarzer's production declined a little bit after the trade, he benefitted overall from playing with better teammates and more structure in his game, and still fired off 378 shots while putting up 73 points, becoming a key player on a strong playoff team. Schwarzer is a shoot-first guy who has good hockey IQ and defensive ability, though skating and puck handling are areas that he will need to develop in moving up the VHL ladder.

 

@InstantRockstar

Central Scouting Rank: 9 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 11

The Halifax 21st were not a particularly strong team this year, but that was through no fault of Theo Allard's. A lot was asked of Allard, and he delivered, breaking the 100-point barrier while firing 420 shots on net. Allard is a little light for his 6'3 frame but you wouldn't know it watching him protect the puck as he's very difficult to separate from it. He has also become one of the VHLM's premier face-off guys. Allard will need to develop a little more defensively and is notably a bit of a poor distributor of the puck for a #1 centre, but in general, he has a lot of great tools and should be a mid-first round pick.

 

 

@Baozi

Central Scouting Rank: 10 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 12

Mina is a phenomenal skater and perhaps the most offensively-gifted defender in the draft class; a small but absolutely electric player who was asked to do a lot with relatively minimal help for the Kings this year. Piling up 10 goals and 63 points on a team that didn't do nearly as much scoring as the VHLM's powerhouse teams (Mexico scored just 151 goals), Mina will be a high pick just based on that offensive dynamism, but ultimately will need to get stronger and better defensively in order to make a huge impact at the VHL level.

 

 

@Masu Chan

Central Scouting Rank: 11 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 10

Lionel Collberg's offensive numbers are outstanding - 25 goals and 92 points is a remarkable season for anyone at the VHLM level, not just for a defender. Collberg also tallied 239 shots, 160 hits, and 194 blocked shots while playing over 31 minutes a game for the Miami Marauders. Collberg doesn't jump into the play like Mina does which looks a little less flashy but is more conducive to being available to defend if the play goes back the other way. Collberg's game is actually quite reminiscent of fellow Greenlander, and fellow S91 d-man prospect, Leif Reingaard. 

 

@Spartan

Central Scouting Rank: 12 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 7

Syko led the VHLM in wins, goals-against-average, save percentage, and shutouts - a remarkable feat of excellent netminding. The Marlins did a good job keeping Syko's shot totals low, but nevertheless, you have to make the saves and Syko did a phenomenal job of that. Syko actually plays a little smaller in net than a lot of the S91 goalie prospects and that is something that coaches will try to adjust as he transitions to the VHL level down the road, but Syko is disciplined in his style with excellent reflexes and rebound control and the results are self-evident.

 

@Lemorse7

Central Scouting Rank: 13 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 13

The Hounds and Marlins duked it out for first place throughout the VHLM season, and their goaltending situations rhymed as well, with Red Panda coming up slightly behind Syko in most stats but still putting together a clearly dominant campaign between the pipes. Their styles do have some contract to them, as Panda's biggest weakness is rebound control, which may be Syko's biggest strength. Panda does, however, play bigger and more aggressively in net with excellent reflexes, and might be better at making the initial save.

 

@KaleebtheMighty

Central Scouting Rank: 14 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 14

There are a trio of pretty similarly-ranked goaltending prospects in the S91 draft and Vidarsson, the third of the three, comes in as a something of a hybrid of Syko and Panda. Vidarsson's a bit more well-rounded with no glaring weaknesses, yet comes in a touch below Syko in rebound control and a touch below Panda in raw athleticism. Yet another Greenland-born player pushing for a first round selection, this 6'7 222 pound goalie covers a ton of net and had a strong VHLM campaign in his own right with 44 wins and a .907 SV%.

 

@Rin

Central Scouting Rank: 15 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 17

Generally when you see a defender of Kagamine's stature (5'5, 140) you're looking at an offensive dynamo along the lines of #10-ranked prospect Mina. That is absolutely not the case with Kagamine, who plays a very steady and conservative game but is an excellent defensive player. Kagamine uses a good stick and gap control to keep plays to the outside and is surprisingly strong, but will still need to prove that there won't be an issue handling bigger-bodied VHL forwards when they get going in the offensive zone in order to smoothly transition to the next level.

 

 

@Berocka

Central Scouting Rank: 16 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 15

Mattias is an interesting prospect: he's a straight-up sniper and, at this point in time, doesn't have much else of a toolkit surrounding that shot - hence being limited to just 10 goals and 19 points in the VHLM this year on a strong San Diego team. Mattias is not particularly good defensively, nor a good skater or puck-handler. Shooting, though? That he can do. Mattias might even have the best shot in the draft class. This is a player who works hard, though, and there is reason to believe the rest of the game might come around. If it does - especially with the premium placed on goal scoring at the VHL level - you have a darn good player here.

 

@UnknownMinion

Central Scouting Rank: 17 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 18

A number of highly-ranked S91 prospects congreated on the same few contending teams in the VHLM this year. Minion, on the other hand, was more of a big fish in a small pond for the Philadelphia Reapers. He took on every role he could handle and thrived, scoring 49 goals, 103 points, and even posting a +19 rating with 186 shots and 72 blocked shots - numbers that will even make Minion a candidate to get some votes for the VHLM's Best Defensive Forward award this off-season. Minion has undeniable vision and scoring touch, but may need to develop his puck handling to consistently beat defenders at higher levels.

 

@ShawnGlade

Central Scouting Rank: 18 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 19

Tending the nets for the Miami Marauders this year, Slezak may find himself in a bit of an awkward position given the number of highly-ranked goaltenders in this year's draft, but no doubt there is a VHL-calibre goaltending prospect in here. Another of the more balanced netminder types, Slezak posted a .906 SV% and leads Miami into the post-season with some expectation of a playoff run ahead of them.

 

@tcookie

Central Scouting Rank: 19 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 16

Rave is a big-bodied scorer that stepped into a second-line role on the contending Marlins and put up a surprisingly consistent season playing a variety of different roles. He became a reliable face-off man and penalty killer while maintaining a PPG pace right from the season's first game, finishing up with 74 points and 344 shots. Rave has come a long way in his one VHL season to be knocking on the edge of the first round, and if he continues to improve, he could be a sneaky good pick in this range.

 

@SirRupertBarnes

Central Scouting Rank: 20 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 20

With 36 points and a -44 rating, Woodworth's VHLM campaign maybe didn't go quite as smoothly as he or the Kings would have liked, but there is a talented offensive player here with good skating and a good shot that he isn't afraid to use. Woodworth's main weakness is that he has some defensive deficiencies in his game that will need to be addressed if he is to one day earn VHL playing time, but for a projected second-round pick, he's definitely got talent.

 

---

 

2300 words + stats, will use this for 4 weeks

As the regular season comes to a close, the San Diego Marlins finished the year atop the VHLM with 116 points from a 57-13-2 record, despite surprisingly dropping two of their last three games to the Halifax 21st and the Houston Bulls. The Marlins captured the VHLM's regular season crown by 6 points ahead of the Mississauga Hounds (54-16-2) as the two teams were placed first and second all year long.

 

While Mississauga's Grimgor Ironhide ended up leading the league in goals, assists, and points (55-70-125), the Marlins did have some individual seasons worth highlighting. Centre Tyrece the beast finished second in VHLM scoring with 112 points (49 goals, 63 assists) while also finishing third in the league in face-offs (57.59%). Winger and captain Eric White Jr. finished second in the VHLM in goals with 53, adding 51 assists for 104 points total (good for 5th in the league). The dynamic duo provided plenty of offense for the Marlins' top line no matter who they were grouped with.

 

White also finished second in the league with his +59 rating while defenseman Hezeus Ohmontegue-Steinhardt X finished third at +58.

 

Between the pipes, San Diego's Olober Syko turned in a brilliant campaign in which he finished atop the VHLM in pretty much every goaltending category imaginable: wins (57), goals-against-average (1.67), save percentage (.920), and shutouts (11). To some extent, Syko had the Marlins' elite defense to thank for that, but on the other hand, he did lead the league in save percentage regardless, and the gap between Syko and second place in most categories was significant. Impressively, Syko also posted a .900 save percentage on penalty shot and shootout attempts, of which he faced 40 in total over the season. Without a doubt, Syko was the VHLM's best goaltender this year.

 

Other Marlins with notable placements among the VHLM's best this season include defenseman Leif Reingaard, who's 77 points tied him for 5th among VHLM defensemen, and centre Phillip Rave, who finished third in the VHLM in game-winning goals (11) and fifth in face-off percentage (56.74%).

1 hour ago, Arce said:

 

San Diego Marlins Press Conference Week of 10/1/2023

 

1. Weekly check in, how are you feeling about your player’s performance this past week?

2. What do you want to see your player do better?

3. What should the team’s hype song be for the playoffs?

4. What is your favorite tv show to unwind to?

5. How do you feel about our competition heading into the playoffs?

6. What is your favorite elements and why? (Fire, earth, water, air)

 

1) Pretty good, I am impressed with how consistent he has played all year

2) I guess it would be nice to take the scoring up even another level as we get into the playoffs, but I am honestly pretty content

3) Narco by Blasterjaxx and Timmy Trumpet

4) Honestly don't watch a lot of TV - its more YouTube, VODs of streamers I like or something that I watch to unwind - but I do like the various Disney+ Star Wars series ie. Mandalorian, Obi Wan, Ahsoka

5) They are a lot of strong teams out there. I do feel we can beat them if we make sure to bring our best effort every night, but winning a title is definitely not going to be a walk in the park.

6) Water I guess? I like swimming, I like rain, keeps you hydrated, etc. Also it's kinda really powerful which is pretty cool (and kind of scary)

Sporting a league-best 43-8-1 record, the San Diego Marlins continue to gear up for the VHLM playoffs, making two additions to their roster today that figure to be quality depth for a post-season run.

 

The Marlins have added defenseman Vanellope von Schweetz and centre Shut Up Ruutu, two players who are represented by highly-regarded agents in the VHL. Both are eligible for the S92 draft and have the talent to step into the VHLM and make some contributions out of the gate.

 

Ruutu is a small (5'9, 169) offense-first centre from Sweden while von Schweetz is another diminutive (5'5, 150) player, a defender who plays a well-rounded game. Ruutu will probably play a third-line role but could push to be moved up the lineup perhaps to a spot alongside Phillip Rave and Gustav Mattias depending on how his early development goes. von Schweetz is likely to end up as the team's #4 defender in short order. Both players will likely make their VHLM debuts in the next day or two.

 

With depth, especially on the blue line, already being a key strength of the Marlins that has helped propel them to their record thus far, these two additions will serve to fortify the Marlins even further. With 20 games lef in the regular season, expectations remain as high as ever for fans hoping to see a Marlins repeat.

claim for week 2/2 (I assume this is OK even with theme week because of the word count?? sorry if not)

8 hours ago, Arce said:

 

San Diego Marlins Press Conference Week of 9/24/2023

 

1. How do you feel about our latest additions?

2. Do you feel the depth of this team makes us a strong contender for a repeat?

3. Weekly check in, how have you felt about your players performance as of late?

4. What would you like to see improve?

5. Do you follow the NFL? If so, how is your team stacking up so far?

6. Which VHL team is the most appealing based on the city and logo/colors?

 

1) I'm excited, a few big additions that should improve our depth even more!

2) Absolutely, we've had a great year and just made some key additions too.

3) I've been pretty consistent, no really big slumps or really big hot streaks throughout the year. I think I've been able to help provide a stable and consistent second line to back up the big guns on the first line so I'm pretty happy with it.

4) Honestly not much I can ask for - just hope we can keep bringing it come playoff time.

5) I'm a Chargers fan, and they are doing what the Chargers normally do 

6) Strictly considering city/logo/colours and nothing else, Davos & Malmo

In the sports lexicon, usually one would be considered FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY when a lesser-worthy candidate receives some sort of award or recognition ahead of them. It's generally used in an individual context. But in a more macro point of view, can an entire team be FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY? What if a brilliant plan and incredibly talented group of players simply never managed to put things together well enough to get rewarded? In the late S70s, a team was assembled that, by all means, could have done much more. Should have done much more. But, whether it was something just not quite done right by the players themselves, by their management, or perhaps just divine intervention from Simon himself, one potential dynasty turned into an abject failure.

 

The S75 VHL Entry Draft was, by far, the deepest pool of incoming players that the VHL had ever seen. It would ultimately go on for 7 rounds, seeing 112 players selected. Matthew A Sovick Jr. was selected 106th overall and would go on to become the lowest-selected player to ever play VHL games, playing 42 games as a backup for Riga. On draft day, Sovick had earned 120 TPE (four other 7th rounders had also eclipsed the 100 TPE mark). VHL drafts since have tended to have three or four rounds, with 100 TPE players usually being long gone by the final round.

 

In the midst of an impressive playoff streak, the Riga Reign, headed by Hall of Fame GM Benjamin Zeptenbergs, opted to blow up his team and take advantage of the stacked draft class to set his team up for what should have became a fresh six or seven year window to compete for Continental Cups. The Reign ended up with five first rounders, four second rounders, and 19 total picks.

 

The Reign came out of the S75 draft with an embarrassment of riches in the prospect pool. They selected Miami Marauders teammates Cabe McJake and Addison McLaren with the 7th and 8th overall picks, added Dolant Fertitta, Joe Kelly, and Sirkants Klamasteris with their remaining first rounders. While Fertitta and Kelly eventually flamed out, McJake, McLaren, and Klamasteris easily had franchise-player-level talent. In the second round, the Reign unearthed Justin Lose, Linus Zetterstrom, and Artair McCloud - three players who would go on to score a combined 1450 VHL points in 1440 VHL games. Third rounder Isau DaMoose enjoyed a long, successful, point-per-game VHL career of his own. Within the first 38 picks of one single entry draft, Riga had assembled enough high-end talent to fill almost three-quarters of a VHL roster with quality players.

 

A theoretically pretty good haul for the first 38 picks of one single draft, right?

 

The still-rebuilding Reign went 29-38-5 in S75, prior to most of those draft picks even making their VHL debuts. As we entered S76, Riga's top prospects were called up en masse, creating a talented young roster that figured to contend for a playoff spot, even if they were probably not ready to seriously contend. The Reign were a consensus future powerhouse, and the future was about to begin. Expectations were high both in and out of the locker room. When the puck dropped on S76, the HC Davos Dynamo blew Riga out of the water by an 8-3 final score. Then, more losses: 4-3 to Moscow, 7-1 to Seattle, 5-4 to Helsinki ... they continued to pile up. It was an 0-7-1 start to what was supposed to be a promising season. Eventually, things began to stabilize slightly and the Reign put together a strong enough finish to sneak into the final playoff spot in the European Conference with a 32-34-6 record. They would go on to win one playoff game, unceremoniously dumped by Prague as they were outscored 14-7 in the series.

 

But it was early. This was a team of guys with six more years left in their careers - there would be no reason to give up on them now. And with another year of experience behind them, this squad was getting to a point where they could - should - be able to hang with the VHL's best. As if watching cruel reruns of S76, the Reign jumped out of the gates to a record of ... 2-10-1 through 13 games?? After crawling back into the playoff picture by mid-season, the Reign endured a 2-9-2 stretch that sent them back to the bottom of the standings. A traded deadline acquisition of Ray Sheilds brought a little bit of hope, a little bit of success, but the Reign would finish one point out of the playoffs at 29-35-8.

 

Nevertheless, optimism continued. These guys were young. They were far too talented to be this bad for this long - they had to be! It defied logic. S78 began with the same high hopes... this was the year. The puck dropped on S78 and... a familiar, horrible, painful song began to play. Seven games into the season, the Reign were 0-5-2. After fighting back to win 7 of their next 11 games, they embarked on a 2-7-2 stretch that left them 9-15-5... near the bottom of the EU once again. The cracks in Riga's foundation had grown too far to be mended, and Addison McLaren found himself sent off to Toronto shortly afterwards. Eventually, Klamasteris was also moved. The Reign, for no logical reason, missed the playoffs once again. How could we ever have gotten here?

 

The stars of the S79 Riga Reign roster were McJake, DaMoose, McCloud, and Lose up front, with Zetterstrom on the back end. Jolly Greene Giant gave them a #1 defenseman - another S75 pick, acquired in the trade for McLaren. Matt thunder and Jan Hlozek rounded out the big names. It was, once again, a team that was plenty good enough to compete on paper. But the dark cloud hanging over this team was becoming impossible to ignore. In S79, the script played in reverse. Riga won 11 of their first 14 games. They finally made the playoffs, finishing third in the EU at 37-30-5. Instead of digging themselves a hole and being unable to climb out of it, it was a sense of doom cast by a 5-8-2 finish that hung over their playoff hopes. The Reign were outscored 23-14 by Warsaw in a five-game first round series.

 

The Riga Reign team built in the S75 was cursed. It was the only explanation fans could come up with as they started S80 well, then watched their beloved team fall into a 4-13-1 spiral that took them out of the playoff race. The S80 Reign actually won 12 of their last 16 games, but it wasn't enough to overcome the immediately-preceeding 9-game losing skid and they missed the playoffs by 5 points. For all the talent assembled, they could never get out of their own way. Their inconsistency was unparalleled, inevitably falling into 15, 20 game slumps on a yearly basis where they played like the worst team in the league. The S81 Reign, unsurprisingly, missed the playoffs. In his first season in Seattle, Justin Lose would score 72 goals and 142 points in one of the single best seasons in recent VHL history.

 

And then came S82, the final season in the careers of all S75 draftees. By now, the Reign had pretty much cleansed themselves of their cursed S75 class - only DaMoose and Zetterstrom remained. And with the curse mostly exorcised, this is what we got:

 

S82 standings & playoffs

 

S83 standings & playoffs

 

The collection of players and talent assembled in the S75 draft by Riga will go down, on paper, as one of the biggest hauls any team has ever pulled off. And yet, what it took for Riga to return to their place among the league powerhouses... was for them to go away.

 

This team, this core ... they were simply cursed by destiny to be FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY.

 

---

 

My apologies to anyone who was involved in these dark days along with me. I'm sure you didn't want to relive them. It completely boggles my mind that we didn't achieve any success at all.

1300ish words

A little less than 3/4 of the way into Phillip Rave's first VHLM season, things seem to have fallen into place well for the VHL's only Lichtensteiner.

 

Rave's San Diego Marlins squad has exceeded expectations from the get go, having gone on multiple long winning streaks and currently sitting 7 points ahead of Mississauga for 1st place in the VHLM with 2 games in hand. They sport a 41-8-1 record to Mississauga's 37-13-2 record.

 

Rave himself has put up 24 goals, 51 points, 228 shots, 102 hits and ranks 4th in VHLM with a 58.23% on face-offs. He has acclimated beautifully for a player with minimal competitive hockey experience. "It feels good out there right now," says Rave. "There is a great group around me and I have the confidence to make plays without playing scared and that's the key to making an impact."

 

Among Rave's teammates are Leif Reingaard (whose 54 points in 50 games ranks 3rd among VHLM defensemen), Tyrece the beast (whose 81 points in 50 games ranks 2nd among centres and 4th in the league), and Eric White Jr. (whose 75 points puts him 4th among all wingers and 6th in the league). Add in Olober Syko, who pretty much leads the VHLM in goalie stats across the board (41 wins, 1.65 GAA, 0.919 SV%, 8 SO) and it's easy to see why the Marlins have been dominant and helped make Rave's job easy.

 

The key for the team now will be to maintain this level of play heading into the playoffs and, assuming everything goes well once they get there, figure out a gameplan for the Mississauga Hounds. The Hounds have handed San Diego 3 of their 9 losses and would figure to be the biggest obstacle to a Founders Cup run - although the Saskatoon Wild, Las Vegas Aces, and Miami Marauders are all strong teams that could also have something to say about it.