fromtheinside

1. Who do you think will win this year's JST and why is it the Brigade? I think the Brigade were built for success. We have a great balance of players and there's no doubt in my mind we are gonna do some damage in this tournament! 2. What are your build plans for your player? Unitl the meta changes, I will be a meta slave to get the best results for my player. I know it's a hot topic, but if it's proven to be effective, why wouldn't I build that way? 3. What do you expect from the JST? I'm really kind of hoping to get to know some of the newer users in the league. When I was a first gen I took part in the Victory Pro-Am and that was really a turning point for my experience in the VHL at that time. Hopefully I can be a good influence on some of these new people. 4. Do you have a team you wish to be drafted for, if yes why this team? I was joking around in the JST gen chat on draft night that people were letting me slide too low, but that was just for fun. I am happy to have been drafted by Mr. Janser as he is a person I've yet to work with in the VHL before. So far I love what I see from him! 5. Similar to above, do you have a team you have absolutely no wish to play for? Not really, I'm sure there are some annoying people on a few teams, but that shouldn't deter me from ever wanting to be on any particular team. 6. Is there anything Banackock and I could do to make your VHL experience even better? Yes, Janser please tell Bana to set his lineups for fantasy hockey please and thanks Besides that, you are already doing a great job. Keep it up!

claiming week 2 of 2

Review: I like this graphic because it's definitely a change from your prototypical hockey graphic. I like that you used two pictures of The Rock. The one in the forefront is movie actor Rock and its a great render of him, and your incorporation of the Calgary logo on his shirt was a great added touch and looks natural there too. The other Rock that's faded out a bit in the background seems to be from his wrestling days, and it really adds to the piece. Not only does it fill out empty space which is great, but it also adds some charisma to the player Phil "The Rock" Johnson. The background you chose is kinda meh, but it at least isn't distracting to the rest of the graphic. Finally, the font is well-sized and well placed and nice and readable. I think if it were me, I may have filled in the colours on the letting, but that's just personal preference. In all though, this is a great looking piece. Nice work. 8/10

Review: This is a pretty lit graphic if I do say so myself. I love the light/dark colour scheme in the background, it looks super cool and makes the rest of the image stand out a ton. The player render looks amazing, and the logo swap is extremely well done. My only minor gripe is the NHL crest on the collar of the jersey, but it certainly doesn't take away from the overall piece. I love the font and how it's placed. The graphic all ties together really nicely. Great work. 9/10

Through five games versus the Mississauga Hounds, the Marlins have a slight 3-2 series edge heading into Game 6 tonight in San Diego. The feel of the series has shifted as of late though. The Marlins kicked off the best-of-seven with two straight wins on the road in Mississauga. In Game 1, defenseman Nikita Eklund was the catalyst for much of San Diego's offense. Eklund has three assists and also scored a goal of their own for a very impressive four-point showing as the Marlins came out on top 7-5 in a high-scoring affair. Game 2 was more of the same as the Marlins got contributions from up and down the lineup. Johnny Xavier and Maxwell Matthias specifically had strong showings, as each player ended with three points apiece. Headed back to San Diego for Game 3 up 2-0, many had written off the Hounds in this series, but sure enough when their backs were up against the wall, Mississauga delivered. James Teekirque and Vasile Lamb both looked great and had a goal and an assist each in a strong 5-3 win for the Hounds. Game 4 had very different tone. You could tell that both teams understood the importance at what was at stake in this game. Mississauga had a chance to even the series to make it a best-of-three, while the Marlins had a chance to go up 3-1 and be in the driver's seat for the remainder of the series. The defense and goaltending was definitely the best we've seen all series in this game, but it was the Marlins who came out ahead 3-1 after the final whistle blew. Marlins goalie Bubbles Utonium played exceptionally, stopping 28 of 29 shots for a .966 save percentage. On the brink of elimination, the Hounds would go back on home-ice for Game 5, and they did not let their fans down. They doubled up the Marlins 6-3, led by a dominating performance by Vasile Lamb who scored two goals and added two helpers. That brings us to tonight. The series has shifted back to hot and sunny San Diego where the Marlins will look to clinch the series on home ice and move into the final four. Both teams are incredibly deep with talent, so it should be interesting to see who emerges from the matchup as the better team. Catch all the action tonight LIVE at 7PM EST/ 10PM PST on VHLTV LIVE!

NEW YORK AMERICANS PRESS CONFERENCE For Week-Ending of Jan 9 1) We have officially made it to 2022. Congratulations! How has your year gone so far? What did you do on New Year's Eve? Do you have any goals or New Years resolutions for this year? 2) Does your player like to take some time off in the offseason to relax will you be hitting the gym to get those big TPE gains for next season? Also what goals do have for yourself heading into next season? 3) Would you rather fight one hundred duck-sized horses or one horse-sized duck, please explain your answer in detail. 4) Which user in the VHL community have you connected with the most since joining the league? 5) If you woke up tomorrow and found a million dollars sitting next to your bed, what are you gonna do ? 6) I've been addicted to the game Escape From Tarkov recently. What game would you has gotten you most addicted? If you aren't a big gamer, what other hobbies or talents have you sunk a ton of time into in the past?

The following is a transcript of Inside VHL's exclusive interview with veteran defenseman Scotty Kaberle. The Nighthawks recently finished their season with a six point cushion over their rivals, the Moscow Menace. Being that they were first in their conference, they earned some well deserved time to rest while the VHL Wild Card round played out. Yesterday afternoon the Nighthawks held their media availability day and we were able to talk to a number of players on the team. So without further ado, here's our exclusive one-on-one interview with Scotty Kaberle, hope you enjoy it! IV: Hello Mr. Kaberle, thank you so much for being so gracious with your time today. As many of the fans know, the regular season is a long and grueling process. My first question is how is the team feeling heading into your semi-final matchup with the Warsaw Predators, and more specifically, how are YOU doing? SK: Hey, thanks for having me. I'm always happy to make time for the media and talk about the team. The boys are really excited and raring to go. We finished the season on quite the heater and hopefully we can carry some of that juju into the playoffs with us. We caught lightning in a bottle a couple seasons ago when we went all the way, hopefully lightning can strike twice. As for me personally, this time off has really helped me a ton. As a lot of the media and fans know, I'm not getting any younger out there, and I've been battling some wear and tear on my body as late. The extra rest has really made me feel rejuvenated. IV: Glad to hear you are feeling good Kabby. It's been widely speculated across the league over the last couple of months that this could be your last season in the VHL and you intend to hang up the skates after this playoff run. Care to comment? SK: Well, as I alluded to in the last question, I am not getting any younger and over the last couple of seasons I have had my fair share of nagging injuries. I love this game. This game has gave me everything. But I have to think of my life after hockey. I want to be able to get out of bed and play with my kids after I retire. And if I keep piling up these injuries, I could find myself in some serious trouble physically. I can still perform well enough to be a strong asset for my team, but I would rather go out during my prime then cling on too long and become a shell of my former self. So yeah, this playoff run will be the end of the road for me. Malmo is in great hands going forward though, so fans should remain optimistic! IV: Wow, well you've had quite an illustrious career Mr. Kaberle, and you will go down as one of the most beloved blueliners in Malmo's storied history. You mentioned Malmo having a bright future. Elaborate on what you think this team looks like going forward. SK: In the short term, I think our core of forwards is locked up, and that's a good thing because we have some of the most potent scoring in the league. Telk lives and breathes Nighthawks hockey and will continue to lead the way. We got guys like Mourns and Walks who are just entering their primes and will absolutely tear it up for years to come. Back when we won the title a couple of years ago, we had Gunnar Odinsson carrying the offensive load big time. I feel like all these guys can fill those shoes easily. And perhaps the brightest spot in our future is Nate Minion, look at the rookie year that kid is having. How can you not be excited about that? Our defense will definitely need to be shored up a bit and poor Tretiak is on his last legs back in net, god bless his heart. When I came to the team, GM Hylands lead us to the promised land. Now GM Gobeil will do the same for the next generation. IV: Well said! How are you guys preparing for your upcoming series with Warsaw, and have you begun looking beyond the Predators to any potential opponents down the road? SK: I think it would be really disrespectful to overlook Warsaw and look too far ahead. That being said, we obviously want a shot a revenge against Moscow since they were the ones who put us out last season. First and foremost though, we need to handle our business with the Preds. Just like we want revenge on Moscow, Warsaw feels the same way about us since we eliminated them last season. We can't sleep on them, they beat us a few times in the regular season and they are most certainly capable of doing it again. I think the biggest key is shutting down Nasherov. The guy is a monster, and if we can take him out of the equation, our chances of winning go way up. Myself and Juice are going to have to lock his line down. And of course I think over in the NA, Vancouver will still be the team to beat. They are the defending champs and until they are dethroned, they remain the biggest threat out there. I would love to face them in a best-of-seven to see how we stack up with them. IV: I'd have to agree, the Wolves certainly look poised to try for a repeat. Well we had better let you go Mr. Kaberle. I think I can speak on behalf of most of my media colleagues, it's been a pleasure covering your career, all the way from your beginning with the Saskatoon Wild, to San Diego, Toronto, and all the way to Sweden here with the Nighthawks. You've had a great career and no matter what happens in the playoffs, you should look back on your career positively. SK: Cheers! Thanks for the kind words, and to all the VHL fans out there that have supported me throughout my career, thanks a ton. I started off on this adventure as a stray little pup, and I had no idea my career would end up the way it has. I am truly blessed for my great coaches and teammates I've had along the way. It's been real! Thanks for reading another installment of Inside VHL! We will be back next week to review the results of the VHL Semi-Finals. Until then, enjoy the hockey everyone! 1099 words- claiming for 2 weeks

Let's get one last 'ship!

ping me each round pls

I kinda hate that we've gotten to the point where you aren't allowed to have an opinion about anything league-related anymore without someone getting all bent out of shape about it. good lord people.

he leave all the best Al.

AJ I've only known you for a brief time here in the VHL, but in my limited experiences with you, you are a pretty chill dude and one that I enjoy chumming it up with in the community. I think it's great you reached out to get people you knew in real life to get involved in the VHL with you. I think you may have made some mistakes but I also think at some point you had of realized what you were doing wasn't entirely on the up-and-up. And if you didn't know, you really should have. A GM in any of the three leagues should be aware of what's allowed and what isn't. What if a user comes to you on Vegas and says "am I allowed to do X?" In my opinion, you should take the punishment with your head held high, apologize and come back better after the whole experience. Even if you were to lose your GM job, it's not like you can't re-apply for another GM spot in the future. There's always job openings for VHLM GM spots. You're a good dude, don't let this experience ruin your whole outlook on the VHL. Just take your lumps and bounce back strong homie.

from my experiences with you, you seem like a good lad. Every one should get one do-over. This is yours. As long as you've learned from this and it doesn't happen again, you got a fresh slate in my books.

WHEN WILL THE LIES STOP

Nice writeup! It was a great run, one I will always be proud of. But Alex you forgot about a huge piece of the team. Shout out to @hylands for leading us to glory. Couldn't have asked for a better leader to guide us to the promised land. Everyone on that squad are a bunch of beauties!

1. How do you feel about the team now that Scotty and Igor in the locker room now? Well I can only speak for myself, but I am super happy to be part of this team here in San Diego! It feels like we have a great squad here and I'm happy to contribute any way I can! 2. What's your favorite Christmas tradition (or if you don't celebrate it what's your favorite tradition around this time?) So on Dec 23rd and Dec 24th my friends and I always have a board game tournament. It's a marathon of a bunch of different board games, but its a ton of fun. It starts in just a few hours, I can't wait! 3. How are you spending the holiday break? So like I just mentioned, on the 23rd-24th I am over at my best friends moms place, they are like my second family, was always close with them growing up so I am there for a couple days playing board games, watching movies and having Christmas dinner. And then on Christmas day I goto my moms and we just watch movies and have dinner. Then it's back to work on Boxing Day. 4. Are you excited for 2022? I wouldn't say I am excited for it, but it's whatever lol. Kinda feels like I am just going through the motions right now. COVID never seems to wanna just piss off, so there's restrictions at my work again which effects my hours. So yeah everything's kind of just meh. 5. Thoughts on the frontrunners to get Chychrun being the Flames and Bruins? I thought Chychrun was gonna be a stud in fantasy hockey this season. He gets a ton of hits and blocked shots. But it's hard for him to look good playing on the awful Coyotes' team. Hopefully Calgary gets him and not Boston 6. Would you rather play tic tac toe or rock paper scissors to win a million dollars? Great quesiton. Probably rock paper scissiors. It's more random, but there's also a chance to get into your opponent's head mentally. Tic Tac Toe I feel I'd just fuck up somehow.

ALL ABOARD THE PAYNE TRAIN BABYYY

on the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 100 uncapped T-P- EEEEEEEE

Little Fish in the Big Pond: Sundin Arrives to San Diego Eric Larentz- San Diego Chronicle Fresh off their 2-1 victory over the Halifax 21st last night, the San Diego Marlins were enjoying a light practice today at Marlins Arena. Halfway through the practice session, a new face emerged as newly signed rookie center Scotty Sundin joined his Marlins teammates for the first time. The wide-eyed Swedish rookie seemed to take in every bit of his first experience of the VHLM. He could be seen chatting with assistant captain Tavish DeGroot and fellow newcomer Igor Molotov in between drills. The Marlins have won two straight and hope that with the acquistions of Molotov and Sundin that they can ride a big wave of momentum into the playoffs. The Marlins currently sport a record of 29-23-2 and currently hold the fifth seed in the VHL standings with 60 points. They sit three points head of the Philadelphia Reapers, a team who was reportedly also in negotiations with both Sundin and Molotov. Sundin looked sharp during practice, particularly showing off his offensive prowess in the offensive breakout drills. He seemed very puzzled when he saw a player who he thought resembled Colonel Mustard zoom by him towards the end up of practice. The practice officially ended with a penalty shot competition amongst the team. Sundin shook his head in disbelief as he was robbed by goaltender Bubbles Utonium after trying to snipe the puck high glove-hand. While he dominated his collegiate games overseas in Malmo, Sundin will need to evolve his offensive arsenal to find success in the VHLM and beyond. For the new-look Marlins, it will be off to South Beach for a visit with the Marauders before returning home on Thursday for an afternoon matinee with the Mississauga Hounds before heading into their Christmas break. Marlins fans are buzzing about the new signings the team has made and tomorrow they will finally get to see how these new players fit into the big picture!

NEW YORK AMERICANS PRESS CONFERENCE For Week-Ending of Dec 26th 1) If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would you choose to go and why? 2) If you were forced to eliminate one of your senses which would you choose? 3) The season is slowly winding down to the end. Who would you choose as the New York Americans MVP this season? 4) If the league was to make an expansion team, which city do you think should get a team? 5) Last week I asked which team had the best logo in the VHL, this week tell me who has the WORST drip in the league? 6) If you could go into a time machine and teleport to any year in the past or future, what year would you goto and why?

Name: Scotty Sundin Position: Center Height: 6’1 Weight: 225lbs Handedness: Left Nationality: Pros: Faceoffs: Sundin has honed the art of winning draws in a surprisingly short amount of time. At the U of Malmo he started his career as a winger and later converted to center. He slowly got better and better at winning draws. He played in the Hlinka-Gretzky tournament recently and was given a lot of helpful tips on how to win draws from his fellow teammates. During his short time in the VHLM, he has dominated on draws. Slap Shot: In an era where everyone focuses on quick snap shots, Sundin is the last of a dying breed. When he gets given time and space, he can wind up and fire an absolute blast of a shot that’s been measured to top out at 99 mph. Not only is it powerful, it’s also deadly accurate. Defenders will be running out of the way of this shot, unless they want some bruises to show for their bravery! Hockey IQ: Sundin’s ability to read the play quickly has proven to be one of his greatest assets. When Scotty is on the ice, you will rarely see any odd-man rushes going against his team. He has a knack for always getting back on defense and helping his blueliners shut down the opposition. This makes him a reliable two-way forward that can be trusted in all scenarios out on the ice. Cons: Passing: While he is no means a “puckhog” per se, he lacks the vision needed to make elite stretch passes or seam passes. He likes to carry the puck himself a lot of the time, but given how well he shoots the puck, this isn’t always problematic. He has no problem making short to medium passes but don’t expect a ton of creativity when it comes to passing for him. Maturity: Sundin is still a very raw talent. He only has played high level competitive hockey for less than a full calendar year. He plays with his heart on his sleeve but at times his emotions can get the best of him and he loses himself on the ice. He will need to work on that and maintain his composure going forward if he wants to be a good pro. Hopefully Sundin lands on a team that has some good veteran leadership that will take him under their wing. Draft Projection: The S83 Draft is filled with great talent but Sundin should be a lock to go in the first round. Teams like DC and New York are in great shape to take a stab at him, but don’t count out Malmo who would love to gain Sundin as a core piece for their next generation of players. Grades: Shooting- 5/5 Passing- 2.75/5 Stick-Handling- 3.5/5 Skating- 4.5/5 Hockey IQ: 4.5/5 Strength: 3.5/5 Star Potential- 5/5

Scotty Sundin grew up in the Hyllie district of Malmo, Sweden. Malmo is a hockey hotbed, largely thanks to the Malmo Nighthawks and their continued success as a franchise. In past years, the city was flowing with excitement during the Nighthawks multiple championship runs. Sundin watched in awe as his favourite team was able to capture greatness. This inspired him to try and go pro himself. Growing up he played his fair share of travel hockey as a youngster. He was definitely a solid player, but he had never considered hockey as a career until recently. He currently attends Malmo University as a sophomore, where he was going to school for law. Sundin tried out for the Malmo U men’s hockey team at the start of his school year this past fall. Coaches were impressed with his raw skating ability, as well as his high hockey IQ. It was a foregone conclusion that with some coaching, Sundin could be a real asset for the U of Malmo. He started the season on the wing and found immediate success. He eventually lobbied for his coaches to try him out at center. Playing center is a much harder position than playing on the wings. On top of taking faceoffs, centers usually act as a third defensemen at times, and the most elite centers play a full 180 foot game on both sides of the ice. When Sundin made the transition initially, his offense dipped, but he proved to be a very reliable two-way forward, and thanks to that, the coaches trusted him with more and more ice time as the season progressed. In the Sweden National Collegiate Championships, Malmo would go on to defeat Stockholm in the finals, and Sundin would be named tournament MVP. He was blossoming into an elite hockey player at a rapid rate. His play in the tournament got the attention of alot of VHLM scouts who make the trip annually to scout talent in the Scandinavian countries. This past month, Sundin was invited to play for Team Sweden in the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup. Though Sweden had a good showing, they fell to Canada in the finals by a score of 5-4. Sundin was the youngest representative for Sweden on the team, but despite that he still had a very solid tournament, adding five goals and four assists for a total of nine points over the span of six tournament games. The tournament wrapped up last week and that’s when Sundin got the call that would change his life forever. GM Nathan Powers of the San Diego Marlins called Sundin and asked him if he would be interested in playing for the Marlins during their stretch run in the VHLM this season. The team reportedly was looking for a center who could pitch on both offense and defense. After careful deliberation, Sundin decided he was going to make an attempt to go pro. The Malmo community is buzzing about this news as they hope their hometown boy can go on to do great things. Nothing is guaranteed, but time will tell if Sundin can make it as a pro!