aksuko

Thanks @Minionfor the trade talks!!
 
@aksukoand @Strider, thank you for your brief time with the Red Wolves! I think you’re going to enjoy your new roles in Geneva and have excellent careers there. I’ll be watching and rooting for you both! And remember, the Red Wolves never forget a member of the pack, even if it was only for a short time 🐺

@KaleebtheMightythanks for the four day trade talks it was long and hard but it went by @aksuko 
 @Striderwelcome to the team I will send message to you both shortly 

1. Can't complain, i trust our GM is doing anything he can to win
2. I would bet on Dokis
5. My sense of humor is horrid so i have to say Seymour Butts
7. Hopefully yes, would love to see NHL players on team Finland
8. Mostly Steve Dangle and the hockey guy
9. I'm rooting for Newhook, he's playing well

1. Can't complain, i trust our GM is doing anything he can to win
2. I would bet on Dokis
5. My sense of humor is horrid so i have to say Seymour Butts
7. Hopefully yes, would love to see NHL players on team Finland
8. Mostly Steve Dangle and the hockey guy
9. I'm rooting for Newhook, he's playing well

1. So far so good, we have played well as a team. Personally i have done decent, 1G 6A in 10. Defensively i feel i have been fine
2. Always fun to be the one to end other teams streaks
3. Not sure, maybe Halifax?
4. Avs have been on fire, soon Mackinnon is back so i hope the momentum continues
5. Christmas is always fun, but to be honest, most of all i'm excited for the food
6. Absolutely not

1. I like our chances, we have a good group and i don't see a reason why we wouldn't go far
2. Of course a lot of points would be great, but i'm aiming to improve on a steady pace and trying to do well defensively
3. Don't really have that much of a preference, Seattle would be great
4.  I mean, can't go wrong with pasta
5. Not really anything odd, check the gear and i like to work on my own sticks
6. CCM all the way

GOAT backup

Welcome back @aksuko ❤️
 
Have fun with your new character!

Player Information
Username: aksuko
Player Name: Jarno Lappi
Recruited From: Returning
Age: 21
Position: D
Height: 76 in.
Weight: 230 lbs.
Birthplace: Finland

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Player Information
Username: aksuko
Player Name: Jarno Lappi
Recruited From: Returning
Age: 21
Position: D
Height: 76 in.
Weight: 230 lbs.
Birthplace: Finland

Player Page
@VHLM GM

@aksuko Thank you for your time in Seattle. BEST BACK UP EVER!  

Aksu >> Rara and we always knew it secretly. 

Aksuko > RARA when playing VAN. 
 

And @aksuko well done hanging in V VAN!! Theme week: Best Back Up Goalie award! 😁

HATTY @Da_Berr
HERO @aksuko

S78 WC Team Nordic Roster!
                           Welcome to the team everyone!
F F Aloe Dear Luke Thornton F F Valtteri Vaakanainen Julian Nousiainen F F Venus Thightrap Onde Sandstrom D D Kasper Kankkunen Battre Sandstrom D D Spencer Elsby Linus Zetterstrom G G Zamboni Driver Aksu Maronen  
@Renomitsu @Jtv123 @Jubo @okochastar @BladeMaiden @fonziGG @16z @Acydburn @Spence King @Ledge and Dairy @Tape-to-Tape @aksuko

Everything is pretty much the same as last season but I added a new section called the best duels where I saw highlights of players and/or goaltenders fight it out for the win instead of one player taking over the shootout. Thanks for tuning into another addition of the best shootouts of regular season. Started on Monday and did a few each day to keep it creative and made sure I fixed all my mistakes before posting it, added in a few more things after for the cherry on top.. Hope you all enjoy!
 
--> Best Goaltenders 🥅 
 
 Grekkark Gyrfalcon 
Game 149 - London United vs. Prague Phantoms
Starting off hot with a gigantic blocker save on the first shot and a booming slapshot save downlow with the second, Gyrfalcon stands up for the last shot against a defenseman's dangle and stretches the pads out for an easy toe save which gives his team the sure victory in the shootout.
 
Ajay Krishna
Game 181 - Warsaw Predators vs. Vancouver Wolves
Krishna covers up any empty spaces and stands strong against the Wolves with three straight saves after a Aloe Dear go ahead goal at the beginning of the shootout, thanks to his quick hands using blocker a couple of times and stopping any comeback chance with a fancy glove save.
 
 John Pierre Camus 
Game 367 - Chicago Phoenix vs. New York Americans
Recovering from being outplayed in the first round Camus shows his goaltending abilities stopping a hot shot from Red Lite gloving it on the line and stops another two after that with the stomach, giving plenty of chances for his team to finally score the extra point determining marker.
 
Kevin Malone
Game 397 - Moscow Menace vs. Chicago Phoenix
After getting fueled from getting the lead Malone flashes the leather with a top of the crease glove save leaving him on his butt, stops another with the pads downlow against a quick dangle and easily poke checks the third shot to win the game for his team.
 
Ajay Krishna
Game 514 - Warsaw Predators vs. Seattle Bears
Talk about standing on your head, after totally missing the puck on the first shot we see Krishna turn on beast mode and stops a flaming wrister from the middle of the crease with a kick save, stops the puck on the line with the blocker hand after a fantastic move on the next shot and saves the puck with his helmet in the final round to get his team the win in the shootout.
 
 Aksu Maronen
Game 531 - HC Davos Dynamos vs. Seattle Bears
The only backup goaltender to get a shutout in the shootout this season was Maronen and he did it in style stopping shots against some of the best skaters shootout performers,, using his long legs and staying patient with the puck we see a huge pad stack against the first shooter, smothers the next with a bear hug and slides across the crease to stop the last shot with his toe.
 
 Grekkark Gyrfalcon
Game 542 - Prague Phantoms vs. Los Angeles Stars
He does it again but this time he uses a nasty glove hand to stop any chances from the Stars on all three of their shots in the shootout and secures the win for his team after going ahead on the first shot.
 
--> Best Duels ⚔️ 
 
 LW Ryan Schwarz, D Chicken Wing, G Thadius Sales | G John Pierre Camus, LW Robin Winter 
Game 52 - Chicago Phoenix vs. New York Americans
Starting things out for his team with a tremendous blocker save Sales gives Schwarz a head nod and with a slick move passed an outstretched goaltender, he skips the puck over the leg and just over the line, after the goal he gives a big smile to the whole Phoenix bench. Not getting bother from the other teams gestures Winter strides straight down the middle and backhands it under the goalie for the tie, stepping up after a rough start a tired Pierre Camus locks in and stops three straight shots, two with the glove and hugs another giving his team a chance to win while Sales trades saves with couple of his own, motivating the Americans who end the night with the extra point after a top of the crease slapshot by Wing finds its way through a backed up and butterfly ready Pierre Camus.
 
 RW Onde Sandstrom, D Barron Kruulenstien, C Jivere Zolnek, G Markus Emerson Jr. | D Alex Letang, C Jay Jones, G Stone Wolski
Game 205 - D.C. Dragons vs. Vancouver Wolves
Vancouver starts things out with a Emerson Jr. save after he fumbles the puck but comes up big using his stick swiping it out of the crease, coming off the bench with a ton of relief we see Sandstrom take the puck, stick handles it slowly and snaps a shot top shelf for the go ahead goal, a few rounds go by with Wolski making a couple of pad stacking saves to keep his team in it for the third shot and defender Letang steps up for his shot, takes a few steps and launches a slap shot toward the net, initially the puck is stopped with the pads but it bounces up and under the glove which knocks it into the net for the tying goal bringing the shootout into the sudden death rounds. A few misses and another Wolski glove save later we see both teams score with goals from Zolnek and Jones who both chose to shoot under and over the blocker, the night ends after the Dragons miss their next shot and a confident Kruulenstien decides to keep it original, launching a wrist shot going right toward a ready glove hand, blasting it past the slow reacting goaltender for the win.
 
  G Grekkark Gyrfalcon vs. D Latrell Mitchell, G Thadius Sales 
Game 430 - Prague Phantoms vs. New York Americans
Right from the beginning of the shootout Gyrfalcon and Sales flex hard stopping 6 pucks with their pads downlow, both goaltenders have chuckle going into the fourth final round but it was Sales with the only four straight save effort this season to keep his smile as Gyrfalcon met his match against an unfazed Mitchell skates in close to the goaltender with his shot and evades the poke, keeps it on his forehand and slides the puck in for an easy game winner, flinging it inside the open net.
 
C Pistil Stamen, C Jeffrey Pines, D Roque Davis, G Doug Dimmadome | G Ajay Krishna C Dakota Lamb, RW Lexi Glass
Game 560 - Los Angeles Stars vs. Warsaw Predators
It started off with a few early goals from snipers Pines and Dear scoring snap shots into the netting, right after that Stamen strikes by dangling with speed and dancing it into the net to give his team the lead, during the next shot Dimmadome keeps his team in it with an excellent glove save giving teammate Glass the opportunity to tie it up, she scores a slap shot sparking Krishna to give it his all with the next shot, he closes the legs and the puck stays under him for the save, ending the night with a horrible chance the Predators miss and Davis copies Glass, he shoots a rocket through the five hole to get the lead for the third time in the shootout, Dimmadome with the game in his hands again turns a weak dangle attempt aside and the nail biter ends in the Stars favor.
 
--> Best Goal Scorers 🏒
 
C Phoenix Dawson, RW Gunnar Odinsson, C SS Hornet | RW Lee Xin, LW Robin Winter  
Game 94 - Toronto Legion vs. Chicago Phoenix
Both teams showed up to this contest and almost every player had a trick in the bag. Starting off with the first goal we see Dawson skate down the right lane slowly and when he gets to the bottom of the dot he switches things up by skating to the left side as fast as he could, beating the goaltender and scoring an easy slide in goal to start things off, up next Winter scores a beautiful and well executed dangle down low, shooting it under the blocker with a backhand shot, in the third round Odinsson and Xin blast the puck past the goaltenders at whopping speeds giving zero chance of a save up close but it was Hornet that won the game with an excellent move by skating in, almost stopping and flipping it over a sprawling goalie for the shootout win.
 
 C Valtteri Vaakanainen, RW Patrik Laine
Game 113 - London United vs. Helsinki Titans
Vaakanainen and Laine end the shootout with quick goals and leave no chance for a United comeback, first up we see a fast snapshot that heads upstairs, ringing around the net and the game winner that almost made blooper reel footage had a confused Laine skating in using the wrong stick but gets all the puck with a hard slapshot into a stretched netting.
 
 LW Nicholas Sunderbruch
Game 259 - Malmo Nighthawks vs. Toronto Legion
Sunderbruch ends the shootout with a silenced crowd after he strides in slow, does a 360 and quickly dangles it into the net with a backhand finish, leaving a frustrated Nighthawk to try and tie things up but the goalie easily pokes the puck away and the Legion win the duel.
 
C Pistil Stamen, C John Merrick, LW Jonas Stormsson | RW Gary Rush, RW Patrik Laine
Game 253 - Helsinki Titans vs. Los Angeles Stars
After a few saves from the netminders in the first round, Laine fakes a couple of slap shots and puts the puck through the legs, Stamen responds with a wrist shot upstairs, in the third round Helsinki gets the lead again after Rush quickly moves in and slaps it under the blocker, not giving up a more than ready Merrick ties it up again scoring the fourth straight goal after completely undressing the goaltender with a slow and steady dangle, the one who ends it though was a not so known Stormsson who lifts the puck over a down and out goaltender and into the top of the net.
 
 C Isabella Campbell, C Venus Thightrap
Game 260 - Malmo Nighthawks vs. Seattle Bears
da BeArz come into the shootout with tons of gas left in the tank and they made sure it was empty by the end of the shootout, skating in first, Campbell goes in from the left side and heads to the right, fakes a forehand, backhand shot and she slides it through the five hole, looking at the next shot and the shootout ender, Thightrap comes in with a ton of speed, passes it to her skate, fakes a shot and kicks it back to the stick for a snapshot that gets past the pads of sitting and overworked standing goaltender for an easy extra point.
 
LW Aloe Dear, C Dakota Lamb
Game 280 - D.C. Dragons vs. Warsaw Predators
After re-watching this one we see Dear go in and attempts a wrist shot but gets steered out of route from a high sitting goaltender, making quick adjustments and switching it to the backhand, Aloe chucks the puck into the far side of the net against the butterfly, on the next shot Lamb fakes a backhand shot, lifts the puck over and off the back of the confused goalie to help earn his team another point in the standings.
 
C Paul Atreides
Game 335 - Riga Reign vs. Moscow Menace
Both teams go in with the rubber and completely miss the net with their shots, after a stop from his team on the second shot, Atreides scores a beautiful goal after losing space on the side of the net but reaches his stick past the pads and taps it in just before hitting the goaltender, knocking the net backwards with them in it, after the instant replay, GOAL IS GOOD BEFORE CONTACT!
 
 LW Dominic Gobeil, LW Thomas Landry II, LW John LeClair II
Game 351 - Prague Phantoms vs. Moscow Menace
Sticking to the game plan and defeating the other team without any hesitation, Gobeil, Landry II and LeClair all get the puck across the line with quick hands to beat the back up goaltender who didn't face any breakaway plays during the season until this shootout.
 
RW Lexi Glass
Game 396 - Warsaw Predators vs. D.C. Dragons
Slowly skating in and taking her time, winger Glass waits for a hole to open up and chips the puck toward the five hole, a lucky bouncing puck gets through the legs and over the red line, scoring the only goal and game winner.
 
LW Aloe Dear, C Dakota Lamb
Game 505 - Riga Reign vs. Warsaw Predators
Doing it again with a quick finish in the extra round of hockey, Dear cradles the puck and rips it past a out of position reaching glove with the first puck and Lamb comes in with an even better move, putting the puck through the legs, catching it with the backhand and shooting over the right pad downlow.
 
 LW Rocket
Game 547 - Warsaw Predators vs. HC Davos Dynamo
During this shootout it's a deadlock until we see Rocket step up for his chance to get the lead and he doesn't make any errors while trying to solve the goaltender, switching from a wind up slap shot, dangle downlow and finally chooses to flip it up under the armpit for a beautiful shootout finish.
 
 LW Miles Johnson
Game 562 - HC Davos Dynamo vs. Chicago Phoenix
This time around the starting goaltender gets injured and a fan comes in and fills the spot, he starts things out with a couple of saves against the better shooters on Davos but it was a rookie named Johnson who would be the only scorer after beating the random with a well timed backhander through the standing goaltenders legs to earn his team the extra point versus a better opponent.
 
--> Longest Shootouts ⏲️
 
Los Angeles Stars vs. Prague Phantoms 
Game 105
10 rounds went by during this match and neither goalies were giving up against any of the shooters making 10 saves along the way and showed the crowd their abilities to make quick maneuvers, smart positioning in the crease and an excellent reading of the puck, it started off with momentum on the Phantoms side as Grekkark Gyrfalcon sprawls around to make a couple of saves in the first two rounds and Thomas Landry II scores a goal for his team, things would change after one of the better shooters in Los Angeles ties it up and their goaltender adjusts in net leaving us with a goaltending battle all the way into the 10th round where we see a BOT win the game for the Prague Phantoms.
 
Prague Phantoms vs. Riga Reign
Game 115
It might not be the longest longest but it was an entertaining seven round duel where we saw huge saves and highlight reel goals, to start things off we see a couple of goals from both teams who easily solved the opposition with wrist shots, next up we saw Thomas Landry II bury the puck five hole and a smothering save by Gyrfalcon to give the Phantoms the lead, after that it was Riga's time to shine as Calvin Harvey steps up and robs John LeClair II of any chances with a poke check, DaMoose with a little momentum after the poke we see a forehand backhand top shelf ringer to tie things up, in round four both teams get on the board again, easily skipping the puck past tired netminders but they were the ones to step up and keep it going for the next few rounds making saves against goal scoring threats, at the end of the game it was the Phantoms with enough bench left to take better high percentage shots against the bot players the Reign had left, giving them the victory.
 
Malmo Nighthawks vs. Moscow Menace
Game 200
In the longest shootout of the regular season where we saw eleven rounds, fifteen goals scored, every water bottle empty plus an audience standing until the final buzzer, both teams collide for one of the most exciting sudden deaths to date, seeing it tied up all night not knowing who would win, watching hilarious goaltending blunders and a fair amount of highlight goals from the cast of shooters assembled, a sure memory for MuffBeav, Atreides, Walkers, Newhook, Marsh, Glass, A Nighthawk Bot Defender, Tristan, A Nighthawk Bot Center, Angellini, A Nighthawk Bot Defender Again, Taylor, Kamenov, A Menace Bot Defender and Grapes who ended the night with the fifteenth goal, on the other side of things neither goaltender did very good only making a combined 5 saves along the way.
 
Warsaw Predators vs. Calgary Wranglers
Game 315
Starting with great goaltending and ending with a slew of goals, the Wranglers rise and defeat a shootout threat after 10 rounds, making a huge saves against the leagues best players and getting the lead early in the shootout we see Askarov continue that trend stopping big shots all the way into the ninth round, during this display he gives up a bad goal against a bot but thankfully his team gets a marker right after, he regains composure again and makes a huge flying leg save, stopping the puck from entering the top of the net, after that it was history when depth player Mikey Harris tries a wrist shot attempt and fans on it, sliding with not a lot of speed the puck reaches the crease and the goaltender kicks the puck into the net.
 
@NickSunderbruch @McWolf @tinafrombobsburgers @Doomsday @Banackock @BladeMaiden @BOOM @PatrikLaine @Blazzer @rory @Josh @dlamb @Domg5 @Fire Vigneault @Steve @Kyle @DMaximus @Renomitsu @fonziGG @Spartan @Sharkstrong @solas @WentzKneeFan036 @chikn @Hooperorama @dasboot @Enorama @aksuko @thadthrasher @Sonnet @TTtheT @DollarAndADream @Sixersfan594 @LefLop @Rocket @Midnite @AW13 @Mr_Hatter @G_Rush @Jubo @Toast @Esso2264 @Xflexz
 
2,900+ words without the spoilers

Congrats for winning the greatest phase of all. All your diligent work and commitment are paid off with your win. You have proven everybody wrong.
 
 
 
 
 
@N0HBDY
@Spartan
@Patrik Tallinder
@Mr_Hatter
@OrbitingDeath
@KC15
@Cornholio
@animal74
@HoneyBadger25
@Liberty_Cabbage 
@Vat
@Bojovnik
@HatrickRoy
@Azlan
@LefLop 
@aksuko
@enigmatic 
 
CONGRATULATIONS🎉

Aksu Maronen has accepted a Signing Offer from Seattle:

S78: $1,000,000

Most Valuable Backup

*USA, Canada, Asia, and Team World all post their rosters *
https://youtu.be/ZdBono3HqOE
 
As the saying goes, save the best for last, that is truly what the WJC is doing. Don't tell me after 4 of the 5 teams posted their rosters you forgot about the most important one! That's right folks after about *checks stopwatch* 17 hours since @Zetterbergwas last pestering me to post my roster, while also having not started, the official roster for Team Euorpe is here!
 
With great honor I give to you the front lines of Team Europe, the offensive powerhouse, the forwards!
 
Nils Tallinder-@Patrik Tallinder
Paul Atreides-@Mr_Hatter
Duncan Idaho- @OrbitingDeath
Luc Tessier- @KC15
That Dude- @Cornholio
Druss Deathwalker- @animal74
Griff Machkenzie- @HoneyBadger25
Brussel Sprout- @Liberty_Cabbage
Gustislav Nasherov- @Vat
 
This offensive powerhouse will completely damage other teams, on the scoreboard, and in every possible stat category. How much damage was it again Phil Swift
 
Moving on to our defensive also powerhouse, able to shut down every opportunity, break bones, and support our offense, the defense!
 
Jan Hlozek- @Bojovnik
Rusty Knale- @HatrickRoy
Olof Samuelsson- @Azlan
Barron Krullenstien- @LefLop
 
With all these powerhouses were going to be a powerfactory, but we're still not done!
Finally one of the most important parts of a teams roster, our brick walls, not to be mistaken by USA swiss cheese, the goalies!
 
Aksu Maronen- @aksuko
Aike van Gierbergen- @enigmatic
 
With that the powerfactory is ready to destroy, good luck to all the teams, you'll need it...
 
Players here is the discord link ---> https://discord.gg/79CnFXvu
Fans you are also welcome to join the server and support your favorite team! (which we all know is Europe)
 
Last thing for this I would like to congratulate my Team Europe AGM @Spartanon graduating from college recently!
 
233 words

Rasputin good for 3 games, then Maronen comes in to bails him out. What a comeback boys! The Bears are back baby!

What’s up VHL! The World Juniors is officially finished, and each team has played their hearts out in pursuit of that coveted gold medal. It’s been a wild ride, and there were some crazy and unexpected outcomes during the tournament ! So here we go, onto the S76 WJHC Recap.
 
            With a bang to start the tournament, Team Asia let their presence be known as they bested Canada in a 3-game sweep, and continued to ride their massive hype wave as they steamrolled through the opposition on the way to clinching the top seed. Team Europe, on the other hand, took their time as they started off sleepy and absorbed some tough losses. However, in their final few games, they turned it on to go 4-0 in their last 4 to jump up the standings. The defending champs Team World carried that winning attitude to start the tourney, going 4-1 to begin with but falling off a cliff in their closing matchups. Going into the WJC, Team USA’s squad looked worthy of a championship. Apparently, looks can be deceiving as they couldn’t string together wins and ended up falling short of .500 hockey. Finally, we have Team Canada, who, in contrast to the real life success of the team, usually falls short in the VHL. These Canadians never really found their footing, with a slow start, and although they picked up their game a little down the stretch, they still couldn’t manage to lift themselves from last place.
       Onto the playoffs. In the qualifier, Canada bested USA in a rematch of the bronze medal game last season, where the outcome remained the same. The Canadians moved on to face Asia, who gave them a right spanking to send them back to the third place game. In the other semi final contest, Europe surprised everyone by gutting World in a sweet revenge game from some of the returning, silver-bearing Europeans. Finally, in the gold medal game, Europe continued their playoff sublimity by handing Asia an astounding loss to take home the hardware.

Round Robin
 
Team Asia
GM: KaleebTheMighty
Record: 9-0-1
Place= 1st
 
Talk about a Cinderella story. Team Asia, who has finished last in every single WJC tournament since its inception, goes without losing a game in regulation to take the top seed in the round robin. A big part of it has been the dynamic duo of Javad Kamkar and Frank Funk Jr., who finished 1-2 in round robin scoring. With 19 and 18 points respectively, it’s fair to say that Asia has some serious firepower in their roster. Goaltender Trent Gibson, who had a fantastic season with Houston and continues to backstop Asia wonderfully, has been the backbone of the team. 

 
Team Europe
GM: PatrikLaine
Record: 5-4-1
Place: 2nd
 
In recent seasons, Team Europe has been arguably the most successful team in the WJC. Two seasons ago, they captured gold, and last season, silver. While the giant rising from the rubble that is Team Asia cleaned up the competition for the most part, Europe still managed to do fairly well in their share of games. Unlike some of their competitors, Europe spread out the scoring pretty well. Gunnar Odinsson and 1st overall pick Paul Atreides led the way with 17 points apiece, and Duncan Idaho and defenceman Kristof Welch also chipped in with 16 points each. Aksu Maronen, returning for his second WJC tourney, also kept the Europeans in a lot of close games. With the hunger for yet another medal as their motivation, there isn’t much in the way of this squad.

 
Team World
GM: Bobo
Record: 4-6-0
Place: 3rd
 
While Team World didn’t have a lot of returnees from last season’s champions, they picked up some hot underagers. Reylynn Reinhart stunned the hockey world with her 5 goal game early in the tournament, and remained near the top of the scoring leaderboard for the entirety of her games. Fellow hotshot defenceman Zeedayno Chara also impressed with 18 points, same as Reinhart. One of the sole returnees for Team World, Lenny Sanderson showed his experience playing against his own age with 16 points as well. Barry Taffe also showed promise, posting a .905 save percentage and picking up a shutout. With back to back gold medals on the line, World will have to raise their game if they want to take home the championship.

 
Team USA
GM: Hex Universe
Record: 4-5-1
Place: 4th
 
While the Americans usually dominate the WJC in terms of trash talking and hyping, they find themselves coming up empty in the games itself in the past couple tournaments. They walked into the S77 tournament with some nasty firepower up front, but fell flat in the round robin. With a couple wins here and there, inconsistency sunk their ship. In addition to that, some of their superstars like Red Lite and Hex Rose had disappointing performances. But their depth carried out as Tee Pee E ll got 12 points and Carson Walkers pounded out 10 with 5 goals. Goaltender Michael Olson was their saving grace, putting up a .912 save percentage despite his team’s lackluster defense. However, the Americans can still hold on to the glimmer of hope that Lite and/or Rose steps up in the elimination games to carry them to victory.

 
Team Canada
GM: Domg5
Record: 3-5-2
Place: 5th
 
Sadly, the Canadians continued their trend of, well, sucking in the S77 round robin. They started off the tourney by losing 6 straight games, then had a string of decent luck near the end of their matchups. Phoenix Dawson and Kevin Wu both put up memorable showings, and goalie Tater Tot put up pretty darn good stats considering the circumstances. In the end, looking at last season’s WJC, Canada was down in the dumps before catching fire in the playoffs and securing a medal. Team Canada is down but not out. Not by a long shot.
 
Playoffs
 
Now, it’s playoff time. The seeds have been seeded, and there’s no more safety blanket for any team. It’s do or die, and only the strong will survive.

 
Quarter Finals
Canada vs USA
 
With perennial quarter finalist Asia securing the first seed, Canada and USA are forced to battle it out for the privilege to play them in the semis. Both Canada and USA had underwhelming round robins, so this game is important to the credibility of each country.
A mere 2 minutes into the game, Jivere Zolnek of USA moved it to Breeze Ladrian , who rushed up the ice and feathered it to Walkers, who slapped it past ClapbombsRUs to put USA up 1-0. The rest of the period was relatively quiet, with Canada outshooting USA 14-12. Once again, only 4 minutes into the frame, USA stole the puck, had a passing bonanza involving 4 players, with John Callahan Jr. finishing it off with a booming clapper to give the Americans an insurance goal. At this point, it was looking gloomy for the boys from the North. But it was time for a good ol’ turning point. With Breeze Ladrian boxed for interference, Team Canada pressed relentlessly until Eddie Dams ‘broke the dam’ with a sneaky shot under the blocker of Olson. 
In an almost identical situation 7 minutes later, with Ladrian once again in the box for interference, it was Victor Foles who got the puck past Olson to tie the game up.
Then, with less than a minute remaining in the period, Magnus Verlander ripped a shot right after a faceoff to give USA back the lead.
In the third period, history repeated itself yet again. Joseph Sharkton busted his butt, picked up a loose puck, and stuffed it home to tie it up yet again, 3-3. The rest of the period went, for the most part, quietly.
IT’S OOOOOOOOVERTIME! Canada vs USA in overtime! Right away, Canada exerted their presence with a barrage of shots, which Olson superbly turned away until a fateful moment about ten minutes into overtime. Kevin Wu started it all with a pass pick, which led to the Canadians once again unleashing a bombardment of shots on Olson, with Wu himself breaking the bank with a slick wrister that made a sweet ‘ding’ sound when it ricocheted against the post and in. Canada was moving on!

 
Semi Finals
Asia vs Canada
Europe vs World
 
In the first game of the semi finals, the hottest team of the round robin takes on the underdog who squeaked into this game. Asia comes into this contest having not yet lost a game in regulation, and it would sure be a surprise to most if they dropped this one. 
Early in the game, Asia has Canada pinned in their zone with their stellar offense. Jon Strider picked up a wild shot that went wide and tapped it in to make it 1-0. Two minutes later, Evgeni Shevkov increased the lead with a pinpoint snipe after a blocked shot. Then, in a span of less than a minute, Hulk Hogan Jr. and Brendan Telker each pot one as Canada catapults themselves back into the game. But it would prove to be futile as Asia would seize control of the play from then on.
In the middle of the second, after some back and forth, Strider once again dented the scoresheet with a quick wrister off the faceoff to make it 3-2 for Asia. With seconds left in the frame, Nathan Steele poked the puck through Tater Tot of Canada to give Asia an insurance goal.
In the third, Maksym Jankowski and Strider once again both added markers for Asia within two minutes of each other, completing the 6-2 routing of the Canadians. It was a marquee game for Asia, the first playoff game won by their WJC team. But immediately after the end of the game, they had to focus on their next target milestone: the gold medal.
 
In the second game of the semi finals, it is a rematch from last year’s gold medal game; Europe against World. There is a heated rivalry between these two teams, and tons of history. The tensions will run high.
Less than two minutes into the game, the dam is broken. Phil The Rock Johnson powers into the World zone with purpose, releasing a wicked snapshot that finds mesh over the glove of goaltender Taffe. That goal set the pace for the game. After pressure and constant shots from the Europeans, they struck again, with Atreides collecting a wily shot from Idaho and tucking it in the corner of the net. But Europe wasn’t done yet, oh no. With Chara serving time for roughing, that iconic trio of Atreides-Idaho-Odinsson doing their thing, with Idaho this time picking up an Odinsson slapshot that careened wide and roofing it beside Taffe. Three minutes later, Battre Sandstrom unleashed a rocket from the point that Taffe didn’t even see due to some picture perfect screening by Idaho. When the buzzer sounded to signal the end of the first period, it was 4-0 in favour of the Europeans.
250 seconds into the second period, Odinsson retrieved a dump in for a line change by World, rushed it the length of the ice, only to fire a snapshot off the crossbar. He hustled through 2 World players, grabbed the puck down onto his tape, and took a whack at it as he was felled. It flipped up and over Taffe and into the net. 5-0, Europe. The rest of the period continued in the tilted rink fashion as Europe outshot World 23-2.
Around twelve minutes into the third, after a sensational bunch of stops by Taffe, team
World finally yanked its head out of the ground as Jim Allen snuck the puck underneath the blocker of Maronen to make it 5-1. At this point in the game, there was nearly no hope left for World, and their fate was sealed when Robin Galante Nilsson batted the puck out of the air and into the net merely two minutes after Allen’s marker. Bobo’s squad became desperate as shot after shot were turned away by Maronen, blocked by an astute defenceman, or missing the cage entirely until Peter Louis ll ripped a slapshot through the mes in front of Maronen’s crease to finish off the game at a 6-2 peak. It was a glorious day for European fans and a horrendous one for global ones.

 
Gold Medal Game
Asia vs Europe
 
It all comes down to this, folks. The big kahuna. This is for all the marbles, especially the golden ones. It’s the gold medal game, and there is a lot on the line. Will Asia break yet another record in an absolutely historic WJC run? Or will Europe secure their spot as the winningest WJC team ever?
Aksu Maronen in net for Europe. Trent Gibson in net for Asia. Everything on the line. It’s go time! Shevkov wins the faceoff against Atreides, and the game has begun. 
The play started halfway through the first. Tom Eagles picked up the puck in his own end, and rushed it up the ice only to have his wrister off the wing gloved by Gibson. But now Europe had Asia trapped in their own zone. It was time for the Europeans’ deadly top line to go to work. For forty seconds, Asia was barricaded inside its own end as Europe relentlessly pummeled Gibson with shots. He turned them all away magnificently until Gunnar Odinsson himself snagged the puck off the boards, crept into the slot, and fired a quick snapper between the legs of Trent Gibson. After that fateful moment in time, Europe seized control of the contest and refused to let go. They struck again before the period’s close when Duncan Idaho deflected an Odinsson shot that bounced around the posts before dribbling in. The shots were 20-3 in favour of Europe.
The second period was more of the same. Gibson was once again extremely busy in the crease, turning away shot after shot after shot. At 4:12 into the period, Odinsson etched his name another time on the scoresheet after collecting his own rebound and wrapping it around Gibson for the goal. After Asia tested Maronen for a brief time, Idaho was back at it with a beauty of a bar down slapshot. Following that, time does as time does, which is repeat itself. Guess who, once again, picked up his own rebound and deposited it behind Gibson? Gunnar Odinsson, of course, who completed the gold medal hat trick that would lock him in as tournament MVP. Following the goal, it was a long slog for both teams through the final part of the game. Logan Moore of Asia managed to beat Maronen early in the third, but it was clear from the start which team had come to play. Europe had won the gold medal.
 
 
That wraps up the S76 WJCH Recap presented by VSN! I hope y'all enjoyed reading it, and we'll see you at next season's World Juniors!
 
 
 
Players mentioned: 
 
 

Before I continue on, I would just like to say congratulations to all the other GMs who received GM positions in this season's WJC. I would also like to say congratulations to all the players who will take part in this tournament. I am humbled and honoured to accept the position as the GM for Team Europe.

Another season (almost) in the books means another WJC at hand. I'm very excited to reveal who made the Team Europe roster this time around. Without further ado, here is Team Europe's roster for the S76 WJC!

🇪🇺 FORWARDS 🇪🇺
C - Paul Atreides (@Mr_Hatter)
C - That Dude ( @Cornholio)
LW - Kaladin Kvothe ( @DangerGolding
LW - Pekko Viitanen (@Xdjk93)
RW - Gunnar Odinsson ( @BOOM)
RW - Phil The Rock Johnson ( @Phil)
RW - Duncan Idaho ( @OrbitingDeath )
RW - Druss Deathwalker ( @animal74)
RW - Liam Fischl ( @linsangeles)
 
This forward core certainly packs a punch with a mix of both VHLM and VHL experience. Each of the forwards we've selected has terrific offensive capability and have shown they can play a two-way game. We are very excited to bring in an extremely well-rounded forward core. Down the middle, Atreides and Dude bring a great one-two punch to the table.  A set of Idaho, Deathwalker and Fischl is a terrifying sight for an opposing defense, not to mention The Rock Johnson and a VHLer in Odinsson in front of those three makes our RW spot a position of strength. Down the left side, Kvothe and Viitanen will pack a great two-way style of play with opposing defenses being busy attempting to cover them all.

🇪🇺 DEFENDERS 🇪🇺
D - Battre Sandstrom (@Acydburn )
D - Tom Eagles (@Greg_Di)
D - Kristof Welch (@Juice)
D - Robin Galante Nilsson (@RomanesEuntDomus)

With an intimidating top four featuring a lot of size, skill, experience and physicality, Team Europe's defense group will be tough to tackle for any team. Sandstrom and Eagles at our first pairing will be a lot to handle for opposing offenses with their great play, both in their zone and in their opponents. Welch and Nilsson on the second pairing adds another layer of depth, experience and physicality to this well-oiled machine, capable of sparking offense on their own, and shutting down our opponents.

🇪🇺 GOALTENDERS 🇪🇺
G - Aksu Maronen (@aksuko)
G - Jurgis Kalvelis Blazevicius (@efiug)
 
This goaltending duo brings a mix of agility, strength, speed, stamina and athleticism. We are excited to have both of them joining our roster. Maronen has the raw athleticism and agility needed in a number one netminder. Blazevicius's strength and speed behind him is perfect for a 1A-1B punch in the crease.

To the S76 Team Europe Roster, congratulations to all of you on your selection! I am excited to be able to work with such a great roster of members! A discord link to the WJC will be provided below:

https://discord.gg/V8aQ5PsxWV

Happy to have you all as members of Team Europe. Meet you in the locker room! - PatrikLaine, S76 Team Europe GM (WJC)