Juice

Thank you @Peacefor the great first start to my career in Toronto! We've talked at length already, but I appreciate all my time being a Legion from beginning to end. And @Enoramalet's get this bread.

ALERT. ALERT. ALERT. @dlamb HAS SECURED A CUP. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

With his third season in the books, with another disappointing season overall for the Toronto Legion, Kristof Welch was spotted in the off-season training harder than ever. At the half-way point of his career, Welch would now be officially labelled as a veteran in the league and would need to take his game to the next level to fully establish that title. Looking back on the road that leads us to where we are today has been quite a rollercoaster. Coming into the VHL with no previous knowledge of the league besides that it's the best in the hockey world, Welch was ready to mark his name down as one of the best up and coming prospects in the S76 draft. With a great season for the Yukon Rush and eventually creating some buzz around the league, Welch eventually became the 5th overall pick for the Toronto Legion. Coming into the league not as skilled as most players, and more importantly as a defenseman, Welch knew he'd have a rough season as a rookie despite being a top pick in the draft. In a sheltered role as the #4 defenseman on the roster, Welch did relatively well putting up a respectable 34 points in 72 games and followed it up the next season almost doubling that total with 65 in 72, but in S78 dwindled down to 57 in 72. Despite these decent numbers, the Legion has struggled overall with two missed post-seasons as well as a 1st round exit. Being a rookie defenseman is quite different than a rookie forward, even if you're in a similar situation as being lower skilled than most in the league. With the more available spots at forward, you don't get much of a chance to really shine with sheltered minutes. I'd be guessing for a lot of defensemen in situations where you're logged jam behind some really talented players, the thought to change your position to forward can cross your mind. However with the chance to be a dominate defenseman in the league in arguably an underrated role (who wouldn't want to be a top tier sniper?), you just need to continue to push through and make a name for yourself eventually. When asked about any tips for new players in the league based on his own experience, Kristof Welch had this to say, "It hasn't been easy, and I wouldn't change that. If you get the struggles right away compared to the middle or late end of your career, I'd feel that that'd hit harder than at the beginning. We've had some heartbreaks here in Toronto for the first 3 seasons of my career, but the way I look at it is that now there's nowhere to go but up. Improve your game and train as hard as you can to be the best you can be, as that's your sole responsibility as a player, and hopefully the best will come out of it." Several seasons after the start of this VHL career, Welch is slowly growing out the shadow of his formerly vastly superior defenseman that was in-front of him and overall is coming into his own as what seems like a great two-way defenseman. (528 words)

Woo congrats @McWolf told you I called it!!!!!!!!!!

Yukon Rush Press Conference (for week ending in 7/11) 1. THE RUSH ARE THE S78 CHAMPS!!! What does your player do to celebrate the win? 2. A major congratulations to @PatrikLaineand the Minnesota Storm who exceeded all expectations in Laine's first season as GM. Any closing remarks for our final opponent? 3. The last time the Rush won the Founder's Cup was S59 back in 2018, over 3 years ago! What were you up to back in the first half of 2018? 4. Currently it's Seattle v. Warsaw in the VHL finals that just has gone underway. Who do you predict to win? 5. What's your go-to nostalgic video-game? And if you don't like video-games, go-to nostalgic book or movie? 6. Controversial Opinion of the Week: I think beaches are a bit overrated. It's nice to chill on them for awhile, but it's unimaginable to me that people can be on them for practically the entire day. The hot sand, the sunburns, the amount of people always around. I'd rather be at a cabin on a lake all day than a beach. Agree or disagree?

@PatrikLaineGG my guy, can't say that I spent the last few days chewing my nails dry as you had me spooked after game 4 and 5, but you should be proud what you and your team did in short time. To all my players, absolutely deserved for the great locker-room that we built and I'm glad we can send most of you off with a cup ring

uwu

A huge congrats! I knew you took recruiting seriously to get that extra TPE, but this is next level!

LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

With the off-season hitting, Legion Defenseman Kristof Welch is taking the time to both ponder his future, but also to not relax too much and instead to further improve on his game. Finishing this last season with a respectable 57 points in 72 games, Welch's career has been relatively solid thus far with point per game average of .72. However, on a struggling Toronto team, Welch's +/- numbers haven't been the greatest and he still hasn't fully broken out the his full potential of being a great two-way defender that he was slated to be from his draft year. But only part way through the playoffs, Welch might be the closest he's been to reaching that level due to something recently seen. Reaching the 700 TPE barrier is something not many players see, and going into his fourth season upcoming Kristof will be well past this barrier, and looking at the total TPE amounts of the defensemen in the league, he has already slid into the top 20 based on TPA as well as only being roughly 50 TPE to enter into the top 10 in the league. With this in mind, he should easily slot in on any top-2 pair on the blueline in the league and hopefully continue his upward trajectory in his career and hopefully hit the next echelon of being a top defender known in the league.

Yukon Rush Press Conference (for week ending in 7/4) 1. The Kings are now golfing it up while the Rush is on to the 2nd Round! Who do you think deserves recognition after our first series for their performance? 2. Well, that also happened. Halifax got bounced out of the playoffs by Houston, despite on paper being the vastly superior team. How surprised are you by this? 3. VHFL has officially ended, how did you end up doing if you participated? And if you haven't, are you likely to try next season? 4. Looking at the team scoring, despite going up against a team that had our number for half our games this season, we ended up with NO players with a negative +/- stat. Do you like this balanced approach roster, or would you rather something a lot more on either end of the spectrum (a lot more offensive, or a lot more defensive)? 5. We're experiencing a huge heat wave in Europe, or at least where I'm at, which means it's the perfect time to vacation! Do you have any summer plans, or have you done anything fun or notable as of yet? 6. Controversial Opinion of the Week: I've had a long argument with my girlfriend about this, and it seems I'm the crazy one. I think anytime it's over +20 degrees (Celsius), it's just awful weather. Your sweat feels sticky, your clothes are just damp and stick to your skin, you have to shower constantly throughout the day just to feel not gross, it's hard to breathe in fresh air as all you get is humid warm air into your lungs, etc. Unless you're specifically travelling and/or at a beach, no one should be happy for that warm of weather. Agree or disagree?

Last claim, claiming for week ending in 7/4

Makes up for my awful predictions @Zetterberg

"My stay in Ottawa is something I will never forget." - AJ Williams The off-season brings both pain and joy. For those that make the playoffs, it's both joyful and adrenaline filling to play the best hockey of their life for the chance at a cup. And for those that miss the playoffs, it can be a painstakingly long period of waiting for the playoffs to end and waiting patiently for the draft to start and the new season to begin. However, for those that play their cards right, they can walk out of the draft after a disappointing season and come away with a player that can change the shape of their franchise. A top prospect that fulfills their development and true potential, and eventually becomes a staple of the team's identity. With the interview we've had setup for today, I would say that we'll be talking with a player of that caliber. AJ Williams (@ajwllmsn), an Ottawa Lynx Right Wing, is a fast skating high scoring forward, and in a short time made a big name for himself as one of the top Lynx players with 56 points in 72 games, and enough to slowly and surely rise up to become a top 10 player in the upcoming VHL draft. Without further ado, let's hop right into the interview we held with this on the rise prospect! ================================================= Heyo AJ, thanks for taking the time to sit down with me for an interview, as I know as a top prospect I'm sure you're a busy fella! I have a few questions for you that I hope you can take the time to answer, as I'm sure the VHL world would love to get to know more about you both on and off the ice before the upcoming drafts! Thank you for having me! I am very excited for this draft and to finally experience what the VHL has to offer. It's my absolute pleasure, it's not often you get to have a chat with an emerging star in the scene. Talking about experiencing the VHL, what are you doing leading up to the draft now that Ottawa unfortunately got knocked out of making the VHLM playoffs? My off-season just started but it has not really been an off-season like normal years. Usually I would take time off and enjoy myself, spend time with my family. But this year with the draft coming up I have been on the ice and in the gym 24/7. I'm extremely excited for the draft and want to make sure I am in top condition when it comes. It sounds like you're taking this big opportunity very seriously! I seen that you even put out a statement that you're committed to making the VHL by the start of next season! In that case if you do make it to the big leagues, how would you summarize your stay in Ottawa? Do you have any words about your teammates and about the Lynx overall? My stay in Ottawa is something I will never forget. Even if we were not a top team in the league, that was some of the most competitive hockey I have ever played and I feel like I grew so much as a player in just one season. Coming into the league there were so many better players than myself, but now I feel as if I can compete with anyone. For my teammates, amazing group of guys. The locker room was always a place that felt like home lead by our captain Bogdan Trunov. The guys were always there for each other and I made a lot of good relationships with those men. The Lynx will always have a place in my heart and I do have to give credit to our GM for picking me up and helping me develop into who I am today. GM Dakota Lamb (@dlamb) knows talent when he sees it, and I'm sure he's more than happy to have had and helped develop what is now seen on most draft boards is a top 3 picking going into the VHLM draft (although your intentions are now known for the VHL), as well as a top 10 pick going into the VHL draft! I think Ottawa will be something you back fondly on and somewhere you can proudly call your first home, and you've been one of the brightest spots of the Season 78 Lynx. With that being said though, a new home is on the horizon with your name going to be spoken relatively soon into the upcoming draft. Is there any particular team you've had your eye on, or even has reached out to your personally yet? The Seattle Bears are the only team who have reached out to me so far. As of right now they are my favourite for that reason. It also helps their case that they have won 5 Continental Cups in the last 10 seasons and are lead by the most winningest GM in VHL history. If I end up on Seattle I would not be mad at all. But I also really do not mind any team I go to, I plan to work hard and play my heart out for any organization that drafts me. Ah, the first team that reaches is always the one that gets my respect, but the draft is a whole other beast that you never know what can happen. I'm excited to see where you end up, as your draft day is going to be one you won't forget! I won't take up much more of your time, but I wanted to ask you one final question. If you could explain to a VHL GM who you are, and your overall goals for your career in a few short sentences, what would that be? I would say that I am hard working, a leader, and loyal player. My plan going into the league isn’t to hop around each super team to win a cup, I want to be a leader and a role model on my team. I want to be someone my teammates can look up to and go to when they need someone. My goals though would definitely be to win a Continental Cup, that’s every kid’s dream I would think. Phenomenally said, and something that I think a lot of GM's will take a personal liking to knowing that you're a loyal guy through and through. We'll be keeping a close eye on you, and I wish you the best of luck in the draft! Thank you very much! Was a pleasure. ================================================= While drafts are as chaotic as can be, as you can never tell who will be chosen where, what trades will go down, and if the player you eventually pick will pan out. However, walking out of this interview has me rooting for AJ to live up to his goal of being both a top pick and a top player in the league eventually, and although he's new on the scene, I know the GM that will eventually take the shot on him will not be disappointed for this high scoring winger. Here is hoping the best for this exciting rookie, and his eventual career in the VHL! (1213 words, claiming for 6/27 and 7/4)

I didn't mean to ghost you ;-; but thanks Smarchy

After considering my options after my latest article and after long talks with management, I will be testing Free Agency with my player in the upcoming off-season. While it wasn't an easy choice, it's a move that I think I need rather than want to take. I've been feeling a bit uneasy and unhappy overall, and I think a change to the routine is what I need, whether that's testing FA and going to another team, or just testing FA and eventually going back to Toronto, it's something I feel that I'd regret if I didn't pursue. Whether or not how it turns out, I just want to give a big shoutout to my teammates in the Toronto LR ( @fromtheinside, @McWolf, @Toast , and @Smarch to name a few) for making the LR a great place as well as being overall great fellas, definitely over the rollercoaster of what happened in this last season. Toronto was one of the teams that heavily, heavily pursued me my draft year and gave me the honour of being a top 5 pick, which as a first-gen player is something that still gives me tremendous pride on. It is something that I will hold close to me as long as I'm in the VHL, and something I won't forget. While the past 3 seasons haven't been the easiest (rebuilding season, first-round knock-out, and another down season), Toronto will always be my first home here regardless on how Free Agency works out. I'm excited to see what happens as this is a whole brand new experience for me, and we'll see if a new chapter opens up in Kristof Welch's career.

Literally getting flashbacks to hiking Grey Mountain after reading your answer

Yukon Rush Press Conference (for week ending in 6/27) 1. The Rush have officially clinched the top of the VHLM standings for S78! What is your go-to way to celebrate winning the first Prime Minister's cup in 15 seasons? 2. With the regular season about over, who is your personal pick for Team MVP for the season and why? 3. Season 2 of the War with San Diego ends in...a tie? With the season series closing in at 4-4, do you have any final remarks for @thadthrasher and his Marlins? 4. Looking at the standings, we're guaranteed to face up against Mexico City. What are your predictions for the series? 5. If you had to pick a single song to listen to for the rest of your life, which would it be? 6. Controversial Opinion of the Week: I absolutely despise the opening day/opening week of a new popular movie that I'm planning to see, and I'll avoid going to see it in theaters for at least 2-3 weeks. The BO and the popcorn crunching all around me, let alone if someone really tall sits in front of me, drives me insane. Agree or disagree?