Deee.Geee

1) Would you rather work 10 hours a week doing something you hate, or 50 doing something you love, for the same pay? Probably 10 hours. The free time you for the rest of week is worth it in my opinion. 2) Who do you think is going to end up winning the Continental Cup? Probably the Bears 3) Do you think VHLM Awards should factor into Hall of Fame chances? I think that would pull focus away from rewarding successes of the season it's recognizing 4) What is your ideal rest day? Morning walk/workout, lunch, nap, then gaming! 5) What is your ideal strength and conditioning day? Different dumbbell exercises, squats, then on the rowing machine 6) What is your favorite event at the All Star game? Love the fastest skate competition 7) Have you ever been to a live hockey match? How many, do you estimate? Probably about 10

1) Which VHLE team are you most excited about? Stockholm's logo is pretty fantastic so it gets my superficial vote 2) What are your thoughts on the VHLE expansion as a whole? Looks like it should help fill an engagement gap for users between the VHLM and the VHL 3) Would you rather GM in the M, the E, or the VHL? Probably in the M, to get my feet wet and see if it's something I'd continue 4) What is your biggest priority in a teammate? Knowing they're doing their best, like everybody else 5) Who do you think is the best player in the league right now? Alex Letang is putting up monster numbers for a defenseman 6) Do you see yourself winning any awards any time soon? Not likely... 7) What is your favorite soup? Ramen probably (not the instant stuff)

1) Who do you view as our biggest rival? Hard to say as a rookie and this season the way it's going. Hopefully one develops next year, organically. 2) Are there any teams you'd want to play for, outside of Helsinki? New York has a lot of history, would be interested in playing for them. 3) What do you think is the best part about a sports rivalry? Nobody takes a night off during those game. 4) Would you prefer to have the league leading defense, or offense? Offense - there's usually a bigger correlation between goals scored and points vs goals allowed. 5) Have you ever given a half time speech to your teammates (or, for hockey, period break)? How did it go? If not, have you ever gotten one? I felt comfortable enough to start doing that last year in my second season in the VHL 6) Do you prefer Macs, Window's PCs, or Linux? Windows 7) What are your favorite non-hockey sports teams, if any? Genoa F.C.

1) Do you prefer to listen to music to hype you up before a game, or calm you down? Definitely to hype me up! 2) What do you think is the strangest hockey tradition? I get why guys always eat the same meal before a match, but I don't. It would drive me crazy. 3) Have you grown up watching hockey, or are just recently getting into it? Been watching since I was a kid 4) What do you think is the easiest position in hockey? Hockey analyst 5) Who do you think is your early prediction for the cup this season? HC Davos is a dark horse to win it 6) Describe your ideal way to score a goal! Pointing at the best-looking fan through the glass 7) What is the worst holiday? Easter

1) Do you have any post game rituals? Light cardio, then dinner! 2) What do you think the most important thing to having a successful career is? Never cutting corners on your development and being positive and friendly with everyone in each organization in you're in. Your reputation always proceeds you, and teams want respectful and mature players. 3) How have you felt about your performance thus far in the season? I recognize it's my first VHL season but I'd love to chip in more on the scoring 4) Have you been keeping up with your Career Tasks? Yup 5) Long or short stick? What do you prefer? Long stick helps with poke checking and defensive work. 6) What is your ideal cross-training activity? D-men put in lots of minutes so cardio is critical 7) Favorite food that you used to hate? Sardines

1) What is your ideal birthday? Quiet evening with all the guilty pleasure foods I can ask for 2) How do you prefer to celebrate a goal? Fist bumping the air, a classic 3) What is better? A shutout, or winning by 2 goals? A win is a win - they're equal! 4) What manner of flying would you choose, if you had to fly? By plane. First class. 5) Rank your top 5 hats of choice? Tuque Baseball cap Flat cap Chef's hat Not fedoras 6) What is the most comforting shape of room to be in? Never ever though of this before, great question. It's got to have corners, round rooms give me anxiety. 7) What color of banana would disgust you the most and why? A brown banana would just look like it was an over-ripe, mushy banana

The off-season between VHLM and VHL seasons is not a quiet period for all players, and Damien Salducci should know. The budding defenseman for the Helsinki Titans finds himself keeping his skills and skates sharpened for an appearance at the World Juniors, his first ever. More over his play time had more than doubled in his now-complete second season in the VHLM, begging the question of where he finds the energy to play literally every month. We spent some time with Damien in-between his preliminary World Junior games. Season GP G A P +/- SHT PIM HIT SB GW PPG SHG 78 (SDM) 72 11 60 71 29 124 80 178 75 3 6 0 77 (MIA) 72 1 17 18 16 20 30 33 28 0 0 0 Totals 144 12 77 89 45 144 110 211 103 3 6 0 How have you wrapped your head around your team coming up short in the playoffs with a second round exist but a large personal achievement in your point totals versus last year? Yea I’d trade all of my points for a cup. It might even be harder knowing how much was taken from us because I got to feel last year how amazing it is to win the cup. Still I am immensely proud of the Marlins, and have nothing but great memories of my year in San Diego. It is a world class franchise. You were just shy of a point-per-game total, what changed in your game versus last year? I’d say it was two things; being trusted to eat up more minutes, get lots of time in even strength and power play settings. You just can’t learn unless you’re in those scenarios, making mistakes and learning from them. The other thing was that my own self-confidence grew. I became a lot more confident in my skin between the season and playoffs in S77, and especially between S77 and S88. I learned to trust my instincts more, which I did less of in my rookie year [laughs]. Do you expect the same offensive output of yourself in your rookie VHL season? I’d be silly to expect anything specific, I think. I mean obviously I want to be a big contributor, but I learned last year that everyone has a different runway to adapt to their new environment. This is like the pinnacle of hockey and I’ve barely even had a sniff of the talent there, but I know it's insane. Training camp is going to be a wild time for me, no doubt. I believe before S78 you said were hoping to be a two-way or offensive defenseman. Do you think you’ll continue with your strong passing game or would you also like to fit more shooting into your skills? Well I am learning that shooting might not be my main skill [laughs], unless we’re talking about setting up tip-ins. I thought that my slapshot would improve, and while it’s better than a year ago I am not sure I am going to be blasting too top shelf beauties from the point. I try not to put myself down too much but it’s important to be realistic! Who knows maybe it becomes easier as I get older. I am also open-minded about whatever role my team wants me to have. What does it mean to represent Europe in the World Juniors? A total honour. You hope it happens but you keep your expectations smart and humble, you know? 527 words

Happy happy birthday w00t w00t

1) What do you think is the easiest point task; podcast, graphic, or media spot? Media spot by far. 2) Do you consider yourself to be talented at graphics? Talented? No. Capable? Maybe. 3) What is your favorite point task contribution you've ever made to the VHL? Junior Review was probably the one I enjoyed the most, getting to start from scratch! 4) How do you feel about Bleu cheese? Don't like it, never liked it. Foul stuff. 5) What, in your opinion, is the best kind of coach? A coach with emotional intelligence, sees his players as humans with good days and bad, mental blocks and insecurities 6) Do you rate individual awards or cups more for HOF chances? It's tough but having a blend of both with a slight edge towards cups I think should give someone more chances. 7) Least favorite city you've ever been to? Probably Albany

Honoured to be selected, thanks!

1. Play-offs are underway! Who do you think is going home with the Trophy? Marlins!!! 2. Are you excited or nervous now that we beat Philly and on our way to the next round? A mix of both, it's what fuels me 3. At what stage of rareness should a steak be cooked to? All answers are valid except for well done, which is the choice of people who like to ruin steak 4. Why is the Sky blue? I am not qualified enough to be the Sky's therapist 5. @thadthrasher and @Juice's duet will be made soon. Excited? I'd like to request "Islands In The Stream" please 6. What did you think of the nail biter first round of our play-offs? I would have loved us to dispatch Philly sooner, but adversity breeds greatness!

1. How are you feeling coming towards the end of our regular season? Pretty darn great, happy with our numbers but now the important part comes up, playoffs!!! 2. We tied with Yukon 4-4 this season... What do you think should be a tie breaker? Duuuuueettt 3. What is your plans for an "End of the Season" extravaganza? No idea but I am open to suggestions! 4. Who is excited for the Play-Offs? This guy! 5. Nicholas Mariani @Mistxh J ended the season as our highest scorer, who is surprised? With his kind of pedigree and the team around him? No surprise here 6. Did you find Waldo? Can I please borrow the Marlins satellite, just for a minute

1. Our feud with @Juice and Yuck-on rages on. How are you feeling about it? Let's hope we can bring it into the playoffs! 2. Who is your favorite player on our team? How can you not love our keeper? 44 wins!! 3. Does your player know how to skateboard? He's Italian, so probably not 4. If your player was famous for something other than playing hockey, what would it be? He'd probably have tried his hand at being a professional soccer player. Hopefully to the same heights as the VHLM/VHL 5. Why was 6 afraid of 7? Because 7 is a 6 offender 6. Where's Waldo? Let's ask the NSA

I like the nod and respect paid to the national colours of France, lots of patriotism there. The Cheese just furthers the homage to the very, very proud country. Gotta deduct a point because the jersey has Swiss cheese instead of a more popular French cheese like Brie, or Blue cheese. Maybe a secondary icon on the shoulders or sleeves? Still, I'd wear this. 8/10

I like the singular focus of black and orange/red, builds a fantastic image that leaves no doubt what kind of mood you're trying to set. Cool logo too! 9/10

1. Are you excited to see what can happen with the VHLE? Huge opportunity for a lot of guys! Really curious and excited to see how things shake out with the new teams. I am also eager to see any new logos! 2. Have you congratulated @Acydburnand @Victor on their new commissioner roles? Not yet! 3. Will you be looking forward to going into the VHLE with your next player? Especially if there's a team in Italy! 4. Are you having negative thoughts toward the new league? Do you think it was necessary? No negative thoughts at all. I am too junior to even begin comprehending how best to manage things, I trust the leadership here. 5. Did you get the chance to vote for teams to be created in the VHLE? There will be 6! I did vote indeed! 6. The newest episode of Inside the Fish Tank is all about the VHLE! Have you listened to it yet? Not yet!

1. What has been your most memorable moment since joining the league? Winning the Founder's Cup in my first year 2. What is your favorite thing to do after a win? Big team dinner with the boys! 3. What do you do to reflect after a loss? Watch tape and consult with the coaches on parts of that game that I can improve on. 4. Are you happy about the selection of Nicholas Mariani ( @Mistxh J) as team captain? He deserves it! 5. How do you feel about the 0-2 record we have with Yukon? We're not far enough into the season yet to worry about our win-loss record against specific teams, I think. Lots of runway to season 78 left. 6. Inside the Fish Tank is back after a small hiatus! Have you had the chance to listen to the latest podcast yet? Not yet!

Damien Salducci Defenseman VHLM Experience: An import from the mountainous north of Italy, Damien Salducci has shown great comfort in the adaptation of his game to North American rink size and game speed. A fourth round pick by the Miami Marauders ahead of the 77th season of the VHLM, Damien found himself joining the Florida-based team for opening night when prior expectations were that he’d be helming the defensive corps for the Junior Marauders. A strong training camp and demonstration of chemistry with his teammates were the early show of talent and drive seen across that season and beyond. The Marauders knew exactly how to develop their junior talent as Damien put together 18 points and a plus/minus of 16 while taking up bottom 4 minutes and penalty kill responsibilities. Not bad for a first year. Season 77 was capped in the best way possible; a championship against the number 1 seeded team, the Mississauga Hounds. Damien rewarded his coaching staff with an increased point per game ratio of 0.40 during the playoffs - a nice tick above his season’s ppg of 0.25. He begins season 78 with the San Diego Marlins, having been acquired in trade in the off-season, and was a first round draft pick by the Helsinki Titans. Strengths Damien has often mentioned players like Drew Doughty and Duncan Keith as his idols growing up, and the influence is becoming more apparent with time as Damien gains confidence and takes bigger chances. · His offensive game has an edge over his defensive game; he is especially strong at starting plays in his zone, whether that means quarterbacking the puck himself or initiating the breakout pass to his forwards. · His breakout skating out of his zone is particularly explosive. His acceleration is probably stronger than his top speed which we don’t expect to reach additional heights, however. · With the top 4 minutes he’s eating as a Marlin we’re beginning to see a new skill at creating tipping. opportunities with careful shots from the point, especially on power plays. Needs the right players in front of the net. · Equally strong defensive game; adept at interrupting plays in his zone and stripping pucks. Weaknesses While he’s expected to fill out a little more in the next few years, there’s no expectation that Damien will be a physical specimen on his own blue line. This could be a concern for a long-term tenure in the VHL. · Lower ceiling to his defensive game compared to his offensive game. · Is sometimes prone to taking bad penalties, expectation is that this reduces as his mental maturity settles in. · Average slap shot strength, may impact his scoring upside from the point. · It’s likely to improve but his shot blocking attempts are sometimes premature or he over-commits. Will have to improve his penalty kill game.

I love the "trippiness" of the background, first of all. Rare type of texture. Also after seeing this post I am realizing we don't see the colour purple enough in the submitted images, so very unique there too. I didn't think I'd like the name in 2 different fonts, but it works really well! 9/10

1. How are you feeling about your current 9-4 record? Very positive. Good to see the fruits of our labour and the team-building of our GM + AGM. 2. Do you think San Diego will get a shot at the Cup this season? If we stay consistent and get into the playoffs, absolutely. What's important is to just get into the playoffs in the first place. 3. Would you be interested in joining our teams Podcast, Inside the Fish Tank? Maybe? My microphone isn't great though 4. Do you have a favorite hockey team? Yup, the Chicago Blackhawks 5. What are you looking forward to the most this season? Just seeing the potential of the Marlins; really seems like we're a great team that can achieve a lot. 6. Are you happy with how your player is doing so far? Absolutely. It's been a huge improvement over last year, I am grateful he's getting top 4 minutes.

Patrick Sharp was one of my favourite Hawks players so already off to a great start! There's a nice simplicity to the font, name, and player pic chosen. Like the above review, this could have been elevated by a correction of the logos and emblems on the jersey, but that's certainly something you can still do. 8/10

A great "less is more" type of graphic. The background compliments the player really well, the colours and the layers don't distract the eye at all. Going so far as to still add the logo despite the cropping was a nice touch of commitment! 9/10

The skates are sharpened, sticks newly-taped, playoff beards shaved, and the eating regime back to salmon over salty snacks. A new season is upon us! We check in with sophomore VHLM and VHL prospect Damien Salducci, who has begun season 78 with 2 new teams in his life with a trade that sent him from Miami and across the country to San Diego with the Marlins. Let’s begin with the draft. You were slated to be a pick in the teens, and then it got very close to seeing you become a high 2nd round pick. Can you share what that felt like? Were you at all disappointed? I am not gonna lie, there’s a part of you that wonders if maybe you did something wrong, but my agent and especially my parents have told me a lot beforehand that what matters is being picked and just getting into the league. I could have been a second or third round pick, what’s important is just having that ticket to the show and impressing the team and doing your best at camp and at the VHLM. Did you think you’d be the pick when the draft got to number 16? Yea I still held my breath. It was still amazing to be picked by Helsinki. The Titans were one of the teams I talked to ahead of the draft, seemed to have gone really well too. Eager to put that jersey one day, plus Finland seems like an amazing country! The pre-season to Season 78 saw a flurry of activity in the VHLM. Trades as part of rebuilds, trades as part of a cup run; they were in force. You were one piece of that as Miami moved you to San Diego for a pile of picks. Was there any doubt you would stay a Marauder for season 78? Well I knew that several Marauders were going to finally join their VHL teams so it wasn’t going to be an exact replica of last year’s lineup, but when my agent called me to say I was shipped to San Diego it did take me by surprise. I was probably too naïve cause I thought I would stay with Miami until I’d get that VHL call. Was San Diego on your list of places to go? Well I didn’t choose my destination but I was super pumped to hear it was them. Great locker room, the rebuild by the GM has been awesome, and yea it seemed like a spot where they could let me have a bigger role on the ice. Four games in and you already have three assists on the board with half as many shots as you had in total last year. Clearly this is going to be a bigger year for you. Have you changed your game now that you’re in the special teams lineup? Yea that’s the biggest adjustment, probably. Being the newbie last year I spent a little time on the PK line, so I am drawing on that, but the power play work has been my focus with the coaching staff. I want to be as strong as possible for the team on the power play. We couldn’t talk to a new San Diego implant without asking about their favourite tacos. What are you ordering each time? [Laughs] Any kind of seafood taco. White fish, fried shrimp, grilled squid, you name it, I am eating it! Thanks Damien. Words: 574

1. What are your thoughts on the latest draft? Looks like we were about to make some steals in the second round, should be a good season with them. 2. How do you think San Diego will do this season? I would suspect that we go deep into the playoffs. It's hard to ignore our depth, I think that'll take us the extra mile to a championship. 3. What are you the most excited about? Being a Marlin! I've seen the enthusiasm of this team both on and off the ice, and it's amazing to be a part of it. Going from sunny Miami to sunny San Diego is also a treat. 4. Is there anything you would like to see in the locker room this season? Beer carts? 5. What does your player need to work on the most? Overall defensive work can see a little boost, as can my strength but otherwise I just want to improve across the board, completely. 6. Does your player have any beef with anyone else in the league? None that I know of!

I am always excited to see your contributions, and this one is no exception. First of all, the attention to detail on the customized jerseys is incredible, adds so much depth to the graphic when you look at it. That you created 3x different designs is a testament to your creativity and patience as well. The text and logos are also killer. 10/10