MOOSE_

1. With the draft we have a completely new look team. How do you think the draft went for the team? I look forward to working with all of the new guys! I think the draft turned out spectacularly for us and I think we have a real shot at the post-season! 2. Do you have any goals for your player this season? Optimistically, I'm hoping for something close to 30 goals, 45 points. 3. If you could have a goal song for your player, what would it be? I'd probably pick something like Swing by Parkway Drive, heavy stuff for good goals sends chills through crowds in my opinion. 7. What team is your pick to win the Stanley Cup playoffs in the NHL? Did your favourite team make it? As a Ducks fan, I'm rooting for the Panthers. They're my favourite team in the East and I want a team that's never won a cup to raise it this year. Minnesota winning would also be pretty cool in that regard. 8. Favourite food? There's this Korean street food stand where I live and when I say their tteokbokki is to die for, I mean it. When I move away for Uni, I might miss that more than home cooking. 9. Controversial opinion: Pineapple does not belong on pizzas, why or why not? Pineapple is the best pizza topping. It adds explosive flavour to the dish and keeps everything juicy when it needs to be.

Rising prospect Matti Takala had the privilege of having his name called at the VHL entry draft the other week, with the Moscow Menace selecting Takala with the 30th pick of the draft. Takala was more than pleased to join Moscow with their incredible growing young core and numerous other prospects. “The interview that Moscow gave me was something different. I felt it instantly, a connection with the organisation. That is no disrespect to the other organisations that interviewed me, but I felt certain about Moscow.” Takala further spoke on falling down the draft list, from a potential first round pick to a late second. “Yeah, it was tough. I had a lot of things get in the way of my growth recently. It’s all clear now and I intend to give Moscow and whatever VHLM team that drafts me today my 100% effort. I want to make an impact and I want to drive for post-season.” The more we speak with Takala, the more it becomes evident that the words ‘ambition’ and ‘steadfast’ should become synonymous with the Finnish prospect. Nevertheless, Takala seems to be getting back on track to grow at his previously fervent pace. This is definitely a good sign for the young right-winger.

1) Good luck in the future, man! You were super helpful in the learning stage of the VHL, all the best! 2) I'm hoping to hit 20 goals and 35 points! High hopes to get my +/- to -10 instead of -14 too lol. 3) My favourite movie is probably Warrior or Snatch. Warrior is just a good Tom Hardy film and Snatch is a classic, can't go wrong with Brad Pitt. 4) Welcome to the squad Kman! Good to have you, best wishes for you! 5) It's actually coming up on winter in Australia, so I'm excited to have days that won't boil me alive. I'll probably go to the mountains with friends, thought. 6) Powerade is the drink of rugby, so that was always the go-to. Nowadays, I drink more gatorade because I like the way it tastes more. When they bring out the gold powerade, it's unbeatable though. 7) I'm a Ducks fan. Watching the NHL is pain. Praying that all of our prospects turn out to be elite, because I can't watch this team waste John Gibson away for much longer. 8] Just playing with friends is fun enough, but nothing hits more than scoring goals, it pushes adrenaline like nothing else. 9) I'm not too sure about the intricacies of being an AGM, but you've been pretty incredible in my opinions! Just like DMaximus, you helped me through the learning phase really effectively and are just generally a very good presence. Pretty good stuff.

Matti Takala This is a sick idea, top stuff!

https://imgur.com/a/yDnCqvH Had to put it on imgur since my max file size is 8.66kB. Crits appreciated!

goofy edit a friend recommended, crits welcomed.

Matti Takala has been a slow riser in the Season 78 draft, climbing his way up the ranks and with offers from teams beginning to roll in, some wonder how the 18 year old handles his hockey career and essentially still being a kid. A lot of social media users question the lengths that athletes will meet to ensure their goals are met. “is it really ok for a [sic] 18 y/o to be put under that much stress?? when i was 18 i could hardly handle studying for my atar, let alone pro sports. it's no wonder that takala isn't faring so well. he's probably working out of his mind!!” said Twitter user @vhlfromoz. When asking the Philadelphia Reapers RW, he had this to say; “Hockey at this level is very hard. It’s not for everybody, there’s a reason that only select people make it to a higher level. I train daily and put in efforts that some people just cannot. I love it though, and I will do it until I reach the spotlight of the VHL. Everybody deals with things differently, it is human to do that. I play for those who know they cannot. I love the work I do and would not trade it for anything, but I applaud those who traded skates for other work. They are braver than I am." Takala is known to be hardy in nature and very dedicated to being a player who excels in his position and play style. He has previously stated his wishes to be one of the league’s brightest stars. His hard work is paying off, with him having 13 goals and 26 points in 45 VHLM games played. Takala’s career will be an interesting one, with no doubt that his level of play will only fly higher in the nearing future.

1). What has been your most memorable moment with the Reapers so far this season? Most likely the first game. I remember checking the score sheet and seeing my shot count. I distinctly remember thinking "I can actually do things!" It felt good to even have the SOGs, I was ready to turn them into points! 2). Hockey players can be very superstitious. Do you have any superstitions? I'm inclined not to step on any logos, sports related or not. We have a logo at our school and I just can't bring myself to walk through it, even if it'd be quicker. It's just a little thing that irks me. 3). You're called in to shoot in a shoot out. What's your move/deke you'll use to score? Backhand-forehand-backhand. Can't beat a classic like that, it's a beauty (unless you're the goaltender.) It's just a nice looking goal if it's scored, I love it. 4). What's your goal scoring celebration you do when you score? If it's a massive goal, drop to one knee and do the bow and arrow, but if it's just a nice goal, I'll go give taps to my teammates before anything. 5). Hypothetical: if you were attacked by a VHLM team's mascot (resembling their VHLM team name), who do you think you can beat? Maybe the Aces? That'd just be a card so surely they'd be the easiest to beat, right? 6). With about half of the season or so still left to play, do you have any goals for the remaining games? I want to hit 30-35 points and hopefully 16-17 goals. It'd just be a nice thing heading into the Entry Draft and would help my player climb the rankings.

+10 to Matti Takala

When asked by the Philadelphia Reapers to join their organisation, Finnish RW Matti Takala knew the learning curve would be steep but he didn’t fully understand the extent of that learning curve. Coming off a 41 point U20 SM-Liiga season, he had expected to keep that pace or similar in the VHLM. In 30 VHLM games, Takala has a stat line of 10-5--15 with a -15 plus/minus. This has led the goal scoring winger to be frustrated with his performance in Philadelphia, with which he had the following to say to a Finnish news outlet. “The VHLM is in a different league than the U20 program, obviously. I’m playing against men and people who have far more experience than I do as an 18 year old. Even then, I expected to be doing better than I am. I hope to score more and put up more points to improve Philadelphia’s chances at making the playoffs. I’d like to round out my defensive game as well, since that is holding me back from being the best player I can be” Takala is shaping up to be a top 30 prospect for the Season78 VHL draft, with high hopes of being a consistent player in the league, so we can only hope that he achieves what he wishes to become as a player and see his career flourish.

1) What has been your favourite part of the VHL/Community so far? I've been really enjoying the artistic aspect, like getting into editing and honing my writing skills. I think this is probably the first time since year 10 that I've actually used Photoshop and I've been enjoying it a lot! The community is also very supportive which I think is fantastic. 2) After a good win, what's your celebratory meal? Nothing hits after a win quite like chicken parmesan or fettucine. I'm a big pasta person in general, but pasta after wins is just cut from a different cloth. 3) Travelling for games, do you prefer road trips or flying? Road trips! Always road trips! I can sleep on the road, but I'm very scared of heights so I'm always on alert on planes. Road trips also just have a different vibe to them that always makes them more fun than they should be. 4) Who is your favourite NHL player? John Gibson of the Anaheim Ducks. He's the player who got me into hockey and made me an unfortunate Ducks fan. I saw his highlight reel back in 2018 and immediately fell in love with the game, which is difficult to do being from Australia. 5) At the end of this season, players from the VHLM will be drafted by VHL teams in the VHL Entry Draft. Do you have a specific team that you hope drafts you? Since my player is from Finland, I'm hoping that I get drafted by Helsinki to make that Finnish connection, but I'd be happy to be drafted to anybody! I also really like the design of Moscow's logo and think it'd be fun to do work with that, so they're also pretty high on my list, but again, I'll be happy to go wherever I'm drafted! 6) What's your go to shot in hockey? Wrist shot! Maybe not as hard as a slapshot or one timer, but definitely the most accurate! Growing up playing rugby, I was always taught that accuracy was key to any game, so that's why I tend to wrist shots now.