Vice

And I'm applying because a) Miami, b) to spite @mattyIceman

Two openings in one day?! Something must be in the water!
 
The position of AGM for Las Vegas is open to applications! We're looking for someone who can do the following!
 
 
- Provide the team with weekly press conferences
- Be a positive locker room presence, encouraging more activity and chemistry within the team
- Submit lines when I'm not available
- Be a second voice in trades, draft picks, free agency, and more!
 
 
AGMing in the VHLM is a great starting point for those interested in getting involved in GMing in the VHL! No experience required, just a drive to learn! DM me on the forums or respond to this job listing if you're interested!

It has come to my attention that I have been traded like I am some piece of property.  It's kind of sickening really.  I don't understand how a team would trade me!  The great Gul Dukat!  It's blasphemous really.  I have been tearing up the VHLE just to be shipped away. Well, that is what I felt at first.  Then when I found out I had been traded to the top team of the league, Cologne.  I felt this overwhelming sense of pride.  Of course, the top defensemen should be playing for the top team in the VHLE.  It shouldn't be any other way!  Rome, while it was a very positive experience, will not be free of my takeover of the VHLE.  I have already made them pay and will continue to do so.   No team will be safe as I will continue to elevate Cologne to even higher heights.  It has been a wonderful season for me and now everyone is seeing the true power that I possess.  It will only be a matter of time before everyone cheers my name and wants to erect a statue of the great Gul Dukat.  The only fear I have is if the league decides to suppress my greatness.  I will not let that happen!
--End Personal Log--

Maybe don't take this seriously, or maybe do? But my rebranding topic of this theme week is the rebranding of the minor league system in the VHL: The VHLE and the VHLM. Both leagues have been around for over 10 seasons now. The VHLM being introduced first way back in the first seasons of VHL history. In fact the VHLM is older than the portal and therefore we do not have access to the indexes before S35. The VHLE on the other hand has been around for only a short period of time, entering the history of our league in S80. In my eyes the VHLE was created to hold the influx of players created during Covid, and it served its purpose at first. Many people have been on the fence of this third league since it's creation including myself. I enjoyed my time in the VHLE with my player due to personal success in a Cup and Playoff MVP. Many others who didn't experience this success may have seen their time in the VHLE as a short stint of playing amongst slower TPE earning players while developing towards the VHL. Now don't get me wrong, I am only one person and I can't live out all your player's experiences, but just from word around town I feel like the VHLE is not a hot topic.
 
With that being said, I will of course suggest deleting the VHLE and expanding the VHLM. I feel the VHLE served its purpose and now times have changed. The VHLM went through a struggle bus of players a few seasons ago only to have a banging come back season in S92 from our recruitment team's YouTube ad. Now these players are in or moving up to the VHLE, making the most of it with each other and the rest of their veteran TPE earning team mates. Want to see the stats? I do too, so I looked it up:
 
VHLE: S93/S94 - S90/S91/S92 - S89 and older
 
Cologne: 3-7-5
Vasteras: 5-9-2
Oslo: 5-6-2
Stockholm: 3-5-3
Rome: 5-6-1
Bratislava: 1-4-3
 
Total: 22-37-16
 
VHLM: Rosters (F - D - G)
 
Ottawa: 8-4-1
Halifax: 9-4-1
Las Vegas: 10-3-2
Saskatoon: 7-4-2
Houston: 7-4-1
Philadelphia: 4-3-1
Mexico City: 5-2-1
Mississauga: 6-3-1
Miami: 6-2-1
San Diego: 4-1-1
 
Total: 66-30-12
 
I chose these two stats to show how current VHLE player career lengths look and then also how the state of the current VHLM rosters look. As you can see from the VHLE numbers, per 6 teams, they average just shy of 4 S93/S94 players. This is great and these members are solid earners who are new to the league and will want to work hard for their ice time. Then you see how depth develops as per 6 teams, 6.1 players are in their 2nd to 4th season since creation, which is fair and the length of a normal minor league career. And then per 6 teams, 2.6 players have played 5 or more seasons since creation. I don't see how a league which can be considered to be competitive, but also a league beneath our major league, is averaging player career lengths this long with slow development. It is long in my eyes to have 2 or more players on your team in their 5th+ season while also players in their 2nd-4th seasons are still only earning welfare and practice. Some of these players are IA as well, what's the point of giving them ice time? The VHLM has an inactivity rule that states a player must be released if they have not submitted an update in the last 3 weeks. This is good and how we should treat all underdeveloped players. With this here is my expansion idea.
 
The VHLM with 10 teams averages 6 forwards, 3 defenders, and 1 goalie per team. This is bare minimum and I can tell you from personal experience GMing the Houston Bulls last season that being on a minor league team with a full roster is a lot more fun. I would keep the TPE Cap at 400 TPE and I would also allow players who only want to play 8 seasons in the VHL to bank after 400 TPE, even for the few that pass it before the cutoff date. This would result in the VHLE players coming back down to the VHLM and the first order of business would be to release/retire the IA players. I think it would be fair to extend the TPE IA rule to 4 weeks from 3 weeks. If you are not checking the forum/portal to submit an update at least once a month then you are not going to see success with your player. I would also like to keep the 4 seasons of play maximum rule, players should only be allowed 4 seasons in the minors before they either graduate to the VHL or become IA/retire. The point of the minor leagues is to push players to the VHL, this comes from having life on teams and pushing each other to explore and grow more for their player. Having maximum potential rosters with the VHLE players (including all players even IAs) joining would result in the current VHLM roster averages changing from 6.6-3-1.2 to 11.2-5.2-1.9:
 
VHLE: Rosters (F - D - G)
Cologne: 8-6-1
Vasteras: 10-4-2
Oslo: 8-4-1
Stockholm: 7-3-1
Rome: 8-3-1
Bratislava: 5-2-1
 
Total: 46-22-7
 
Total of Both Leagues: 112-52-19
 
These numbers averaged to our current 10 VHLM teams would result in each team having a roster with around 11 forwards, 5 defenders, and 2 goalies. This is almost full capacity, but also very amazing. To balance this out I would expand the VHLM by two teams to go back to our once before 12 team league. The average roster size of 12 teams with the number of total players of both leagues would be 9.3-4.3-1.5. These numbers again include IA players so the averages would decrease if my rules are implemented. Either way the rough data shows each team in a 12 team league with a 400 TPE cap would hold a roster of around 9 forwards, 4 defenders, and 1-2 goaltenders. Is this not what we want from our minor league system? As stated in the first sentence, take this as seriously as you want. Maybe the VHLE will get deleted one day, who knows? I know that another recruitment drive is soon on the horizon, so we will see how the VHLM and VHLE respond to that.

Just what I tell AJ when we discuss trades

"A problem for future me." lmao

Da bearz 

To decide what franchise is most in need of a rebrand it makes the most sense to look at how old each team's logo is. After nearly a quarter-century of VHL seasons of teams slightly modifying and re-using existing logos from other leagues and sports, since S24 all logos have been original, some designed by the VHL's own graphics community, and most of the more recent ones being purchased from third-party designers. Quite a few continue to stand the test of time. Let's count them down.
 
S81: Riga

The newest logo in the VHL belongs to the Riga Reign who avoided a rebrand for nearly 60 seasons beforehand and are only on their third logo overall (all variations of the orange lion). I think this one got quite widespread approval and is certainly an upgrade on the previous version so it would be unlikely to be changed any time soon, even as a big change is about to take place in Riga's GM position.
 
S75: Calgary

Another long-awaited change to an old franchise's appearance took place just six seasons previously, as the beloved derp horse was retired after 50 seasons to make way for a more imposing stallion. The Wranglers have also only gone through three variations of the red horse and the current version is likely here to stay for a while.
 
S73 expansion teams: Chicago, Los Angeles, London, and Warsaw
S68 expansion teams: D.C. and Prague
S65 expansion team (Moscow) and S66 expansion team (Malmo)


                                                       
I am grouping all the expansion teams together (which is actually half of the league) for a specific reason: unlike the rest of the teams' logos, these were purchased using the league's donation money with the thought process that these were long-term investments and won't be replaced on a whim in the short-term. Of course, these expansion teams have all been around for at least 20 seasons now but as we have seen with Calgary and Riga above, and indeed many more examples to come, this is far from a long time in VHL terms. Just as importantly, these are actually a solid set of logos, most of which I think there is no great clamour to replace. The exceptions might be LA and London and purely on a personal level I think LA is the franchise most in need of a fresh start but I'll let someone else dive into that topic in more depth.
 
S53: Helsinki

The Titans aren't far off from being joint-oldest on this list as their logo change in S53 was only a cosmetic one really, polishing up and slightly recolouring the version they got in S24 when all teams rebranded to in-house made logos. However, given Helsinki did give themselves an uplift 30 seasons later, they fall in the midtable of this list. There's nothing that needs improving for them but maybe they'll want another small makeover in the near future.
 
S52: New York

The next three logos are a tale of how logo changes can sometimes seemingly alter history. The Americans had lots of success following the S24 rebrand and were arguably the league's most successful franchise in the following 30 seasons. However, just before their back-to-back championships of S52 and S53 they swapped to this logo and after that initial short-term success.... well you guys probably know most of the story. One finals appearance has followed in the 40 seasons since, so if there's any franchise that needs a rebrand just to dump their loser era it's New York.
 
S47: Toronto

In a similar vein to the Americans, the Legion's logo swap immediately led to threepeat, the first of its kind. It's been a bit of a rollercoaster since but Toronto's logo just seems to work for them and also harks back to the version they used in the league's first decades. In fact, the S47 rebrand replaced a very unpopular logo so this change was welcomed and despite being one of the oldest ones in use now, it doesn't feel like there is much clamour for change at the moment.
 
S44: Davos

Until the recent renaissance under Alex, this, even more than New York's, was the league's most cursed logo. The Dynamo were definitely the league's most successful franchise before S44 and then they just stopped being that. I also personally preferred the logo they replaced, although I am biased as I was the team's GM just 5 seasons previously. Davos has turned things around a bit now but it's the third-oldest logo in the league so I say get them to switch it up and leave that cup drought firmly in the past.
 
S31 expansion team: Quebec, now Vancouver

Funnily enough, given what I said about the “new” expansion franchises above, it seems to be the fate of expansion teams in the VHL that they are stuck with their logo for life. Cologne never replaced theirs and have been resurrected with in in the VHLE, the Quebec's was considered so good that it survived the move to Vancouver (more of a translation rather than a rebrand). In fact, not touching the logo was one of the conditions for the move being allowed to go through. It is still unique in being a logo designed by the team's GM, in this case founding GM Pavel Koradek. What has changed over time is that this is now the second-oldest logo in the league so perhaps popular opinion could be swayed towards a change. It is such a simple yet effective one though.

S24: Seattle

Fittingly, the oldest logo in the VHL is in Seattle, also home to the league's (soon to be by far) longest-serving GM. The Bears logo does predate Bana's reign (yes there was such a time) and is the only logo to survive from S24, when all eight franchises at the time got custom-made logos, having survived until then on versions ripped from existing teams. Seattle until then (ignoring their 1-season stint as the Everblades) had used the Hershey Bears logo, swapped to fairly similar one in S24 and haven't looked back since. Time for a change? Maybe under a new GM...
 

"A problem for future me." lmao

The Houston Bulls achieve 1000 Franchise Regular Season Wins!
 

Graphic Credit: @Vice
 
Entering S93 the Houston Bulls had a total of 988 regular season wins all time. In our 12th win this season, Houston has officially reached the milestone of 1000 Franchise regular season wins. If you'd like to check our history, click me. 
 
I want to give a shoutout to the former GMs before me as well, here is the list of wins each GM contributed:
 
S65, S71-S72 @Sonnet - 67
S66-S70 @FrostBeard - 162
S73-S79 @rjfryman - 248
S80-S82 @Moon - 142
(@mattyIceman in S80 too)
S83 @Arce - 21
S84-S89, S92-present @AJW - 291
S90-S91 @STZ - 69 😎
Total: 1000
 
It is very nice to be GM of a franchise with a deep history already, Houston only entered the VHLM in S65, so in 25ish seasons we have averaged roughly shy of 40 wins/season... 
 

 
 
Tradition, Playoffs, and Development
 
Tradition is something I want to create more of for my team in Houston and reaching this milestone is huge for us. In 25+ seasons the Houston Bulls are still itching for our 2nd Founder's Cup, only hoisting it once in S68. Since my arrival in S84 I am unfortunate to say that I do not sit on the podium along side Frosty, but our playoff history in the last 10 seasons is something that is progressing!
 
S84: 1st round exit
S85: Missed Playoffs
S86: 1st round exit
S87: 2nd round exit
S88: 1st round exit
S89: 1st round exit
S90: Missed Playoffs
S91: 2nd round exit
S92: 2nd round exit
Current S93: 5th overall in standings
 
Houston may hold the 2nd round curse I can't lie. I've been GM for 8 seasons here now and that is the furthest I have managed to push my team. With consistent failure eventually comes success, and I am finding Houston to have success in many other ways besides winning games and trophies. As well as team tradition in consistent playoff appearances and competitive rosters, our team pumps out a lot of young talent! We pride ourselves on development of our players and have seen a lot of recent draft success and gains in TPE. Here's a TPE update on last and current season's rosters to see how everyone's earnings are doing:
 
 
S92 Roster
Antonia Bucatini: 518 TPE
Nathan Ecker: 312 TPE
Chris Reynolds Jr: 307 TPE
Tyler Lawson: 251 TPE
Barry McOckiner: 231 TPE
Filip Zinek: 175 TPE
Jack Dickins: 201 TPE
Miner vHLer: 341 TPE
Micah Cederbaum: 162 TPE
Benjamin Abenduct: 351 TPE
Lucy Leitner: 385 TPE
Cody Toland: 230 TPE
Toby Cook: 150 TPE
Ondrej Vencko: 290 TPE
Herald Benson: 270 TPE
 
 
 
S93 Current Season Roster
Filip Zinek: 175 TPE
Johnny Tsunami: 169 TPE
Elf shoes: 158 TPE
Charlie klepacki: 132 TPE
Cole Stermer: 130 TPE
Hulk Smash: 82 TPE
Tommy James Longpre: 67 TPE
Ray Stanton: 220 TPE
Billy Joel: 214 TPE
Wladyslaw Mintus: 206 TPE
LaClapbomb Hitstick IV: 70 TPE
Herald Benson: 270 TPE
 
 
 
Already in last season's roster 12/16 players are ready to move up to the VHLE next season if they haven't already done so. So far with this season's roster we have 10/12 over the 100 TPE mark and 7/12 over the 150 TPE mark. This is really awesome for our team as it puts Houston on the draft map for VHLE and VHL teams to draft our players. With consistent draft success coming from the consistent TPE earning of these talented players, Houston can make a stronger name for itself in the development aspect of our league. It will always be our goal to put the best team on the ice in order to win trophies for our club! Development is the first key of success towards that, so I am pleased to bring in so many new faces who want to hop on board. If you're curious towards our roster this season, we actually made some recent moves!
 
Starting off the season, Houston only acquired contract rights to goaltender Herald Benson. With that in mind and a short stock of draft picks, I traded for two forwards from Miami: Elf shoes and Charlie klepacki. After that, the draft was under way and Houston came out with 2 defenders: Billy Joel and Wladyslaw Mintus, and another forward: Cole Stermer, bringing our roster total to a 4-2-1. This was below bare minimum and thankfully two waivers decided to join right away, forwards: Hulk Smash and Tommy James Longpre. The season rolled on and Houston was only successful for one more waiver signing in forward: Johnny Tsunami, bringing our roster to a 7-2-1. With trade deadline around the corner, a second trade was needing to be made:
 
 

Graphic Credit: @Vice
 
Defenders Ray Stanton and LaClapbomb Hitstick IV enter the locker room for the cost of two future draft picks. Houston was in need of the support on the blue line in order to have a successful playoff run this season. With second season star Herald Benson putting up league leading numbers, and our second line of forwards: Cole Stermer, Charlie klepacki, and Elf shoes leading the charge on offense, this trade felt like the missing puzzle piece we needed. Before the trade, Houston was riding a last ten game record of 4-5-1. Since the trade, the Bulls have managed to come out of their slump and hold a winning 6-4 record heading towards the trade deadline. I feel good with our play as of late and Houston management will no longer be looking to move assets until the off-season. One more trade was made recently, here, where I made the trade in order to meet S94 pick compliancy. S95 pick compliancy will be a future problem to deal with.
 
---
 
Now here we are in present date. Houston sits in 3rd, 1 point behind the Las Vegas Aces for 1st place in the Western Conference. It will be a battle to the finish line but I have full faith in the squad we have created this season to find another deep playoff run. The birdies have also been chirping and a recruitment drive may take place following this season's trade deadline. Will Houston see some new faces enter the locker room? Hopefully a fuller roster can be a reality for the Bulls as playoffs are only weeks away. Either way, thank you again to anyone and everyone who has contributed towards Houston's all time team success. 1000 wins is a huge accomplishment that I will hold high for us Houston Bulls 🔥

1. Two new Bulls enter the locker room! Ray Stanton @horoscope and LaClapbomb Hitsick IV @Greasy Garyjoin the team and bring our total of defenders to 4. What are your thoughts on this trade?
Finally! Some defense! We desperately needed defenders on the blue line and this should help round us out. Hopefully we can all find our vibe before the playoffs!
2. Speaking of trades, Trade Deadline is just around the corner! As announced in today's Theme Week post, TDL will be on April 15th, meaning we only have 10-14 games to play until that point. Does management need to make any more moves before then? Or is our roster looking ready to go for playoffs?
Sincerely? I don't think there is much else we can do at this point without really dipping into those draft picks. If the GM was hard set on a cup win, it might be worth throwing those picks around, but it's probably better to see how this team pans out first.
3. After Trade Deadline is over, players entering the S95 draft class are allowed to recreate and join the VHLM as waiver players. If Houston could sign one upcoming waiver player, what position or skills would you want this new player to have?
I don't really follow the waiver wire. I'm only focused on the one that matters, Johnny Freakin' Tsunami.
4. Houston is in a slump! 3-6-1 in our last 10 games played. Have you noticed something that has caused this bump in the road for us? Will the new defenders we traded for help us climb back up the standings?
I've definitely not been performing my best. I have only 5 goals on almost 130 shots. That's a 3.9% shot percentage. That's garbage.
5. It's the second week of April and I think everyone has finished their "second winter" phase of Spring. How is the weather in your area? Currently where I am it's been rainy and cold all last week, this week is looking better.
We just had a cold front blow in today...I just want spring to be here.
6. What was your favorite thing to do growing up as a kid? (You can answer in personal or player perspective). I always enjoyed playing street hockey with my best friend who lived across the street while I was a kid. We would play in the mornings until the street lights came on at night. I wish I could re-live one of those memories just one more time.
Surfing has always been a relaxer for me. I'm not good enough to like, go professional or to make any money off being an influencer in surfing. So it may as well just stay a hobby!

It's not that I don't like the logo...I just think it could be more on brand for Miami. I had to do pretty much all of the assets myself. I did use some free-use vector images like the shield and the sunburst.
 

 

Posting for credit

He's gonna try to claim it too, you just know it.

You asked, and you shall receive

It's not that I don't like the logo...I just think it could be more on brand for Miami. I had to do pretty much all of the assets myself. I did use some free-use vector images like the shield and the sunburst.
 

 

Reviewing this!

Mmmm, I love the Toronto Legion colors so much because they blend so nicely together. The filter/effect layer over the top fits well, though I would have loved to see you maybe incorporate the Legion logo somewhere on there, maybe the helmet or like a shoulder patch. I love the attention to detail on the text, that little jaggedness you added makes it mesh so well with the rest of the graphic, it honestly looks like the text was taken with the photo of the player. Well done!
 
9/10

Dude I just got some GTA Vice City flashbacks

Perfect in my opinion!

Houston receives:
LaClapbomb Hitstick IV
Ray Stanton

San Diego receives:
S95 HOU 1st
S95 HOU 4th


This trade has been accepted by all parties and is pending league approval.

My first graphic back from break. Be gentle.

My first graphic back from break. Be gentle.

1. 19 wins so far this season! Only Halifax and Ottawa tie us for most wins in the league right now. How pleased are you with the team's play lately?
Honestly, I have not been pulling my weight like, at all since I got here. I'm hoping that I can start producing myself and not sandbag the team more than I have been already.
2. Yesterday was April Fool's Day! I'm sure you all got that @ members tag from Beketov... were you fooled as hard as I was?
I fell for one hard earlier in the day so I was on high alert already when I saw it. That said, the VHL gags are always the best.
3. As we all know Houston is allergic to signing defensemen this season as we have stuck with only Joel and Mintus on the blue line. I am officially confirming that Houston will be looking to trade for a third and potentially a fourth defender before Trade Deadline approaches. What do you look for in a good defenseman? What are the best attributes in your eyes for our blue liners?
We need puck thieves! Being able to force the turnover and feeding the puck to our potent scorers seems to be a really good plan.
4. We were able to sign a new center in the past week! Johnny Tsunami @Vice sits on our first line now taking faceoffs. Little does Tsunami know, we planned a surprise welcoming party to welcome the kid to Houston. What type of party is the team going to throw? I think we should go paintballing or something.
Aw! That's very sweet of y'all. Maybe a pool party? I've always liked water parks.
5. After our party for Tsunami's welcoming party, your GM has one more surprise for the team, we're going on vacation after this season!! Win or lose I'm going to spoil you, but we need a location. Where should the team go on vacation? Do we want fun in the sun? Do we want the snowy Nordic countries?
I've always wanted to see Canada, I've actually not gone there yet so maybe a great Canadian adventure?
6. Easter weekend just passed, if you celebrate or not, how was your weekend?
Decent weekend, got a lot of chores that have been needing done - done. Which is fantastic, now I have a bunch of practice time!

NAME: Johnny Kapahala Tsunami, III - "Johnny Tsunami"
DATE OF BIRTH: October 13, 2007
PLACE OF BIRTH: Lihue, Hawaii
BLOOD TYPE: A+

Johnny Tsunami is a name that needs no introduction, at least in some parts of Hawaii that is. Growing up in a rural town of Hawaii, Johnny was surrounded by surfers and surfing culture - after all, there were movies made about his great-grandfather, after whom he is named after. His childhood was filled with coddling, compliments and more - he was practically Hawaiian royalty at this point, and he hadn't even done anything! His father, Johnny Kapahala, had quite a following in the snowboarding world of Vermont and his son made sure to milk both stories to get what he wanted whenever he could. Johnny would become quite spoiled as a result of this and he would never really get into surfing the same way as the rest of his family did.  Following a similar path to his father however, Johnny's true calling was in the snow-blanketed hills and mountains of Vermont. After convincing his father to allow him to move to Vermont to finish his primary school, Johnny would make plans to move into the same ski-lodge where his father made his own reputation many years before. Near to the lodge were few amenities but some that would lay the path for Johnny's future - a hockey rink, a primary school and a high school.

Once in Vermont, Johnny found it difficult to make friends quickly. He didn't live in the traditional neighborhoods that the other students lived in, because of his father's reputation, he was able to be boarded up at the town's ski lodge. He bragged often about his families accomplishments and the tales of his father there, but the locals would eventually get tired of hearing it. This rightfully would come across as braggadocios to the other students who were quick to ostracize him from the rest of the group. Johnny would maintain this attitude through primary school, not realizing that he was setting up his own demise for secondary school. Johnny did start to take an interest in skating and further, hockey. At this point he was still gaining the fundamentals of hockey, having to mostly work on his own due to his poor attitude and failure to take criticism well.
 
After leaving primary school, Johnny would start to take his hockey prospects a bit more seriously. He realized that with actual training and practice, not just skating and messing around with a puck on off days, he could potentially make something out of this. So swallowing his pride, Johnny signed up for his local youth league at the age of 15. There he encountered multiple people who he had pushed away due to his more than wanton attitude in his younger years. They were quick to humble him even more in his first few real games. At first Johnny questioned whether hockey was the correct path for him - he wasn't scoring, he was getting hit constantly, and he was being left out to dry by teammates who he had mistreated in the past. His first heart-to-heart interaction with his first youth coach, Bingus McCringus, made him realize that perhaps he didn't need to be the main character and that his value could be found in helping someone else reach new heights.
 
Johnny saw success in his coaches advice unsurprisingly. By moving Johnny to center and telling him to focus on using his speed to make quick passes and dodge defenders, he became a lethal passing machine. Upon realizing his newfound skill, Johnny's attitude returned but for the better - he became a bigger team player and the leader in assists for his youth league. In sophomore year of high school, Johnny was doing well enough in his local youth league to try out for his school's hockey team but instead opted to join a youth development league to try and gain better hockey sense for the big leagues.
 
After finding success in his role of a playmaker, Johnny would go on to finish his schooling and return to his home state of Hawaii with a few youth accolades under his belt but he was really unsure of where to go from there. He didn't believe at the time that he was good enough mechanically to make it to the VHL, let alone the VHLE but figured that if there was nothing waiting for him back home in Hawaii, he could possibly pursue some sort of a shot at the VHLM. Using what contacts he had at the time, he reached out to a few people in the industry who he had become acquainted with during his time in the development league and they suggested at least putting his name out there to see if there would be any bites. One team was interested, and Johnny Tsunami soon found himself on his way to Houston to begin what would hopefully become a most promising career.

Does Johnny take the path of his legendary grandfather and remain humble through grace and skill? Or will he revert to his old, selfish ways?

(854 Words :D)

1. The season has started! Through the first week of sims, how has your player been performing?
Just joining the team, I can see that we are very strong offensively and I certainly hope to only add to that potent offense. I'm looking forward to my first few games with the guys myself and I'm sure that we'll be able to keep the momentum moving forward.
2. Houston has been playing some good hockey to kick start our season. What has been your player's go to pre-game meal/routine/ritual to get ready to play each game?
Well you gotta load up on your protein and carbs before the game, so a dish called Loco Moco is what I like to make right before the game. It's just white rice, a hamburger patty, an egg and some brown gravy! Super simple, but very delicious and it gets me all the energy I need!
3. On the road can be a bore with all the travel time and just sitting around. When the team hops on the team bus or jet for games, what keeps you busy while traveling?
This is going to sound a bit cliche, but just a good ole hackeysack is all I need. Just enough for me to pass the time by passing it around to myself. I can bounce it off walls, people, chairs, you name it!
4. If you remember last week I asked how you think we would play in the first 10 games. Fast forward and we finished 6-4! What has been keeping us above a .500 record so far?
Like I said before, this time has a very potent offense and it shows! We out score our opponents by a lot when we win, and keep it close when we lose. The offense has to be a contributor to the game.
5. Houston needs defence! We left the draft only securing two and it shows on the stat sheet as our current defenders play a lot of minutes. Should management start considering trades? Should we wait until trade deadline? Should we hope for a waiver to sign? What would you do to sign another defender for the team?
Man, they really roll the dice on waiting for waiver signings. But let's be real, they also picked me up off the waivers and I already know I'm going to be a star. I have a lot to prove, so I'll just let my skill speak for me on the ice.
6. Tell me something funny about growing up playing hockey (or make something up for your player). I remember when I was growing up playing I was at my teammate's house on the lake and they shovel the ice to skate on it. We were a little too excited to get started and the ice wasn't fully solid yet. I fell right through about 2 feet deep of water and was soaked.
I actually never learned to ice skate until pretty recently. Growing up in Florida, it's easier to come by a street rink for roller blades than it is an ice rink or practice arena. So I got scouted from a street hockey circuit instead of the traditional ice hockey path. All that said, I looked real dumb getting used to pucks instead of balls!