MrMonkey

1. I KNEW we would win, came to no surprise as Houston is not as good a team as Halifax. 2. I hope we make it to the next round, but I know it will be tough because Yukon has already taken both of the first games. 3. I am very excited for the offseason, however I have no idea what any of those things are. 4. I really like Halifax because I am a very loyal player and my time spent here is cherished. 5. I'm an offensive defensemen, my best rating is defense at a 76, soon to be 80. 6. I'm always trying to get a new GPU but I know that won't work. There arn't any tech stores where I am anyways. 7. I have watched the newest James Bond movie and I really liked it, although I have no idea how "James Bond Will Be Back" works. 8. I definitely can't answer that question for legal reasons and personal pride, won't stoop that low.

Through the end of the season Halifax tore it up, they advanced several positions to finish 5th in the VHLM. This was crucial (ram) due to the position they would have been in if they finished where Philly did during the season. With this advantaged position Halifax was pitted up against Houston, and Halifax won in a huge slugfest, going into overtime three times, incredible. One Piece. Halifax will have a terrible challenge ahead of them, facing Yukon, there is great moral in Halifax after crushing Houston but only time will tell if that is enough to stop Yukon. One Piece. VHLM playoffs are starting to heat up as the weak teams get weeded out, but is Halifax one of them? No, Halifax is one of the most improved teams since the deadline and can give any team a run for their money, they have beat Yukon before and they absolutely can again.

Saskatoon

Review: Solid graphic, really like how the fire kind of raps around the player. I think the yellow jersey doesn't go great with the orange flames. The dark charcoal sort of color in the background I think really contribute to the mesh of colors. I think the text should be in a different spot but it doesn't hurt the graphic at all. Overall I like the piece and the colors go together effectively, the depth of the image is really well done, I can clearly see the differences in the main image and the background, they work well off of each other, 8/10.

Review: This is a really neat piece, and I love that the before and after is showed. The colors go really well together, very focused on just three colors, and they mesh effectively. Love the theme, obviously very relevant to the times. One thing that could be improved is the overlay of the original picture with the modified aspects, might have some depth issues, other than that this piece is fantastic. I rate this piece 7.8/10 one of the better pieces I have seen. 7.8/10

+10 Connor Johnson

bacon w/ pep

3, wow

1. I am very excited and I hope we can take spot 4 on the standings. I look forward to out playoff potential with such a developing squad. 2. I think it's possible we pass Houston, and I want us too. We won't be passed by Philly. 3. I think we have a real chance at beating Houston in the playoffs, however it will be a tough ride after that. 4. I am focusing on skating and passing before playoffs start, with my recent addition to the first line on defense I think passing will help the team more than scoring or many other attributes (defense is getting to expensive). 5. Our locker room is great, very inclusive and effective, I still do believe there are some players on the team that aren't effectively progressing, could be for many reasons. 6. I love what you have done so far as a assistant gm, couldn't ask for much more. 7. I would love to star in the entire James Bond franchise, because I would be financially set for years, guaranteed movies and such. 8. I prefer vanilla if you're referring to shakes, frozen drinks, stuff like that. I do prefer chocolate for things like cookies, brownies, NOT cakes, and definitely candy.

Halifax is currently fifth in the league and only two points behind the Houston Bulls. In my power rankings from last week, I slated Halifax at fourth, however, I think I underestimated Halifax. One of the reasons for Halifax's recent success is that there has been a defensive resurgence, they have added significant rookies just before the deadline, and wow, those rookies have been incredible for Halifax. Connor Johnson and Marshall Maxx are the most notable additions to this young defensive core, Connor already on the first line and Maxx right behind him on the second. Halifax has also made some strong strides to their already good offense, additions like Connor Eddy and Nic McMuffin have allowed the already great first line to be backed by a fairly productive second line. Halifax's problem up until the deadline was the clear lack of a productive defense and depth in every position. Halifax has had one of the strongest jumps in stats, they have started chipping away at the negative goal differential and have begun their push to pass Houston in the standings if their rookies can continue their growth and top scorers like Bryn Yrwy continue their dominance then there is a legit shot for Halifax to take the fourth position.

Review: Really like this graphic, I love how it's relevant to the season. The colors go so well together, the background really pops as well. The black on the jerseys goes so well with the orange, maybe a candy corn vibe, got to love this graphic. Overall, this graphic really comes together due to it's relevancy, the colors, and how the player is really the center piece of the graphic. I can't think of many ways to improve this graphic maybe one thing could be the resolution of the face but I understand that is something very difficult to improve. 8.4/10

Review: I really like how you turned your player into a trading card, however, I do wish you added an overall to the card. Adding an overall would be a good way to round out the graphic. Maybe next graphic you could do the back of the card, put stats on it and stuff like that. The colors mesh very well, they add a sort of cohesive layer of depth to the feel of the graphic. I really like how you perfectly got the logo with such a high resolution too. Overall this graphic is really good for what it's trying to do, there could be some minor improvements, like the overall aspect, anyways love this graphic. 7.8/10

2008, Stanley Cup Connor began life in the outskirts of Detroit Michigan, widely known as “Hockey Town” at the time. Third period, 2009, Stanley Cup Finals, score: 3 to 2 Detroit. That's when it happened, Connor fell in love with hockey. He wasn’t always a fan, actually, Connor had a sort of “discouragement” early in his life, being raised by such profound religious figures, they thought hockey was too violent. But love can’t stop the most determined souls, and it sure as hell didn’t stop Connor. With extensive time on his hands, Connor found his urge to participate in the sacred sport ever crippling, it had to end. Through significant negotiation, he found himself on the local ice hockey team, with little experience he wasn’t all that good, however, with determination and patience he found himself among one of the top defensemen in the county, before high school. Connor played strong and consistent hockey throughout his entire high school career, he broke the shots blocked record at his high school and was a consistent defensive menace. Connor plays two-way hockey, sure, his defense is impressive but the way he can turn up the ice after picking off the puck is impressive, that and his shooting ability won him the award for the best defensemen in southeast Michigan, 3 times. Connor was offered a unique opportunity to join the VHL after his senior year of high school, but he has other plans because he was already committed to a university that was well known for its collegiate hockey. Connor’s collegiate career is something of interest, he committed to Michigan Technological University (D1 hockey program) where he played good hockey but he just couldn’t keep up with their notorious calculus program. After Connor couldn’t meet NCAA eligibility requirements he was forced to drop out. Now all isn’t lost for this young hockey star, because he is still eligible to play hockey in the VHLM (the deadline was October 18th, he joined on the 15th). Being a star in high school promoted teams to quickly make an effort to sign him to their squad, that being said Connor could choose most teams in the VHLM, and he picked Halifax, mostly for the ice time but man did he hit the jackpot. Today, Connor sits on the first line for a fantastic, playoff-bound team. After becoming one of the fastest progressing players in the league, Connor decided that he plans on going into the VHL next season if he is good enough. Otherwise, he doesn’t want to play for any other team than Halifax, but ultimately it isn’t his choice.

Marshall Maxx, recent Halifax signing and penalty box squatter. Marshall was born and raised in Taloyoak, Canada. There, Marshall played hockey with the local Eskimos where they play some old school, dirty hockey, their motto "if they aren't under the ice, then you're playin' it wrong" was securely adopted by Marshall and has proven LETHAL in the VHLM. Maxx already has the highest checking on the Halifax roster. Marshall has the potential to become one of the best if not the best dirty defensemen in the league. Maxx has every intention to become a true menace on the ice, not just is the opposing team terrified when they see this man skating towards them, but even his own teammates express their concern with his bad boy mentality. Maxx has already amassed 8 penalty minutes in his first set, that number will only skyrocket in the coming weeks. His value isn't just in boarding the top players in the league but also in his actually defensive ability, Maxx has shown much improved defense since coming to the league. With this improved defense and dominant and controlling mentality on the ice should prove impressive. Maxx, coupled with his defensive pairing Connor Johnson, could upset some surprising opponents and put Halifax in an impressive position.

1. No, I think what we did on the free agent side of things more than made up for any trade that we could have pulled off. 2. I am ecstatic to see what these players can do (I'm one of them) 3. I think my ice time does suffice, however I would like to see Marshal Maxx on the second line with me as he has shown some considerable progression. 4. Yes, we are a playoff lock. 5. Scoring, even though I'm a defensemen, through my 5 games so far on the team I have managed a positive +/- and a total of 7 points. 6. This is one of the few areas I don't see us improving much, as for my understand our top players tend to be on those lines, our progression is more isolated to the newer, lesser players. 7. McDonald's, they have really good chicken nuggets. 8. My favorite is some sort of rock (almost any) I have listened to mostly to Muse's Origin of Symmetry. I thought Tony Bennet has Alzheimer's or something. Great musician though.

Love the support for the Halifax!

My power rankings October 17th, some teams have conclusively decided to tank and some teams have bolstered there roster for the incoming playoffs. There are some clear favorites but there are some fun underdogs that could go farther than expected. I personally like Ottawa and there roster than Yukon, that may be surprising but I feel Yukon's goalie could be easily exploited and there lack of dept can't help them. X - Playoff Lock 1. (X) Yukon Rush - This teams has been incredible, they have a very high ceiling with players like Harkat Mulds, Kyosti Karjalainen, and that amazing starting three on defense. That doesn't mean Yukon is invincible, they do have some weak spots, there goalie, Thomas Price has posted a 88% save percentage thus far placing him just outside the top 10(there are 12 teams) in the VHLM in save percentage. Additionally, there depth could be questioned, they have excellent first/second lines but anything past that is a big question. With such a big recruiting week for some teams, this lack of depth in Yukon could prove to be fatal. 2. (X) Ottawa Lynx - Ottawa is a great team, there defense is undoubtedly the best in the league. Juice Box and Matty Live prove to be some of the best defensemen in the league posting a 41+/- and a 40+/- respectively. Ottawa's weakness is shown in there offense, they have some incredible depth but they just don't have the right set of pieces on offense to put them it first. Towards the later lines there is some notable stagnancy, this hasn't just hurt the team massively, it may have been what took first place away from them. 3. (X) Minnesota Storm - The Storm has has the second best offense and a solid defense, this has put them in a position to make a legitimate push against Ottawa and Yukon during the playoffs. There star scorer, Barry Bonds Jr., has proven to be an incredible player and could keep Minnesota in the playoffs for years. Minnesota's only weakness is there defense, but even then they still maintain a top 4 defense and the third best point differential in the league. 4. (X) Houston Bulls - This team is well composed and ready to fight in the playoffs, however after Minnesota there is a noticeable drop in rostered talent. The Bull's point differential is +32, that is less than half of Minnesota's point differential. Houston is guaranteed to make the playoffs but will have a tough time going very deep, I don't see how they could get past Ottawa, even Minnesota is a stretch. Houston could be a really fun underdog to watch in the playoffs, with a little luck they could get past Minnesota. 5. (X) Halifax - Halifax has been impressive over the last week, they have signed the last 6 out of 10 new recruits. With these new additions Halifax is in a better position then ever this season. If there talent can progressive effectively before seasons end they could definitely contend with Houston. Halifax has the fifth best offensive in the league, could even be fourth depending on how they progress through the end of the season. There offense has arguably the best first line with lead goal scorer Bryn Ywry, top five Jacob Richard, and top five Jorgen Von Strangle. Halifax has a bad defense, being in the bottom four in terms of goals against. There are hopes however with recent defensemen signings there is a legitimate hope for a strong contention as a top five team. Recent defensemen signings include, Connor Johnson, Marshall Maxx (Mean Maxx), and Derek Erkope. 6. (X) Mexico City Kings - The Kings have have an average offense and an average defense, there is clear lack of star players on offense. There defense however has a very good first line but just question marks past that. The Kings star defensemen are Dookie Headtop and Wattson Power, they are very good but there's a clear lake of offensive support while there on the ice. If the Kings make the playoffs they will have a very difficult time getting past Houston let alone Minnesota. Recent signings include Brayden Smith. Mexico might have a tough time fending off Halifax and Bryn Ywry, the Kings could absolutely lose there position in font of Halifax in the standings. 8. Philadelphia Reapers - The Reapers roster a nearly full squad, which has put them in a position to clinch the final playoff spot however it's a very close race as the team right behind them have a slightly better point differential. The Reapers need to make a move or else they won't have a shot at progressing in the playoffs. There recent signings include Eduard Saidgariev. 7. Las Vegas Aces - Despite there impressive record, LA only rosters four players, that is what will kill there playoff hopes or playoff progression. They haven't made any recent signings to try and fill those holes. There record is sure to suffer. The Aces clearly are tanking to attempt to get a better pick in the up coming draft, but with such a good record before they decided to tank makes me curious, I may not understand the big picture but they were a sure fire playoff lock. 9. Miami Marauders - There recent four game lose streak just nudged them outside the playoffs, additionally they have seemingly tanked there team to attempt to get a better pick in the draft and negate the playoffs entirely. This is a common strategy for teams that don't have strong rosters. 10. San Diego Marlins - Despite having a fairly full roster (In comparison to teams with similar records) they still suck. They could move up a spot or two because some teams in front of them are tanking. They are experiencing a fairly strong incoming rookie class, could help them in the long run. 11. Mississauga Hounds - They have two players, tanking. 12. The Saskatoon Wild - They have seven players, tanking. At least in a better position then the Hounds. 1004 Words Claiming Two Weeks

Review: I love how the colors go so well together, not to much contrast. Sun might be a bit exaggerated but it goes well with the water in the background. Really like the way he stands out in the image, very good focal point. Really like the graphic, one of the better ones I have seen, actually might be the second best one I have seen, great job! 8.5/10

Review: Really like this graphic, love how the background is slightly blurred. Love how the colors mesh together so well, the only thing that I might say is a little off is the font/color for his last name. This is by far the best graphic I have reviews yet, really cool how its relevant to the times as well. Overall fantastic graphic, really creative and well done. 9/10

Review: Love this graphic, the VHL logo in the background blends in perfectly. I love the color selection here, I think they all mesh very well together. The lighting is consistent throughout the graphic, very nice and important. I love how the art style goes so well with the dark coloring and how Max stands out. Overall this is the best graphic I have seen yet, very well done and I love the effort put into this graphic, hope to see more from you soon! 8.5/10

Review: Love the logo swap, amazed at how good that looks. Not to sure about how the colors go with each other but it looks good. The players face is a bit discolored, tad blurred too. Really cool graphic, love how good the jersey goes with that logo. 7.5/10

Ah, I guess I couldn't claim it because I did the welfare thing. Darn.

Connor Johnson, bust turned baker, oh what a tale it is. See, Connor comes from a state known for there extensive hockey programs, bad road conditions, and most of all Detroit. This combination of clearly positive things gave Connor the tools necessary to see a future in pro hockey. That and his will power allowed Connor to go straight from high school and right into the professional scene, no need for those prestigious colleges or back up plans. Things were looking up for the young star. However, on his way to the Halifax practice field (driving his brand new Audi RS 5 Coupe) he noticed the immense build up of ice on the road, it was all too late. Connor lost all traction that once suctioned him to the dark, Canadian asphalt. "There isn't much to it, I could do that, If I still had both my arms." Connors disabled self thought as he watched the lead goal scorer in the VHLM (Bryn Yrwy) slam one into the back of the net. He turned off the TV. "So Connor, how is life outside the VHLM?" Connor hasn't played once, not since he signed that $1.5 million contract. "Could be better Anne, you'd think in this day and age, technology and such, that anyone could open a bakery" Connors voice trails off as if he's thinking of what could have been. "Do you find it hard, making bread and pastries with only one arm?" Anne asks in a curious tone. Connor's life outside the VHLM couldn't be worse, after he lost that bet forcing him to open that bakery (Who'd think Joe Madison had it in him, forcing a one armed man to bake for a living, brutal) Our reporter didn't get much else out of Connor, as secluded as he is, I'm surprised he was even willing to talk with us to begin with. (We promptly got kicked out after that last question) Connor admitted that he spends the vast majority of his day baking partly because it's developed this sort of stress release for him but mostly because he has one arm. Connor goes about life how any retired VHL player would, except the bakery part. What's even weirder is that his bakery only sells to former VHL players and is closed during the summer. This large chunk of free time allows Connor to spend his off-season at his beach home in Puerto Rico. The only reason he can afford to continue living like this is due to the pension he receives from the VHL, totaling $250,000 a year. There are, and always have been, talks about his return into the VHLM. Many have proposed a prosthetic arm, and some less intelligent people have suggested he could just play whilst being one-armed. However, Connor is living a life of comfort, and baking, that's a life many people could be satisfied in. But in truth and in summary, I don't see any way Connor could play hockey again, not with his genuine unhappiness when he watches the sport he once loved. 512 words, claiming for one week.

1. To be completely honest I'm fairly neutral with his performance, hasn't given up any points, hasn't scored either, hasn't even played any games, solid. 2. The theme is great, but I don't have any plans for it. 3. Chemistry, if the locker room isn't vibin' there isn't a shot for the playoffs. 4. Nuggets, and film analysis, probably at the same time. 5. Nuggets are great, I do love subway though, extra lettuce. 6. OOOOOO I love songs, probably something from Muse, like Feeling Good or maybe Micro Cuts.

#BOATGANG