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Obi Adesanya is wrapping up a successful first season in the VHL. Although the Nighthawks have not been good this season, Obi has enjoyed a lot of points on offense and has shown the league that he will be a force for years to come. He has averaged just under a point per game, logging 21 goals and 24 assists in 52 games so far this season. He has also been good on defense, blocking 26 shots and recording 17 hits. What doesn’t show up on the stat sheet is how good he has been with his stick checking, forcing a lot of turnovers in his rookie year. He currently has a plus minus rating of -6, which really is not bad at all considering how bad Malmo has been as a team. They have been slowing improving though, as they are no longer in last place and actually are ahead of 3 other teams in terms of points.

It has been a pretty rough year for Obi Adesanya, as his team the Malmo Nighthawks are almost in last place in the entire league and Obi's numbers have not been great. He is just a rookie so there will be growing pains, but he was definitely expected to contribute a little more in his first season. He currently has 29 points in 36 games, recording 14 goals and 15 assists. He does have a surprisingly decent plus/minus rating of -12, which should be a lot more considering the team has lost most of the games they have played so far. He is still slowly working on improving his scoring and defense, which could still take a few seasons to get to a consistent level. Right now he is just relying on luck because his attributes are very low and it takes a long time to get those improved, but as he progresses it will turn into a normal thing for him. 163 words

A quick update on Obi Adesanya: He is now playing for the Malmo Nighthawks in the pros and has played in 19 games so far this season, scoring 8 goals and recording 4 assists as a young Malmo team tries to get their guys some experience in the big leagues. Obi is probably slightly out of his element, but he is improving and should benefit from the playing time this season. He wants to develop into more of a scorer, but will probably work on being more of an all-around player due to the new development rules the league has adopted. It is now nearly impossible for a non max TPE earning player to become a good scorer, which kind of sucks but I understand the idea and it makes a lot of sense. If Obi can just be a solid 2nd or 3rd line contributor throughout his career and chip in 20-25 goals per season, he will be happy. 160 words

Obi Adesanya has started the season in the pros, playing for the Malmo Nighthawks and playing on the 4th line. He is really at sort of a crossroads in his young career, as the Nighthawks are re-building and the entire league just went through a makeover with attributes and there is a lot of guys who have had to adopt a slightly different build than they were initially planning. Obi fits into this classification, as he was a pure scorer coming into the league and now has had to change into more of an all-around player because he does not have enough TPE to justify being a pure scorer anymore. This is slightly disappointing because Obi had just joined the league 2 seasons ago and had some momentum built up and it was stalled with the new attribute system. Obi will continue to try to get better in the areas he can, but may not make as big of an impact on the league than was anticipated. 167 words

1. I was pretty shocked, I thought we had the series wrapped up. 2. Nope, that's just the luck of the sim unfortunately 3. I'm getting over it, I was pretty unmotivated to do the PT's this week though. 4. I think I'll be moving up to the VHL, I am getting close to the 400 TPE 5. I have no idea yet, hopefully will be figuring that out soon. Maybe focus more on defense. 6. I have just been watching basketball, really don't want to think about hockey right now

I am dead inside. I can't believe we lost in the finals after having a 3-0 series lead. That has like never happened in the history of pro sports. Other than a few times that I can remember (Red Sox over Yankees, Flyers in that one playoff series a while back) this is basically impossible to do. Yet, Cologne found a way to do it. I am partly to blame, as I said in my last 590 that we basically had the series wrapped up. I guess it is on to next season, where I don't believe I will be returning to Cologne as my TPE is nearing the 400 level which appears makes me ineligible for the VHLE. It will be close, I haven't done the math but with the extended off-season it looks like I might be slightly over. If it is the end, I enjoyed my one season in Cologne and will always remember this season because of the shitty way that it ended.

The Cologne Express look to be in control of the Renaissance Cup Finals, they are ahead 3-1 over the Rome Gladiators and seem to be playing their best hockey at the perfect time. Things are clicking on offense and they are scoring a ton of goals, including an 8 goal effort in game 3, just pouring it on and adding insult to injury while going up 3 games to zero. Rome came back and avoided the sweep in game 4, but it is very difficult to come back from a 3-0 deficit, so I believe Cologne should wrap this up in the next sim. Obi Adesanya is making a good case for finals MVP, with 3 goals and 2 assists so far in the series. "I am really feeling great and getting shots whenever I want" said Obi. "I think we are flowing really well as a team right now and as long as they keep feeding me the puck, we'll win this thing."

1. I have had a blast, we are really good and should win the cup. 2. I didn't have the regular season I wanted, but I'm stepping it up in the finals which is what matters. 3. Yeah I've won a few championships in the past, most recently in BHB last season, which was pretty cool. This one is sweet as well. 4. I usually just do a bunch of cocaine, that keeps me sharp. 5. I'm not a very superstitious guy, so no. Just working hard and showing up every day. 6. Thomas the Train, of course. Seems like a perfect fit.

Well the season is coming to an end and it is time to reflect a bit on the way Obi Adesanya has performed so far this season. I haven't been overly excited with his production, but we have been one of the best teams, if not the best team, in the league this season. He has been playing on the second line for most of the season, seeing decent minutes and getting up a lot of shots, averaging 4.5 shots per game. He has 31 goals and 25 assists on the year, seeing a lot of recent production and helping the Express to a solid end to the season. Obi has stayed out of the penalty box for the most part, with only 40 penalty minutes to go along with 102 hits and 13 blocked shots. His defense has really been a difference maker for Cologne, who have one of the best GAA's in the league.

1. I am preparing by going to the grocery store and getting some supplies so I can sit my happy ass on the couch and watch from Cologne. 2. I think I was about a 7 in terms of personal expectations. Didn't have as many goals as I'd like but we did well. 3. I had a GWG in the beginning half of the season and a couple of two goal games, but other than that nothing crazy. 4. Yes, I think he has definitely deserved that honor. He is a great player and should go down in history. 5. No, he was a dick. I think we are a much better squad without him. 6. Yes, I am over it. I don't mind the cold for a while, but when it gets to be like mid-60's for a few days, then goes back to snowing and shit, I hate it.

For this VHL 590 article, I will be breaking down my favorite VHLE goalies to score on. 5. Pekka Grubauer This guy really isn't around anymore, but his player name just makes me excited whenever I score on him. Seems like I'm scoring on a real NHL goalie. 4. Ed Nu It's been a bit tough to score on ole Eddie this season, so it is always a pleasure when I can squeak one through him. He's got a tough glove so I always shoot low. 3. Ben Dahl It seems like he should have another name, like Ben Lovedahl or Ben Windahl or something like that. Ben Dahl seems like you've been sitting around all day, you know, "I've Ben Dahl today". I love scoring on this cat. 2. Orion D H Chiester IX What a bad ass name. Orion loves to get it from the stick of Obi, this guy always cracks me up when I play against him. 1. Bubbles Utonium My number one has to be Bubbles. What a hell of a name. I'm just mad I didn't name my guy Bubbles Utonium. Always sweeter to burn this guy through the 5-hole.

1. I love the move. It's exactly what we needed. I think we have potential to win this thing and really needed another D-man to do it. 2. I think we will. Every team goes through rough patches and I think we hit ours a little bit. We will get it together. 3. It is very important, it's an aspect that not a lot of other teams have going for them. 4. I am modeling off of Alex DeBrincat with a little more defense. A high scoring build. 5. Blackhawks, although the last few seasons have been rough they really tore it up 8-10 years ago. 6. I played sports during my spring breaks so probably South Carolina?

Before I get into it, here's a little bit of my thought process behind my VHL Dream Team. I really wanted to pick a team of current players who I thought would be a dream to play with when I graduate to the VHL. It might be another season or two before I am up there and some of these guys might be gone, but as of now, here is who I'd love to share the ice with. Center: Taro Tsujimoto - Seattle Bears This guy is a scoring machine. He is second in the league in points scored with 89, and is having the best season of his career so far. The move from Davos to Seattle has really paid off and it would be an honor to be on the wing with this guy manning the face-off dot. Left Wing: Jerome Reinhart - Vancouver Wolves I drafted this guy with the first pick in my VHL Fantasy Draft, and it has been awesome watching him tear it up all season long. He is the staple of the offense and our main scorer while Taro wins face-offs and distributes out the assists. Jerome can do it all, but would be mainly relied on for his scoring. Although he has more assists than goals this season, his 99 scoring should be taken advantage of much more than it is currently. Right Wing: Obi Adesanya - Riga Reign While I am not a VHL player as of yet, I couldn't not be a part of my own dream team. I am a nature Left Wing, but would switch over to the right side so Reinhart would be able to excel at his natural position. I would love to share a line with these other guys and help dominate the rest of the league. Once my scoring and defensive attributes are maxed out, I will be able to contribute in those areas and take some of the burden off Tsujimoto and Reinhart. These are also two guys of whom I will be building my player up to be, as I love the builds of both Jerome and Taro. Left Defense: Robin Galante Nilsson - Vancouver Wolves The second Vancouver player on this dream team, I think Robin's knowledge of the game will be key to this team having success. He knows how to work with Jerome as well. We have to have a leader on defense who can keep the puck moving, and Nilsson will do just that. Right Defense: Battre Sandstrom - Riga Reign I am getting a chubby just thinking about this defensive pairing. Sandstrom can bring the pain, racking up over 1000 hits in his career to go along with 384 assists playing for a Riga squad who is glued together with the sand man. Battre stands 6'8 and will protect the forwards when some asshole inevitably tries to take out our knees. I'd like to see someone try to mess with him, it would not end well. Goaltender: Tater Tot: - Warsaw Predators Man, can this guy save some pucks. He hasn't had the luxury of playing on a good team, but he should have a lot more relaxation time with these guys playing in front of him. Tot has had a lot of experience saving a ton of shots and deserves to be given a break. He has a 4.02 GGA for his career, which would drop severely if he were to play with these studs for a season.

1. I think we can. We are only getting better and should be able to ride this hot streak into the playoffs. 2. We should keep doing exactly what we've been doing because it is working. Maybe add another solid D-man for the stretch run? 3. It's been great, I really didn't expect to have this much success as a team this year. It has kept my interest in the league for sure. 4. I think the hardest shot is the best event. Really just a measure of brute strength. Everyone should want to win the hardest shot. 5. I would put more time into balancing the league. There is a VHL team who only has 3 wins so far this season. They are like almost 50 games into the season. That's ridiculous 6. It's a tie between hockey and football. I do think hockey is more enjoyable to watch live, especially minor league hockey. Nothing beats $12 seats and cheap beer.

VHLE power rankings: 1. Cologne Express I'm probably a little bit biased here because I play for Cologne, but we have really surprised the league after losing some people early on in the season and not really knowing if we wanted to compete or not. I am glad we stuck to it because now we have the best record in the league. 2. Rome Gladiators I believe the two best teams in the league should be in the top 2 spots. Rome has played well all season long and is well within striking distance of Cologne. 3. Bratislava Watchmen There is a cluster in the middle of the standings, but I think the Watchmen have the talent to separate down the stretch. 4. Stockholm Vikings Only a +8 goal differential, Stockholm could find themselves dropping with a rough week. 5. Geneva Rush They have run into some bad luck but still have the potential to improve. 6. Istanbul Red Wolves Although ahead of Geneva in the standings, they have a -18 goal differential and are a very streaky team. 7. Vasteras Iron Eagles Not much hope for Vasteras this season. 8. Oslo Storm These guys were bad back in S50 too, the last time I was in this league. Some things never change.

170: wow, can't believe it's already game 170. This one was between Bratislava and Vasteras, where Bratislava really flexed their muscles throughout the game, putting up 6 goals on 49 shots to take down Vasteras 6-1. Vasteras got on the board first and actually led the game after the first period, but it was all Bratislava from there, scoring 4 goals in the second period. Led by William Groves' two goals and first star of the game performance. 175: Stockholm and Istanbul were matched up in game 175, going up and down the ice all night long to the tune of 9 goals and a 6-3 Vikings victory. Bob Beach got the first star of the game recording two goals and two assists. Julia waffles led the point totals for Istanbul, recording 3 assists to bring her total to 40 for the season. Both goaltenders saw a lot of action in this one, with Ed Nu facing 59 shots and Ben Dahl seeing 48.

105: This was a great matchup between Istanbul and Oslo. What a great game throughout. Oslo got the scoring started first with a James Teekirque tally mid way through the opening frame, but Istanbul answered back with 3 straight goals in the second period. It looked like they would cruise to victory, but Teekirque would get the Storm to OT by himself, finishing off a hat trick to tie the game at 3 and go to OT. Oslo would take the shootout and steal a win. 111: This one was another close matchup between Stockholm and Geneva, in which regulation was not enough to determine a winner. It was 1-0 Stockholm all the way up until the 3rd period ,when Geneva would finally wake up and tie it at 1 with just over 10 minutes left in the game. Teams would trade goals again to bring it to OT, where Geneva needed just 11 seconds to get another point with a nasty snipe from Jacob Richard. 3-2 Geneva in OT.

1. I thought I would have more goals by now but I am starting to look at builds and such and I know what to work on so it should improve. 2. He seems like he's going to be a monster, which would make it a great pick up. 3. I think we can. This team definitely has the talent to go all the way this year especially if the goaltending can hold up. 4. I would say probably Jerome Reinhart and Matty Fire. Those are the two names that come to my mind. 5. I think it would have to be Vasteras because I have no idea where it is and would like to find out. 6. Oh I am definitely going to Disney Land. Makes sense because the Super Bowl just ended and everyone was saying it.

42: This was a great matchup between Vasteras and Stockholm. Stockholm enjoyed 7 power plays on the night and made the most of their chances, going 3 for 7 en route to their 5-4 win. They massively out-shot the Iron Eagles 52-23, but somehow Vasteras hung around in this one and Stockholm needed a late goal from Lochlan Chisholm in order to pull out the win. The first star was Cameron Elsby with a goal and an assist for the losing Iron Eagles, which seems like not a great decision since James Glove Dropper had 4 points for Stockholm. 48: This game saw Oslo pitted against Istanbul in the last game of the sim day, with Istanbul dominating 3-1. The shot disparity was 39-11, which really didn't show up on the scoreboard, as it was 2-1 until an empty netter by Istanbul late. For some reason Maxwell Mathias was named the first star of the game with 1 goal for Oslo, despite them losing the game and getting absolutely dominated. I am beginning to realize that the sim may not have the most accurate 3 stars of the game. Conner Wilson had an empty net goal to seal it.

Well the first week of the VHLE season is in the books and it Cologne has gotten off to a hot start. They are 8-4 through their first 12 games and have really been a surprise after not much was expected from them when their veteran players got called up right before the season started. There has been a nice balance of scoring so far, as Alessio Simeoni leads all goal scorers with 8 goals, yet there are 3-4 guys right behind him in the 5-6 goal range. Rookie Obi Adesanya has been a bit slow in the goals department so far, with only 5 goals in 12 games. It was expected that he would be pushing for the league lead in scoring, but there is still plenty of time for him to get going. Cologne will play Stockholm and Oslo later tonight, hoping for a couple of solid wins to start off the week.

1. I am very surprised at where we are at, in a good way! I thought we would start off slow after losing so many guys but we are right there at the top. 2. I think we could get some defensive help, but all around I love the look of our locker room. 3. What always works for me is called a slump buster. You know, like a really ugly chick who needs some D, just turn the lights off and go to town. Guaranteed goal the next game. 4. I haven't been hazed yet, but it might be coming. I really hope it's not sexual, although we aren't the Blackhawks so I should be fine. 5. That's pretty cool, I would add that Obi was part of the French Junior Leagues and gave the team its first ever berth in the European National Junior tournament. 6. I thought I'd be scoring more goals, but overall I think it's been as expected. I am not sure what else I can do to boost scoring, since its already at 94.

Obi Adesanya Prospect Scouting Report: Player Info: Obi Adesanya 6'2 205 lbs Left Wing Cameroon, Africa Obi Adesanya had a very brief stay in the VHLM after being a late entry into the S81 VHLM Entry Draft. He was taken by the Houston Bulls with the 47th overall pick in the draft and really didn't have much of a role for the team in his one season while the Bulls made a playoff run with older players who were more developed in their hockey skills. Being a young player from Africa, Obi did not have much experience playing with competition as strong as the VHLM has to offer at his ripe age of 18. Obi was able to put up a decent stat line in limited action, scoring 18 goals and adding 22 assists in 72 games playing mostly as a 3rd liner. He was able to get up 143 shots, proving that he is able to find good looks when he's out there. Obi performed well enough to garner interest from both the VHL and the VHLE GM's early in the S82 Draft, being selected 16th overall by Cologne and 22nd overall by Riga. He will start his professional career in Cologne, most likely seeing 2nd line ice time. Strengths: Scoring Adesanya was known as one of the top scorers in the French Junior league, where he was playing before migrating over to North America to play in the VHLM. While we have yet to see this mass scoring prowess in action, it is only a matter of time before Adesanya starts lighting lamps in the pros. He uses a hard snap shot as his specialty, with a decent slapper and quick wrist shot to compliment. His scout rating is currently 92/99. This will be his best projected skill as he progresses through his career. Defense While scoring his his top skill, Obi also has focused on developing his defense while in the VHLM. He has a quick stick lift and uses his big frame to position himself well to take others off the puck. He has a scout rating of 81/99 and should continue to progress to a higher level. Weaknesses: Experience This is really out of his control, but a lack of experience against top level talent will be Obi's biggest weakness as he progresses into the professional ranks. Scouts currently have him at a 40/99 scout rating in this department, which is the lowest in the league. Passing Obi was really not asked to pass the puck a whole lot in the French Juniors, as his team was one of the weaker teams in the league and they needed to rely on him to do all the scoring. Should Obi find a coach willing to keep him in this role, his passing may not develop at all during his career. His scout rating for passing is also a 40/99, goo for the lowest in the league.

Reviewing: I think it takes a special person to succeed in sim leagues. Being a 29-year-old and a father, I don't have as much of the free time as I used to, but I know how to carve it out of my day in order to improve my player. A new person joining is less likely to take that time when they understand they have to take that time to improve their player. I don't know what the solution is, but your article brought up a lot of good points, but I think it boils down to the fact that a lot of people don't want to waste time doing this. Which can't be solved. 10/10

Reviewing: This was a great article because I loved the team names you came up with. I don't know how close we are to an expansion, but I think the league should give these some thought. The Madrid Masters just rolls off the tongue. Classic name. Great reasoning as well because hockey really hasn't made it to this part of the world yet, so the newness factor would definitely sell tickets. Shanghai City Snipers is also badass. A Chinese team would be sick. 10/10

So I did a fantasy draft this past week without any real knowledge of the VHL, and I have to say, it went pretty well from what people have been saying about it. I will break down the selections below: 1. Jerome Reinhart - A playoff star last season, he was there for my pick at number 5. I could have went defense, but I couldn't pass up the star scoring upside in Jerome. 2. Robin Galante Nilsson - I really wanted another D-man here, but he got taken at the 6-7 turn, so I went with who I thought was just as good. Turns out Nilsson was a very high upside pick and I'm glad to get him as my number 1 D-man. 3. Tui Sova - Another solid D-man, rounding out the two that I need for my lineup. 4. Artem Tretiak - He had solid stats last year so I rolled with it. 5. Justin Lose - Steal of the draft, my LR couldn't believe he was still available in the 5th round. 6. Phoenix Dawson - This one I had no idea with, saw a couple of others drafted him in other drafts so I went with it. Turns out I thought his name was actually Dawson Phoenix, and he's a free agent. Win some, lose some. Hopefully doesn't ruin my whole team.