atw2592

These

Barry Melrose: Next up on our program is a little chat with Toronto Legion rookie forward LeAndre St. Pierre. How’s it going, LeAndre? LeAndre St. Pierre: It’s great, thanks for having me Barry. It’s an honor to be here. BM: My pleasure. Now I think everyone who follows the VHL knows that you were one of the top goal scorers and offensive players in general last season. What case do you think you have for the rookie of the year honors and does that stuff even matter much to you? LSP: You know, I don’t really think about it too much. At the end of the day winning is going to be the only thing we are remembered for and we didn’t win too much this season. It really sucked going through a campaign where I knew we didn’t even want to win. A rookie of the year award would be an honor, but not one that trumps any team awards. BM: The Toronto Legion received the first overall pick in the S48 draft. What do you think of this pool of prospects and is there anyone that you think can make a huge difference right now? LSP: There are a lot of great young guys out there this year. I don’t think we can go wrong with whoever we decide to take with number one overall. It all depends on what direction coach Molholt wants to go in. If he thinks a goalie will improve us more than a skater, then that’s probably the direction we’re going to go in. I personally think Black Velvet is worthy of our first selection, but I wouldn’t be disappointed if we went in another direction. BM: Let’s talk long term now. I know your rookie year is just coming to a close, but most players can see a couple of years down the road and look out for what is ahead. Do you see yourself re-signing with the Legion when your contract is up or testing the waters in free agency? LSP: That’s a tough question to answer, Barry. Considering I don’t have a crystal ball and can’t look into the future, it’s hard for me to give you a good answer for that. Everyone in Toronto has treated me very well and it has become my home. I honestly haven’t thought about free agency at all. I’ve kind of just been living in the moment of being a professional hockey player. If they want me back at the end of my rookie contract, I’ll be back. BM: One last question. Do you think the Legion are finally going to start being competitive in season 48? LSP: I sure hope so, Barry. I really do. I love the thrill of winning and being in that playoff atmosphere. It keeps me wanting to get better and wanting to play better out there on the ice. There is nothing like holding that trophy over your head at the end of a successful season. I think that success is right around the corner.

With the Storm being eliminated from the playoffs tonight, it has gotten me thinking about season 48 and the possibilities ahead for Oslo. Considering we will have Dope Fiend, Pavel Komarov, and Pavel Varushkin back in addition to two of the top four picks in the draft, we should be solid contenders after making an inactive free agent signing and possibly an early trade or waiver acquisition for some more depth. After getting close to making the finals, we are hungry for at least a berth in the championship series in season 48. I knew that season 47 was going to be long shot, but we far exceeded expectations and it has gotten my confidence high enough to the point where I want to go for it full throttle. Some people think this is going to be a down year for the talent pool in the VHLM, but I think having two of the top players in that pool will give Oslo a great shot at making a run for the title.

Wish we could have gotten to game 7, but great year nonetheless. Hopefully we can break through in the coming years. Congrats @Banackock go win it all!

Fuckin gem of a series. I hope we force a game 7, it wouldn't be right without one.

4-3 Americans

these

In the anals of history, people are going to be talking about three things, the discovery of fire, invention of the submarine, and S47 game 4 of the European Conference semi-finals.

Damn I could have had some nasty combo's if I knew I could put forwards on D. You win some you lose some

Great series so far

That fuckin' drunk from Sunnyvale @Cuffy

On to Bratislava! @Gooningitup @Ninetyfourgoalie @WoldenGhore @Cuffy

Expectations for LSP in season 48 After a solid rookie season which saw LeAndre St. Pierre come out to a blazing fast start in terms of scoring only to come back to a crashing halt towards the end, it is tough to determine exactly what to expect from the 5’10 winger in season 48. If he is somehow voted rookie of the year, it will be expected that he follows up his 31 goal, 61 point season with even higher production. It is almost certain that his team, the Toronto Legion, will start to want to be competitive in season 48, making his performance vital to their success. However, Joel Jarvi will likely take the rookie of the year honors for season 47 and St. Pierre’s rookie year will be an afterthought as a decent player on a bad team. That doesn’t mean that general manager Max Molholt won’t expect big things from St. Pierre next season. The player/coach was clearly overjoyed at what the young Frenchmen brought to the team in season 47, and will be asking more of him as they likely make a push for the playoffs next season. St. Pierre will likely be playing on the first line alongside Molholt and Zach Parechkin, meaning first line production is to be expected. While he won’t offer much production in terms of defense, another 30+ goal season is a must. His scoring rating recently rose to 99, meaning as long as he gets his ice time and shot opportunities he will all but surely reach that milestone again. The real question is if he can contribute to the team in any other fashion. His plus/minus rating was an appalling -54 this past season, and while his physical ratings are sure to increase in the off-season, it will be interesting to see if he improves on any aspect of his game other than offense. Yes, St. Pierre could end up as one of the most prolific scorers in VHL history by the time his career is over, but that isn’t a concern. It will be the fact that he is a liability to let his man score each time the Legion are in their own end. Unless he decides to commit a lot of practice hours to sharping his defensive skills, Toronto may be forced to use him strictly in offensive situations such as power play opportunities and late in the game while trailing. This is sure to be something that Molholt gives a long look at when deciding whether he is ready for his team to compete on not. They are certain to have an improved roster in season 48 after winning the first overall pick in the VHL draft lottery, but it is yet to be determined if they will go out and acquire veteran talent to go along with their youth.

2-0 good guys

Whoops

1. Pietro Maximoff - D (97 TPE) Maximoff is the consensus number one overall pick and if he doesn't go in this spot, Oslo will surely be drafting him at #2. Highest TPE candidate and a great starting build as well. 2. Bobby Digital - D (86 TPE) Clearly the second best player in the draft, Digital will most likely be scooped up by the Storm at number two overall. He will pair up with Michael Burch to create a solid first line defensive crew for the Storm in S48. 3. Ilya Kopralkov - G (70 TPE) Assuming Oslo selects number three overall as well, they will likely choose a franchise goaltender in Kopralkov. He will continue to improve steadily throughout the season and guide Oslo to a sure fire playoff bid. 4. Titan Kronos - D (68 TPE) If Oslo chooses fourth instead of third, Kronos will be the pick. He has proven to be a great member and updater and will be a star where ever he ends up. 5. Nikki Kissanen - D (59 TPE) Kissanen will be the fourth defenseman taken in the first five picks, which is unusual but warranted for sure. 6. Sebastian Laine - C (46 TPE) I may be a bit biased, but I believe that Laine will be a first round pick and the first offensive player off the board. He has been a great waiver addition for the storm. 7. Tobias Klingberg - D (48 TPE) While Klingberg is the fifth-best defenseman in the draft, he is still more valuable than any other offensive player left on the board. 8. AK47 - G (44 TPE) I wouldn't be surprised if someone takes a chance on a goalie earlier in the first round, but he surely falls no further than 8th overall.

Ewww -4

Oslo claims Jim Lahey

The stars were out on Friday night at the NBA celebrity all-star game in Toronto. LeAndre St. Pierre was featured on Team Drake as their starting shooting guard with his 5’10, 185 pound stature. Only having watched basketball on TV, St. Pierre held his own and actually showed off some great defense despite not being able to handle the ball. A French native, St. Pierre told reporters that he only played hockey and soccer as a boy and never saw a basketball until he came to the United States. “Playing in Toronto and knowing the hype around the game of basketball, I really wanted to give it a try” said St. Pierre. “I don’t care if I’m bad at it, I want to go out and have fun and try to show the world my athleticism and that hockey players are great athletes too.” St. Pierre ended the game with two points on a wide open lay-up that he nearly botched, but had six steals and three blocks to help Team Drake to an 86-76 victory over Team Hart. “LeAndre is my boy, I had to leave him out there and let him do his thing” said coach Drake. “He is a terrible basketball player, but the guy is an athlete and we don’t have too many of those out here. But I thought he did better than everyone expected him to and we are definitely going to have fun later tonight at the club.” LSP will re-join the Toronto Legion on Monday after the team’s weekend off as the VHL season winds down. He is a front runner for the rookie of the year award and recently recorded his 30th goal and 30th assist of the season. His 60 points leads all rookies, although Tom Lincoln has recently surged up to 59 total points and is a close second. General Manager Max Molholt commented on LSP’s play and participation in the NBA celebrity all-star game. “I think he is going to be a force in this league, especially after what he’s done in his first season” said Molholt. “He is a hard worker and dedicated to making the team better, but also finds time to be himself and do things like play in the celebrity all-star game. I think it’s great. It helps remind him that he is an individual and not just a piece of our puzzle. He has fun with things like that and still puts in his time in the weight room and practice facility. That is really all I ask of him and the rest of our players for that matter. I’m just glad he didn’t get injured and more importantly didn’t make a complete fool out of himself.”

30 goal plateau!

Brampton with the move of the year getting rid of DT for a decent draft pick @evrydayimbyfuglien is figuring this GM'ing thing out pretty quickly

You may be hopping to first line winger if you keep this up. Great read.

Joel Jarvi - After getting selected to the all-star game, Jarvi is the clear front runner for the rookie of the year award. Not only goes Jarvi lead all rookies in assists, he's doing it as a defenseman which is even more impressive. LeAndre St. Pierre - A close second, LSP leads all rookies in points (57) and goals (29) in a season where he could very well get close to 40 goals. Even a 30 goal season would be a tremendous feat as a rookie, which he is all but guaranteed. Toronto being one of the worst teams in the league may kill his chances, but if he can close out the season strong he may end up beating out Jarvi. Niels Skovgaard - Skovgaard has an outside shot at getting the trophy, but like LSP, an outstanding end to the season might jolt him into the top spot.

I remember when it was Yukon getting beat 7-0

You're welcome Stockton