Scurvy

REVIEW: Great article. First, Moscow has a frightening team for sure with arguably some of the best players in the league. I really liked the change in fonts and use of underlines to highlight the players. Great job giving a shout out to Sergey as well on the team of amazing players as well. What I truly loved most is the use of a picture in the article. Many times I find that these stories are much improved with just the simple use of a graphic or picture. Overall I have to 8/10 and I hope that Moscow struggles against Warsaw for the rest of the season

Review: Overall a great article. The amount of research you did to provide such detailed stats is great. I really like how you broke down the comparisons to other teams in the league and showed how team defense is so important to winning in this league. As a defender (and former Marlin) I like how you emphasized their importance with statistical data. The only thing I would have liked to see is maybe a photo or some type of graphic added to add to such a great article. Overall 8/10

1. I think chemistry took a bit to develop. With the offensive tent this team has I wasn’t too concerned. 2. Nalwa in my eyes. He does everything and I always root for defense. Lol 3. Moscow. Because I’d love to spank the best right away. 4. Car, TB, EDM. I can’t stand Boston or Toronto. 5. I just got back from Arizona and it was misery hot. Planning a few trips to Tennessee and Virginia. 6. Orange Crush

As I reluctantly sit at my computer to earn my much-needed TPE I want to discuss if the Warsaw Predators are a real contender. As a player for the team, I think we are for sure. But let’s look at the players that may or may not lead them to the promised land as well as the competition standing in their way. First, the competition. The European division is the toughest of the two for sure and standing in first place is the much-feared Moscow Menace. Led by Duncan Idaho, Hard Markinson on Defense, and a formidable goalie, Papa Emeritus its clear to see why the menace are the team to beat. Moscow Record-39-8 Riga Reign- 34W-9L. Led by VHL point leader Alex Johnston, superstar Brandon Telker, and stud defenseman Battre Sandstrom this team is just as scary as Moscow. London United- 33W-11L. With Nils Godlander, That Dude, Defenseman dynamo Tom Eagles, and Cole Pearce in net London had some serious talent to contend at the end of the year. Maybe a timely move or two puts this team at the top of the division. I don’t feel that this team’s scorers have taken off yet so if they do this London crew could surge to the top and be unstoppable. THE WARSAW PREDATORS- 29W-15L. Ok Ok…I am biased and think my team has the tools to make it to the end and here is why. So far, the Predators have only scored 158 goals. That is third in the Euro division. Moscow has 189, Riga 187, London 155. 31 goals behind the leader is not a good sign but if you breakdown Warsaw’s players a few tweaks gets some of the more quiet players moving in the right direction. Similarly, to London once the scorers take off it could be a scary prospect for VHL goalies to face as we move over the halfway part of the season. Some of the Warsaw players I would look to explode come the second half of the season. GIRTS GALVINS- the 6’6 foot 240lb monster was drafted 17th overall by the Predators last year. A gifted goal scorer he led the Las Vegas Aces in S81 with 43 G- 48A- 91 points. Last year in Bratislava in the E he led all rookies on the team with 32G-23A= 55 points with 149 hits. So far, the puck luck hasn’t been with him and he’s sitting at 1 G. 13 A-14 points in 48 games. We know Girts is frustrated but those on the team that know him and see his work ethic every day are confident that he will find his game and pucks will start snapping twine in no time. ROBERT WILK- At 6’5 inches tall and 200 lbs this dude’s offensive upside is insane. He is slightly below his last year’s point pace but is still scoring with 17G-19A 36 points. This is another player I would look to see take off in the last 30 or so games. Many forget this player once scored 68 goals in the VHLM for the Marlins. A 40-goal campaign last year in his rookie season is another reason to opposing teams to fear if he gets hot. So, to all VHL goalies and defense you have been warned. Warsaw is coming! HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE

The Warsaw Predators are enjoying a nice string of wins and the team is starting to play as advertised. In game 339 the Predators took on the first place Moscow team that his stacked with amazing players. Despite being outshot 66 to 44 the Preds stood tall and came out with a nice 4-2 win at home. As in every hockey game there is the game within the game. From the drop of the puck these two teams played like heated rivals who truly hate each other. In the first period we saw generational all-star Duncan Idaho take on Warsaw rookie defenseman, Brian Payne. Payne got the win (luckily) and the hatred continued on for the remainder of the game. After the game Mr. Idaho was interviewed and he made it very clear that Payne and him would dance again. Payne was told this and responded with a curt, “no comment.”

Review: As per usual you are a very articulate and write very well written posts with proper grammar and attention to the details. I really like how you covered all the leagues you are involved in with thought out updates. The fonts are great to keep the players/teams separate and bolded. I wouldn't have minded a patented picture included in the post, preferably one of Brian Payne but nobody is perfect. As usual a fantastic post. 9/10

You’ll get hot bro!!!

The VHLM season is off and running and now that I am in the VHL I pay less attention than I did before. I decided to look at the standings and was excited to see my old club the San Diego Marlins were in a first place. It good to see the Fish at the top! A close second comes the Las Vegas Aces team led by my former VHLE teammate Shindigs. Its fun to see the old rivalry between the Marlins and Aces as when I was a Marlin they beat us in the semi-finals. I was shocked to see that the bottom half of that conference only had 6 wins a piece in 32 games. Looking over the marlin roster team GM Frank has done a great job at stocking talent and has two very capable goalies. Led by Tyler Busser with 17G-26A=43PTs and an impressive 75 hits and 5 game winners. In goal they have Clueless Wallob with a 19W-4L and an .091 save percentage, 1.71 GAA, and 3 shutouts. On the back end the Marlins are led by defenseman, Malum Maellard. He has 7 G-25A-32pts and 57 hits. As a Marlin Alum I will be keeping an eye on the VHLM as it nears the playoffs. There are some tough clubs, most notably the Aces which I hope the Marlins can beat come playoff time (Sorry Shindigs). I truly enjoyed my time in the VHLM as a Marlin and while the team management and players changed I wish them the best and will always be a Marlin.

As I sit in my hotel room in Arizona to complete some much necessary point tasks for my club (much to the chagrin of my wife), I ponder what exactly to speak about today. I know one thing for certain. Arizona is MISERABLY HOT. I can’t fathom how people can live here in the summer. On a cool note I went to the Arizona Coyotes arena yesterday and walked around. Pretty cool rink but a little far from Phoenix. Today I thought I’d talk about some of the bruising VHL players hitting, fighting, and banging away in this young S83 season. Many times, these players are overlooked and/or unnoticed completely. This is not always the case as there some mean, nasty players who are gritty and gifted in the scoring department. So, lets chat about a few. HITS Duncan Idaho- Is there anything this dude can’t do?? 54 points in 33 games with 165 hits. I mean DAMN. Impressive as hell. Typically, Idaho is first overall pick on all of the fantasy drafts. He’s 6th in scoring (54 points) and 3rd overall in goals (29 goals). A player like Idaho comes around once in a generation so it’s exciting to see this player compete. I just hope when he plays Warsaw, he takes the night off. Vasile Lamb- Ok Lamb had 402 hits last year with 82 points (as a rookie!). Lamb can fight, hit, and score. The former first overall pick just had a spirited fight with Warsaw Pred defenseman Brian Payne making the locker room awkward due to Lamb’s alter ego is the GM of the Preds. Word on the street was Lamb was sending a message to Payne to start producing more offense. Henri le Massif- This giant left winger next to Idaho makes playing against Moscow formidable. Another player who contributes on the score sheet but also physically. 155 hits already and 82 PIMS. Penalty Minutes: Vinny Detroit- 112 PIMS. Detroit reminds me of a young Keith Tkachuk. Hits, fights, and can score some goals. With 90 BC and 65 Grit I’m eager to see where he ends up stat wise by the end of the year. Brian Payne- 109 PIMs. 7 fights and 4 fight wins so far, this young Dman is making a name for himself early as a gritty and nasty player. He sometimes can cost his team with an idiotic penalty but look for him to improve his game and mature (hopefully). Or maybe not. A recent bar fight and smoothie bar fight along side teammate Tavish DeGroot, Payne has shown to have a little bit of an impulse control problem. Armani Calamari- 92 PIMS. A little bit of a surprise that Calamari in his third year has taken a different role. A talented goals scorer (32 goals last year) he has had 108 PIMS in his first two years and already has 92 in 34 games this year. A smaller forward at 508 170 he is playing a hard nose game banging up opposing players. 504

1. Lefty because I’m left handed. Also, Scurvy because I injured my eye once and had to wear an eye patch for 3 weeks. 2. I’d like to see Edmonton win it all. 3. Media spots I guess 4. I think Montreal will win lotto and draft Shane Wright. Dude is a stud. 5. I’d like Warsaw Warriors (WW). Might be tough with same logo 6. Supernatural

The goals will come for ya I am sure. The drought is probably because Payne is always in the penalty box and your exhausted from killing penalties!!

I love it when Dmen get some praise. Especially the Defensive gritty Dmen. Great article.

Well, were officially 20 games into the season and there are some surprising events and accomplishments. After a lengthy off season, I had many thoughts as to where teams would be and how some players would adjust after the attribute changes. The biggest surprise for me was how quickly the Chicago Phoenix launched into contention after a last place finish the year before. Led by three amazing rookies, The Board Game Clue on Skates, Bo “the playmaker” Johansson, and #1 overall pick Scotty Sundin the Phoenix have an impressive 11 wins. Even more impressive is that all three are in the top ten in rookie scoring and amazingly both BoJo and BGCOS are in the top ten in points in the league. I am not quite sure what they have in the water in Chicago, but I want it. The new attributes are a game changer for sure and this team seems to have figured it out. Best of luck Chicago!!

1. I think the kinks will work out and we will find our groove. 2. not good! I’m taking too many penalties and not producing. 3. Brian Payne and Tavish DeGroot! 4. yep. I’m confident the scoring will pick up and we will be contenders. 5 I love it. Another solid to dman we needed. 6. Season 1

The year just hasn’t started out like the Warsaw Predator’s believed it would. Lack of scoring and some costly defensive errors have the team struggling from the back half of the division. Now, to add to their misery several players were involved in an off-ice brawl that has team GM Dlamb scratching his head but also praising the team’s closeness. After a tough loss to Moscow, Dlamb @dlambhad ordered a team curfew only to be rebuked by team goalie Wumbo @Fire Fletcher and defensemen Tavish Degroot @Rory and Brian Payne. After a team investigation they learned that the trio had snuck out and attended a Warsaw night club known to be frequented by a “rough” crowd. Reports are still coming in from police, but we’ve learned that several patrons were mocking team rookie Brian Payne for his struggling play recently. This is when all hell broke loose. It is rumored that Wumbo and DeGroot (already known for off-ice antics) came flying in, punching the mouthy patron. The bleeding patron’s friends quickly came to his aid and Payne, DeGroot, and Wumbo made short work of the drunken group. Ambulances and Police arrived and found the three Predator’s players laughing and drinking in the corner of the bar with the bloodied patrons’ girlfriends. All three were arrested but released after bail was posted. The only injury suffered on the Predators was a tooth had to be removed from DeGroot’s right hand. He told the hospital that he wanted to keep the tooth as a good luck charm for the season. Team GM was contacted and said, “well, I’m not thrilled with their behavior tonight, but I am thrilled they stood up for each other and fought as a team. Now we just need to do that on the ice. I will deal with them internally and won’t comment on it further.” But that’s not all that happened. Just two days later after a team practice Wumbo, DeGroot, and Payne were involved in another altercation at a smoothie bar in town when they ran into some visiting Helsinki Titan players in town for the next game. Words were exchanged and then fists with Titan players, Nico Pearce, Flynn Remy, and Milan Dvorak. Police were called and the two groups (both bleeding) were escorted away. Team GM Dlamb again was contacted and said he was at a loss for words. “It stands to reason why DeGroot and Payne are so high on the PIMS board and they seem to carry that aggressiveness wherever they go. However, I am not upset they stood together and that is what I want from my two Dmen. I do not want Wumbo hurt though so I will be having a talk with him.” Later that night the hatred spilled over on the ice when the visiting Titans played the Preds. At 1:56 of the first period Nico Pearce and Payne dropped the gloves and had a spirited brawl at center ice. This was the spark the team needed as they edged out the Titans 4-1 Wumbo only allowed 1 goal on 28 shots and the team played great on both ends of the ice. We look forward to the next game between these two rivals as the hatred is there for some exciting games.

D-Bo Johansson @BOOM

F-Brendan Marner @OrbitingDeath

G- David Davis @BOOM

1. I think so. We have some great players and I think we can go far. 2. I’d say Brogdan Trunov will be fighting for goal and points leader. He’s my pick. And the way Nalwa had played in pre-season he’s in the running for best Dman too. 3. Hmmm. Not sure. I’d maybe have a YouTube commercial. That would get me. 4. Probably defensive coverage. Seems all players would benefit. 5. vegas and Vancouver will be golfing 6. well I have a 4 year old so my movie time is usually stuck to what she’s watching. On that case the kids movie Encanto was pretty good. 7. I’d change the name of Seattle (Bears). I live just north of Seattle and there are NO bears even close.

F-Nils Godlander @OrbitingDeath

As the new season of hockey is about to start, I’d like to talk about who I think is going to be dominant in the VHL this season. There are so many great players with massive TPE and abilities so it’s exciting to see how the new attribute changes will change or increase player’s stats as the season begins. First, SCORING TITLE. It’s hard to predict but let’s chat about some of the scoring beasts in the league this season. Jerome Reinhart- one of the favorites for sure as last year on a solid Vancouver team he had 59 goals 82 assists for 141 points. That’s massive and he had 713 shots which is insane. Matt Avens- Still a youngster and had a whopping 55 goals 77 assists for 132 points. Nils Godlander- 53 goals 78 assists for 131 and threw in a nice 213 in hits. He plays with grit and can score the nasty goals. Brogden Trunov- My personal pick to win the scoring title this year (he is my teammate). He had 52 goals 82 assists for 134 points. Duncan Idaho- 52 goals 73 assist and 125 points on a tough Moscow team. What makes this dude even scarier is hehad 127 PIMS and 377 hits. This TPE machine can play, fight, and hit his way to a scoring title perhaps. There are many more that could be added to this list and maybe even some sleepers who could make it into the top 5 but this is my list and I’m excited to see where it shakes out. My pick is Trunov leading the Preds to a great season. BEST DEFENSMAN This is a subject that is close to my heart as I played defense growing up in hockey and chose my first ever VHL player as a defensive defenseman. I will never probably be on this list but if we win games, I am happy. Without further here is my list. Battre Sandstrom- My first pick In the VHLF draft this dude is scary. 25g -99 A- 124 points he can defiantly lead his team from the back and plays a nasty game with 136 PIM, 2298 hits, and 167 SB. Hard Markinson- big bruising defenseman had 25g-87a-112 points, 158 PIM and 257 hits. Tom Eagles- Another huge Dman capable of soft and hard hands when he needs them. 21 goals 84 assists- 105 pts with 148 PIM and 217 hits. Kristof Welch- a smaller quick Dman he posted 24g 84a-108 points. Hes made the rounds on some teams so look for him to settle in and post some bigger numbers this year. Tui Sova- 29G 69A-98 points and 214 hits. Hari Singh Nalwa- 20G-69A-89 points and 105 hits. Look for Nalwa to explode this season as the #1 Dman on Warsaw. With a reliable and talented D partner in Tavish Degroot and a solid team in front of him I expect Nalwa to be In the scoring leaders for Defenseman this year. Honorable mention- Tavish Degroot @rory Rory and Bo Johansson @Shindigs. Both are studs and TPE machines, so I expect both to be Defensive nightmares this season and beyond Well, there you have it my picks for top score and best defenseman this year. I could talk more but I’m at 553 words and I’m done.

The Warsaw pre-season started with a huge bang with a 5-1 win over the Malmo Nighthawks. The Predators looked hungry in their first game in this never ending off-season. Team star Brogdan Trunov showed why he is the elite of the elite with a 2 goal and 2 assist night. Brendan Marner had 3 assists and defenseman Hari Singh Nalwa also add 3 helpers. Not to be overshadowed Warsaw goalie Wumbo was outstanding stopping 25 of 26 shots to include an accidental tip from his teammate Brian Payne who got a little too excited in his first game almost scoring on his own club. Payne made up for it later adding a goal of his own. In game two the predators kept their foot on the gas and topped the Nighthawks 6-3. This game proved to be a bit chippier with some good penalties called on both teams. The predators took advantage of the PIMS going 4 for 7 on the power play. Trunov again was dominant with 2 goals and Nalwa added a 4 point night showing why this team should be taken seriously come the season start. Wumbo again was a consistent brick wall stopping 23 of 26 shots. Hopefully this is an indication of what the Preds bring this season.

F-Bogdan Trunov @BOOM

Haha. I still have time to mess it up. Excited to play you this year tho. Hope I don’t get embarrassed by the Glue Clue duo

Girts is my pick for Rookie of the Year!