Scurvy

LOL. We're all friends. Its a ploy to get them to earn TPE fast so I get those damn recruitment bonuses!! @Thunder

What happens in Vegas doesn’t always truly stay in Vegas. When Brian Payne booked a last-minute trip to Vegas to see some family prior to his inaugural VHLE start he never thought it would end up with him in handcuffs, and two severely beaten Las Vegas Aces rookies at his feet. Former San Diego Marlin and current Bratisalva defenseman Brian Payne had been minding his own business walking through the Mandalay Bay casino when rookie Aces Hugh G. Johnson and rookie Jake Thunder started chirping him. Both were taking a night off from training camp and it appeared the White Claws and Orange Creamsicle Martinis were too much for the two promising rookies. What happened next will be re-played on Youtube for decades. The rough 602 225 southpaw defenseman made short work of the two Aces, landing massive bombs on each, knocking the half-drunk Mango White Claws to the ground to be forever lost to the carpets of the casino floor. Feeling bad, Payne tried to sit the two up and revive them, but casino security took him to the ground and detained him. The two Aces decided to not press charges but vowed they would one day get their revenge when they all meet in the VHL. Payne wasn’t concerned, he figured at rate they both earn TPE, he would be retired by then. 

That’s awesome bro!!!

F- Bogdan Turnov @Peace

@ajwllmsn

My turn? F- the Seabastard

My bad fellas.

F- Druss Deathwalker D-Nathan Powers (not sure if I have two picks this round?? think its right but if not let me know and sorry! @Peace

G - Artem Tretiak @ajwllmsn

D- Zeednay no Chara @Peace

The S82 draft came and went with many players from the VHLM scattering around the world. Defenseman Brian Payne found his way into the Bratislava Watchman locker room with no idea even where this city was located. Feeling like a dumb jock he did some research. Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia, by the borders of Austria and Hungary. Despite higher-than-average petty theft it is a safe city and being located along the Danube River it offers some beautiful scenery. When not in practice or games Payne can enjoy hiking in the Little Carpathian Mountains, bars, bars, and more bars, and museums. Payne looks forward to living in a new City and just hopes the internet is high speed enough for him to play NHL22 in his off time. Having only traveled within the United States, Canada, Scotland, Ireland, and London he is excited to learn more about this exciting and vibrant city. Rumor is he might be rooming with fellow draftee defenseman and renowned ladies’ man Bo Johansson so Payne is excited to see how that goes as well. 182 words

1. It seems like we got an awesome group of people from all over. I wish them all massive TPE gains, good health, and some wins for Bratislava. 2. That sounds like a massive undertaking. I feel like its a great opportunity as he seems passionate about this league. 3. Its awesome! Buzzer has a great name and getting another solid forward to add to an already solid team. 4. I love the fact that Groves stays in the E for another year. A 40 goal scorer is a huge bonus, and being a rookie its nice to have some solid vets to guide us NOOBS. 5. I'm going with may favorite number. 9 6. I am working at getting may defense to at least 85-90. I want to focus on that before anything else. After that strength and skating will be elevated.

Henry Tucker @ajwllmsn

Mark me down

This week many players in the VHLM were on the edge of their seats trying to see which teams in the VHLE and VHL would pick them up. Brian Payne was no different. From his hometown of Bothell, Washington, he watched with anticipation of which team would pick him up. Having filled out numerous draft cards with several team in both leagues he spent hours at his computer studying several team’s defense in both leagues trying to see who would want a bruising defensive defenseman. In Payne’s first season he suffered from what people called TPE idiocy and placed his points in several categories first prior to reading the dummies guide to builds so he felt some early season struggles. He busted his ass and earned TPE at a decent rate and by the end of the season he reached 200 and helped the San Diego Marlins get to the semi-finals of the playoffs with more than a point per game average. VHLE DRAFT In the VHLE draft he drafted 20th overall to the Bratislava Watchman. The Watchman loaded up their already outstanding defense with Payne and standout star, Bo Johansson. While they each play a different game, their styles should blend well this year. With additions on forward with Girts Galvins (great name btw) I would look for the Watchman to some special things in the coming year or so. Payne was immediately greeted with a warm welcome to the Watch despite the GM and AGM being incredibly sleep deprived. VHL DRAFT As if Payne’s life couldn’t get more perfect, he sat and watched the VHL draft on Twitch. He watched as he saw stud players, he followed throughout S81 in the VHLM get drafted. As the rounds ticked by, he figured he would go in the late rounds so imagine his surprise when he was selected in the 3 round (26th overall) by Warsaw Predators. Being on the Predators he is joined by fellow San Diego Marlin defenseman Maxwell Matthius, who helped mentor Payne on his first season in the minors. This also reunites him with former San Diego GM JB123, who is most responsible for Payne’s development in earning TPE early on. With high caliber draft picks, Wumbo, Girts Galvins, and Matthius the Preds looks to have a Cup contending team in a short time. Having been my first player in the VHL he would like to send a special “Thank You” to VHL admin and staff that make this league possible. I am amazed at the amount of time and effort it must require making all three leagues, tournaments, drafts, fantasy, trivia, reviewing TPE projects, and all the other stuff I am not smart enough to know. Everyone here has been super helpful I navigate this sometimes-confusing world. I am truly pumped I found this league it is even worth hearing my wife call me a nerd for watching a draft on Twitch during dinner to see if my player would be picked.  Sincerely, Thank you Brian “Scurvy” 505 words

The VHLE draft was a stressful and delightful time for many young athletes looking to make the jump from the minors. We caught up with former San Diego Defenseman Brian Payne to see just how the VHLE draft was for him. Projected to be a late first round pick with a tremendous upside he was humbled by going 20th overall to the Bratislava Watchman. Payne was honored to go so high with such huge talent in this year’s draft. The Watchman took stud defenseman Bo Johansson #4 overall, left winger Girts Galvan #12 overall, Payne #20, Alf Larsson #28, and Jay Saucey #36. The Watchman must be excited to have so many high picks with some promising futures. Payne was excited for the team’s future and said, “I am truly honored to be part of the Watch. They have some amazing defenseman I can learn from, and team management is great. The team and front office have treated me like family from the minute I was drafted. I look forward to this season I will be working my ass off to help the team as best I can. I would again like to the thank the team for taking a chance on me.”

The San Diego Marlins couldn’t hold on in a game 7 showdown with a powerful Ottawa Lynx team. Losing 6-5 with a devastating goal by Alf Larsson with under two minutes to go cut short a cinderella playoff for the surging Marlins. The game was a back-and-forth effort with both teams playing desperate hockey. The first period had the Marlins up 2-1 with a great defense to defense set up goal by Maxwell Mathias from Tavish Degroot. The second period was a defensive battle and Ottawa’s Jason Lejeunesse scored a power play goal set up by Bradley Buzzer and standout star, Max Torq. The third period was everything that makes VHLM hockey so great. A back-and-forth battle of scoring with goals by standout stars Christopher Young. The game went down to the wire and with less than two minutes left Ottawa scored the game winner. A great effort by both teams had the fans out of their seats the entire third period. Hats off to a relentless San Diego Marlins goalie Bubbles Utonium who stopped 38 of 44 shots with some amazing saves. Best of luck to Ottawa in the finals.

Review: WOW! I would have to say that in my short time here in this league that is the best graphic I have seen. The background, text, and logo all look perfect (to me). I also love how you merged the last name to match the background fire. I have a new appreciation for the effort and skill that it takes to make just a simple graphic. I applaud you on a fantastic graphic. 10/10

1. Felt horrible about the loss. I really thought we were going to win that game. 2. Getting as much TPE as I can to contribute next season. My first offseason so not sure what to expect. 3. I freaking loved this season. I found this league somehow and started. I sucked the first part of the year but slowly got better. Was good to end the year at 200TPE. 4. JB was amazing to me. He truly helped me decipher the league and learning curve on how to gain TPE. Thank you JB!!! 5. NHL14 6. Peanut butter PerfectBars

Brian Payne of the San Diego Marlins begins his draft year with more ups than downs. The humble six-foot one inch, 225lb southpaw defenseman has shown he belongs in the league even though it took him some time to adjust to the faster and bigger league. Upon joining the league there is one thing that stands out for Payne and that was his work ethic. He devoted hours to earning TPE at the fastest rate possible so that he could contribute to his club and their playoff push in a very tough division. Let’s start by rating the positives and negatives of this bruising defenseman. Positives: Physicality: Payne lives up to his name and plays a heavy and violent game. Cut from some old school cloth the likes of Scott Stevens or Chris Pronger he plays a defense first type of game and loves to stop the opposing players from scoring. He takes pride in being a defensive defenseman and likes doing the little things to help the club win, even if it doesn’t show up on the score sheet. Payne will also drop the gloves when the team needs him and wont shy away from standing up for his teammates. Locker room: Payne is the ultimate team player. For him, it’s not what shows up in the goals and assist column but the wins and losses of the club. He will do what it takes to win and will keep earning TPE to help whatever club chooses him in the draft. Negatives: Scoring: Payne needs to work on his confidence in shooting and break out passing. At the ladder half of the year his scoring touch improved greatly. He ended the season with 11 G 20 A 31 P and a dismal -21 Plus/Minus. However, in 11 playoff games so far, he has shown some improvement with 5 G 11 A – 16 Points in 11 games. We would like to see this continued improvement and consistency next year. Discipline: This by far is the biggest negative in Payne’s game. Over the 72 games season he had a whopping 128 PIMs with no majors. The Marlins play a physical game, and some penalties are to be expected but Brian needs to keep his head as to not put his club in jeopardy by always being on the penalty kill. Overall, we are excited to see where Payne goes in the upcoming draft and whatever team gets him will be thrilled. He plays with passion and is humble and willing to learn the ins and outs of the league. The team that grabs him will have a long-term asset willing to do what it takes to become the best defenseman he can.

1. I feel great about round one. Was a great start to the playoffs. I am nervous and excited for round two. Ottawa is going to be a great challenge. 2. I was happy with my performance overall. Decent numbers and plus/minus was good so hopefully I can continue to round two with decent playing. 3. I think Ottawa is going to be a true test. If we can get through them, I think we're in a great spot. 4. Well.....I'd rather not comment. I walked in on Huge G. Johnson in the bathroom and lets just say. .......the name is fake. 5. Yes, I think Edmonton makes a few key trades and makes the playoffs. Pittsburg will stop winning due to injuries in there veteran core but will still be a challenge come playoff time. 6. Tombstone

Review: I loved this media spot! This (to me) is a perfect example of a great article talking about the team's performance as well as yours. The team logos make it look professional and the narrative structure is succinct and to the point. 8/10.

Young rookie defenseman on the San Diego Marlins, Brian “Phantom” Payne is taking his first season in stride trying to take all that is the VHL. Signed as a free agent by the San Diego Marlins he learned quickly (thanks to team GM JB123) how to earn TPE fast so that he could contribute to his club. While he is still learning the complexities of the league he is just happy to be a part of such an amazing league. Although not hall of fame numbers for a defenseman Payne ended the regular season with 72 GP 11 G 20 A 31 P, 128 PIM, 166 hits, and 76 SB. After one season and about to start the playoffs, Payne has reached 176 TPE (182 after this article ). Although he wishes he would have read the Newby guide to builds a little earlier! He is fascinated with the league still and after recent invites to the Junior Showcase Tournament and the Victory ProAm his level of excitement is through the roof. Selected 13th overall in the Junior showcase by THE Warriors he was impressed by the GM Agito and AGM Thad and their willingness to help new players out. That’s what makes this league so great is the willingness of vets to help the newer players to make this such a fun league. Payne is excited to see what this Junior Showcase is all about and hopes to learn and be a solid defenseman for the club. In an interview with the rookie, we asked him some questions about his experiences and what his future holds? Question: “What do you think of the league so far and what are the Marlin’s chances in the playoffs?” Answer: “I am absolutely loving it so far. Took me a bit to adjust and earn TPE so I could help but happy I am here. I only wish I could re-allocate my points to make me a better Dman. I feel we have great chance to compete for the cup in San Diego. Our team is amazing, and we have hit our stride going into the playoffs. I think the break at Christmas helped us a lot. Question: “How do you feel about the junior showcase coming up and where you went in the draft?” Answer: “I am pumped! For the Warriors to take me makes me feel so honored and excited to play for them. They picked some awesome players and have outstanding leadership at GM and AGM I know I am in good hands to make me a better player.” Question: “What do you think your future is in the VHL?” Answer: “Well I can only control what I can control. I am going to work hard and earn TPE as fast as I can and improve. Where I end up next season is out of my control so I wherever I am, that team will get a solid defenseman who is hungry to learn and help the club in any way possible. And to WIN.” We hope to follow Payne’s career and the upcoming playoffs as well as the upcoming Junior Showcase.

The road to the playoffs is always difficult for any team. Injuries, slowly earned TPE, and luck play a role in any team’s goal of reaching for a championship. For the San Diego Marlins the team has had some ups and downs but for the most part have earned their spot through grit and determination. Despite having a young and inexperienced team, leadership and grit have gotten them where they are. In an extremely tough division that has the Las Vegas Aces and Houston Bulls, the Marlins have quietly stayed relevant against these two offensive power houses. Las Vegas’s 305 goals and Houston’s 317 goals for against the Marlin’s 252 you would think that they would struggle against these teams come playoff time. You couldn’t be more wrong. Team defense and some late season scoring has shown the Marlins can play with the division rivals. With three straight wins to close out the season which showed some high scoring, great defense, and some stellar goaltending the Marlins are starting their postseason ready to battle and take home the cup.

1. Hollidays were great! My three year old had a blast and it was so fun to see her excited for Santa. 2. I am looking forward to a happy and healthy year. AND! For a San Diego Marlins championship playoff! 3. I think we have hit a good groove going into the playoffs. Solid lines and defense is playing great. 4. No not really. I am a beginner and still learning the ins and outs. My dman has improved but still along way from the likes of Degroot and the other solid Man on the club. 5. 4 way tie for Degroot, Matthius, Eklund, and Maxx on defense. Great numbers and solid defense throughout the year. (I am bias for defenseman!). lol 6. I like to snowshoe, watch hockey, and some sledding with kiddo