leandrofg

I’d like to be considered as well!

I see you, S83 champs! Lead the way!

Watchmen Press Conference (Week Ending August 21st) Answering three questions gets you 1 Capped TPE Answering six questions gets you 2 Capped TPE This is shaping up to be a long offseason. How are you coping with it? The conference finals in the European Conference are still going. Game 7 tonight. Moscow or Warsaw? Are you looking forward to any of the offseason tournaments? Give a shout-out to one of your teammates. Who was our MVP? In honor of the World Cup of Hockey. Would you rather win the NHL on your favorite team or the World Cup with your country? Let's talk serious stuff. Where will Cristiano Ronaldo end up?

I'd like to be considered for the position as well!

Love you, @rjfryman!

No apologies needed. It was a pleasure following your start in the VHL. You were very active and interested in the community, so I always kept tabs. If you ever have the time to comeback, I’m going to keep a close eye on you!

What about our future in Bratislava, @orbit!?

Two straight VHLE Finals for Marcel. Could he make it three next year?

Saw the vote and, of course, I reached out to Victor. There’s a first for everything! I appreciate whomever voted for me! And I’ll try to continue my work in the community! Congratulations to the nominated few that are going to be voted on. Let’s go, Jacob!

Watchmen Press Conference (Week Ending August 14th) Answering three questions gets you 1 Capped TPE Answering six questions gets you 2 Capped TPE Our season ended on a hard-fought 4-2 series loss in the semifinals. How great of a series was it? Even with this loss, Bratislava showed amazing team play this season. How proud of this group are you? Who do you think will win the VHLE, the Iron Eagles or the Red Wolves? Any guess on who you think will win the VHL? What are you looking forward to doing in the offseason? Any last words for your Season 84 teammates?

1. Get better every day. 2. I did think we were able to. Shame we fell so early. 3. Woof. I love a great defensive squad, but the spectacle of an offensive team is brilliant. 4. Dancing chairs with GM positions, but the off-season tournaments are a must-watch! 5. I'm shirts, you're skins! 6. Late

I appreciate you mentioning my player’s name, but I said no playoffs!

One of these days!

Should this turn into a coming-out party?

Alright, the cat's out of the bag. By now, you have already read the title - at least, I hope you did. Well, now you've read it for sure! It's true. The Non-VSN Rookie Ladder has morphed into an official VSN version. Stylistically, everything should remain the same, so you won't have to worry about changing your reading habits. Let's get to it. Our rookies have played another week of hockey, and the Regular Season has ended. That means our journey with the S84 rookies is ending too. Some of you may believe in keeping the evaluation going, but that wouldn't be a fair accession for everyone. Rookies in worse teams are already frowned upon when compared to others. Therefore taking the playoffs into account isn't going to be something we'll do. I want to start by tipping my hat to all the rookies we have seen on the ice this season. Especially the ones we have had under scrutiny during this season. Except for Leandro Goncalves. F- that guy. Can I still write this? I tip my hat, alphabetically, to Art Vandelay, Augustus Kennedy, Branden Skuin, Callum Murray, Dusty Wilson, Hammar Voss, Landon Wolanin, Pierre Emile Bouchard, and Tomas Sogaard. You have made writing this piece a true pleasure. As an analytics guy, I wish King Simon would output some more. This introduction has now been going for far too long. I know you want to see the last top 5... and so do I! 5. Augustus Kennedy (Last week: N/A) At number 5, we have a new entry on our list. Yes, it did take a whole season for Augustus Kennedy to be featured on our ladder, but that doesn't make his efforts less valuable. The opposite is true, though. Kennedy played for one of the worst teams in the league this season, but he displayed tremendous skill. It's not easy to maintain a consistent level on the ice, but he found a way to do it. Playing for the New York Americans meant Kennedy faced the 2nd most shots between all the starters, with only Brandt Fuhr facing more (quite a bit more, damn, Wolves). Kennedy must have enjoyed the number because he decided to hold the 2nd best save percentage, at a whopping .931, only behind future Hall of Famer Papa Emeritus. 4. Dusty Wilson (Last week: 5th) Number 4 - no, not the book, movie, or TV series - is a familiar face. Dusty Wilson had big shoes to fill. The early departure of Em Em Flex left Seattle in shock but little did they know about the goaltender they had waiting for his opportunity. His season was fantastic. After a rocky start, which could be pressure-related, Dusty found himself and started being himself. He did play for a great team, which helped him ease into the league. His numbers are middle of the pack throughout. Save percentage? .924, 9th overall (between the starters). Goals against average? 2.44, 6th. It's true. Dusty Wilson isn't your flashy goaltender, but can you depend on him on a nightly basis? Yes! 3. Callum Murray (Last week: 3rd) Number 3 isn't a surprise for you... or anybody, it's your favorite Australian yet again, Callum Murray! Playing for the Stars this season wasn't easy, but Murray thrived on it. We'd be a worthy number 1 on this list if there weren't two other extraordinary rookies in the running. He finished the season with 15 goals and 49 assists, holding a .59 P/20 (Points per 20 Minutes). This last stat makes Callum a worthy contender for our second spot (the next guy has a .60 P/20). Still, there's another thing to consider... how was Callum's defensive presence? Good, but not great. Callum was the definition of an offensive defenseman. Yet, he left defending behind, and that's something the Stars did... a lot (5th in Puck Time in Defensive Zone)! 110 Hits (73rd between all players) and 168 Shots Blocked (17th) are pretty good numbers, but I'll give you better ones. 2. Pierre Emile Bouchard (Last week: 2nd) Pierre Emile Bouchard. I think you'd guess this player at number 2, and it's fair. We've spent a lot of time discussing him and the guy at number 1, but in the end, I couldn't fathom switching them around. Pierre would be deserving of the switch, but Sogaard doesn't. The only thing I wish I could do would be to have two number ones, which wouldn't be possible or attractive for you. I may be many things, but I'm not an undecided individual. And Pierre Emile Bouchard is the same way. Bouchard started the season with another rookie on this list in New York. As Augustus struggled on the net, Bouchard found the VHL was to his liking. In 33 games in New York, he scored as many points and proved to be a fantastic fit for the Americans, but as Nelly Furtado used to sing, "all good things come to an end." The news came like an atomic bomb. A rookie, a front runner to the Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy, was part of a trade between the New York Americans and the Vancouver Wolves. That trade had more assets, but Bouchard was the cherry on top. His time in Vancouver didn't start the way he wanted. That first week was rough to see, but between the player's and management's effort, the second week was the perfect contrast of his game. At the end of the season, Bouchard played in 74 games, had 17 goals and 47 assists, totaling 64 points, but suffered in the plus/minus column with a whopping -51. His 133 Hits had him ranked 54th overall and the 233 Shots Blocked put him 2nd in that category. That's not all, but enough to solidify him as number 2. 1. Tomas Sogaard (Last week: 1st) The usual suspect, Tomas Sogaard. Honestly, I'm getting tired of seeing this guy doing so well. I mean, to be great, I can handle it. But to do it consistently? God damn! I've run out of adjectives to describe Sogaard's game. Don't judge me, because you would too. Week in and week out, writing about the same guy the way I am, and you'd think this is a fluff piece. But it isn't. Fact is, Sogaard managed to put a great season together. A season many veterans could only dream of. A season a Hall of Famer would look back on with tremendous pride. He managed to hold a .67 P/20. Last season's Rookie of the Year, Bo Johansson, had a .72. Dusty Wilson wasn't the only player with big shoes to fill. Sogaard did, too, with the departure of Moscow legend Duncan Idaho. His start, like Dusty's, wasn't the best, but once he found his place on the team, Sogaard started playing arguably the best hockey of his career. Let's point out his stats. 24 goals and 48 assists, for a total of 72 points in 72 games. A +41 on his plus/minus column (10th between all players) and 5 game-winners to his name. There's more to point out, but we don't have to. That's because there's enough to keep Sogaard at the top of this ladder. Or does it? I know it's not an easy task to evaluate two players who seemingly play in different environments, surrounded by other teammates and management structures. Not only that, these two players, Sogaard and Bouchard, play in different positions. To prove this, we have presented this problem to a panel of voters. "Who should win Rookie of the Season?" I asked. A total of 5 VSN members cast their votes, so we had a winner. 3-2 was the result. In favor of Pierre Emile Bouchard. There you have it. After more than one thousand words, you have a writer telling Tomas Sogaard is number 1. Just to have the last paragraphs declare Pierre Emile Bouchard as a possible winner. And on that bombshell, it's time to end. Goodbye!

As a two-time participant and reigning champion, I'd be honored to help you lead this competition!

Are you trying to jynx me?

Do y'all have any more of that TPE? Well, this has been a long day. I just finished sending the last invoice of the day, it's 19:34 and I've got to be at my parents' house in about 25 minutes. Although that is the case, I'm still sitting and writing a quick .com article, so I'll hopefully improve my player a bit. What difference could those 2 TPE do? Not much. But today is payday! Well, actually Monday was payday, but it's VHFL Payout Day, and that's good too! Well, it could be better. I did pick Jonathan Ori... Has that been a rollercoaster or what? Fuck me. I got second place by ~25 points. 25! Is Ori the worst player in the VHFL? No. But will I ever pick him again? Hell no! Ok, it's getting a bit tricky now. I've been writing for 6 minutes, so I'll have to be quick. I hope my mom cooks a good dinner.

Alright, alright, alright. It's getting ridiculous now. I started this hoping Leandro would be a contender for Rookie of the Year. That hasn't happened. But will I succumb to the "just do it already!" I hear to give the award to Tomas Sogaard!? No! At least not yet. I've got to keep this open for more TPE next week. But guess what? You're right. Sogaard deserves to hear his name first, so I'll even switch how my standings work! -- 1. Tomas Sogaard (Last week: 1st) I don't even know where to start with this guy. Week after week, he's surpassing himself and maintaining a level difficult to match by other rookies - not to mention his consistency, which has been unmatched by everyone else. Callum Murray has been as consistent but a level below in terms of productivity. This week, Sogaard rewarded Moscow's viewers with 7 goals, 10 assists, and a +13 plus/minus. The best part, though? 2 more game-winners. No biggie. 2. Pierre Emile Bouchard (Last week: 5th) Call it a comeback because the beast has awoken again! Boy... were we worried after the trade to Vancouver. But in the end, Pierre has found his place in Vancouver. Not only that, but he's, arguably, playing better than he ever did in New York. This past week Bouchard played on 15 games, scoring 3 goals and assisting on another 13. That's 16 points, only one behind rookie extraordinaire Tomas Sogaard. But his defensive presence is what amazed the most this week. 42 hits and 64 shots blocked... that's a season for most. 3. Callum Murray (Last week: 4th) Callum Murray continues his path of serenity in Los Angeles. He's been a consistent player throughout the season but has lacked the spectacular play of his peers. But even so, that consistency has brought him to a place where you must appreciate his value. This past week he put another 16 points without any slack on defense. And although he plays for a weak Los Angeles team, his plus/minus continues to be respectful. 4. Red Gaming (Last week: 3rd) This past week, Red played only half of Chicago's games. Those missed games created a gap in Red's game consistency, which we could see when evaluating his week's numbers. 8 games and a 3-4-1 record. That resulted in a .003 drop in save percentage and a .13 hike in GAA (Goals Against Average). 5. Dusty Wilson (Last week: N/A) It's time to show Dusty Wilson some love. This past week, Dusty played a lot more games than Red Gaming. Now, we can compare them evenly for their season efforts. Dusty does hold a better save percentage (.923 against .919) and a better GAA (2.50 against 2.62), so this rise in the rankings is a worthy nod to the efforts he's made so far in the season. -- This was another tough week for the Wrangler kids. 4 points for Landon and 6 for Leandro... yikes. On the other hand, we've seen an incredible surge in Helsinki. Hammar Voss is starting to show what he can do on the ice. This week, he scored 14 points and contributed quite well defensively. It could be too late for the South African to push for the rookie award, but it sure seems like an indicator of progress for the future. Another interesting fact is Augustus Kennedy's save percentage. At .930, Kennedy holds the second-best save percentage between qualifying goaltenders. He's been a rock for the Americans and certainly not the reason why they're where they're at. Could we see him crack this top 5? Previous editions: Week 1 Week 2 Week 3

Watchmen Press Conference (Week Ending August 7th) Answering 3 questions gets you 1 Capped TPE Answering 6 questions gets you 2 Capped TPE We're on the hunt for the number 1 spot in the VHLE. How eager are you to get it? Oslo has settled bottom of the league for the season. How can they turn things around? Bratislava won the cup last season and has been able to maintain competitive this season. Could you see it happening next season? Tyler Busser is about to hit the 100-point mark. How impressive has he been for Istanbul? The rules have changed. A 300 TPE player can now be called up to the VHL. Would you go for it, having the chance or would you rather have another season of progression in the VHLE? We've had a great influx of players in the VHL this past week. How great is that?

My guy, Brandon! I am so happy you're enjoying your time here, and I appreciate your kind words! I'm a bit mad at myself for not being able to meet you for a meal while you were here, but it was impossible this past week - even taking into account the thousands of kilometers/miles you've flown to be here. That said, I'll get in touch with you later since you're continuing your trip down south! Some more recommendations you may find appealing If that happens, I'll schedule a couple of days off in advance to show you around