Toast

DAWSON MOVES TO THE SIX -- THE FULL ROOKIE EXPERIENCE Dawson was traded in his rookie season to the Toronto Legion, closing off what was certainly an interesting first season in the VHL Phoenix Dawson is coming to the end of his rookie season in the VHL. After a couple strong seasons in Miami, Phoenix arrived in Seattle with the promise that he was going to become one of the best players in franchise history. Coming from the Toast Player Agency there is also the pressure of being the first player the agency has had to make it into the VHL in the past 20 seasons. Coming into the league Dawson is still working on his pass-first but the young center has done an excellent job bulking up over the off-season so that he will not easily be pushed off the puck by the more experienced players in the league. While still being a younger player it seems that he will be playing on the wing as opposed to his natural center position that he excelled in at the VHLM level. This makes sense as VHL teams are going to want to be sure that they are able to win as many draws as they can and Dawson with only average faceoff skills would easily see the losses pile up. Through his rookie season, it’s clear that things were not perfect in Seattle. While Dawson got along with a lot of the players and the management, there was talk in the media if Dawson was committed to being the best player that he could be. Starting off as one of the most dedicated players in his Miami days, it was clear that Dawson was missing a few opportunities at practice hours over the season. On the ice Dawson saw quite a bit of time on the ice, averaging just short of 20 minutes a game but wasn’t really able to hit the performance that he expected. Through 56 games with the Bears, Dawson found the back of the net 13 times and got 27 points for a respectable rookie campaign. He was however a -14 for the team that had some players like Isabella Campbell at +24 showing that he was a liability in even strength situations. At the trade deadline, Dawson was flipped to the Toronto Legion in exchange for fellow S76 draft member Frank Funk Jr. Both teams mentioned how a change of scenery may be best for both players. So coming to the end of the rookie campaign for Dawson, things have certainly been interesting. Going forward he needs to show that he is dedicated to becoming the #1 center he believes he is. If he can, he is in the perfect opportunity in Toronto to become a star.

We’re heading into the final day of the regular season with the playoffs right around the corner and things in the NA Conference are as close as they have been. Toronto and Chicago sit at the top of the conference with 83 points each with Toronto having the slight edge in the ROW column as well as a game in hand. It seems that the Legion are set to hold on to the lead and head into the playoffs as the regular season NA leaders. The team has been led by the impressive play in the crease from Jaxx Hextall and Oh Sens up front leading the offense. With a lot of the Legion’s team being younger they seem dangerous for seasons to come but will it be enough to do some damage in the playoffs? The team is going to be looking for everyone on the team to be contributing but with solid seasons from Green, Greene Giant, Kaberle, Odinsson, Welch and more the team seems to be in a solid position to keep the performance going into the post-season. The only remaining question for now is will the team be able to hold on to 1st or will they slip up in the remaining games?

1. It's nice to see the success of the team since joining. I think we'll hold on to first despite the couple losses we've had recently. 2. I hope everyone is happy with me so far! Toronto LR is great and I'm excited for the future of the team. 3. Nathan Perry to recreate the chemistry that we had in Miami. 4. A Continental Cup! 5. I don't think there is enough time for 100 points this season but it is an awfully impressive season regardless. 6. Toronto 1st is all that matters.

Don't think I've ever been part of a deadline deal? Looking forward to joining Toronto!

@Victor @JardyB10 Let's enjoy a bit of a callback here... Back in S51, I was general manager of the Riga Reign. A 18/19 year old with way too much time to obsess over a sim league and hoping for a miracle. In S51 Riga would win the Continental Cup which would be my first in the league after about 20 or so seasons? More importantly however the Finals series between Riga and the Toronto Legion was headlined by something more important. Cleganebowl. For anyone who wasn’t around at the time or doesn’t know the history, Jardy and Victor both created goalies around this time. Sandro and Greg Clegane were amongst the best in the league and in the playoffs? It wasn’t even close. Victor was the reason that the Legion were able to topple the superteam in Calgary that had many of the league’s top members sign as free agents. In the Cleganebowl, Sandro ended up posting a .950 save percentage and Greg Clegane was right behind him with a .948%. I’m well aware of how STHS hates goalies but there was nothing stopping this battle from going down as an all-timer. The question for this Alternate Reality article though is what if Greg didn’t stand on his head to eliminate Calgary? Well, the first thing that comes to mind here is that the Toast curse would have lived on forever. Despite being a general manager for probably five or six seasons at this point and a player since the late S20s, I had zero success when it came to making the Finals or finally winning something. This curse seemed to only effect my Continental Cup appearances though as the World Cup was fine. Being hot-headed back them and coming off an inevitable sweep loss to the Wranglers there is a fair chance that if Cleganebowl doesn’t happen? Young Toast gives up on his VHL aspirations and retires both Kopralkovs and doesn’t end up on the New York Americans team that got me my second Continental Cup. If Cleganebowl doesn’t happen and Jardy doesn’t get that win? Who knows if he loses inspiration and the VHL finds itself without a simmer sooner than that happens later on in history? I'm sure that it’s definitely the Cleganebowl win that fuels Jardy going forward. The Cleganebowl was built up to for seasons with moments just not happening until these finals. If this series doesn’t happen it’s possible that the league never gets Cleganebowl and the missed opportunity would’ve been devastating for the league (I don’t think there was ever a clash later on?) Without Cleganebowl, I think Calgary crushes Riga or Cologne in the finals and the rest of the league would have been miserable seeing a super team form up and destroy the rest of the league. During this two player era that may have hurt activity even further. Thankfully these are all hypothetical as Cleganebowl did happen and would result in my first Continental Cup. I can’t remember what I had to trade to get Jardy to Riga but whatever it was made it possible to see the Cleganebowl and break a curse that tormented me on this league for years. Enjoy some good old threads that can provide some further detail too:

These Alternate Universe articles have been a lot of fun but I loved your writing here. Good insight into a what-if but my favourite thing is your resume. I have further questions about what happens on the Discord if the anti-horny police are a thing but maybe they're best left unanswered. 10/10

Lol what just happened? This was an extremely fun read and I have no complaints for you. I flew right through this because you got me interested. Looking forward to reading more articles from you! 10/10 for 10 cups in a row.

40. I got him a signed picture of myself for the memories and wished him luck. 41. I got him a painting where he was painted as a bear and wished him luck. 42. Welcomed him with a handshake and offered a beer. 43. The entire locker room ignored him when he got here to make it seem like something was up before all celebrating his arrival. 44. A lot of sim league tasks these days and testing for another league. I need to plant some grass and work on the garden today too. 45. To keep things within the bubble we got some drinks and had a night of playing Jackbox games and listening to tunes.

With the trade deadline looming, Seattle finds themselves in an extremely competitive North American division. The team picked up some pieces for the future when they shipped Phil “the Rock” Johnson to Calgary with picks coming back. Looking over Seattle’s roster it’s surprising which young player they decided was going to be the expendable one. With trouble finding places on the team, that was listed as the main reason that the Bears moved Phil. Looking at other players on the roster it’s surprising that the Bears did not move rookie Phoenix Dawson who is at the bottom of the team with a -14. With players like Isabella Campbell at a +18 it would not take much for anyone to realize that Dawson has been a liability in 5-on-5 situations for the team. “I’m just doing my best to grow as a player,” said Dawson. “There are definitely games that have been tougher on me this season but that’s just part of becoming a better player. I know that with the opportunity I will become one of the greats in Seattle’s history. We just need to focus on the games coming after the deadline and I believe that we can finish this season as #1 in the NA.”

4/4

Wow, this is fantastic! Thanks @Beketov!

Claim 3/4

13. Thoughts on adding Grant's player in the draft? Seems like a good pick for us! Happy to see more new faces. 14. Thoughts on adding Kendrick player in the draft? Kendrick is a VHL legend so having someone like him around just adds to the locker room! 15. Which team had the biggest off-season? Seattle definitely for adding on to the future. Our dynasty is getting there! 16. Were you surprised by all the GM's stepping down? Who would you hire? Yeah, seems to be a lot of change going on. I would give @tinafrombobsburgers an opportunity! 17. Thoughts on the Bears off-season? I was worried we would lose some players but it seems that we're rolling on! 18. What are your expectations for you this season? So far so good! Maybe 40 points? I just want to do what I can to help the team!

Claim W/E March 28th

10/10 Good information here that's helpful for people like me who don't know the situation for each team. You used other colours and broke it up with the team images which really makes it easy to take in the info. Great stuff as always!

10/10 Love a good power rankings and this one is no exception. Lots of details with a clear breakdown of everything and I love the charts at the end!

Dawson and Toast Agency Look Back on VHLM Career Phoenix Dawson celebrates a goal at the most-recent World Junior Championship. Miami, FL — A farewell with the media was called as Phoenix Dawson spent his last day at the Miami Marauders training facility. Serving as captain in his second season with the team, the young S76 player will be joining the Seattle Bears to make his VHL debut on Monday. “When I was first drafted here I wasn’t sure what to expect,” said Dawson. “I declared to the VHLM on a whim after getting recruited to the Toast Player Agency and I wasn’t sure if hockey was even truly my calling.” In his first season with Miami, Dawson declared late into the declaration period and did not have much time to impress general managers. With the lack of a successful player coming from the Toast Agency in recent memory, Dawson’s draft position continued to fall. It was only at 79th overall in one of the most successful drafts in history that Dawson would finally hear which team he was going to. Dawson arrived to the Miami practice facility in S75 where he was expected to play low minutes but with his dedication during practice and the early goings of the season, Dawson quickly solidified himself as the number two center on the team behind Theodore Hoffman. “My main goal in my rookie season was to show everyone I was going to be one of the best,” said Dawson. “I am a very competitive player and I wasn’t going to allow myself to just play low minutes for the full season.” The team has openly expressed that the locker room in Miami can be very lively but it did not take long for Dawson to fit it. Being one of the few S76s on the team, Dawson stepped into a leadership role for the rest of the players on the team that were going to find themselves in the upcoming VHL Entry Draft. A particular moment that has been reported was Dawson sacrificing his ice time so that free agent Green Gaming could get an opportunity on the second line. “I feel like I’m more mature due to all the advice that my player agent has given me. I saw this energetic young player who was getting his first taste of professional hockey in the VHL world and I wanted him to have an opportunity to really shine. There were other players on that team that were more focused on their own success than the team’s and I wanted to show everyone that I was there to do everything to lift Miami up and not just myself.” On the ice Dawson was a consistent player as well, mostly finding success with winger Nathan Perry. On and off the ice Perry and Dawson quickly became a favourite duo of the Miami fans as the two were very open about their friendship on social media often tagging each other in photos or interacting with the fans. “I think a large part of me being successful in my rookie season was the fact that I had Perry there with me,” said Dawson. “Our personalities meshed perfectly and that was something I really valued. It made the season so much better!” With the chemistry that had been formed with Perry, Dawson would end up putting up 46 points through his 72 games which were very respectable numbers for the first-year player. With the overall success from the team’s other stars such as Cabe McJake and Peter Louis II, the team went intro the post-season hoping for some post-season magic like they had seen previously in Miami. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be as the team would be eliminated quickly in four games. Everyone knew that the team was entering a retooling period with quite a few players moving on to the pros and free agents to the VHLM Dispersal Draft. After a few moves from the Miami front office, Phonenix Dawson was one of the last players on the Miami roster as a sign of trust after the hard work and involvement that he had through the first season. Rumours through media reported Dawson meeting with front office several times through the off-season but it may have been nothing more than updates for their star player. “It wasn’t my concern really. I was curious to see if I was going to be the next name called to pack my bags and head to the next town but I really wanted to stay with Miami. I fell in love with the city in my first season here and Miami is responsible for putting the Toast Agency back on the map in the VHL.” Surviving the mass exodus in Miami, Dawson’s next concern was the upcoming VHL Entry Draft. After being the 79th-overall pick in the VHLM, Dawson worked hard through his entire season to become one of the big names available in the draft. Analysts argues if Dawson could be the best available center and this got attention from teams. “I had quite a few draft interviews and it was certainly exciting. I wanted the GMs to know that I was serious about being the best player that I could be but I think there was one thing that really held me back from the rest of the class.” Top prospects often made the jump to the VHL right away after the draft and while that may mean they were not as successful as they could have been in the minors, they could have a longer career in the pros. Dawson was the exception to this in his class as he made it clear to several general managers that his intent was to return to Miami to see our his journey in the VHLM. Dawson decided that he had some unfinished business and though he practiced as much as possible for the VHLM, Dawson was decided on this to the point where he would make sacrifices. “I informed teams that I would be skipping training camp. I know that sets me back from the other players my age who are going to get that experience ahead of me but if I wanted to make sure that I was ready for the VHLM season that would mean returning to Miami as soon as possible to help the new group of prospects adjust.” While this certainly would end up hurting Dawson’s draft stock, he still went in the first round and much higher than 79th-overall this time around. The Seattle Bears made a big splash in the S76 Entry Draft with three picks in the first round. They were able to get the energetic center Hex Rose with the 8th-overall pick and a strong winger at 12th-overall in Phil “The Rock” Johnson. Most importantly however, at 9th-overall the Bears selected another center in Phoenix Dawson. “I was extremely excited to hear my name called by Seattle and in the top 10 as well! I knew I had put in the work to make sure that I would get noticed but I wasn’t sure if it was going to be enough for the teams who were cautious about the player agency that I was coming from. The opportunity in Seattle was one that I really wanted and I’m happy that they were able to see that.” Dawson and the Toast Player Agency released a statement to media prior to the draft announcing their intention to go to DA BEARZ as a sign of loyalty as it was Blake Campbell who were able to get Dawson and the Toast Agency back into the VHL in the first place. Warning other teams that they wanted to go to Seattle or would end up going their via free agency was enough to have the odds work in their favour it seemed. Dawson was now free to return to Miami with that peace of mind knowing that a good opportunity was waiting for him in the VHL. Upon return to the VHLM, it was announced that Dawson was going to be wearing the C in Miami for all of his work in the previous season. Dawson was very excited about the opportunity but the next season was certainly going to provide its own challenges. With the stresses of the VHL career looming it was clear that Dawson did not have the same energy that he had with something to prove in his rookie season. The second-year player was definitely more serious with his training and his work with the team but was also more reserved in the locker room and only provided his input if required. The work that Dawson was putting into his game was clearly working as he was trusted to take on a much younger Miami team with a lot of S77 talent on it. Dawson would be relied on to carry most of the work this season as Miami had moved number one center Hoffman to Ottawa over the off-season. Dawson immediately found chemistry with other S76s that had arrived to Miami through the Dispersal Draft in Alexander the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte. All of these players would end up with point-per-game offensive results for Miami at the end of the season. “I was really worried about doing the best that I could. At one point in the season I was in the top 10 scorers in the league and coming back for a second year in Miami I wanted to lead the entire league. I worked so hard through my first year to do everything I could and I knew that I had the skill that was needed.” As Miami had some rough points in the first portion of the season, Dawson would end up a -2 on the season but led the team with goals with 39 and assists with 58. With Dawson all over the ice during Miami games it was no surprise that he would end up leading most of the categories for the team. He also showed a strong defensive side as well with quite a few hits and shots blocked to add on. Dawson and Miami heated up towards the end of the season and came roaring into the post-season with their second attempt at playoffs in Dawson’s career. It was certainly a better attempt than the season prior but Miami were eliminated in six games in the first round with this attempt and Dawson’s time with Miami was coming to a screeching halt. It was disappointing for the team and Dawson. “I feel like I could have done more. As captain you want to make sure that you’re giving it everything you’ve got every night and I think I brought that for Miami but it just wasn’t enough. It’s crushing to leave this behind without seeing success in the post-season like I dreamed of.” Miami exceeded all expectations of VHLM analysts and certainly seemed like that had some future they could build on if they were successful in the VHLM Draft again. For Dawson though, it’s time to look ahead to Seattle. “I want to thank everyone that I’ve had the chance to meet Miami. You are the reasons why I am going to have this opportunity in Seattle and why I will make sure that I do whatever it takes to be one of the best players in the league. I want to give a special thanks to Ricer and Tina for their leadership during my time in Miami and for making the VHLM experience such an enjoyable one. There is no other tandem that I would have preferred to play for. “While it’s disappointing to not get it done in Miami I look forward to joining Seattle and working for the next seven or eight years to become the best player that I can. They have arguably the most committed management in the league and a young squad where we have the opportunity to become a dynasty. I will never forget my roots in Miami though. They are the reason that Phoenix Dawson will become a household VHL name and I will forever be a Marauder.” --- 2025 words (Four weeks) Claiming for W/E March 21st

Congrats!

With the Medal games said and done, Team Canada has unfortunately seem themselves unable to medal with a loss in the Bronze Medal Game vs. Team World. It was certainly an exciting game where we would see overtime decide who was taking home third place but it was Team World who controlled the offense for majority of the game. Canada would hold a lead for majority of the game but seemingly could not put Team World away and gave up the lead early into the third. Post-game it was clear that the Team Canada players were upset with the loss following the expectation that they could capture Gold in this tournament. "We let our country down," said captain Phoenix Dawson. "I know that we had the skill to put Team World away but things weren't clicking out there on the ice for us. ClapbombsRUs was fantastic through the night and made sure things weren't worse than they could have been. I am disappointed with my own game and really think that I could have played better but there isn't anything that's going to change the result. I look forward to watching Team Canada in the future and hopefully they'll turn things around in the next WJC."

7. Rookies are all coming up to the VHL from the VHLM. Any words of advice or encouragement? Don't screw it up! As one of these rookies making a debut I need to do whatever I can to make sure I'm doing my best for Seattle! 8. Who do you think goes first overall in the upcoming VHL Entry Draft? Why? HERE! Hatter went first which was to be expected. An active member that is already near 400TPE is absolutely insane. 9. Who do you think goes 2nd overall? Why? Ricer went 2nd overall which makes sense. While Calgary may be his primary focus it's still a solid player for second overall. 10. Who do you think goes 3rd overall? OD went third when there is an argument there that he should have been 1st overall. A member who has been so consistent in the league with building star players is hard to pass up! 11. Jayrad retired from VHL/Da Bears due to some fairly serious, private real life things. We love him. We support him. The team sent him well wishes. What was it??? Life happens. It's unfortunate but it's good that he will be focusing on life rather than a game. The team gave him a golden hockey stick and a special jersey to remember his career. 12. Velv We couldn't quite get Jensen the cup we wanted, but probably further than Davos! The Bears got him a retirement gift. What was it?? Apparently a nomination into the Founders HOF! Velv is a quality member and deserves the recognition.

1. What are your thoughts on the Chicago Phoenix winning the Continental Cup? Cool team that stole their name from my player and definitely not the other way around. 2. Thoughts on Mexico City Kings winning the Founders cup? It should have been Miami. Finals was an exciting series going all the way to 7 though. 3. Thoughts on Beaviss stepping down? What did you get him as a "thank you" gift? The league is supposed to be fun for all. High responsibility positions add a ton of stress so I understand if that was the case. I got him a Seattle team picture to show we care. 4. Which VHL GM will be the next to step down? Ricer has had a long run and I wouldn't be surprised to see Calgary looking for a new GM. 5. Which VHLM GM will be the next to step down? IR has had a storied career as a GM and may move on to other opportunities. 6. Who wins the slobo award? Here I'm very late to this and can't see the poll anymore. Sounds like someone from Moscow?

Last season Phoenix Dawson was fortunate enough to be named to Team World and would see it through to a Gold medal win at the Juniors. Despite winning the Gold it was still unfortunate to have not made the Team Canada roster. Canada being one of the more dominate nations means that even with steady earning, Dawson unfortunately just did not make the cut. This time around before he joins the rest of the VHL as a rookie in Seattle, Dawson was not only named to the roster but was selected as Captain for the team as well! On paper it seems a lot of the teams are on a level playing field with Team World playing spoiler this time around. An interesting storyline will be for games where Canada takes on the USA we will see a battle between Seattle young centers in Hex Rose and Dawson. It's expected that Dawson is going to be playing minimal ice time on the wing to get started in Seattle but as the best center on Canada's roster, Seattle is going to see quite the matchup between a solid portion of the Bear's future. The tournament gets started tomorrow so be sure to see if Dawson and Canada can secure gold this time around! that god damn auto edit still floating around

Lots going on this week with a commissioner stepping down and the announcement that sims will be live. I’m excited for the live sims because that gives us more opportunity to get excited about them. With the activity of the Discord I expect that Twitch chats/YouTube will be lots of fun. Not much going on for Dawson this week as we wait for the off-season to really begin. I’m interested in seeing if Seattle does anything in the off-season with the logjam of players we have for our offense but hopefully I will be able to start building my career as a Bear. I was selected to Team Canada as well for the World Juniors after not being selected last season. I’m hoping that Dawson will be able to keep up the strong play from the VHLM season and use that to help lift Canada to Gold. Last season being a part of team World and being able to win it all was something special but if I’m able to win Gold again while playing for a different country? I think that would be a huge accomplishment and be a solid way to close off this chapter of Dawson’s career.

65. What are your plans for the weekend? Didn't get up to too much. Relaxed and played some games. Looking forward to the days where the pandemic is behind us and I can do things on the weekend again. 66. Who will win... Chicago or Warsaw? Chicago just won tonight! 67. Who will win... Mexico or Houston? It went all the way to seven games but Mexico managed to win! 68. Who will win playoff MVP for VHL? Mikko Lahtinen played fantastic throughout the post-season. 27 points definitely should get the nod. 69. What should the Bears do this off-season? The team is in a good spot. I would not be surprised to the see the Bears move some youth for players in their prime. 70. @Velevra had another good career. He's retiring. How do you bid them farewell? Velv has been around sim leagues for quite some time. I'm looking forward to seeing his new player as I know he'll find a way to build another successful guy.

I'll miss you Miami