JCarson

1) Favourite summer activity is sitting in the air conditioning 2) Going to spend the offseason training 3) Favourite sport to play is baseball (i make a great right fielder, if nobody is hitting there) 4) Favourite car brand is Hyundai, cheap and reliable 5) Most important to me is that i get to play on my new team 6) Only road hockey.

I started this experience post season 83 draft with very little knowledge of what I was even doing or to be honest what the VHL even was. I had been talked into joining the league by my son who had been playing for a few seasons. He told me that they were looking for players and if I joined, he would get bonus training points. (No clue what that meant at the time.) He promised that it was fun and that it would not take a lot of time. All I would have to do is create a player and write a little bit. To be a good father I agreed to do something with him that was his interest. Honestly, his love of hockey came from me so what can I expect? I must admit that I do not think that I would have stuck with it if I were doing this in isolation. The basic mechanics of how things work although not difficult are not straight forward either. It was nice to have someone able to guide me through my first experience, to discuss the difference between articles and media spots, to guide me through the various pages as I looked for trivia answers (you people really need to make that more organized) to talk to me about career tasks (who knew that was a thing) and to discuss how to maximize getting TPE. Having someone that I could discuss player development and thoughts on how to apply TPE to various attributes was beneficial. As of this week I will have maxed my VHLM TPE level of 200 without having been drafted. I have created a player who was able to score over 20 goals and 50 points during that time. Beyond building on my relationship with my son I have also been introduced to people from around the world who enjoy hockey, who have both an analytical side but also a creative side. People who have helped make this experience fun and one I will repeat. Now we progress onto the playoffs, the post season and season 2 in the VHLE.

After another impressive performance we have the opportunity to sit with San Diego Marlins forward Molly the Cat. Molly the Cat, the regular season is quickly ending, is there anything that you are still hoping to accomplish? Thanks for the chance to talk with everyone again this week. With the season ending, I have to say I am proud of what I have been able to accomplish this year. I had set personal targets of 20 goals and 50 points and am happy to say that I have achieved them. But I would be remiss if I did not stop and thank my teammates. They are a talented group of players who have helped me every step of the way. Their dedication to the sport, on and off the ice, is inspiring. They made this year a wonderful experience and I truly hope that I get to play with some of them next year in the VHLE. Molly the Cat, I will take that natural segue and ask, other than your teammates is there anyone else you would like to take the opportunity to thank for this season? Definitely. There is a significant list of people who deserve recognition, but I would like to touch on a few. First, I want to thank the San Diego Marlins organization for taking a chance on me. Specifically, I want to thank our GM Frank who was there to help guide us, lead us, and encourage us. His work to build the roster we have this year should set an example to all the other teams. Thank you, Frank, for everything you have done. To the VHLM league, the people behind the scenes, those managing the schedules (Game Simmers), the trainers (TPE Approvers) and general league management (everyone else who makes this run smoothly) your dedication and work that allows this league to exist and run efficiently is appreciated. The fact that you give of your time to make sure that the rest of us can enjoy the VHLM experience does not go unnoticed. Thank you for everything you do and continue to do. I truly hope that you get as much fun and enjoyment out of your VHL experience as the rest of us do. Lastly, I want to thank the other players. To those of you who are dedicated to building your player, to training weekly and to doing interviews for the rest of us to read. To those of you who built a unique player personality and persona and allowed us to get to know you. You are the people who make this activity enjoyable. So, I want to make sure to say thank you to you all, keep up the good work. It is through your creation, your focus and determination that this becomes enjoyable for everyone. So, I encourage you to keep creating, keep imagining, keep striving, but most of all keep sharing. Molly the Cat, I do not know if I could express gratitude any better. Thank you for taking the time to talk with us tonight, for sharing your thoughts and feelings. Well, that is all the time we have for this interview with Molly the Cat. To all the fans, thanks for taking the time to read my media posts and I encourage you to take time to tell someone how thankful you are for them. To the league, the players, and the fans, thank you for another great season.

1) Favourite thing about long weekends is sleeping in. 2) Definitely Cats, I have 2 and they are independent and quirky 3) I would love to break the single season record of most penalty minutes 4) I like playing video games but don't get to do it that much, not specifically playing anything right now. 5) Getting ready for the playoffs by getting lots of rest and recovering from any nagging injuries 6) My entrance theme song would be Bat out of Hell by Meatloaf

When I joined the San Diego Marlins, I had never been a part of a sports simulator league before. I got invited to their discord server which is something I was familiar with due to other online games I play. Very soon after navigating the links I found a whole section for pet pictures. I laughed because of the 8 or so discord servers I am a part of all but one of them has places specifically set aside for pictures of pets. What is even more funny is that at an approximately 2 to 1 ratio the pictures are of cats. We all love our pets in a manner that we want to share them with others. It does not matter if we are simulating hockey, taking over the world, or destroying evil (and sometimes good). We take time to share our pets with others we are talking with. Molly the Cat is an actual cat, she is a muted calico who is the ruler of our household. Her nickname is Emperess Lolly, and she lives up to that title. My second pet is Seamus, he is a black and grey tabby and is probably the stupidest cat I have ever owned. He tends to use his head as a battering ran to open doors, Yet we love him still.

We are sitting live with Molly the Cat who has just finished game 50 of the VHLM season. Molly the Cat, I have heard you say that you have a few personal goals for the season, what are they and how are you feeling about them? Well, I had 2 main goals for this season, the first was to get comfortable in the VHLM, getting used to the GM’s, team dynamics and training routines. How can I say it, getting used to the day-to-day activities in the league so that I can take advantage of everything it has to offer. Reality is the goal of every VHLM player is to get drafted into the VHL so making sure I have an excellent handle on the daily activities of the league is especially important. Second, it is more of a personal goal, I am striving to hit 20 goals and 50 points on the season. I had a slow start, but the GM’s made some wonderful team additions and with some more playing time I have been able to improve my production. I think that those goals will be attainable. Molly the Cat, I am glad to hear that you are feeling like you have found your place in the league and that you have been able to strive towards your personal goals. We wish you good luck in attaining them. So, all your fans are wondering what comes next for you, can you give us a hint? I am not sure I can tell you anything specific about what lies ahead. I know that my agent has taken a couple calls already from teams showing interest in me for this Season 84 draft. I have not had a chance to talk with anyone yet but am looking forward to talking with the various representatives to see what they have to say. From there we will obviously wait for the draft and see what options there are. It may be that I spend another season in the VHLM refining my skills or I might get the opportunity to take a position in the VHLE. I do not expect that a jump to the VHL will be in the cards but after another good season under my belt I expect it will be an option. Either way my hope is to get some good playing time and to show whoever I am playing for that I am a valuable addition to the team. With the end of the season approaching can you give us some insight on how you expect the playoffs to go and who do you expect your toughest competition to be? I am going to be honest; we do expect to win everything this year, that is what we are playing for. There are some fantastic players and teams in the VHLM and any one of them could beat any other. Whoever wins is going to have a tough battle ahead of them and will need to play hard every night. If I had to narrow, it down to one team I would say Halifax will be the team we need to beat. One last question Molly the Cat, if you had to name the most valuable player on your team right now, who would you choose? This may sound a little odd, but I am going to say DJ Fire Dragon, our backup goaltender. We have a wonderful first line goaltender, but the reality is when DJ Fire Dragon steps in we do not skip a beat. We can continue to play our game and know that our goaltender has our back. He has 18 games so far this season and has the best GAA in the league, best Save% in the league. I expect he will be a starter soon.

1) There is no such thing as curses, 2) In the morning coffee, in the afternoon/evening generally coke, alcohol of choice is either Rum or Whiskey 3) I update my player as soon as i am able to update my player. 4) Definitely a Player Pets theme 5) We should hit 60 wins 6) Expansion/Relocation would have to be Climax Michigan or Hooker Oklahoma

Today VHLM finished game 42 for all teams. At this point in the season the San Diego Marlins are in first place by 7 points. This article is going to analyze the factors that have led to this outcome. Normally as a member of the media I try to keep my own personal opinions out of my articles but in this instance, I am going to tip my hat slightly. Personally, I believe that a strong hockey team is built from the net outwards, so I am going to review the San Diego Marlins from that perspective. The San Diego Marlins goaltending has been exceptional this season. First of all as a team the San Diego Marlins have only allowed 68 goals. That is a combined GAA of 1.62 goals per game. To put that into perspective, that is 14 less goals than the next closest team. They have also had 8 shut outs, which is tied for the lead with Miami. San Diego is also the only team that has effectively implemented a primary and secondary goalie with any level of success. In fact, the secondary goalie DJ Fire Dragon leads the league in GAA and SV%. As far as goaltenders go the San Diego Marlins have a great team. Now that we have established that the goaltending of the San Diego Marlins is fantastic, let's move forward and look at the Defense. The defense of any team has two major jobs. The first is to provide support for the goaltenders, to dictate the play in the defensive zone and to get the puck out to the neutral zone. Second the defense has the job of providing secondary offensive support, helping transition the puck from defense to offense and by being a strong backbone to the goal scoring of the team. Looking at San Diego Marlins the defensive core has been strong. Although I could note specific individuals, I would prefer to look at some larger team defensive statistics. The most impressive of these is that San Diego Marlins have only allowed 804 shots. Putting that in comparison to the worst team for shots who have 1869 so far. In relation to assisting with offense the San Diego Marlins defense have 2 players in the top 5 for points of the San diego team. In total the defense has 37 of the 137 goals or 27% of the total offensive output. The defense has contributed to the success so far. From a perspective of the forwards, we must admit there are teams that have had higher total offensive output than the San Diego Marlins, but few teams can say they have a player at the top of the point leaderboard. The fact that the forwards are assisting with the defensive duties and have still put up 100 goals on the season shows how well rounded they are. This is a forward contingent that has played a disciplined game and it has shown up on the scoreboard and for that matter as a lack of goals for opponents.

After much deliberation, Molly the Cat would like to offer the referees of the VHLM a heartfelt apology for the prior comments made. The San Diego Marlins and Molly the Cat recognize the great work that he VHLM referees do in creating stability and order within the games played. Although times may arise where the referees need to make calls that player and team may not like, the referees are doing this in line with the letter of the rules. By doing this in an impartial manner they allow for players on all teams to perform to the best of their ability. Molly the Cat would like to personally apologies to the referees who were calling the game in question. In no way were the comments made intended to mean that Molly the Cat believes that the referees were manipulating the game and trying to tarnish the great reputation of the VHLM. The comments made were purely the expression of frustration about how the game proceeded and the lack of playing time Molly the Cat received due to number of penalties that occurred. Furthermore, Molly the Cat would like to recognize the dedication and athleticism of the VHLM referees. These individuals who have dedicated themselves to learning the rules, enforcing the rules and to keeping themselves in top physical condition to keep up with the continual demands of the VHLM are as much a part of the continued success of the VHLM as are the players and Managers. Thank you for all the work you do to allow this great game to go on.

1) We should have 8 players reach 20 goals this season 2) DJ Fire Dragon has the best name. 3) I would fire the AGM, he can be a pain at times 4) I'm on a three game point streak, I think i have been doing well recently. 5) 8-7 as i would probably get some points. A 1-0 game probably means nothing for me 6) Best meal i had this week was home made pizza.

I will start this article noting that I have not done a year by year statistical analysis of the amount or severity of the penalties called by the VHLM referees. However, that being said, I am allowed my own personal opinion. My opinion is that the referees have been calling way too many penalties. Take for example the San Diego Marlins and Ottawa Lynx game played earlier tonight. Throughout the game there were 12 penalties called, 5 against Ottawa and 7 against San Diego. As a result of the penalties there were 4 goals scored, 2 goals for each team. In fact, every goal in regulation was scored on the power play. That begs the argument as to whether either team would have scored 5 on 5. It is my opinion that the referees need to put their whistles away and let the players play the game. It is not the referee’s position to impact the end result of the game but they seem to be doing that. I expect that the league would argue, that they will hold the position that the players need to clean up their play and then the referees wouldn’t need to call the penalties. Blah Blah Blah, the league has to hold that position. No amount of statistical evidence will provide any proof to players or fans, every night we see the horrific calls, the missed calls, the marginal calls. Let's hope things improve for the sake of the fans. PS. I expect that because I have posted this article and that the league monitors this stuff I will get some reprimand, fine, or other form of penalty for speaking poorly of the referees of the league.

In a previous article I discussed the steps the GM of the San Diego Marlins had taken up to that point to try and acquire the VHLM championship for San Diego. It was noted that the GM had taken numerous steps to acquire, acclimatize and give ice time to two noted players, Molly the Cat and AK92 Wit da Hoodie. Those 2 choices allowed for increased scoring and decreased points against. This article will focus on the moves that the San Diego Marlins GM has made since that point and how they are impacting the play and standings of the team. Since the last article there have been 2 trades made. One the acquisition of a defensemen, Curtis Crumb and the second acquisition was Boston, a forward. Noting that the San Diego Marlins parted with Tom Creeg. Curtis Crumb is a physical defenseman, he possesses a strong defensive posture on the ice while still having a large presence in the offensive zone. Fining a balance between jumping into the play and always being ready to eliminate any opposition rushes. Curtis Crumb currently sits with 5 goals and 12 assists (as of game 26) Curtis Crumb has proven he has value in the lineup and makes everyone around him better. San Diego Marlin’s player, coaching staff and fans are looking forward to how Curtis Crumb will continue to show his value in the league. Boston is an offensive powerhouse, currently with 14 goals and 14 assists so far this season. (as of Game 26) Boston’s is currently sitting second in points to Tyler Busser. At this point in the season, it looks like Boston and Tyler Busser are going to push each other throughout the season for most points on the team and potentially in the league. Although rumor has it that they have quickly become great friends and are looking forward to assisting each other in achieving record points production this season. It is believed that these two players may just push for the VHLM record for points in a season for a top line duo. Boston in a brief time has proven to be an elite player in the league. Since these 2 players have come to the team the San Diego Marlins have improved their record to 20 wins, 3 losses and 3 Overtime Losses. Currently sitting at 43 points the San Diego Marlins are first in the League. Of special note the San Diego Marlins have the best point differential in the league and the fewest goals scored against them. The San Diego Marlins continue to dominate the league on a nightly basis, proving every night that the changes the GM is making to the team is providing value in the search of a VHLM championship. Some people have asked what is going to be next. I have heard rumor that the GM has approached his team and is looking to provide player by player feedback. Rumors suggest that the GM is happy with his players now and will look to turn his attention to individual player improvement. By doing that he may look at adjusting playing time, line positioning and potentially team focus. Only time will tell if these rumors are true and what future changes occur for the San Diego Marlins. One has to conclude based on what is going on that the GM has a plan and it is being implemented as expected. 573 words

1) Definitely we can stay in first, we are the best team in the VHLM 2) AK92 Wit Da Hoodie has been the best pick up 3) Toronto vs Tampa, Toronto has it in 6 for sure 4) Use VHLM as a learning space, seasoned players should start back into the VHLE while new people should go to VHLM 5) I have been listening the the Classic Rock radio station so 70, 80 and 90's varied artists 6) I've only known these attributes so have learned I need to get them. Don't know how things have changed.

In no way am I suggesting that the following information provides any evidence to the impact of Molly the Cat on the San Diego Marlins however I will allow the overall community to draw their own conclusions. To date the San Diego Marlins have played 10 games and have a 7/1/2 record. Specifically here are the game scores. Game # San Diego Score Other Team Score 2 2 3 loss in shoot out 6 3 2 11 3 1 17 1 0 20 2 1 26 2 3 loss in shoot out 32 6 0 Molly the Cat enters line up 38 7 1 43 2 3 regulation loss 50 6 0 In Games 2 – 26 Molly the Cat was an extra and played less than 4 minutes per game, contributing 1 assist during that time. Since game 32 when Molly the cat entered full time positioning on Line 2 and the 2nd power play scoring has dramatically increased and Molly the cat has pitched in 1 goal and 6 assists. It must also be noted that adding Molly the Cat into the lineup wasn’t the only thing that happened at game 32, it must also be noted that AK92 Wit da Hoodie also joined the team and has put up 2 goals and 5 assists in that time. Time will tell how things play out but it can definitely be said that the San Diego Marlins GM and AGM made some very impactful decisions for game 32 and the team has responded with increased offense and very stable defense from that point.

This is J.C. hockey reporter for the VHL Hockey Journal, I am sitting with Molly the Cat, recent signing with the San Diego Marlins of the VHLM. Molly the Cat, fans of the VHL Hockey Journal want to know, what brought you to the league? Well J.C. it is nice to be here. I have enjoyed hockey for a long time and always dreamed of a career in the VHL. But a few years ago, the year before my initial draft eligibility I was involved in a skiing accident which sidelined me. While I was healing, I decided to pursue a university degree to prepare myself in the case I didn’t ever make the league. I graduated earlier in April and unfortunately missed the draft. I thought I would have to wait another year but got approached by the San Diego Marlins Assistant General Manager and the Scouting team. They said that if I was interested, they could offer me a contract for this year, that they were looking for a strong net front winger. I jumped at the chance, and I have to say it has been a wonderful adventure. Molly the Cat, I have been told you have shown the greatest amount of progress this last week, in other words the analytics show that your TPE score jumped a whopping 45 points. Can you give us an idea how you accomplished such a great feat? Full honest J.C., basically I listened to my team management. Both my GM and AGM set high expectations for the team. When you get told that although you made the team that you would see little ice time unless your Analytics TPE score got above 100, it helps you push. Although they set high expectations, they also gave me the tools to get there. They explained doing interviews for media spots, hitting the practice facility, doing trivia and writing articles and reviews. They also helped track my progress and showed me how to use my wages to maximize my TPE for the week. In addition, they walked me through career tasks and how to maximize those early on. Young players have to do the work, but management showing young players the ropes can sure make it a lot easier. Molly the Cat, you played your first VHLM regular season games, give us your view? Well J.C., the VHLM is where the best young talent come to play. There are so many young talented players each looking to improve themselves and make the VHLE or VHL. Having the opportunity to work with the wonderful players on the San Diego Marlins has made my transition pretty easy. 10 games in I have been able to get my first goal, and in addition 6 assists. I think that counts as a pretty good first week. My goal is to keep improving and hopefully within another week or two I can bring that to an average of a point a game. Molly the cat, final question, the Las Vegas Aces have had a tremendous start to the season. Are they the team to beat this year in the VHLM? J.C. the Las Vegas Aces have had a great start to the season, nobody is going to argue with that, but I am not sure it will continue. Only time will tell for sure but I don’t think they have the talent to keep this up for the full season. 587 Words, Week ending May 1

Phil The Rock Johnson F @leandrofg

Tom Eagles D @Banackock

Xavier Booberry -G @leandrofg

Have to be honest, never thought 6 people picking 6 players (especially in a snake draft where 2 people always pick twice) could take so long. Praying for a quick finish to this.

Molly the Cat Junior Review Molly the Cat grew up in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada and played recreation hockey for fun. Molly the Cat always enjoyed playing hockey but also enjoyed other sports so tended to do numerous sports and not focus on any particular one. Volleyball, golf and basketball were among the other sports Molly the Cat played. That was until, at the age of ten, Molly the Cat had the chance to go to a Toronto Legion game that sparked a greater love for the game and a drive to make the VHL. Molly the Cat’s parents enrolled Molly the Cat into skills training with a local VHL retiree and their skills increased immensely. Over the next couple years Molly the Cat improved and became a scoring leader on their team. The next hockey season Molly was approached by the local travel team and over the next couple of years continued to develop into a net front forward. It was not long until Molly the Cat built a minor league career that would lead to an expected VHL draft. Unfortunately, that draft into the VHL did not happen. In Molly the Cat’s draft year they experienced a broken arm which led to Molly the Cat not being drafted. Molly the Cat broke their arm in a skiing accident while on vacation in Whistler. Molly the Cat started to suffer from depression while trying to deal with their broken dreams. Getting some help from a trusted medical professional Molly the Cat decided to refocus and decided to pursue a university program, doing both their Bachelor of Accounting and a Master of Business Administration. In Molly the cat’s second year they were approached by the University Coach to come out and do tryouts for the team. Molly the Cat made the team. Molly the Cat University Hockey career spanned 5 seasons. Molly the Cat found a love of the game again and refocused on becoming a professional Hockey player. During this time Molly the Cat excelled at University level Hockey. Three of the five years Molly the Cat’s team won the University Hockey championship trophy. Of individual credit, Molly the Cat was in the top five for scoring in each of their seasons (being number 1 in three of those years), had the top +/- rating in their final year and played over 25 minutes a game on average. Molly the Cat was a main contributor on both the power play and penalty kill and was team captain for 2 seasons. Finishing their academic pursuits Molly started talking to various agents and Team representatives and is happy in their choice to join the San Diego Marlins. 441 words

Molly the Cat has yet to play a regular season game with the San Diego Marlins but as the Lead North American Scout – North Eastern Region, I had the opportunity to watch, a number of, Molly the Cat’s University Games. During my time watching Molly the cat I was impressed with their work ethic in trying to improve in addition to their skills. Specifically, Molly the Cat has 4 main strengths that we believe will benefit the San Diego marlins, these being net presence, scoring touch, defensive responsibility, and hockey sense. Molly the Cat has a strong physical presence in the offensive zone. You will normally find Molly the Cat stationed in front of the net, screening the goalie or looking for a puck tip. Defenders have an issue trying to move Molly the Cat, meaning that Molly the Cat draws a lot of penalties from the opposing defense. Molly the Cat gets most of their scoring from being stationed just outside the blue paint. Tips and scrambled rebounds will be where Molly the Cat gets most of their tallies. One of the things I noted in my scouting of Molly the Cat is that they push to be involved in every defensive play while the are on the ice. Whether it is digging in the corner to retrieve the puck or supporting the defensemen by making sure they get back to cover the trailing opponents, Molly the Cat keeps a balance of offense and defense in mind. Lastly Molly the Cat has a great hockey sense, they seem to have their head on a swivel and can see everything going on. Whether it is knowing where the shot is coming from or knowing where to put their stick to block an opponent’s pass, Molly the Cat sees what is going on like few others. Although Molly the Cat has some good strengths there are a few areas that we are working with Molly the Cat on. Although Molly the Cat is an average skater, we are encouraging Moly the Cat to work on their skating skills, specifically top speed and endurance. If Molly the Cat wants to have a long career in the VHL they will need to learn to keep up with the top players in the league. As such we have Molly the Cat working with our skating coach and doing drills over and above the normal practices. We expect that if Molly the Cat puts in the extra effort we will see improvement occur quickly. Secondly, we are working with Molly the Cat on stick handling skills. Molly can handle the puck effectively but putting extra effort into this skill will allow Molly the Cat to excel even more in front of the net. Handling the puck in small confined spaces and either putting it into the net or dishing it to available teammates will make Molly the Cat even more valuable. Molly is working on a number of skill exercises with the team practices to help work on this. We expect to see great improvement over the year. As noted Molly the cat is a great pickup and we expect to see significant development over the year. 532 words

Currently at 102TPE, Molly the Cat

Zeedayno Chara - F @Banackock

Molly the Cat's Thoughts on things Well as a first year player the process of preseason was exciting. I have to say I played a couple reasonable games even getting my first point, an assist. Talking with the coaches I still have a few things to work on but I am improving quickly. I have been told I should go back and review my scouting report (Career Task for 5 TPE) and my Junior Review (another Career Task for 5 TPE) that should help me focus on things I need to improve as the season starts. Our last 3 preseason games I took a step back and played less minutes so that I could focus on some basics. I also got some time on the PK so that I could start to get a handle on how the team focuses there. Lots to learn in this new system but I plan on being ready for opening night. The goal of this year is to put myself in a position that I can be on the top line for next year. To contribute to a winning team and take home a cup. San Diego looks like a great team and has a chance to be top of the VHLM.