Jay_F

happy birthday VHL, here's to many more seasons

This stretch of games was killing him. Felix knew he wasn’t an experienced player, or even completely developed in any sense, but pointless in the last 6 games? Not a good sign. It seemed that no matter what he did, the puck wasn’t finding the back of the net. He’d put in countless hours, skated faster, shot harder, pushed himself further. It didn’t seem like anything was working. It wasn’t long after the sixth game in a row of his point tally ringing up zero that Felix called his mother. She had been the one that got him to play hockey in the first place, the one who bought him his first Canadiens jersey as a child. Maybe she would be the first one to give him an answer. "I don’t know what’s wrong, maman.” The blue light of the video call lit up the otherwise dark room that enveloped the young player. His mother smiled softly, seeing the real worry that settled on her son’s face. "Every player goes through slumps, mon étoile. There is nothing you can do, other than play to your peak every night. You will find your stride again, and it will flourish.” Felix knew she was right, but there was still a quiet uneasiness settling in his chest. He talked more with his mother, finding comfort in her words. By the end, he figured that he would find his stride as his mother said. Slumps aren’t permanent.

Review: I love the colour swap on the jersey, it looks clean as and doesn't look weird in any places. I love the texture on the text, it gives depth and makes it look like Guentzel has snowed the text. The cutout of Guentzel is super clean as well, and the shadow only accentuates that. I only see really small issues, such as the fact that the Mexico City logo on the jersey isn't warped to fit the shape of the jersey, and thus looks a little out of place. This also applies to the helmet logo, but both of those things are very picky. Overall, a solid 9.5/10

Felix St. Laurent. That name may not be under any lights at the moment, but I’d bet my career that in a matter of seasons, he’ll be one of the most talked about players in hockey. Felix St. Laurent is a dynamic offensive threat at Right Wing for the VHLM’s Mississauga Hounds. Playing on a star-studded Mississauga team, there were questions going into the signing about whether or not St. Laurent would be able to find a place among the top-6, but he’s easily slotted into the second line and showed phenomenal production, boasting 7-15–22 in 12 games played. As an 18-year-old in the VHLM, St. Laurent is already playing against adults that have finished developing physically and psychologically, but he continues to shine against the grain. St. Laurent has shown a great deal of maturity, and an almost John Tavares-like seriousness in media correspondence. St. Laurent has been at the media table relatively frequently, given his often multi-point performances, and has impressed media outlets with his capability. St. Laurent is a big body alongside all of these already incredible traits, and size isn’t something you can teach. Standing at 6’5” and 225lbs, the young gun towers over almost all of his opponents, and he isn’t afraid to throw the body in any capacity with 20 hits to his name thus far. Felix St. Laurent. That’s a player that’ll find himself under the bright lights of the VHL stage incredibly soon. (248 words)

+10 Felix St-Laurent

this is great! looks sick as, reminds me of watercolour paintings. thanks man!

Felix St. Laurent, 18, made his debut for the VHLM’s Mississauga Hounds over the course of the last week. He shows great promise as a S85 prospect, but where did he find his beginnings? St. Laurent played all of his youth hockey in Worcester, Massachusetts where he grew up. He boasted talent from a young age, and attracted multiple QMJHL and USHL scouts to his games to watch him tear up the AAA circuit. It was a question for both leagues about where St. Laurent would choose to take the next step in his path towards the VHL. St. Laurent would eventually declare for the QMJHL draft, where the Blainville-Boisbrand Armada called his name for the first overall pick. In his rookie season with the Armada, St. Laurent would display a natural goal-scoring ability, with his statline reading as 51-37–88 in 62 games. These statistics inevitably led him to winning Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year. Despite his stellar rookie campaign, the Armada seemed unable to find any post-season success, being bounced in the first round of the QMJHL playoffs. After facing defeat in the previous season’s QMJHL playoffs, St. Laurent took it upon himself to hone his game, and ensure that the rest of his QMJHL career would remain unblemished by defeat. Teammates spoke of how St. Laurent had become a ‘different player’ over the offseason, with him coming back to pre-season training almost 5 inches taller and with almost 10lbs of muscle added onto his frame. In addition to physical changes, St. Laurent had improved his game exponentially. His skating had improved, becoming more agile and significantly faster, his release became a cannon, and his physicality was only positively affected by the growth spurt. The most noticeable part of his game, however, ended up being his hockey IQ. It seemed almost as if he could see the entirety of the ice, and his hands only allowed for excellence to occur with his newfound game sense. In St. Laurent’s second season of Major Junior, it all came together. A phenomenal statline of 52-68–120 in 57 games only enforced the idea that St. Laurent could become the future of a franchise. Winning the Michel Briere Trophy for Most Valuable Player and being awarded the Guy LaFleur Trophy for Playoff MVP was only the beginning for St. Laurent, with his eyes set on more than a QMJHL championship. He wanted the Continental Cup. Felix St. Laurent has only played 6 games with the Mississauga Hounds, but he stands to rack up an estimated statline of 44-99–143 across 66 games with his current pace. If Felix can manage to keep up his insane pace with the Hounds, scouts may take exceptional notice to the young American. St. Laurent can only play his best hockey and pray for his future, but it's easy to imagine him climbing the ranks of the VHL leagues if he improves at the pace he is displaying currently.

1) I'm only new to the league, but the Hounds seem to be doing really well in the standings thus far. Hopefully we can keep this up! 2) I'm hoping to see my player rise in the draft rankings this season, optimistically into the first round 3) I am one of the new teammates! Looking forward to working with everybody 4) The Avs were dominant, and that Toronto/Tampa series was a banger. This year was the most exciting playoffs in a while. Looking forward to this type of electric playoff hockey moving forward 5) Bit of a strange sleeper pick, but Lukas Dostal of the Anaheim Ducks. Guy is a FUN goaltender. 6) The Anaheim Ducks. It's been tough for a while, but we're seeing some bright spots now.

#releasethehounds excited to get started!

Player Information Username: Jay_F Player Name: Felix St-Laurent Recruited From: Reddit Age: 18 Position: RW Height: 77 in. Weight: 225 lbs. Birthplace: United States of America Player Page @VHLM GM