VattghernCZ

D - Jake Thunder @tinafrombobsburgers

Anty absolutely stole the show, you love to see that. What a beauty. Thank you Aces, it was a great season!

1. Definitely music, it's been a major part of my life since I was 6 years old - I started playing the flute back then. Throughout the years, I've picked up both acoustic and electric guitar, and bass guitar which I enjoy playing the most. 2. There's a certain song by Moonspell I listen to on my way to the arena. I'm not gonna say which one, it would break the spell. 3. Just a bowl of oatmeal with honey from my girlfriend's hive and some nuts. 4. Probably e-sports. But if you don't consider it a sport, I'd say HEMA - particularly longsword fencing. I actually used to do HEMA as a hobby. 5. My purple crocs. Judge me if you want to, but it's the most comfortable footwear ever made. 6. It's a travesty there is no VHL team in Minnesota, there definitely should be one in Minneapolis or St. Paul.

In a recent interview for a local sports magazine - translation of which is not available - Wann Kerr said there probably couldn't be a better fit for him than the Gladiators, when it comes to branding. As a medieval weapons enthusiast, he owns a collection of different swords, daggers, knives, maces, axes, polearms and pieces of armor from different cultures and different eras. In relation to the Gladiators, he showcased a few pieces - a spatha (a long sword used by gladiators and roman legions mostly towards the end of the 3rd century), two gladii, a pugio (a type of dagger infamous for being used in assassination of Julius Caesar) and a pilum (javelin). During the interview, he also wore a crested centurion helmet from his collection. What we found out in said interview is Wann Kerr has some history of HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts), LARP and historic cosplaying. A day after the VHLE draft, he posted a photo of him in full Roman legionaire gear. At the first skate at Gladiators' training camp, he rocked his centurion helmet instead of hockey helmet, but was immediately sent back to the locker room to switch to proper helmet, which as it turned out he had painted bronze during the offseason, and placed an SPQR sticker over the Jofa logo. Today, after the training camp was wrapped up, we were able to meet up with Wann Kerr on his way from the arena for a quick chat. So, congratulations for being drafted, excited for the season? Oh definitely, we're poised to have a strong season. And having an opportunity to play in such a beautiful city full of history, great food and amazing wine is definitely a plus. I might need to watch my weight a bit more closely. How does the team feel compared to the Aces? It's really too early to tell, I haven't had many opportunities to really meet with the guys properly. We've built something that felt truely special in Vegas. Jens Lekman being a part of the Gladiators helps, and it's cool to have Left Alone, another Czech player on the team as well. Of course the biggest change compared to playing in Vegas is being much closer to my girlfriend, who studies back home in Czechia. Being in the other hemisphere for a whole season was really tough on both of us. Many people don't talk about this, I imagine it can get pretty lonely. Did she or your family visit you in Vegas? Yeah, she did once. But my family kinda bailed on me after Juan Ceson locked me in his cupboard. They were probably afraid Juan would ask for ransom. Bunch of pricks. As if someone who owns all the IKEAs needed more money. That's cold. How did meeting them in the offseason go? I didn't even meet them, I just arrived home, grabbed my stuff, picked up my girlfriend and moved here in Rome, we've enjoyed a nice vacation here. She's actually leaving tomorrow, so I can't really stick around with you guys much longer now. That's okay, I get it. Just one last question, how did you get out of Juan Ceson's cupboard? That's...too complicated. And too long story for now. You wouldn't believe it anyway. That's disappointing...anyway, thanks for your time and I wish you tons of success in your VHLE season! Thanks! It will be really interesting experience, I expect to spend just one season here, so I have to make it count and help my team to get the title. Nice talking to you guys, see you later.

With training camps wrapped up, let's look at which players stood out in the Gladiators' camp. In the weight room, John Poremba Jr @CrlineDijohn14 and Joey Coaster @FANTEIGE really stood out with their strength, that's what you definitely want to see from your defensemen and centers. When hitting the ice, the speed of Curtis Crumb @Crummer77 was noticeable immediately during the opening laps, with Hasbulla Magomedov @Motzaburger not far behind. Closing the laps were Joey Coaster and Akio Suzuki @Erik, who looked like they might need more time to get their legs to midseason shape. Curtis Crumb's control of the puck at speed looked really, really good, almost as if it was attached to his stick by a string. Good luck separating him from the puck when he's in possession. Hasbulla Magomedov and Rhys Trenton @DeeGoat looked really strong with the puck as well. During team scrimmage, Tom Creeg's @Creegan610, Akio Suzuki's and Hasbulla Magomedov's ability to deliver the puck to their teammates was always a treat to watch. Once in the offensive zone, especially Suzuki's, Creeg's and Left Alone's @okochastar ability to create offense and to finish was above the rest, and the offensive play of John Poremba Jr from the blue line is definitely worth mentioning as well. On defensive side, Nicholas Blue @lidz and Jens Lekman @Bobcat were never out of position and often showcasing their ability to intercept the attackers' passes. Among forwards, defensive positioning, stick checking and play without the puck of Wann Kerr was miles above the rest of the team, no doubt he will be Gladiators' primary penalty killer in the upcoming season. Joey Coaster looked by far the strongest in the face off circle, really utilizing his physical strength by pushing the opponent away from the puck. Wann Kerr looked good as well, those two are probably your 1-2 punch down the middle. Another thing that stood out was Joey Coaster's willingness to play the body. Combined with his physical strength and 6'5" frame, he's a freight train, you definitely wouldn't want to be at the receiving end of his hit. Rhys Trenton's physical play will also be a huge asset in stopping the opposition's transition game.

A very even gold medal game between Team Europe and Team USA. The Frenchman, a recent 1st overall VHL pick, put team Europe up by one in the 8th minute. Ethan Mann tied the game in 12th minute, but The Frenchman answered less than two minutes later to regain the lead. In the second period, Karl Pedersen stopped all 10 shots on Team Europe net, and goals by John Jameson and Jani Karppinen put Team Europe up by 3. Team Europe sent 12 shots on Team USA net in the 3rd, but this period it was Jeremy Swayman closing the door and not allowing a single puck to get behind him. Last minute of game brought a team USA goal by Tom Creeg that adjusted the final score to 4-2. Congrats Team Europe!

With S86 approaching and the VHLE entry draft coming in in about 4 hours, Wann Kerr looks already decided what he needs to work on the most in the upcoming season, before joining the VHL. With 231 TPE assigned, the highest stat of his build is defense with 62, followed by scoring and passing at 60, face offs at 54, and skating, strength and puck handling at 52. The rest of his stats are 40. For now, I've set up a 400 TPE goal for him I'd like to reach before the S87 season. The top priority will still be defense, that I'd like to get to 80 (DK 70, PC 76, DC 75), and faceoffs to 70 (FO 56). Reaching these goals will get strength to 67. I'd like to also get skating and puck handling above scoring, the hybrid stats I've already mentioned plus SH 17 and SP 24 get these to 62. Scoring and passing I wasn't planning to touch, but applying TPE in the way I've described will cost me 397. So to round my goal to 400, I'd either put it in OV to get my scoring and passing to 61 - still lower than skating and puckhandling - or to faceoffs, that's not 100% decided yet. I'd like to build my player this way so he doesn't hurt defense and possession numbers on VHL level as much after joining, scoring will come later with more TPE. Defense, puck possession and transition game will always be my player's bread and butter.

An interesting storyline to watch in the upcoming VHL entry draft will be which forward prospect from Czechia will be selected first. Both Wann Kerr (my player, C) and Left Alone (@okochastar, LW) are currently projected to go in late first round based on their TPE. Let's compare their draft seasons and what kind of players are they. Regular season comparison Wann Kerr spent the S85 season with Las Vegas Aces, where he scored 41 goals and 56 assists for 97 points in 72 games, accompanied by plus-34 rating, 62 penalty minutes and 124 hits. Left Alone played whole season with San Diego Marlins, scoring 34 goals and 37 assists for 71 points in 72 games, with plus-20 rating, 30 penalty minutes and 122 hits. Both players logged over 200 minutes on powerplay, where Wann Kerr scored 9 goals and 12 assists, having an edge on Left's 3 goals and 5 assists. But their powerplay shots totals were much closer than the goal totals would suggest, and with Left Alone being the better shooter overall, it's clear the luck was a big factor here. So was the powerplay execution of the whole team - the Aces had almost 4% higher PP conversion rate. On penalty kill, there's really not much to compare. Left Alone spent only 35 minutes on the ice when a man down, while Wann Kerr was heavily utilized in these scenarios, playing 199 total shorthanded minutes. The special team minutes were the main reason Wann Kerr logged about a minute and half more ice time on average every game. Looking at some other random stats, Left Alone blocked 41 shots compared to Wann Kerr's 18, which seems weird considering Kerr spent 161 minutes more on penalty kill than Left Alone did. He also had 3 total hattricks compared to Wann's single one. Comparing faceoffs isn't really fair - Left Alone is a winger who only took 161 draws lasts season, while Wann Kerr is a center who took 1221. But just for fun, Left won 47.83%, Wann won 54.30%. Playoff comparison The Aces and the Marlins met in the first round, where the Aces won in 6 games and eventually went on to reach the finals. So there is a much bigger sample size for Wann Kerr, who played 19 games compared to Left Alone's 6. So rather than comparing, let's just summarize their performance. In 6 games, Left Alone scored 2 goals and 1 assist in total 121 minutes on ice. 22 of those minutes were on powerplay, where he generated 3 shots, but no points. Worth noting is his 8.33% shooting percentage, which is lower than his regular season percentage. A strong series by the Aces' goaltender really didn't help Left succeed. Even though he was a plus player in a series against a powerhouse team, you might want your core forwards to step up a bit more in the offseason. In the 19 games en route to the finals appearance, Kerr scored 10 goals and 14 assists in 19 games, being one of the top scoring Aces' forwards. With 4 goals 6 assists in 75 minutes on man advantage, and with 76 minutes logged on the impeccable Aces' penalty kill, he was also a major part of his team's special teams success. Comparing his scoring rate to regular season, he went from even 1 point per 20 minutes to 1.10 points per 20. Going into the draft, it's safe to say Kerr has a better minor league track record than Left Alone has. Build comparison Wann Kerr: 231 TPE, 0 banked. Edge in strength (52 vs 41), puck handling (52 vs 47), face offs (54 vs 40), defense (62 vs 47). Left Alone: 221 TPE, 22 banked. Edge in scoring (65 vs 60), major edge in penalty shots (73 vs 40). Even stats: checking (40), fighting (40), discipline (40), skating (LA 50 vs WK 52), passing (LA 56 vs WK 60). Build-wise, Wann Kerr is a complete two-way center focusing on puck possession and transition game, while Left Alone is a much bigger threat to score when he's got the puck on his stick in offensive zone. Earnings-wise, both have been max capped earners throughout the season, with okochastar's capped earnings being affiliate 12s, while my capped TPE come from point tasks. This gives GMs higher reliability of them earning max capped + PF. On the other hand, I am not a member of any affiliated league, so I can dedicate more time to my VHL player, participating in fantasy zone and doing career point tasks, so in current situation I'd say there is a higher earning potential in me, but with lower reliability.

1. Kicking the living crap out of some teams *cough Pickles cough* hepled our goal differential, I'd say. 2. Great! Beating a strong opponent in 5 games really boosts our morale, absolutely! 3. He did good. As long as we're winning, I'm not complaining about 9 points in 5 games. I might demand more from him if we were losing. 4. Not really, Warriors are a strong team. I'd say it was expected. 5. We've grown as players and as a team, I'm expecting us to win. We're on a roll. 6. Rex Wilffe Gregor is definitely a guy we need to keep covered. But I wouldn't sleep on Viktor Hašek either, he can be a true ace.

Any Gothic 1 and 2 enjoyers around?

@Syth Do you know Bohemyst? The drummer and the guitarist joined Master's Hammer when Štorm decided to revive it for a few years.

Are you willing to play for [insert team name]? This is my first gen player. I have no feeling towards any VHL/VHLE team. Being czech, it would be cool to eventually end up with the Phantoms. But that's just for the memes, more important for me is to join a team where there are guys willing to help out a rookie. What are your expectations for the following season? Spending it in the E, meeting new people to see different perspectives and views on the game and carrying on being a max earner. What are your expectations for your career? I'd consider it a failure to retire without winning the Continental Cup at least once. I don't really expect to win individual hardware, the trophy I'm interested in the most is Daisuke Kanou Trophy. Mostly because winning it means there's a good chance my team has won the Cup. What type of player are you/are you building towards? I call it a Brayden Point-like two-way center. I'd like to eventually get my DF and FO to 90s, SK and PH to high 80s with SC a few points behind. I don't really care about CK, but it will go up because upgrading BC will eventually become the most TPE-efficient way to increase DF. ST will come naturally to 99+ with this build, I will not target PA, and I won't put any points in FG, LD or DI.

Wann Kerr's VHLM has come to an end with a sour note, when his team was not able to stay out of the penalty box in the final series against the Reapers, which ultimately proved to be their undoing. With his VHLM career over, let's review it and talk about what's next The Czechia native joined the league late in season 84 - 3 games before the end to be precise - and was claimed by Ottawa Lynx. For the 3 regular season games he was a non-factor. He picked up his game a notch in the postseason, where he scored 3 goals and 8 points in 10 games and was a plus-2 player in a depth role. After this first experience with the M, he entered the S85 dispersal draft where the Aces selected him 33rd overall S85 was a season where he really broke out and became one of the top Aces' contributors, eventually becoming the 2 in their 1-2 punch down the middle. It was as if something clicked in his head, he became one of the hardest workers on the team as early as week 1, and is arguably the most improved player in the whole league this season. Even though he wasn't able to reach 100-points plateau, he almost touched it with 97 points - 41 of which were goals. In a press conference, he laughed it off and jokingly said "well, Kirill Kaprizov wears no. 97, I take it as a sign he's gonna have a Hart-caliber season". Good sport. S85 playoffs are a chapter by itself. In 19 games leading to his team's elimination, he scored 10 goals and 14 assists for 28 points, including a 4-goal game against the Marlins. With 10 goals, he led the whole team (T-3rd in the league), 14 assists were 4th highest total on the team and 24 points tied him for 2nd on the team (T-3rd in the league). He was also one of the most dangerous Aces' players on the powerplay as well as one of their penalty killers. TPE-wise, he was drafted with 76 TPE. He became a max earner straight away, with completing every available career task so far as well, and dipping his toes in fantasy zone. He's earned the High Roller team award (week's highest earner) 4 times, which lead the team and put him in the High Roller HOF, where he's tied with Dogwood Maple for the lead. With his earnings, he capped after the 1st playoff round and is currently the 12th highest TPE S86 draftee. With being capped heading to the draft, there's a question about what's the next step in his career. He's voiced his desire to stay in the M for one more year to be The Guy on offense, especially if their threepeat run endes succesfully, but allegedly GM Shindigs changed his mind and persuaded Wann the best thing for his development would be spending the following season in the E. And being a footsoldier Kerr is, that's exactly what he's gonna do. Three VHL GMs have already reached Wann Kerr to do some scouting on him. No matter where he ends up, if his next GM can continue feeding what Shindigs has unlocked, he's gonna be a loyal star for his team.

1. I can't be happier about how well my guy - Wann Kerr - is doing, he's really making his case for a top 10 draft pick consideration. 2. My VHLM team has just advanced to the finals, so I must say barely any attention, I focus more on the Aces. 3. I'd like to say the Pickles, because it almost feels like we haven't play any other team so far. 4. Of course I know Jens Lekman, he's my VHLM teammate, but it somehow still amazes me what he can do with the puck. 5. I think just consistency, bringing it all every game. 6. After some in-depth discussion with GM Shindigs, I'd say someone like Brayden Point.

Some time ago, Juan Ceson has maybe crossed the line by actually kidnapping Wann Kerr, a Las Vegas Aces forward, locking him in a cupboard in his mansion, and replacing him with a bot to play games in his stead. What does a life in Juan's cupboard look like and has Wann Kerr attempted to escape? Let's start by looking at his daily routine. In the cupboard, Wann can't really tell whether it's dark outside, but Juan left him his phone. Well, after a few days that is, after he had called Kerr's family for unknown reasons and they hung up on him. So Wann has some sense of passing time, at least. Perhaps he believes he would get out one day, so he tries not to mess up his sleeping schedule that much and gets up at 6 a.m. every day. He's used to go jogging every morning, and being a creature of habit, he doesn't want to change it and do 30 minutes of running in place. Juan's cupboard is considerably larger than usual, which gives Kerr enough space for some basic calisthenics workout after his "jogging" routine. Around 8 a.m., Juan brings Wann breakfast, if IKEAs are doing well and if Kerr doesn't have much fun. Juan doesn't like Kerr having fun. So after his breakfast, Wann takes a broomstick and a mug and works on stickhandling drills, a part of his game that needs some work the most. Together with skating, but it's hard to work on proper skating technique while not on ice or without any specialized equipment. If only improving his skillset was as easy as improving the bot version of him. After his stickhandling training, he likes to have a power nap before lunch. After lunch - which is not a matter of course, he has to earn it by not having fun - he usually counts imperfections in woodgrain of the cupboard material. There are 17 knags in total, one scratch on one of the side panels, and 39 scratches on the floor, presumably from moving his bed inside. Then he usually continues his stickhandling drills. After dinner, there's really not much Wann can do, so he just relaxes, looking in the ceiling and thinking about...stuff. There are not really many topics he hasn't already thought about. But has Kerr thought about escaping? Weirdly enough, no. Deep in his heart, he knowa it's safe and comfortable in there, no one expects anything from him, his responsibilities are taken over by a bot and his only company is Evžen, a spider that's sharing the cupboard with him. Juan actually offered Kerr a chance to be let out. The only thing he would need to do is devise a plan to get rid of Shindigs and TopTiddee2 as the Aces' executives by the end of the season. A proposal that Kerr refused, claiming it's his loyalty to the Aces that lead him to the decision. Even though both Shindigs and TopTiddee2 had made their plans to step down after the season known before, so Kerr wouldn't really need to do anything. Even though Wann claims he wants to be let out, his acts don't really reflect that. Perhaps he's found a way he feels he belongs. With his eight-legged companion, until the end of times.

1. Games 3 and 4 were just some SimonT voodoo. Shindigs adjusted the lines and strats accordingly and I believe we will carry our momentum from the last game to end the series tonight. 2. I mean...fourpeat anyone? Having such a stellar leader on the blue line would make work easier on Shindigs's successor. 3. Definitely the Kings. It's gonna get.bloody. 4. Last week (or was it the week before?) I said I expected a slow start, but f*ck me, allowing 14 goals in the first 2 games of the season? 5. Yea, a few HC Olomouc games as usually. It was more fun last year with Krejčí tho. 6. Nothing much, I was being lazy at home, did some shopping and cleaning up. Also it was feeding day for my snakes on Saturday.

Juan Ceson is a name that needs no introduction, no matter what team(s) you follow. Standing at 5'5" tiptoeing in his skates, the Andorra born defenseman started building his reputation of one of the toughest, most ruthless defensive defensemen in the VHLM soon after being drafted. His style of play combined with his personality quickly earned him his status of fan favorite and one of the most highly regarded leaders in the league. In total, he has played 359 regular season games in the VHLM, 315 of which he played in the Aces uniform - including the 85th season. In said season, he played all 72 games and apart from career-high 108 penalty minutes, mostly credited to his growing relationship with Jeid Rohnson, nothing about it stood out compared to the rest of his career. But for rhe Aces organization, Juan's season was record breaking. Going into the 85th season, franchise all-time games played record was held in a 3-way tie by Mr Shakedown (S55-S58), Patric Twist (S79-S82) and Angel Wachiure (S73-S76) with 288. 41 games into the season, Juan Ceson tied their record and continued on making his own. And as for all-time hits, going into last season, the record holder was Alex Toon (S78-S80) with 745. For Juan, sitting at 585 hits of his own, it proved to be no challenge to break the record with a 254 hit season. Juan Ceson is now the sole holder of franchise all-time records in games played (315), +/- (171) and hits (839). A record he may be looking to break in the future is the PIM record of 382 held by Alex Toon. With his 310 PIMs, all he needs is Juan more Ceson to break it.

Las Vegas Aces took 2-0 lead in the series against the Marlins, but after 4 games, the series is tied. On the paper, the Aces are stronger team and should have the upper hand, but the amount of penalties against them is holding them back. Even though their penalty kill is stellar, beaten only once this series so far, being a player down limits the Aces' chance to poduce offense. Let's compare penalties againat them to penalties against the Marlins. Game 1 LVA: Antoine Barksdale 2:00, Kronchy Kardashian 2:00, Kronchy Kardashian 0:02, Jens Lekman 2:00. Total 6:02, 10.06% of the total play time. SDM: Jack Jeckler 1:41, D4 2:00. Total 3:41, 6.14% of the total play time. Game 2 LVA: Kronchy Kardashian 2:00, Larry Abass Jr 2:00, Kobe Johnson 2:00, Jens Lekman 2:00, Hayden Bromley 2:00, Laytin Cupp 2:00. Total 12:00, 20% of the total play time. SDM: Zlatan Ibrahimovic 2:00, Jack Jeckler 2:00, Adam Rage 2:00, BeauDC 1:02, D2 2:00. Total 9:02, 15.06% of the total play time. Game 3 LVA: Grunkle Stan-Dingyouup 2:00, Jens Lekman 2:00, Robert Overmeyer 2:00, Larry Abass Jr 2:00. Total 8:00, 13.33% of the total play time. SDM: Vincent Laroche-Gagnier 2:00, Vincent Laroche-Gagnier 2:00, Steve Lattimer 2:00, Frank Forsberg 2:00. Total 8:00, 13.33% of the total play time. Game 4 LVA: Kronchy Kardashian 2:00, Kobe Johnson 2:00, Juan Ceson 2:00, Sigma Freud 2:00, Laytin Cupp 2:00, Antoine Barksdale 2:00, Edward Traverse 2:00, Jens Lekman 2:00. Total 16:00, 26.67% of the total play time. SDM: D2 2:00, 3.33% of the total play time. In games 1, 2 and 4 the Aces were the more penalized team, with especially game 4 standing out. In game 3, their penalty minutes were tied. On average, the Aces' players have been spending 10:31 in the penalty box every game, that's whopping 17.51% of the total play time with man down. That's almost doubling the 5:41 (9.47% of the total play time) the Marlins' players have been. Adjusting this area of the game would greatly improve the Aces' chance to win the series as they have definitely had the upper hand at even strength.

With their 5-2 win against Halifax, the Marauders are the first team to advance to the second round after completing a sweep. Halifax was up 1-0 after fairly even, low offense first period. In the second, Miami dominated the game, almost tripling Halifax shots total, but with only one goal to show thanks to Ash Spark's stellar goaltending. Unfortunately for the 21sts, Ash wasn't able to build on his performance and despite steong game on both sides, the Marauders outscored the 21sts 4-1 in the final period. Great game by Rick Grimes, who assisted on 3 of the 5 Marauders' goals.

Hello once again, thank you for making yourself available for this videocall. My treat, it's nice to hear my native language once in a while. What a season for the Aces. So...how do you feel? Mostly, I'm grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such a strong, cohesive team. I don't think we could have been this successful if we didn't stick together and have this team first mentality the front office has installed in us. We're all buying in. Being a part of such a special group of guys is an invaluable experience to start off my career. What was the most memorable moment of the season for you? On the ice? Of course scoring my first goal has to be up there, but I guess scoring 7 points in a game against the Hounds tops that. Everyone on the team did everything right that game and we were just having fun. Poor Hounds, man. Off the ice, the pizza party we had mid season was fun, though the guys were not happy about my pineapple pizza and Juan wouldn't stop talking about mushroom crisps. Was a pizza party really more memorable than being arrested, having a brawl with bots or getting kidnapped by Juan? Now that you talk about it... But we're cool with Juan. I'm actually at his place right now. He dedicated a space for me in this cupboard with Shindigs nametag. It's kinda cozy, I feel safe in here. Wait, he's still holding you hostage? How do you keep playing games? That's our little secret. Beep beep. Let's just...not dig into that. Looking back at your season, you were among the league's most penalised players for a stretch, what was that about? Well, the adjustment from european beer league hockey to the M was tough. I guess I was just getting a bit too frustrated about not really finding success straight away. And those refs, they see everything. But at least I was able to put the time on the bench to good use, I've been talking Juan.up in front of Jeid a little bit. They've got great chemistry, it's cute. But you've found your scoring touch eventually. Aren't you disappointed the 100-point mark eluded you by just 3 points? It would be cool to reach it, but we're the top VHLM team, I'm not honna bit*h and moan about individual stats. I'm always bringing the best I can and I think my line is working great. Also, Kirill Kaprizov wears number 97, I take it as a sign he will win Hart this season. But now the regular season is over. How do you feel going into the playoffs? Are you confident in your team? Oh absolutely! I feel the most focused, energized and ready I've ever felt! And I think most of our guys feel the same way. I'm 100% confident we can take on any team, our depth is as good as anyone's, and we've got stars on every position. It's threepeat or bust! Shindigs has to leave the Aces with a proper bang. And what's your plans for the next season? Will your postseason success have a say in it? No. I've talked about my future with Shindigs and a few guys and we've come to the conclusion it would be best for my development to leave for the E next year. I'm gonna miss the guys, we've really.got something special here, but that's being a professional athlete. A few our guys are in the same draft class as I am, so perhaps I'll meet them again really soon. That would be great. I'm afraid our time's up, so once again thank you for your time, and I wish you and your team succes in the postseason. It was my pleasure. I have a feeling you're gonna bother me again pretty soon, so talk to you soon. Word count: 648

1. It's cool to get this recognition, let's just not let it get in our heads too much. The most important games are ahead of us, not behind us. 2. At this time, any matchup is tough. But I believe we've got both depth and star power to take on anyone, I'm confident in our chances. 3. I think Juan is more of the type to be proposed, rather than to propose himself. I'd perhaps suggest Jeid to hide a ring in an Oreo cookie next time Juan is in the box? 4. Oh hell yeah, can't wait for the first game. Being European, I've taken Friday off to watch it, it's a standard 2 a.m. game for me. 5. Of course Kirill Kaprizov, mostly because I'm biased af. Even though us, the Wild fans, know the true MVP is Moose. 6. Flames vs Hurricanes, Canes in 6.

It looks like Juan Ceson didn't take the IKEA parking lot incident as a defeat. After his army of IKEA bots had been destroyed by the rest of the team and Tre Kronor legends, he retreated back into the depths of flat pack furniture storage maze. The night after, sitting in a POÄNG armchair and stress eating HUVUDROLL, he devised next step of his conquest. He needed to start targeting the Aces players one by one, he knew he couldn't get them all at once. Not with Shindigs around. He whipped out his flip phone and opened a conversation with Wann Kerr, the most naive and impressionable one. hey wanna hang out? im at ikea idk, it's kinda weird after what happened the other day, you know... ive got a crate of bernard beer damn bro that's all you had to say! That was easy, Juan thought. Not even twenty minutes later, he heard an engine revving and tires sqealing. In the CCTV monitor, he could see a motorbike approaching the entrance through dimly lit parking lot. He immediately recognized Wann Kerr's old Jawa bike. A smirk appeared on his face as he unlocked the automatic door and hid just out of sight, with a hockey stick in his hand and a few pucks lined up in front of him. A dark figure with a motorcycle helmet in their hand entered the darkened store. "Juan? Where's the beer? I hope it's cold, I'm thirsty as..." Juan never found out what was Wann Kerr thirsty as, as his sentence was cut short by a puck hitting his cranium and his consciousness waving him goodbye. If only Juan's teammates knew he could snipe like that. Wann Kerr missed a team practice the next day. Shindigs received a text from Wann Kerr's phone saying he doesn't feel good. Kerr was able to made it to the next game, but there was something sifferent about him. It was like his eyes have lost the spark, they were almost mechanical. If you listened closely, you could hear metallic clicking and clacking with every Wann Kerr's move, and no one has seen him eat or drink anything since. Juan smiled, seeing "Wann Kerr" score 7 points against the Hounds.

1. It's gonna be a tough battle for the top spot, especially with our blue line taking a massive hit by losing Grigoris. I try to not think about the standings that muchy it's the postseason that truly matters. 2. If we find a way to convert powerplays at higher rate, anything is possible. He's a stud. 3. I think he already *has* taken over Vegas, we just don't know it yet. 4. As much as I'd love to say yes, I don't think it's really sustainable. Hockey is weird. A few unlucky bounces, a random godlike performance by the opposung netminder and there goes the undefeated record. 5. Excited or nervous? Why not both! It's gonna be a fun event celebrating hockey for sure. 6. I'm really on the fence with my expectations about the Wild. While I support the decision, trading Fiala for magic beans is a massive hit for the following season, he's arguably the third or fourth most dynamic forward in the franchise history. I expect slow start, mostly because Kaprizov has been known for cold starts basically his entire pro career.

Wann Kerr, an S86 VHL draft prospect now playing for the Las Vegas Aces, is showing his creative side off the ice as he's planning to leave his mark on the Aces for years to come. Even though scoring 61 points in 49 games so far this season is an admirable number, his on-ice performance is hardly a feat to be heralded. Instead, Wann Kerr chose to go a different route. In a translation of his interview for a czech sports journal, you can read Wann Kerr is a passionate musician playing multiple instruments. In a recent podcast he was a guest in, he was jokingly saying the team could save some money using royalty-free music as their goal song, which would really come in handy with Juan Ceson treating team funds as his salary. He played some sneak peaks of a few work-in-progress versions of potential goal songs in said podcast. Even though his passion and musicianship are evident in those songs, it's hard to say if doom metal, grind core, technical death metal or depressive suicidal black metal would really work as a hockey goal song. Anyway, the ultimate decision will be on the team management and fans this next offseason.