leafssteen

Clayton Park Vienna, Austria 18 years old 5”10 150 lb. At the young age of 5 Clayton played goaltender for the first time. Growing up he was always the best goaltender in the competitive leagues. At the age of 16 his family realized they had to move him to North America if he would ever have the chance to make it pro. That year he was a USHL draftee and hoped a team would see the value in his goaltending IQ. His dream came true when the Chicago Steel drafted him early in the fourth round of the draft. This was a huge opportunity for him as Chicago’s starting goalie suffered a serious injury that required surgery. The coaches told Clayton If he proved himself this could be his chance to be their starting goaltender. In his first game with the steel he was absolutely incredible, stopping 29 of 30 shots & led his team to their first victory of the season. In the second game of the season he was even better stopping all 24 shots and helped improve Chicago's record to a perfect 2-0. Over the next few weeks he continued to shine & ultimately won the starting goalie position. Clayton would go onto to have an outstanding season finishing with the best goals against average in the league at 1.99. Also, he was a brick wall posting 6 shutouts on the season. Unfortunately for the Steel their great run ended in the first round of the playoffs as they lost 2-1 in game 7 to the Saints. The following season Clayton continued where he left off posting an outstanding 2.01 goals against average. Also, he stole the show a few more times & picked up 5 more shutouts. The Steel had an incredible playoff run led by an offensive powerhouse and strong goaltending. The Steel went on to win the championship with Clayton Park getting one last shutout in a 2-0 game seven win. After a successful career with the Steel, he was drafted by the Yukon Rush of the VHLM where he is currently the starter. Pros: Speed- Clayton is very fast and that is very important for goalie playing at this level of hockey. He has one of the fastest reaction times out of any goalies in the upcoming draft. This is very important skill for a goalie to have and it has helped him get where he is today. Also, his speed with the glove is absolutely amazing and he has been known to rob some of the best in the game. Rebound Control- Clayton's rebound control is like no other! This is one of the most important skills for a goalie to have as it provides the offense with less second chances. I believe this is one of things that most impresses me about his game and makes him stand out above the rest. Leadership- From the time that Clayton started playing hockey until now, he has always been a natural born leader. He believes it is important to not only be a leader but to show good sportsmanship as well. When the boys in the room are down in the dumps, he tries to bring them back up and get them focused on winning the game. Another way he is a good leader is by setting a good example off the ice. Clayton loves helping the homeless, underprivileged children and anyone who needs a helping hand! Cons: Skating- Although Clayton is very fast, his skating ability could use some work. This is a talent that is often over looked with goalies and something he would really like to improve on. After joining the Yukon Rush, the goalie coach has been running him through skating drills daily. I think if he keeps working on it, he will improve and become a better skater. Also I believe if he works on his skating it could boost his ranking in the upcoming VHL draft. Size- At 5”10 and 150 pounds Clayton has always been considered a smaller goaltender. However, he does not let his size hold him back. Clayton's role model is a former NHL goaltender by the name of Jhonas Enroth. Enroth is 5’10, 175 pounds and is a very successful goalie in the KHL. Clayton knows that if Enroth can do it then so can he! Experience- Clayton has 2 years junior experience but only a few games playing at an elite level. The start to his VHLM career has not been ideal but he is confident he will improve once he settles in. The VHLM is much faster & skilled hockey then Clayton is familiar with in the USHL. However, the Yukon Rush has incredible goalie coaches that will help him develop and prepare him for the VHL.

Today we explore into the top 5 goaltenders in the S66 VHL draft. This year's draft class has a talented bunch of goalies so it will be interesting to see where they rank in the top 5. #5- Clayton Park TPE: 60 VHLM Team: Yukon Rush Pros: Great rebound control, Very fast Reaction Time, Cons: Size (smaller goalie), Penalty Shots #4- Juan Jaundice TPE: 61 VHLM Team: Saskatoon Wild Pros: Fast Reaction Time, Great Hand Speed Cons: Skating, Penalty Shots #3- Owen May TPE: 97 VHLM Team: Houston Bulls Pros: Outstanding Reaction Time & Rebound control, Lightning Fast Hand Speed Cons: Skating, Penalty Shots #2- Luke Derion TPE: 112 VHLM Team: Las Vegas Aces Pros: Amazing Style Control, Outstanding Hand Speed, Great Reaction Time & Rebound Control Cons: Skating, Size (smaller goalie) #1- Wendy Kandee Cain TPE: 120 VHLM Team: Philadelphia Reapers Pros: Great Reaction Time, Rebound Control & Hand Speed, Perfect Style Control, Trains Really Hard Cons: Skating, Penalty Shots In conclusion these are 5 very talented goalies that have the potential to be successful in the VHL. However, I believe Cain has the ability to be someone compared to the skill level of Carey Price in the NHL. Cain has incredible potential & the Reapers are lucky to have such a strong goaltender. I am confident if Cain is playing his best hockey, he will no doubt lead the Reapers deep into the playoffs!

1. After one long offseason, season 65 has finally started. What do you think of your team's performance in these first couple of sims? Defiantly average, could be worse but could be better! I think once we figure some things out we will be a stronger competitor. 2. How is the ambiance in your locker room after these sims? Good, we know what we need to do to be better! 3. Which team do you like playing against more than others? Very excited to play vs the Reapers as my buddy @TheFlash (Hans Gruber) plays for them!  4. Season has just started, so the VHL Entry Draft might be hard to predict right now, but in what round do you think you'll be taken? 2-4th round depending on the demand for goaltenders.  5. Besides hockey, obviously, what other sports do you like to play casually or watch? Lacrosse, Baseball, Football, Soccer  6. What's your game day routine? What do you eat before games? Drink coffee, Juggle hockey balls, Jam to some country tunes. I usually stick to eating pasta before games or practice!

Sorry boys I kinda dropped the ball in the shootout ..

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Review: Great article man, the team leader board was a unique addition! I found this article kept my interest & was very well written! One thing in the future you may want to add is colour but it’s not required. Well done ?

Good effort boys, we will get the next one!

I pick Sebastian Ironside- F

5-4 Seattle

Riga Helsinki Toronto New York

Leafssteen Recruits - @TheFlash aka Hans Gruber (73TPE)

With my pick I select G-Alexander Pepper 

So is it my pick?

Austria does not develop many hockey superstars; however Austrian Clayton Park is hoping to be one of the few to make it to the VHL. The past few weeks have been huge for Park as he was recently drafted 49th overall by the Yukon Rush & ultimately one step closer to the VHL. There are only a few days until the start of his first season & he will have to work hard to earn each start. This is what he had to say about the start of his VHLM career and being one step closer to the VHL. “I just can't wait to get my first start under my belt in the VHLM! During training camp, I have been working my butt off to get ready for the start of the season. One thing in particular I have been trying to improve is my skating. The Yukon goalie coach has been putting me through lots of skating drills & that has led to me feeling more confident in my skating ability. I am excited to help my team between the pipes & hopefully lead us deep into the playoffs. I am very aware that my performance this season will be heavily watched by VHL scouts & this is my chance to make my dream come true.”

I pick Beau Louth

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I’m in

1) very happy to be joining the Alaska Rush & look forward to hitting the ice! 2) I’m happy & hope to get a decent amount of starts in the upcoming season. 3) Beer & Netflix ? 4) get ready to party!!! 5) To work on making myself a better goalie & a better asset to my team! 6) Shout out to my GM Josh (Rush GM), he has been super helpful throughout the process!

Welcome to our show! Today we sit down with German forward, Hans Gruber. Yesterday one of the VHLM expansion teams added Hans to their roster hoping to give them more depth up front! That team is no other then the Philadelphia Reapers!! Interviewer: Hans Gruber, how do you feel about joining the Reapers? Hans: It’s a great feeling to join a franchise such as this one, You know one that is just starting out since it’s the very first year. It’s definitely a unique experience to be able to be a part of it, although it might be a bit of a rough year as I know that we’re just going to maybe have to deal with some bumps along the way. Especially getting used to everything but I think we’re going to be able to put a good team together and give 110% every night. I will work hard every night & hopefully positive results will follow! Interviewer: How does it feel to be one of the first players to ever put on a Reapers jersey? Hans: It’s a real honour, to be apart of VHLM history is special. Not every player gets to say they were on the ice for a franchises’ first game. I’d also like to be able to say I scored the teams first goal, so be on the lookout for that. Thanks Hans for your time & thank you to all the viewers! We will continue to sit down with VHLM players leading up to the season!

How much do you guys think Mitch Mariner is worth? ?

Welcome ?

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What’s everyone’s thought on Battlefield 5?

Proud to be joining the Yukon Rush!