jfaly

I quite like this graphic! The grainy, almost sepia filter really lends itself to the 'retro' idea you were going with. The logo is clean, and flows super well with the rest of the jersey, solid colour choices made there. However, I do think that the logo swap could have been made more effective by warping it to look more 'attached' to the jersey, rather than the flat affect it holds now. Furthermore, I'm not a massive fan of the font, it seems a little out of place in a 'retro' concept graphic, but I do like the idea of using the V in both names. I think a simpler font would look more effective here, possibly just a regular serif typeface. Overall, solid graphic, I'd rate it a 7/10!

The Houston Bulls are, by no means, a favourite for the cup this season. Let’s be honest with ourselves and look at the standings, Mississauga, Mexico City, and San Diego are easily the leaders for the Founder’s Cup, with Halifax not too far outside that group. When you look at the stat leaders, you’ll see those 4 teams running the show. So why should you support the Houston Bulls these coming playoffs? The answer is simple, really. Who doesn’t love a good underdog? Who doesn’t love the narrative of a team from a tough division clawing their way to the top of the mountain, kicking and screaming the whole way until they get the honour of lifting the trophy above their heads with nothing but sheer joy and wonderment? The Bulls haven’t seen success in the postseason since S68, and there’s a buzz in the locker-room about bringing the cup to Houston, especially for the longest serving Bulls, captain Roy Krishna and Grunkle Stan-Dingyouup. So there you have it. Are you a fan of veterans searching for a cup? Are you a fan of underdog teams in tough divisions? If so, the Houston Bulls would love nothing more than to bring you on the bandwagon.

1. With the way the D-core has been shaping up, bolstering the forces up front certainly seems like a good idea. I trust the management team to do what they believe is best for the team! 2. It could be an interesting idea to play with getting a back-up for Giguere, or even somebody to co-tandem. It'd be a good safety net come playoff time, I think. 3. Retro Theme Week was fun! It was a little difficult since the Bulls only had one logo, so I couldn't really do a graphic like I was initially planning. It was fun to write the graphic spot I did though. 4. Not really! The LR is solid, it feel like something is always happening in there and the atmosphere is super positive. 5. My TPE production gonna be at an all time high. Blessing those winter months down here is Aus! 6. Your friend is an inspiration, I subsist almost entirely off Mango Loco Monsters (Thanks, Night Shift). In terms of alcoholic drinks, probably a Jack and Coke, hard to go past it.

Claim for May 1-7

+10 Tobias Weiss

There are quiet noises of clanging from the garage of a house in the heart of Houston, and there are more than a few German curse words cutting through the otherwise silence. Tobias Weiss was lucky enough to be staying with friends from Germany while he tried to find some roots in Houston, although he’s not sure how much they appreciate his impromptu mechanics at 7am in the morning. To fill the time between practice, games, and otherwise hockey related activities, Tobias had always defaulted to working on his motorcycle, or his dad’s when he was younger. It was important to Tobias that he find something to fill the time, it kept him disciplined. His MT-10 was his pride and joy, and he always made sure it was well-kept and only taken care of by his own accord. You’d be surprised how effective of a mechanic you can be when your dad drills it into you from the time you turn 9. Tobias finds that actively working mechanically has affected his game in positive ways, honestly. Learning how to be delicate and precise really helps out when you’re searching for an opening to pass to your teammates for the go-ahead goal.

1) Congrats to the leadership core, first of all! I've only been here for really less than a week, but all of the players announced have been pretty present in the discord locker room, and I can see on the stat sheets why they're leading our team. I'm excited to learn from them and hopefully see them light it up on the score sheets like they have been. 2) Not really, especially after the sims that just passed. We're looking solid, and I think that the regular season doesn't really dictate much come playoff time (hopefully). Look at the S85 Reapers, prime example that it's all up to the Sim Gods. 3) Weiss gets a lot of time with both of the other D-Men on the team, so it's hard to stray from his regular partner in Zubrus. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. 4) I could see going into the AGM/GM field when I get a bit more experience in the league. AJ and Triller have been a huge help in figuring out what's going on around here, so I'd like to 'pay it forward' almost. 5) Not really, it seems to be working out pretty well for me so far, so I can't really find anything to complain about. 6) Not a big fan of camping, personally. I'm pretty sure I've got that blood type that mosquitos adore, so being outside at night is a pain. I also like sleeping in my own bed too much to give it up extensively.

Tobias Weiss has heard of American coaches being eccentric in ways that are certainly uncommon in his home country of Germany, but he had never expected this. It had occurred after Weiss’ 4th practice with the Bulls, a practice that was otherwise standard. The team ran drills, Weiss did his best to hustle and improve his ability to play. It was only after practice was over that Weiss was hit with the ‘American difference’. “Nice work out there, Weiss.” The rookie nodded and smiled slightly, it was always good to be praised for working hard. “I’ve got a question for you, and you don’t have to answer now.” A pit opens in Weiss’ stomach, nerves settling in. It’s not often a good sign, when your coach is giving you a prompt that you don’t have to answer instantly. “‘Retro’. What does that word mean to you?” The pit closes as quickly as it opens, and it replaces the anxiety with confusion. Retro? What the hell is that supposed to mean? The coach smiles, and chuckles at Weiss’ clearly scrambled thoughts. Weiss is trying to find words that aren’t just ‘What the fuck?’ to answer the coach. “Don’t worry, kid. You can give me the answer whenever you want. Preferably before you get drafted, though.” The coach winks and walks away before Weiss can even string together a coherent thought. When Weiss gets home that night, he barely gets changed before he opens his laptop to start reading. Is there a history in Houston around retro concepts? What’s the question? How can he give an answer if the question doesn’t make sense? Eventually, Weiss decides that this is a personality test. His answer is going to tell his coach what kind of player, and what kind of person he is. So, what does ‘retro’ mean? The question rings throughout Weiss’ mind for days to come. Retro makes him think of the psychedelic 60s, where vibrant colours flowed and the music of the time began to incorporate loud and distorted tones. Retro is a concept so deeply ingrained in looking towards the past that it makes Weiss sick, weirdly. Tobias Weiss has always focused so heavily on the future, how he wants to represent Germany at an international level, how he wants to win a Continental Cup, how he wants to lead his teams from the blue line. How was he supposed to look into the past when the future was all he had ever cared about? All he wants, all he hopes and dreams of is in the future. He finds himself looking at the Houston Bulls teams of the past, specifically the Season 68 team. They won the Founder’s Cup that year, and have failed to see that success in a modern era. What made that team from years long past special? He looks to the defense, Khalabib Stiopic won the Skylar Rift trophy that year for the Bulls, and he realises that maybe there’s some sense to the coach’s sheer madness of a question. Stiopic didn’t have a storied VHL career, only playing a total of 128 games across season 69 and season 73, but his VHLM career certainly paints a different picture. He was a phenomenal offensive defenseman in Houston’s cup winning season, over a point per game, 8 game winning goals. There was clearly a reason he helped the Bulls win a cup, even if he couldn’t find his footing in the VHL. Weiss finds himself drawn away from himself as a player, and he begins reconstructing his view of the game he loves. Hockey isn’t all about the future, because you can’t even really guarantee it’ll come. It’s not even truly about the past, the ‘retro’. The past is gone, and you can’t ever get it back. Weiss figures that ‘retro’ is bullshit. Who cares about the past when the present stares you in the face every day that you wake up. Who cares about the future when you’re not certain it’ll come. Weiss goes into the next day with a newfound clarity that he’s never had before. The Bulls face off against the Marlins that day. Weiss plays his heart out, he blocks 2 shots that game and he grabs his first point on an incredible Viktor Jensen goal. He remembers his teammates clamouring around him and patting him on the back, especially since that goal tied the game up 2-2. The Bulls still lose that game, but Weiss looks at the taped up puck in his hands and realises that it’s all in the past. He can’t do anything about it now. He goes up to his coach as they leave the locker room. “Retro means complete bullshit.” His German accent bleeds through the cursing, and his coach looks stunned for a second before he laughs. “What’s led you to that conclusion?” Weiss collects his thoughts and does his best to make sense in a language he barely knows. “Retro is the past. You can look back on it kindly, but it’s still over. You can’t do anything important when you focus on the past.” The coach smirks, looking at Weiss in the eyes. “You’re saying you can’t learn from the past?” Weiss shakes his head. “No. You can learn, you should learn from the past. You just can’t focus on it. Would we be doing anything productive if we focus on this loss? I can learn to be better, but if I stay stuck in this game, I don’t get better.” The coach has a twinkle in his eye as he listens. Weiss can’t really figure out what it means, Americans still don’t make much sense to him. “People base their whole personality around retro. Some Bulls fans still focus on that Cup like it’s the only good thing about this team. We’re 20 seasons removed from that Cup. Why stay stuck in the ‘retro’ when there’s the present, no?” The coach laughs again. It sounds positive, jovial almost. “I like this answer. Definitely… Different. I ask every rookie what they think of certain things. I’ve never gotten an answer like that. You took the abstract and made it more abstract. Aren’t Germans meant to be the analytical part of Europe?” Weiss shrugs. “Not sure. American stereotypes are lost on me.” The coach smiles at Weiss as he walks away. Tobias Weiss was unfamiliar with the concept of ‘retro’ before he came to America, especially from a personal standpoint. He had always been somebody looking to the future like it was guaranteed for him. Being asked to examine the retro, and therefore the past, taught Weiss a lot, both about himself and about his team. The Houston Bulls were a Cup winner 20 seasons ago, but Weiss hopes they can be cup winners this season. Looking towards the retro Bulls only showed him a theory, a team with a defenseman who wasn't unlike himself, and a team who showed they could win it all. Why bother caring for the retro when the present stared him in the face every morning, though? (1178 words, claiming for weeks April 24-30 and May 1-7)

Tobias Weiss is the newest addition to the Houston Bulls blue line, playing in two games earlier in the week. How did the young German upstart do in his first two games? Weiss’ first game in the VHLM was against the San Diego Marlins, the team claiming second place in the Western Conference at this point in time. Weiss played just over 27 minutes in his first game, seeing 4 minutes on the penalty kill. It wouldn’t be too far off to say that the first game of Weiss’ career was underwhelming, posting a +/- of -2 and costing the Bulls a penalty for high sticking. Weiss took no shots that game, and was barely present physically with only 2 hits to his name. Weiss improved his play in his second game against the Eastern Conference leading Mississauga Hounds, still posting a +/- of -2, but certainly being more present physically and making the game uncomfortable for the Hounds with 5 hits. Weiss found his way onto the powerplay for the Bulls, playing just under 2 and a half minutes. Weiss found some offensive spirit as well, getting 2 shots, one missing the net and the other being dealt with by Mississauga’s Jonny Elgar. Weiss stayed out of the penalty box this game, and was effective on the penalty kill, helping to kill off all the penalties Houston took. Overall, Tobias Weiss is still finding his footing in the VHLM, but there’s no doubt he’ll help Houston out in the long run, slotting in nicely to their Top 4.

This is a really solid jersey swap! It looks like you swapped out the colours on Marchand's stick and I think that's a really nice piece of detailing. The logo swap on Marchand's jersey is really nice, it looks like it's sitting where it should be. A critique I have is that it looks like the logo on Bergeron's jersey is sitting lower than where it should be. You can sit it higher by selecting the laces and making a copy of them to mask over the logo. I also think the numbers on the helmets would look more cohesive with the rest of the uniform if they had been colour swapped as well. Overall, really solid jersey swap with only super nitpicky things to complain about. 8.5/10

1. As a new create, I'm just happy to see my player throwing the body and racking up hits so far. Weiss has played just under an hour across both games played so far and I'm hoping to see some production close in the future. 2. I'm hoping to just turn Weiss into a solid defenceman who hits big and clutches up bigger. Lots of blocked shots and a reliable guy in his own zone. Hopefully, offensive output finds its way along the process. 3. Can't really go past the Kings. Highest goal differential in the league and a 6 game winning streak. 4. Gotta go with the Kings again. You compete with the best to be the best, and Mexico City are the front-runners in that aspect at the moment 5. I want to see Edmonton win, but I genuinely think the Rangers have looked lethal so far. Hard to not pick them, even if they are going to run into the other Eastern powerhouses. 6. It's actually heading into Winter in Australia, so I'm just excited for the heat to die down. Winter's always good to just go out on the town with mates, so that's probably what it's looking like.

Player Information Username: jfaly Player Name: Tobias Weiss Recruited From: Other (a guy i know is in a sim league for another sport so i figured there was one for hockey) Age: 21 Position: D Height: 76 in. Weight: 230 lbs. Birthplace: Germany Player Page @VHLM GM