mmrs617

What's the biggest shock of the VHL playoffs so far? I'm surprised Toronto only put up one win. They were looking really good to win it all. How do you feel about the cap going down? Do you think it will help create more parity in the league? I think it is going to make it harder to build a powerhouse team. I think it may lower the bar a bit just to bring up the struggling teams. Which VHL franchise has your favorite logo? I do like Prague. They are all really good in my eyes though. Do you think the Helsinki Titans can complete the comeback or will Riga be moving on to the EU finals? I'm late to this question. It looks like they couldn't do it. Does your player have any off-season plans? Golfing or Cancun perhaps? He was kind of disappointed by his offensive production. He did well, but could do more, so it is more training and preparing himself for the next season. Prague will see a Rookie Alex Bridges IV next season potentially. Does he have a good shot to win the rookie of the Year? I think he will be a very valuable asset to the team. I don't want to get ahead of anything though.

@tcookie

1.) The VHL Trade Deadline approaches and the Phantom are still not where we expected, any move you think need to be made? I don't think so. Stay on course and we will iron anything out. 2.) How do you feel about the Theme Week theme being a community suggestion this time around? No real opinion here. I am indifferent about theme week. It does help to get some different types of PT out there though. 3.) After this deadline, S100 create will be able to roll out, how many members of the S100 draft class will we see you think? A lot. I think S100 is going to be a big season and will shake up the league. 4.) All-Star Voting is a thing and 3 Phantoms made the ballot despite the team's struggles - Sandstrom, Leitner, and Stefano. How do you feel about your teammates' efforts being recognized? I am honoured to be a part of it. I think we all deserve a chance to represent our team. 5.) What's your favorite part of any All-Star Weekend? Seeing the personality of all the players and what it would be like if they played together. 6.) How will we do in the back half of this season? I think we're on the up and up. Lots of adjustments have been made and now we're ready to excel.

At the beginning of this season, I put a bunch of my TPE into BC. It's not something I thought I would do when I created my first player, but I've realized over the last few seasons it was something that needed to happen. Here is what I've noticed with Matteo Stefano since the TPE was applied. The Obvious The main benefit to BC is the increase to checking. The checking stat increases the likelihood of the player attempting to hit. I created a script that combed through the play-by-play of every VHL game and checked when a hit was attempted and when the hit caused the opposing player to lose the puck. Through 49 games, Stefano has attempted 168 hits, with 92 of these hits being successful. This is a 55% "Good Hit" ratio. In S97, Stefano threw 82 hits, with 44 being successful. The Good Hit ratio is about the same for both seasons, but with the increased checking stat came more desire to throw a hit. He is on track to attempt 246 hits, three times more than the previous season. More Scoring Chances Three times the successful hits means three times more opportunities created by Stefano for his team. He has allowed his team to have more puck possession which leads to the potential for more scoring chances. Stefano himself has scored 28 times (on track for 41) as opposed to 31 goals all last season. There are other factors in play (slight increase to the scoring stat, more playing time, and an entirely different team), but there is no doubt that the opportunities are more abundant due to the increase in volume of hits. Supplemental Benefits Though small, there is another benefit to applying TPE to BC. That is the increase to DF. Defense is widely known as the positioning stat. Positioning is crucial in both defensive and offensive situations. It allows for the big hit to be thrown, or the scoring chance to be created. The BC increase I applied to Stefano at the beginning of the season created an instant 3 point boost to defense on top of the 24 point increase to checking. This allows Stefano to be in the right spot to make the hit and gives him the understanding know where to go now that he has possession. The Side-Effects With increased physicality comes a higher likelihood of taking a penalty. Stefano is on track to double the number of penalty minutes from last season. This could be counteracted by the PO stat which increases discipline. I feel this isn't entirely necessary unless the penalty minutes get way out of hand. If Stefano's offensive production decreases and his penalty minutes skyrocket, this is when discipline might come into play. Conclusion My main takeaway from this analysis is: you don't have to be a Tough Guy to put some TPE into body checking. This stat has a range of benefits for every type of player. Stefano has increased his offensive contributions because of it. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. ** The script I wrote also looks at giveaways/takeaways and shots on goal vs attempted shots. If you are interested in what that looks like or how your player stacks up, let me know. I may add penalty types if it isn't too much work.

1.) What's poppin', Prague?! We've had a pretty rough season trying to find our footing in the league, falling hard in the standings. The last day of sims seemed to show some improvement as far as our lines and synergy goes. Are things starting to look up...or grim for the Phantoms? I think things are looking up. We just need to put more pucks in and I think we can do that pretty easily. 2.) Next week is theme week! Are you ready for some free uncapped TPE? Or are you even going to participate...? I am ready. It's always nice to get a little boost. 3.) What is your take on players/members threatening their GM with retirement if they get traded to another team despite not having an NTC in their current contract? I don't really get this. I've been traded twice in four seasons. Sometimes it's to trade away a player who's not earning to a team that might be able to get them to earn. Sometimes it's to rebuild. Sometimes it's to give a player more opportunities. In the end, it doesn't really matter because this is a game. 4.) Does your player have an epic beard or mustache? Or just long, voluminous hair? ...Or wavy? Curly? What's their style? Not at all. Clean shaven, generic haircut. 5.) Does your family have a tradition outside of the usual holidays that they celebrate every year? Not a holiday, but we always get family photos. Twice a year for the kids' birthdays, and sometimes another time just for fun. 6.) If you had the time, supplies, and will to paint your bedroom walls...what color would you go with? Feel free to toss the hex code in for your answer if that helps define it! We painted our room a few years ago a something similar to #4ebdb5. I've realized that I hate painting rooms and will get someone to do it for me next time.

@VattghernCZ

@FrostBeard

@CowboyinAmerica

1.) Happy St. Patrick's Day, anyone celebrating the occasion or is this one of the holidays you pass on? It's not really for me. Lately I haven't really been celebrating any holidays. 2.) Obviously Prague is struggling a bit, not even currently in a Wild Card spot, what's the panic level on this team in your opinion? It's still very early. It isn't like we are out of contention. I trust Tet, so I'm not worried at all. 3.) What area of the team are you looking to see GM @Tetricide improve if any? Do you want to see trades or just simple line changes? I don't think we need trades. We've got a good team, we just need to focus in on the special teams. 4.) Recently, Warsaw lost a game 9-0 in which they only took 8 shots total (zero in the 3rd period). If you were a fan of the team at the arena, how early do you leave, and do some of you possessions get thrown on the ice to show your displeasure? No fan ever likes to see that. I would hope I wasn't sitting in seats that were very expensive. I'd probably leave early into the third because it looks like they pretty much gave up at that point. 5.) How do you feel about @Mutti Ondrej Vencko 's stellar SV% and effort for the team so far? I'm really happy with what Vencko has done so far. As a team, we've got to be better in front of him so he doesn't have to make so many saves. He's averaging more than 30 saves a game. 6.) What rookie do you feel is shining the most so far between @minman Lucy Moreau, @Acydburn Brigitta Sandstrom, or @FiZi Filip Zinek? Stats wise, Sandstorm is killing it. 14 points in 16 games and leading the team in shots blocked. They're all doing great overall though.

1.) Prague now welcomes a new member via Free Agency in Filip Zinek @FiZi, how do we feel about the addition to the team? I'm really happy with the pickup. I had the privilege of working with Fizi in Mississauga. He was the back to back winner of the Matt Bentz Trophy, so we know we're getting a solid two-way forward. 2.) Where do you see your player in the lineup or the league in general in the next 3 seasons? I think I can be a solid first line forward who can put up 90+ points. 3.) What team is our number one rival in this upcoming season, or even just your player's personal rivals? I think Davos. They are a great team, so we need to bring our A game every time we play them. 4.) If the VHL had direct affiliation with VHLM teams, which one would be tied to Prague? Theme-wise, the Reapers. 5.) How excited are you for this season to finally start?? I'm very excited. Playing for a new team is always exciting. Plus I came into the season with a few new skills so I'm looking forward to getting some career high stats. 6.) What post game team team tradition would be cool to establish after wins? I think we should recognize the players who excelled the most. I think it motivates players to keep improving.

@BOOM

@ace_five_

@Tetricide

1.) What's poppin', Prague?! Apologies for the super delayed presser for the week... I hope you can forgive us in the admin offices. Let's get to it! We kept our 1st rounder for the S98 draft and drafted Alex Bridges IV @Oatex at 7th overall! A very talented prospect with a positive outlook for his career and was fantastic to chat with during the interview process. Please join me in welcoming him if you haven't already! Do you have any advice or words of wisdom to pass down to our upcoming Phantom? Welcome Oatex! No advice from me. I'm excited to play with you in the coming seasons! 2.) The start of the season is right around the corner! Mark your calendars for March 12th... What has your player been working on while in Training Camps? Stefano is working on being a more physical player and stronger on the puck. It's time to have more possessions and set up the team for as many goals as possible. 3.) How do you feel the team stands with our current roster/line-up vs the rest of the European conference? I'm really excited about the direction the team is going. We've got solid defense and the changes to forwards has set us up really well for the future. I think our goaltending tandem are going to do really well this season too. 4.) If you watched the VHL draft, which pick surprised you the most? If you didn't, you can look at the draft board here to take a gander at who was picked in each round! Hey...could come in handy in a future trivia question... I was most surprised by the number of players. Only two rounds were drafted, but I think that is a product of being so close to S100. 5.) What are your thoughts on the Mikko Rantanen/Logan Stankoven trade? I haven't really followed what has happened to Rantanen, but from what I heard, he wasn't too happy about the initial trade to Carolina. As much as the players want to help their teams, I do think it's important that they think about themselves too and their family's needs. 6.) What are you up to this weekend?! Saturday was board game night. Sunday is BG3 night. I'm off work for the rest of the week too so it will be a restful time.