Team Mercenaries Announces Roster

[Doomsday 4,145]

 

For many professional hockey players, the chance to represent your home country is one of the highest honors there is. Beyond simply being a pro player, being recognized as one of your country's best is something that isn't taken lightly. On the other hand, obviously not everyone can make these rosters, and some good, even great players don't get the chance to play on behalf of their home countries. Brett Hull, for instance,  famously took advantage of his dual citizenship to play for the United States after being spurned by Team Canada. The VHL, however, has something a little different: Team Mercenaries. 

 

It's inevitable that good players will miss out on the World Cup, which led to the creation of Team Mercenaries: the best of the rest. Players who didn't make the cut for their home country instead find their chance at winning gold on a roster of players that were also left off their respective rosters. A rag-tag band of misfits, yet not to be underestimated: Team Mercenaries have won the gold in the past, most recently in Season 72. For Season 76, Team Mercenaries returns yet again, featuring an array of players who share the common goal of showing their home countries how wrong they were to exclude them. 

 

FORWARDS:

 

Groovy Dood @bigAL 

 

A tough, scrappy player that isn't afraid to mix it up, yet will punish you offensively as well, Groovy Dood somehow found himself on the outside looking in on Team Canada's roster. This will be his first World Cup appearance, and he was a slam dunk addition to Team Mercenaries. Can't imagine Canada looks forward to meeting up with Groovy Dood one bit. 

 

Aloe Dear @Renomitsu  

 

With a wealth of top-tier forwards, one of the VHL's top young forwards didn't make the cut for Team Nordic, and Team Mercenaries will feature the talents of Aloe Dear instead. The winger from Denmark is a lethal sniper, potting 40 goals in Season 76 with Warsaw, and Dear will receive no shortage of opportunities to light the lamp in spite of Team Nordic's snub. 

 

Patrik Laine @PatrikLaine 

 

Patrik Laine exploded into the VHL spotlight with a 97 point season, but still found himself left off of Team Nordic. Their loss is Team Mercenaries' gain, as the young winger from Finland is the second Nordic player who scored 40+ goals in Season 76 gifted to us. 

 

Venus Thightrap @BladeMaiden 

 

The pending VHL free agent additionally found herself left off of Team Nordic… are you seeing a pattern emerging here? Venus Thightrap is a tremendously talented goal scorer who will find herself as a cherished addition to Team Mercenaries. Her spunk and tenacity are exactly the spirit that this team embraces. 

 

Onde Sandstrom @fonziGG  

 

Team Mercenaries, or Team Nordic Part II? The Swedish winger is the fourth player left off of Team Nordic to join Team Mercenaries, and Onde Sandstrom is another quality fit to the roster. He plays physically, yet brings the scoring touch. It's incredible to think that all these talented scorers didn't make their respective teams. 

 

Alec Volchenkov @SirRupertBarnes 

 

Rounding off our group of forwards is Alec Volchenkov, a Russian centerman that makes the team for an entirely different reason: playmaking. A distributor capable of utilizing the weapons that Team Mercenaries has assembled, Volchenkov's two-way skillset and skills on the draw round out this talented core of forwards. 

 

DEFENSE: 

 

James Rose @MattyIce 

 

Canada features a wealth of quality defensemen, but their loss is our gain. James Rose is a talented, well-rounded defender capable of doing anything you ask of him at a high level. Capable of laying the body, jamming passing lanes, and quarterbacking the power play, many thanks are owed to Canada for providing us the services of James Rose. 

 

Matty Socks @fishy  

 

This one had to sting for Team Canada: Matty Socks is an elite talent on the blue line, among the VHL's best today. A masterful scorer and equally elite at stopping scoring chances with the body, I'm awestruck to get to have a player of this caliber available to select. Thanks again, Canada!

 

Jiggly Gumballs @JigglyGumballs 

 

Yeah, it turns out that Canada is straight-up supplying us with our blue line this year. An underrated, hard-hitting blue liner, Jiggly Gumballs is the perfect counterpart to the more finesse abilities of our other Team Canada defenders. Simply put, a monster of a defensive defenseman. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Canada. 

 

Emi Rune @Emi 

 

Ok, fine… we'll take a non-Canadian blue liner. Emi Rune, hailing from Japan, is a Founder's Cup and Continental Cup champion, needing World Cup gold to join the elusive Triple Gold Club. A fantastic facilitator of the puck, Rune will be a dangerous match with all the lethal scoring options available to her on Team Mercenaries. 

 

GOALIES:

 

Jacques Lafontaine @SlapshotDragon 

 

Despite being among Canada's best ambassadors to the VHL during his career, Jacques Lafontaine never actually got to suit up for Team Canada in World Cup action during his career, and sadly, never will. The Season 76 World Cup will be the final games of his career, and Team Mercenaries aims to send Jacques Lafontaine out on top with gold. 

 

Jean Pierre Camus @solas 

 

Another talented Canadian netminder, Jean Pierre Camus is quickly becoming one of the VHL's best, but didn't make it onto Team Canada. He'll instead platoon with Jacques Lafontaine for the Mercenaries as Camus looks to prove to Team Canada that he's their guy in Season 78.

 

 

SEASON 76 TEAM MERCENARIES

 

With the announcement of Team Mercenary's roster, the stage is now set for the Season 76 World Cup of Hockey. Assembling Team Mercenaries is a fun, unique challenge in which your options are limited, but a wealth of talent is available to you at the same time. But the common bond between them all is that, in the end, they were passed over. It's not a fun feeling, and it's one I can relate to, being passed over by both Team USA and Mercenaries in Season 72. But it isn't all about assembling the roster with the highest TPE for this season's edition of Team Mercenaries. On top of being able to choose some very talented players, I also got the chance to select some of my absolute most favorite members, and assemble a locker room filled with some of the best people the VHL has to offer. We're all going for gold, but at the same time, we're in for a fun ride, and in the end, that's what it's all about.

 

[McWolf 3,116]

LONDONLONDON

[JigglyGumballs 1,056]

WOOO CONFLICT OF INTEREST BABYY

[ThePerfectNut 563]

I really got fleeced eh

[Laine 1,361]

WE GOT THE GROUP TOGETHER AGAIN @BladeMaiden @JigglyGumballs @MattyIce

[Ledge 1,131]

Damn this could end up looking really bad for me