VHLE Stockholm Vikings Announce Tournament Roster

[thadthrasher 1,692]

 

During an announcement regarding logo and team changes in the VHLE, the following announcement regarding a tournament was made:

 

"Now with GMs and logos in place, we can announce that the inaugural, S80 VHLE draft will be a snake draft (i.e. 6th overall then goes again and picks 7th while 1st overall pick 12th, and everything in between). How will we decide the order of the 1st round though? A tournament! Everyone eligible to play in the VHLE right now, being in that sweet spot of 201-400 TPA, will be randomly allocated to one of the 6 VHLE teams, and it will be up to the 6 GMs to guide their teams to 1st place in a mini tournament. The prize for winning? The right to choose which draft position they want, from 1st to 6th. 2nd place gets 2nd choice and so on and so forth."

 

This announcement brought up a bit of hype regarding the new VHLE, and it certainly brought some excitement to the future VHLE GMs. The tournament that was announced has, as a prize, the right to choose draft position. Meaning, if a team wins first place, they can choose which draft position they would have between 1 and 6. Knowing how important it is to establish a strong team right off the bat, all GMs are gunning for victory in this tournament!

 

Now, this afternoon, VHLE Commissioner @Acydburn made a follow up announcement that is sure to bring in more hype! None of the GMs were able to select who they wanted on their teams. In fact, it wasn't even discussed with us. In order to make things as fair as possible, we were left in the dark and found out our rosters when everyone else did. This was to ensure a balanced and unbiased team for everyone, and Stockholm could not be happier with the team that was given to them.

 

Team Announcement:

 

Forwards

Every team needs some solid forwards. These players must be able to flow smoothly together, weaving in and out, passing tape to tape, and reading the situation before them with crystal clarity. The players who demonstrate this ability and have been assigned to Stockholm are as follows:

Spoiler

C - Alexander The Great @Shiny

C - Brock Hampton @SamTwoSix

C - Otto Numminen @Otto Numminen

LW - Aldwin Craig @Eldredman

LW - Duncan Montana @124715

LW - Kid Frost @TownBizness

LW - Vinny Detroit @dasboot

RW - Jordan Heavens @StormJordanYT

RW - Mats Zucarello @Battlepopcorn

RW - Mikey Markov @JetsFan81

Stockholm is incredibly hopeful after seeing this core of forwards. Coming together from different teams, and often facing one another on the ice, these forwards will now have to put animosity to the side and work together.

 

Defenders

Of course, forwards are useless if they are constantly having to play defense. They need to be able to maintain control of the situation on the ice, and that cannot happen if there are not competent and talented defenders. It is clear, after looking at this list of players, that Stockholm has been given the best of the best when it comes to defenders. These will be the players that not only hug on the blue line and keep Stockholm in the offensive, but they will work hard to block shots, pummel through opposition, and defend the goalie from unnecessary shots. Stockholm's defenders for the tournament are:

Spoiler

D - Allesandro Nano @leafsman

D - Barron Kruulenstien @LefLop

D - Ben Aky @Lilmar

D - Sportsboy57 @Sportsboy57

This band of misfits will certainly hold together the team, ensuring victory for Stockholm!

 

Goalies

Finally, all important goaltenders. These players take on a huge responsibility in the net and are often the first to blame in a loss and the last to take credit in a victory. However, fans love a good goaltender, and Stockholm has been awarded two fantastic ones for this tournament. Both of them fall under the management of well respected men who have been around the proverbial VHL block, so Stockholm is confident in their abilities. No matter what the opposition throws at us, we're sure that these two will easily stop it. As per the rules for the tournament, both goaltenders will get an equal number of starts in the tournament. These two goaltenders are:

Spoiler

G - David Davis @Josh

G - Oskar Lindbergh @Doomsday

 

Now, besides being an important tournament for the six VHLE teams, this tournament is also incredibly important for the players involved. At the conclusion of the tournament will be a draft, and performance in this tournament may heavily influence draft positions for future VHLE players. Stockholm Vikings General Manager Thadius Sales (not to be confused with the stud New York Americans goaltender) had this to say:

 

"This tournament is crucial for us. We intend, right off the bat, to be the best team in the VHLE. This tournament is the start of it. I plan to keep a close eye on my players, see how they play together, and use that information, and their previous statistics, to help me determine who I need to draft. I have high expectations for the Stockholm Vikings, and the first players to wear our sweaters will need to do the Vikings proud. But, I'm confident that they will."

 

As stated above, Sales has high expectations for the Stockholm Vikings' inaugural season, and this tournament and its outcome will certainly play a direct impact on that. The tough part for these incoming players is that many of them have never played together, so the chemistry between them is new, if existent at all. Sales, and the other General Managers, will need to learn to adapt quickly and readjust lines when needed. It will take a careful eye, a quick mind, and adaptability.

 

The players on every team will need to buckle down and work hard. Not only are their own GMs going to be watching them during the tournament, but so will the other GMs in the VHLE. There will be a lot of eyes on these young and developing players, and their move from the VHLM to the VHLE will likely be a big one for them. Moving from a developmental league to a more competative one will likely be a culture shock for many of the young players, and it all starts with this tournament. There will be a call and desire from the General Managers for more work, more focus, more attention, and more grit. How the players respond to these requirements will set a precedent for themselves that will either be good or bad.

 

No matter the result of the tournament, all teams are eager to player under a new name and in a new league. The world is sure to tune in to this tournament to watch their favorite young players face off against one another. There will sure to be big plays, big dekes, big saves, and big hits in this tournament. 

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1015 words (not including the block quote at the beginning), claiming weeks ending 29 Aug and 5 Sep

[UnknownMinion 728]

I'm here with a review so first off let me get this out of the way I love it one of the best articles I ever read. the hidden comments with the players is a cool idea that works. The thing you took from the announcement was smart and eye catching it stats off with a bang that made me want to read it and the interview with the player was just awesome. I don't see how you make this better 10/10

Minion