Guest Svoboda_3 Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Across A Nation Part 1 In this new series, the goal is to travel across Canada, having a look at each Province and focusing on the players that hail from each. Over time, venturing into the United States is something I’d like to incorporate into this series, but to kick things off officially, we will turn our focus towards the prairies in Saskatchewan and then further north in the Yukon and Nunavut (yes, we have a player from Nunavut). Nunavut Rick Ross Rick Ross is an absolute beast and the lone player from Nunavut. The 6’8, 250lb. left winger from Nunavut, a remote provincial area up north featuring a population of only 35, 591, is one of a select few hockey players who call the newer province home. Rick Ross was recently drafted by the Cologne Express in the third round, twenty-second overall during the most recent VHL Entry Draft. The initial impression of Ross by the Express was brief, given that they only had a ten-game stint to make their assumptions by. During those ten games, Ross scored one goal and added an assist, giving him two points combined with thirteen penalty minutes. A forward with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL, Jordin Tootoo, a resident of Rankin Inlet, is also from Nunavut. Saskatchewan Willie Weber Lucas Smith Logan Laich Saskatchewan usually isn’t a hotbed where they produce a large amount of hockey players, but the ones that do come out of the province; they do make an impact and have had very successful VHL careers. The current crop of Saskatchewanians includes the likes of Willie Weber from the Seattle Bears, Lucas Smith of the Calgary Wranglers and New York Americans prospect Logan Laich. Starting with Weber, the Regina, Saskatchewan native enjoyed a solid campaign with the Helsinki Titans in Season 36, posting eighty points, including twenty goals, one-hundred and seventy-four penalty minutes, while also throwing around his body, amassing in two-hundred and seven devastating hits. During this recent off-season, Willie was dealt to the Seattle Bears along with teammate Ethan Osborne in exchange for Gregory Glass, Season 38 and 39 first round selections and a Season 39 second round draft selection. The addition of Weber will certainly bolster the Bears’ defense core from a defensive and offensive standpoint. Turning our focus towards a lesser-known Saskatchewanian, Lucas Smith is coming off a campaign, which saw him record thirty goals and forty assists on the offensive end for the Americans, but the Saskatoon native struggled on the defensive side, finishing the season with a minus forty-seven, something I doubt he was very proud of once the season concluded. Because of those struggles, New York declined to tender the offensive defenseman a contract and thus, he became a free agent. During that period, the only team willing to take a chance on Smith was the rebuilding Calgary Wranglers, who felt that they could afford to add Smith and his offense to a team that would head into Season 37 attempting to out-score opponents by a tune of 7-5 or 8-6, while neglecting the defensive aspect as a rebuilding squad. Now finally, Logan Laich, the pride and joy of Wawota, Saskatchewan, a community of 591 people, was just recently drafted by the New York Americans with the fourth overall selection after spending the previous season in the VHLM, splitting time with the Minot Gladiators and the Bratislava Watchmen, who would go on to win the Season 36 Founder’s Cup. In thirty games this past season, Laich posted twenty-four points, including sixteen goals, but was an impressive plus twenty-three during such a short span. His stock didn’t increase all that much during the playoffs, but just his all-around play was enough convincing that the Americans needed in order to select the 21-year old right winger with the fourth overall selection. Logan Laich is expected to return to the VHLM for another season before making the jump to the VHL full-time next season. Yukon TotallyNotA Bear In the Yukon market, it’s becoming less and less rarer to see a hockey player venture out from this province, but here in the VHL, there is only one and he is free agent goaltender TotallyNotA Bear from Whitehorse. Originally drafted by the Seattle Bears in the Season 33 VHL Entry Draft, TotallyNotA Bear, through a lack of a solid work ethic, has been mired in the VHLM ever since being selected. During this past season, TotallyNotA Bear tended goal for the Vasteras Baby Eagles, posting some surprisingly good numbers, going 45-20-7 in seventy-two games, while finishing the season with a save percentage of 0.887 and a goals against of 3.21, also picking up five shutouts in the process. Currently, it appears that Bear won’t be on the market much longer as multiple VHLM teams are in the process of trying to land the Whitehorse son. Unfortunately, the VHLM is probably the only stopping ground this netminder will have during his time in the Victory Hockey League. Next week will feature Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Alberta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devise 4,475 Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 This is a super interesting feature Slobo. Would love to see more of these with other countries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOOM 8,426 Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 The Australian version will be a Fan590. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megster 63 Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 I don't normally read most media spots all the way through but this was a very good and interesting one and it's an awesome concept Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Svoboda_3 Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 I don't normally read most media spots all the way through but this was a very good and interesting one and it's an awesome concept I appreciate the comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AwfulHomesick 148 Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 (edited) Content: 3/3 - Liking the idea of the series. Grammar: 1.75/2 - Using the hyphen way too much in words that don't really need it. Province - province 35, 591 - 35,591 off-season - off season out-score - outscore all-around - all around less and less rarer - less and less rare stopping ground - stomping ground Nova Scotia and Alberta. - Nova Scotia, and Alberta. Appearance: 1/1 - Looks good. Overall: 5.75/6 Edited March 9, 2014 by AwfulHomesick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megster 63 Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 off-season and all-around can be used with a hyphen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smarch 2,948 Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 Meg has a point here; all–around adjective \ˌȯl-ə-ˈrau̇nd\ : relating to or involving many different things : considered in a general way : skillful or useful in many ways off–sea·son noun \ˈȯf-ˌsē-zən\ : a period of time when travel to a particular place is less popular and prices are usually lower sports : a period of time when official games, tournaments, etc., are not being played etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AwfulHomesick 148 Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 Strange, I always spelled them both without the hyphen. Never really saw them without it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smarch 2,948 Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 Canadian way to spell it possibly? no ones fault just don't want someone to lose a full mark over it eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AwfulHomesick 148 Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 Doubtful he loses a full mark, unless the next grader finds several more errors in it, which I doubt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diamond_ace 3,106 Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 The last one (Nova Scotia and Alberta. - Nova Scotia, and Alberta.) is the Oxford comma, which is still widely debated. (The Oxford comma, to be specific, is the usage of a comma between the second to last and last item in a list of three or more items.) It's correct in some writing styles and incorrect in others. There's no universal agreement among academics, so it can't technically be considered wrong in either usage. I almost brought it up earlier, decided it wasn't worth bringing the debate to the article when it's probably getting a 6 anyway, but now that a debate has already been brought, I'll add that one in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AwfulHomesick 148 Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 I see your argument of the Oxford comma. My own personal opinion of why it should be used twice in a sentence like that because when I read "Next week will feature Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Alberta." as if NS and Alberta were being spoken to, which is just incorrect overall. I remember being taught to use it once in grammar school and I never listened, no matter how many points I got deducted. Down with the system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doomsday 4,041 Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Content: 3/3 - Pretty cool idea, pretty neat to see the regional origins of the players in the VHL. Interested to see how all the USA players are distributed by state/region. Grammar: 2/2 - This is really the only gray area when it comes to grading media spots. Writing styles and rules can differ by the country, even though it's technically the same language. I try not to dock for those things, even though I'm no expert on those differences. This article gets a six regardless, but I wouldn't have docked for the hyphens or not using the Oxford comma (I usually don't use it either). Not that it was wrong to dock for it, but it gives us the realization that we need to discuss how to handle stuff like this moving forward. Appearance: 1/1 - Yarr! Overall: 6/6 - I look forward to the next installment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Claimed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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