Arukas

"Probably Dimitir Evtuh. The way (he) could move around and put the puck in the net was amazing. I want to score goals like him."
 
A young Yan Yurevich, speaking through a translator, gave that response when asked who he idolized while growing up in Belarus. The budding forward missed his first year of action with the CAHL North Sydney Silent Pirates, but he continued to stay optimistic and looked forward to make an impact in his second year. He was happy to have another opportunity to play after going undrafted. The few scouts that looked his way noted his impressive physique, but felt he didn't have great hands and that he was too slow to make it in the pros, even at the LIHL level. They were about to be proven wrong.
 
 
LIHL
 
 
Yurevich finished his second year with North Sydney, tallying 6 goals and 13 assists in 50 games, but only managing to have 11 minutes of ice time per game. When asked if he was disappointed with that fact, Yan replied, "A little, yeah. I want the chance to prove myself like everyone else does. The team always comes first, but I feel like I can do more to help."
 
With Yan's contract expiring, it was unknown whether or not he'd get another opportunity. Until...
 
The Michigan Center Fury had just come off of a 14th place finish in the LIHL, after relocating from the San Antonito Black Bears. "We were just looking for some new blood, something to put a spark back in this team", the GM said, addressing the need to add younger talent to an aging roster. There must have been something about Yurevich that caught the attention of the newly-appointed GM, because the first off-season move he attempted was to sign the young power forward. Without hesitation, Yurevich accepted. "I can't believe it, I've loved hockey my whole life, and now I can continue to live my dream". The contract was a two-year deal, so while there was some job security, the message was clear: this is your shot, now go out there and prove it.
 
 
Years One and Two
 
 
Yurevich's first year in the LIHL proved to be not what he'd hoped, scoring 5 goals and 19 points in an injury-shortened 46 games, all while only logging 9 minutes per game. "We wanted to get his feet wet, I know he was unhappy with the approach, but we had to ease him in while working out some other aspects of this game", the Fury GM said of his rookie's performance. While the Fury improved and made it into the playoffs, they failed to promote. Yurevich was a non-factor, registering zero points in three games and only averaging 6 minutes of ice time.
Yurevich, visibly upset with the way the season went and the lack of ice time, responded by saying, "If they're only going to play me on the 3rd and 4th lines, I guess I'll just have to be the best *expletive* 3rd liner there is".
 
The Fury had another productive off-season, acquiring Gabryel Nolasco from the Minnedosa Musketeers for a 1st round pick, adding a much-needed 1st-line center. With Yurevich's commitment to a more defensive style, he was given a chance on the 3rd line with roommate James Dunkelberger. "Dunks is a good guy. He's helping me with English but his Belarusian needs a lot of work", Yurevich chuckled. "Yan talks a lot of crap", Dunkelberger joked after a game. "We're always competing because we're on separate penalty kill lines. He always tells me 'I got this' before we go out there on the PK, and most of the times he's right".
 
He was right.
 
The Fury finished the season with a record 158 points, clinching an IHL berth. Yurevich played in all 60 games, scoring 15 goals and 38 points, with a +34 on the season. The question was: Had Yurevich done enough to earn a new contract?
 
 
 
To be continued...

"Probably Dimitir Evtuh. The way (he) could move around and put the puck in the net was amazing. I want to score goals like him."
 
A young Yan Yurevich, speaking through a translator, gave that response when asked who he idolized while growing up in Belarus. The budding forward missed his first year of action with the CAHL North Sydney Silent Pirates, but he continued to stay optimistic and looked forward to make an impact in his second year. He was happy to have another opportunity to play after going undrafted. The few scouts that looked his way noted his impressive physique, but felt he didn't have great hands and that he was too slow to make it in the pros, even at the LIHL level. They were about to be proven wrong.
 
 
LIHL
 
 
Yurevich finished his second year with North Sydney, tallying 6 goals and 13 assists in 50 games, but only managing to have 11 minutes of ice time per game. When asked if he was disappointed with that fact, Yan replied, "A little, yeah. I want the chance to prove myself like everyone else does. The team always comes first, but I feel like I can do more to help."
 
With Yan's contract expiring, it was unknown whether or not he'd get another opportunity. Until...
 
The Michigan Center Fury had just come off of a 14th place finish in the LIHL, after relocating from the San Antonito Black Bears. "We were just looking for some new blood, something to put a spark back in this team", the GM said, addressing the need to add younger talent to an aging roster. There must have been something about Yurevich that caught the attention of the newly-appointed GM, because the first off-season move he attempted was to sign the young power forward. Without hesitation, Yurevich accepted. "I can't believe it, I've loved hockey my whole life, and now I can continue to live my dream". The contract was a two-year deal, so while there was some job security, the message was clear: this is your shot, now go out there and prove it.
 
 
Years One and Two
 
 
Yurevich's first year in the LIHL proved to be not what he'd hoped, scoring 5 goals and 19 points in an injury-shortened 46 games, all while only logging 9 minutes per game. "We wanted to get his feet wet, I know he was unhappy with the approach, but we had to ease him in while working out some other aspects of this game", the Fury GM said of his rookie's performance. While the Fury improved and made it into the playoffs, they failed to promote. Yurevich was a non-factor, registering zero points in three games and only averaging 6 minutes of ice time.
Yurevich, visibly upset with the way the season went and the lack of ice time, responded by saying, "If they're only going to play me on the 3rd and 4th lines, I guess I'll just have to be the best *expletive* 3rd liner there is".
 
The Fury had another productive off-season, acquiring Gabryel Nolasco from the Minnedosa Musketeers for a 1st round pick, adding a much-needed 1st-line center. With Yurevich's commitment to a more defensive style, he was given a chance on the 3rd line with roommate James Dunkelberger. "Dunks is a good guy. He's helping me with English but his Belarusian needs a lot of work", Yurevich chuckled. "Yan talks a lot of crap", Dunkelberger joked after a game. "We're always competing because we're on separate penalty kill lines. He always tells me 'I got this' before we go out there on the PK, and most of the times he's right".
 
He was right.
 
The Fury finished the season with a record 158 points, clinching an IHL berth. Yurevich played in all 60 games, scoring 15 goals and 38 points, with a +34 on the season. The question was: Had Yurevich done enough to earn a new contract?
 
 
 
To be continued...

"Probably Dimitir Evtuh. The way (he) could move around and put the puck in the net was amazing. I want to score goals like him."
 
A young Yan Yurevich, speaking through a translator, gave that response when asked who he idolized while growing up in Belarus. The budding forward missed his first year of action with the CAHL North Sydney Silent Pirates, but he continued to stay optimistic and looked forward to make an impact in his second year. He was happy to have another opportunity to play after going undrafted. The few scouts that looked his way noted his impressive physique, but felt he didn't have great hands and that he was too slow to make it in the pros, even at the LIHL level. They were about to be proven wrong.
 
 
LIHL
 
 
Yurevich finished his second year with North Sydney, tallying 6 goals and 13 assists in 50 games, but only managing to have 11 minutes of ice time per game. When asked if he was disappointed with that fact, Yan replied, "A little, yeah. I want the chance to prove myself like everyone else does. The team always comes first, but I feel like I can do more to help."
 
With Yan's contract expiring, it was unknown whether or not he'd get another opportunity. Until...
 
The Michigan Center Fury had just come off of a 14th place finish in the LIHL, after relocating from the San Antonito Black Bears. "We were just looking for some new blood, something to put a spark back in this team", the GM said, addressing the need to add younger talent to an aging roster. There must have been something about Yurevich that caught the attention of the newly-appointed GM, because the first off-season move he attempted was to sign the young power forward. Without hesitation, Yurevich accepted. "I can't believe it, I've loved hockey my whole life, and now I can continue to live my dream". The contract was a two-year deal, so while there was some job security, the message was clear: this is your shot, now go out there and prove it.
 
 
Years One and Two
 
 
Yurevich's first year in the LIHL proved to be not what he'd hoped, scoring 5 goals and 19 points in an injury-shortened 46 games, all while only logging 9 minutes per game. "We wanted to get his feet wet, I know he was unhappy with the approach, but we had to ease him in while working out some other aspects of this game", the Fury GM said of his rookie's performance. While the Fury improved and made it into the playoffs, they failed to promote. Yurevich was a non-factor, registering zero points in three games and only averaging 6 minutes of ice time.
Yurevich, visibly upset with the way the season went and the lack of ice time, responded by saying, "If they're only going to play me on the 3rd and 4th lines, I guess I'll just have to be the best *expletive* 3rd liner there is".
 
The Fury had another productive off-season, acquiring Gabryel Nolasco from the Minnedosa Musketeers for a 1st round pick, adding a much-needed 1st-line center. With Yurevich's commitment to a more defensive style, he was given a chance on the 3rd line with roommate James Dunkelberger. "Dunks is a good guy. He's helping me with English but his Belarusian needs a lot of work", Yurevich chuckled. "Yan talks a lot of crap", Dunkelberger joked after a game. "We're always competing because we're on separate penalty kill lines. He always tells me 'I got this' before we go out there on the PK, and most of the times he's right".
 
He was right.
 
The Fury finished the season with a record 158 points, clinching an IHL berth. Yurevich played in all 60 games, scoring 15 goals and 38 points, with a +34 on the season. The question was: Had Yurevich done enough to earn a new contract?
 
 
 
To be continued...

"Probably Dimitir Evtuh. The way (he) could move around and put the puck in the net was amazing. I want to score goals like him."
 
A young Yan Yurevich, speaking through a translator, gave that response when asked who he idolized while growing up in Belarus. The budding forward missed his first year of action with the CAHL North Sydney Silent Pirates, but he continued to stay optimistic and looked forward to make an impact in his second year. He was happy to have another opportunity to play after going undrafted. The few scouts that looked his way noted his impressive physique, but felt he didn't have great hands and that he was too slow to make it in the pros, even at the LIHL level. They were about to be proven wrong.
 
 
LIHL
 
 
Yurevich finished his second year with North Sydney, tallying 6 goals and 13 assists in 50 games, but only managing to have 11 minutes of ice time per game. When asked if he was disappointed with that fact, Yan replied, "A little, yeah. I want the chance to prove myself like everyone else does. The team always comes first, but I feel like I can do more to help."
 
With Yan's contract expiring, it was unknown whether or not he'd get another opportunity. Until...
 
The Michigan Center Fury had just come off of a 14th place finish in the LIHL, after relocating from the San Antonito Black Bears. "We were just looking for some new blood, something to put a spark back in this team", the GM said, addressing the need to add younger talent to an aging roster. There must have been something about Yurevich that caught the attention of the newly-appointed GM, because the first off-season move he attempted was to sign the young power forward. Without hesitation, Yurevich accepted. "I can't believe it, I've loved hockey my whole life, and now I can continue to live my dream". The contract was a two-year deal, so while there was some job security, the message was clear: this is your shot, now go out there and prove it.
 
 
Years One and Two
 
 
Yurevich's first year in the LIHL proved to be not what he'd hoped, scoring 5 goals and 19 points in an injury-shortened 46 games, all while only logging 9 minutes per game. "We wanted to get his feet wet, I know he was unhappy with the approach, but we had to ease him in while working out some other aspects of this game", the Fury GM said of his rookie's performance. While the Fury improved and made it into the playoffs, they failed to promote. Yurevich was a non-factor, registering zero points in three games and only averaging 6 minutes of ice time.
Yurevich, visibly upset with the way the season went and the lack of ice time, responded by saying, "If they're only going to play me on the 3rd and 4th lines, I guess I'll just have to be the best *expletive* 3rd liner there is".
 
The Fury had another productive off-season, acquiring Gabryel Nolasco from the Minnedosa Musketeers for a 1st round pick, adding a much-needed 1st-line center. With Yurevich's commitment to a more defensive style, he was given a chance on the 3rd line with roommate James Dunkelberger. "Dunks is a good guy. He's helping me with English but his Belarusian needs a lot of work", Yurevich chuckled. "Yan talks a lot of crap", Dunkelberger joked after a game. "We're always competing because we're on separate penalty kill lines. He always tells me 'I got this' before we go out there on the PK, and most of the times he's right".
 
He was right.
 
The Fury finished the season with a record 158 points, clinching an IHL berth. Yurevich played in all 60 games, scoring 15 goals and 38 points, with a +34 on the season. The question was: Had Yurevich done enough to earn a new contract?
 
 
 
To be continued...

"Probably Dimitir Evtuh. The way (he) could move around and put the puck in the net was amazing. I want to score goals like him."
 
A young Yan Yurevich, speaking through a translator, gave that response when asked who he idolized while growing up in Belarus. The budding forward missed his first year of action with the CAHL North Sydney Silent Pirates, but he continued to stay optimistic and looked forward to make an impact in his second year. He was happy to have another opportunity to play after going undrafted. The few scouts that looked his way noted his impressive physique, but felt he didn't have great hands and that he was too slow to make it in the pros, even at the LIHL level. They were about to be proven wrong.
 
 
LIHL
 
 
Yurevich finished his second year with North Sydney, tallying 6 goals and 13 assists in 50 games, but only managing to have 11 minutes of ice time per game. When asked if he was disappointed with that fact, Yan replied, "A little, yeah. I want the chance to prove myself like everyone else does. The team always comes first, but I feel like I can do more to help."
 
With Yan's contract expiring, it was unknown whether or not he'd get another opportunity. Until...
 
The Michigan Center Fury had just come off of a 14th place finish in the LIHL, after relocating from the San Antonito Black Bears. "We were just looking for some new blood, something to put a spark back in this team", the GM said, addressing the need to add younger talent to an aging roster. There must have been something about Yurevich that caught the attention of the newly-appointed GM, because the first off-season move he attempted was to sign the young power forward. Without hesitation, Yurevich accepted. "I can't believe it, I've loved hockey my whole life, and now I can continue to live my dream". The contract was a two-year deal, so while there was some job security, the message was clear: this is your shot, now go out there and prove it.
 
 
Years One and Two
 
 
Yurevich's first year in the LIHL proved to be not what he'd hoped, scoring 5 goals and 19 points in an injury-shortened 46 games, all while only logging 9 minutes per game. "We wanted to get his feet wet, I know he was unhappy with the approach, but we had to ease him in while working out some other aspects of this game", the Fury GM said of his rookie's performance. While the Fury improved and made it into the playoffs, they failed to promote. Yurevich was a non-factor, registering zero points in three games and only averaging 6 minutes of ice time.
Yurevich, visibly upset with the way the season went and the lack of ice time, responded by saying, "If they're only going to play me on the 3rd and 4th lines, I guess I'll just have to be the best *expletive* 3rd liner there is".
 
The Fury had another productive off-season, acquiring Gabryel Nolasco from the Minnedosa Musketeers for a 1st round pick, adding a much-needed 1st-line center. With Yurevich's commitment to a more defensive style, he was given a chance on the 3rd line with roommate James Dunkelberger. "Dunks is a good guy. He's helping me with English but his Belarusian needs a lot of work", Yurevich chuckled. "Yan talks a lot of crap", Dunkelberger joked after a game. "We're always competing because we're on separate penalty kill lines. He always tells me 'I got this' before we go out there on the PK, and most of the times he's right".
 
He was right.
 
The Fury finished the season with a record 158 points, clinching an IHL berth. Yurevich played in all 60 games, scoring 15 goals and 38 points, with a +34 on the season. The question was: Had Yurevich done enough to earn a new contract?
 
 
 
To be continued...

The GM of the LIHL's Michigan Center Fury announced a press conference earlier today to address the state of the team and to field some burning questions by the fans and media. The following is a transcript of that press conference:
 
Q: Your team is off to a red hot 18-0-0-2 start, placing you in first place in the league. Did this outcome catch you by surprise?
A: No, not at all. We have a good group of guys here and strong leadership among them. This is what we set out to achieve over the course of the last two seasons, so I am not surprised that our players are playing at a high level, but we have to keep it going.
 
Q: You made some controversy in the offseason in trading for Gabryel Nolasco, a player that could be a top line center for most IHL teams, and maybe start for some BHL teams. How is he adjusting to being on a lower level team, and do you think that was the right move?
A: Well, uh...Gabby is a phenomenal player, and we're happy to have him on the club. We had a good discussion in the preseason about how he would fit in and he has accepted that role. We sacrificed a 1st for him, but in my opinion it was well worth it. We were gunning for a promotion and I felt that we needed something to push us over the edge, and adding Gabby only makes our team that much better. It was not a rental move either, we're going to do the best we can to extend his contract and make him a member of our team for years to come.
 
Q: There's about 3 or 4 teams heavily competing for those top two spots, and some of those general managers have been around the league for a while now. Do you feel intimidated at all by some of the more experienced general managers?
A: Haha...I don't know if intimidated is the right word or not, I guess I consider it a challenge. When I was starting out I looked up to a lot of those GMs like Diamond and Kari, they definitely know how to run a team. We have our work cut out for us to stay on top, and each day is a learning experience to keep putting our best lineups out there and to improve our roster if and when we can.
 
Q: You were able to sign Francis Arena to a contract extension last week, how big is that for your club's future?
A: It's huge, we're really excited to have Fran for a few more years. He's a high-caliber player, he works his tail off every game, and he's a perfect fit on our first line.
 
Q: Speaking of contracts, the cap space is almost all used up for this season. Are there any more moves you might make to solidify being in one of the top two spots, and what happens if you fail to promote?
A: It's hard to say, if our players are playing well then there's no real reason to change anything, unless injuries occur which we've been lucky to have nothing major happen so far. We've got some expiring contracts that we'll have to evaluate at some point in time. As for failing to promote, I've got to be honest, it's something I haven't really been thinking about. We had a plan at the beginning of the season and it's the same plan we have right now. I've got confidence in our guys to get it done.
 
Q: No more questions.
A: Alright, thanks guys. Have a good day.
 
Michigan Center Fury hosts the visiting South Dayton Owls tomorrow. Captain Manuel Bleich is listed as a healthy scratch, filling in for him is Leos Malga. Backup Andrai Nigro is slated to get the start in net.

Balazs, that was an awesome breakdown of the LIHL, and thank you for the nice compliments! So many good teams are battling for that 2nd spot, including the Thunderbolts, it'll be close all the way until the end.

I have made a power ranking for LIHL, I used up Erzac's idea with this formula:
 
Team OVR = (OFF + (DEF x 2) + (SG x 2))/26
 
 
                                                                 
1.Michigan Center Fury                    SG 66 DEF 68 OFF 66 OVR 67
2.Minnesota City Mustangs              SG 71 DEF 67 OFF 65 OVR 66,883.Prince Rupert Raiders                   SG 67 DEF 69 OFF 65 OVR 66,804.Smoke Rise Scorpions                  SG 80 DEF 67 OFF 64 OVR 66,385.Chattanooga Rampage                 SG 74 DEF 66 OFF 65 OVR 66,356.Torrington Thunderbolts                SG 70 DEF 66 OFF 66 OVR 66,157.Island Lake Indians                       SG 65 DEF 68 OFF 64 OVR 66,118.La Marque Topcats                        SG 65 DEF 68 OFF 64 OVR 65,969.Romaine Imperials                        SG 65 DEF 66 OFF 66 OVR 65,9610.Soda Bay Cyclones                     SG 70 DEF 64 OFF 66 OVR 65,4611.Hale Predators                             SG 71 DEF 66 OFF 64 OVR 65,4612.Edgewood Reapers                     SG 70 DEF 65 OFF 65 OVR 65,3813.Red River Rockets                       SG 68 DEF 63 OFF 65 OVR 64,3514.South Dayton Owls                      SG 66 DEF 64 OFF 64 OVR 63,8815.North Haven Hyenas                   SG 66 DEF 63 OFF 64 OVR 62,9616.Finnegan Beasts                         SG 70 DEF 61  OFF 59 OVR 60,96  For the Overall score I used up the players overall skill. You can see that the Edgewood Reapers manager is doing an excellent job, this team's strongest point is the winner instinct and the teamwork, as I said.

Hi!
 
My league (Lower Iron League) is also very exciting. The Michigan Center Fury has an enormous point advantage, but there is a fierce battle for the 2nd position. The Edgewood Reapers, the Prince Rupert Raiders, the La Marque Topcats and my team the Torrington Thunderbolts competing for this position. After 45 matches the Reapers and the Raiders had 90 points and the other two had 89...
 
This is my first season, but this game gives me a great experience!
 
The Fury is the strongest team in the league, I think they will give a great challenge for the other teams in the Iron League next year, Nolasco and Arena leads the charge while the giant Jussilla blocks the attacks, this team has also the best offensive defenseman.
 
The Reapers has a very good roster with great veteran players.and with an also veteran manager. Sennevile is a great goaltender, and he is helped by the league's best teamwork and winner instict. They are very strong as a team.
 
The Raiders has three excellent players Germain, Thelland and Cape. Cape (like Nolasco) is a Bronze League level player, this season he has a lot of problems with injuries, but he is a terrific defender with excellent attacking skills.
 
The Topcats has a very experienced manager, and they have a very solid defence led by Zemancik, a great offensive defenseman.
 
The Minnesota City Mustangs is a great danger too. They play a cruel physical hockey with a giant center. This team can be very dangerous and they can also reach the 2nd spot.
 
My team is the youngest in this league (and maybe in the Biscuit world), and I must spend a lot of time with thinking about my lineups if I want to give a challenge for these excellent teams and managers. I am a rookie but my experience with other manager games can give my team a great boost.
 
I wish good luck to you all for the next matches!

Hi everyone, I'm brand new to all of this so I'll probably be browsing the forums later, haha.
 
I took over for the Black Bears in the LIHL and it looks like my team needs a lot of sprucing up, but that's pretty much how I like to start out anyway. This looks like a lot of fun so I'll be definitely trying to keep up with it as much as I can.
 
That's all from me, best of luck to everyone out there!
 
EDIT: I guess I should point out that I renamed my team the Fury.

Hi everyone, I'm brand new to all of this so I'll probably be browsing the forums later, haha.
 
I took over for the Black Bears in the LIHL and it looks like my team needs a lot of sprucing up, but that's pretty much how I like to start out anyway. This looks like a lot of fun so I'll be definitely trying to keep up with it as much as I can.
 
That's all from me, best of luck to everyone out there!
 
EDIT: I guess I should point out that I renamed my team the Fury.

Ouch, if that were real I think the coach would go into conniptions over that PP.

I'm not too salty just yet, but there's currently an undefeated team in my league. That's cool, right? I mean, it's early in the season. Only one issue...They only have 4 Centers and 2 Forwards starting, the rest of their lineup is Defensemen. He does have a good goalie though so his defense must be really good, but...Here I was worried about not having enough centers, I should have stocked the coffers with D-men!

Hmm...On second thought, maybe I am salty.