Hello new players!

From the Trade Deadline to the posting of the first task completable for TPE, whether that be the Interested Prospects Threads, Early Bird PT, Mock Draft, etc., DFAs will be able to complete weekly DFA Bounties. These Bounties will function practically identically to PTs, but with money instead of TPE, and will be posted in this part of the forums. By writing 250 words or completing a graphic for a certain prompt, DFAs will earn $500,000 for their bank accounts, with a cap of 4 completed bounties ($2,000,000).

Since the trade deadline was last Monday, I am pleased to bring you the first S72 DFA Bounty:

Written Task: Only the best of the best make it into the SMJHL. Junior players from all over the world come to this league in the hopes of being drafted, becoming a successful SMJHL player and continuing that success in the SHL. But we all have a history too. What is your history? Where did you play? How did you do? How did your career look so far, and what aspects of your player in their pre-SMJHL career is going to make your player succeed? (250 word min.)

Graphic Task: Pictures say more than a thousand words. Show us a pic of the young you, playing hockey. Include your player name and a render of your younger self, and at least one statline.

Reward: $500,000

Only current SMJHL Draftable Free Agents (S74 SMJHL Draftees, SHL class of S75) are eligible for this bounty.

There is no need to claim this anywhere. After grading the money should pop up in your account 'automatically'.

Deadline: Sunday, October 29th @ 11:59pm PST

Thank you hewasajazzman, Slothfacekilla, Sulo, Frenchie, and Raymond for the sigs

Westley Kirkpatrick || LD || Carolina Kraken || TPE: 348
Career Statistics:
SMJHL Regular Season:
S71 | CAR | 66 GP | 17 G | 35 A | 52 PTS | 75 TA | 15 GA
SMJHL Playoffs:
S71 | CAR | 9 GP | 2 G | 4 A | 6 PTS | 8 TA | 2 GA

Andrade La Sombra came from a family full of lucha libre-style professional wrestlers. While his cousins all took the route of the squared circle, La Sombra had a different idea in mind. Studying the sport of hockey came with a few challenges in the country of Mexico; namely, not that many people were interested in the sport! As Andrade grew, so too did his passion for hockey, and eventually, he joined up with the Durango Daredevils from his hometown of Gomez Palacio, Durango. Andrade became known for his skilled, unorthodox shots that seemingly came from nowhere. Deceptive stick movements that fooled goalies from all over Mexico, allowing him to score accurate goals from long distances became his trademark. Originally, he had planned to be a defenceman, but his speed kept him better suited to the offense.

The SMJHL was always the goal from the moment La Sombra heard about it. From there, the SHL. His entire family was based in professional wrestling, but it wasn't hard to take aspects from that into his hockey career. The passion of the fighters in the ring. The fire of a victory or the ability to bounce back after a defeat. Those translate just as easily on the ice as they do in the ring. Andrade has that same passion, that same fire, and that same never-say-die attitude. It will show as the draft list becomes shorter and shorter, and whichever team gets La Sombra on their roster will be a team to fear. His pre-SMJHL career shows exactly what he's made of, and Andrade is excited to show it off in a bigger spotlight.

Code:

271 words

Shout out Ragnarr for these two amazing sigs

Muon has been the celebrated high school athlete in his hometown of Whitehorse, the shining crown jewel of his native Canada. Muon played Hockey, Baseball, Soccer, and Basketball in high school before finally focusing and settling on hockey in college. It might not have been his best sport, but it was his favorite. His flashy passing was a skill that followed him across sports, and he hopes it will serve him here in the SHL. Muon is a fully offense-focused hockey player, but unlike others that might fit that mold, Muon prefers to dish the puck to his teammates, and let them rack up the goals. Will he be able to continue to play that way in the SHL, or will he need to obtain a more offensive mindset, and begin to look to score himself if he is to continue his pursuit of playing hockey at the highest level. He must, if he is to fulfill his destiny and make Whitehorse, and his country, proud.

At this point, he realizes that he has begun his career in the midst of an SHL season, so he must now hope that someone will see his player and decide to roster him for the stretch run of the season, but even if not, he is prepared to wait for the draft and find himself a team where he can really excel and learn the ins and outs of the professional game. Muon is excited to begin his SHL career and hopes that he can start slinging the puck around sooner rather than later, and potentially even help a team with their stretch run to finish the season!

Code:

275 words

Well, I will not be blackmailed by some ineffectual, privileged, effete, soft-penised, debutante. You want to start a street fight with me bring it on but you're gonna be surprised by how ugly it gets, you don't even know my real name- 

From a hot and humid beach city in Korea, Ju-gong was an unlikely prospect to enter the world of professional hockey. From a young age, he was a gentle soul and found physical sports something somewhat brutish. Rather, he would prefer to spend his time reading poetry and playing Baduk – focusing on his schooling as his parents desired. If anything a young Ju-gong only could have envisioned his future outside of school being a professional Baduk player, a passion he spent many years and long nights practicing to perfect. While working hard on his path to succeed at schooling and become a renowned Baduk player, he began spending his weekends at a local Baduk café in Busan. It was here he would meet a new friend that would change his views and future.

An assistant at the cafe was an avid hockey fan and casual player, whom frequented an indoor ice rink a few blocks away. Through months of casual conversation and getting to know each other, Ju-gong agreed to go watch a game or two after his games. It was from this the young teenage Ju-gong was introduced to the sport, and found it fascinating. While at first he may bring books and practice games on his phone during those practices, soon enough they claimed more and more of his focus. The skaters flying around, passing along that smooth ice, all for a common goal of victory - it was enthralling to spectacle. It only took a few months of this for Ju-gong to inquire about trying the sport himself, and soon padded up, began a new and unexpected journey.

It has been a long, harrowing road for Olivija Agate. Coming from a town with barely more than 2000 residents, there was not exactly a large budget for hockey programming, let alone women’s hockey programming. Her parents were postal workers, and while they made a living, they did not quite have the resources to invest in a competitive girls hockey program. Being almost 300km from Riga, it would take a miracle for Olivija to pursue her hockey dreams. She began to work for her dreams in the post office, sorting mail. She saved and saved, investing all of her money in the hopes that she would soon have the money to move to a hockey market.

The moment she had barely enough savings she took the day long train to Katowice in Poland, in the hopes of catching the eye of the Silesian Metropolis of the EWHL. They normally don’t take on non-Polish players, but she had no other choice. She skated in the rink next to where the women practiced for weeks, hoping to catch the eye of the coaching staff with her slick skating and puck control. Eventually, as the season dwindles, as does he bank account, but in a final desperate attempt, she gathers her courage and rushes off the ice when the Head Coach walks by before practice and asks whether she can be an extra at their practice. The Coach turned to her and said,

“I’ve been waiting for you to ask for months. It took a lot of bravery and initiative to do what you’ve done. You have your chance, now show me what you’ve got.”

From there it was smooth sailing. She was a natural fit and squeaked her way onto the roster for the final eight games, earning a goal and six assists to end her brief rookie season.

She looks to take on the SMJHL in the near future, and the path she’s trekked, the blind determination she exudes and the silky-smooth play she provides will be more than enough, she’s sure of it.

Credit to Amidships, sulovilen, & enigmatic

Elly has quite the interesting backstory before becoming an official draftee to the junior hockey league. Her parents were shipped from the highest points of Russia to Northern Japan, Sapporo specifically. They were to be a part of an exotic animal display for a sort of zoo there. The mother was pregnant with Elly and delivered her not too long after becoming a welcome part of the city's exotic area. She was quite the nimble cub, and one day she used her superior agility to escape. it wasn't until animal control got a call from the local ice arena that they found out she had interrupted the teams practice and was in the middle of the rink sliding around. Both the team and coach happened to notice that she was learning her way quite quickly. Panic turned into awe as they realized she was a natural on the ice. She would bat the puck towards the players wanting to play, and so they practiced batting it back and forth to her. Animal control had arrived on the scene, but since no harm was being done they decided to stay on the sidelines for a little bit, while keeping a close eye. Eventually they would have to escort her back however and end her first ever "team practice". 

As time went on she began to escape more and more, and the team would just so happen to "forget" to call the patrol squad. she became an ample part of team practices from then on, growing in size and honing her skills. she was a huge morale booster and a real team player. not afraid to bap the puck around to her teammates and position herself accordingly between or around the "enemy" players. She could even growl to disorient and rally her team behind her. through some sort of loose ruling, the team realized that they could bring her on the ice for real and start her official career (though non professional at the time).  

After many games and practices with an unofficial team, she is ready to enter the junior league and really start her career.

thank you amid, swoosh and eni for sigs! <3