LOVE the new look for Quebel!

The updated logo and colors are great, and that white jersey might be one of my favorites in the THL.

Thanks for the love on Quebel and feedback on Prestonburg! Always much appreciated. Now we head to Sina.



Sina Serpents

About the Team: The Serpents joined the league as an expansion franchise in 1983 along with the Alko Wizards as an effort by the league to put teams into rapidly growing markets. Sina had grown quickly out of relatively nothing to become the new destination for entertainment in Torland and the league wanted to take advantage of it, especially in the hockey saturated state of Galapetra, even with the proximity to the Rockets in Fort Bevin. Fred Winkler was the head of the bid and building infrastructure in Sina to suit. The team went eight seasons before seeing the playoffs but have built a strong contender and look primed for the new decade. The Serpents play in the Willard Division.

Ownership and Management: The Serpents are owned by Fred Winkler, 62, a Galapetran businessman based out of Fort Bevin. Winkler is quiet by nature, preferring to stay behind the scenes as he works on his investments and business ventures. Winkler has dealings all over Galapetra and was in the mix for the Fort Bevin franchise in 1979 which ultimately went to Len Neville. Winkler has been very instrumental in Sina becoming the entertainment capital of Torland, with heavy investments in the casinos and infrastructure, so a second THL bid for the 1983 expansion was well received.

The Serpents are managed by Bill Chavis, formerly an assistant coach with Trowburgh in the 70's, who has been with the team since coming into the league in 1983. Head coach Larry Barker was hired in 1989 from the college ranks and helped guide the developing squad to the playoffs last season. Venerable coach Larry Weatherford, former longtime head coach of the Whales and Blazers, was brought in to assist in 1990. Weatherford is 68 but still full of energy.

City and Arena: Sina is the entertainment capital of Torland, very much with Las Vegas vibes, situated on the western banks of Lake Furben, an aberration of Hedonism in the otherwise overly conservative state of Galapetra. The city has grown exponentially toward the end of the 80's and looks primed to be a hot destination in the 90's. The Serpents play at the EverStar Center, a huge domed structure in the heart of Sina. Funded primarily by Winkler for the new team in 1983, the EverStar doesn't have good hockey sightlines as it was intended to also be a prime option for big music shows and other events. The locker rooms and other infrastructure also leaves a lot to be desired but with such a large facility, there is room for renovations.



Team Brand and Identity: The Serpents opened their inaugural season with some gaudy red and green uniforms and the infamous “spotted snake” logo before adopting a toned-down version of the logo and going with a primary green in 1990. The fan favorite black third jersey is dropped for the temporary future on the new Elite Vision Prime template, but word is that it will return at some point. The rest of the set keeps the same look as '90 with primary green jerseys with black and white accents. The only red is the tongue on the snake logo. It's a simple look for a franchise looking to establish consistency and a winning mentality.

Roster Breakdown

Top Three Players

Patrick Quinn, 20, center
Rens Nylund, 20, winger
Robbie Lovejoy, 22, defenseman



Forwards: Patrick Quinn, the '91 #1 overall pick and rookie of the year, immediately infused elite skill into the Serpents on their first playoff appearance. Quinn is already one of the best offensive players in the league and looks primed to contend for All-Star status. Quinn centers a potent top line with fellow former #1 overall pick Stefan Sorensen and Sweden's Rens Nylund who was drafted #2 overall in 1990. Nylund and Sorensen are both elite scorers from the wings. Serbian center Stan Milosevic, 24, is a massive talent for a second line where he has the big power forward Jarrett Lofton, 22, and the speedy tough guy Mike Holloway, 25, on the wings. Veteran winger Nathan Kerler was signed for his championship experience, having three cup wins with the Heralds, and is the leader of a cobbled-together third line with prospect Tony Murray on the right side and former undrafted prospect Nate Gatlin on the dot. A beefy fourth line features the hard-hitting veteran Rod Haywood along with veteran Ronny Willburn at center. Experienced minor-leaguer Elden Nolan mans the right wing.

Defensemen: Young stoic defender Robbie Lovejoy, the #1 overall pick in '88 and team captain, leads the blue line with new free agent addition Fred Karrick, 27, a well-rounded offensively-minded defender from the Blazers. Lovejoy and Karrick gives the Serpents a versatile top-tier pairing. Consummate pro Arthur Steele heads a second pairing where his stout defense compliments the pace of speedy Jamie Doyle, both 23 and drafted in 1987. A third pair contrasts a 20-year-old developmental prospect in Dylan Wiles with the aging legs of future hall of famer Thomas Nelissen who signed a 1-year deal at 37 years old. The Dutch defender joins the team after two years in Bancana in what figures to be his last to help mentor the young guys.

Goaltenders: The team signed Nick Casselman from the Pioneers to give them a fantastic 1-2 punch in the crease with Andrei Voronin. In Casselman, the Serps have an established veteran at 32 with plenty of playoff experience, while the Russian Voronin is just 26 and still developing. The team plans to rotate starts with them to keep them both fresh for a playoff run in a formidable duo. The pipeline only has aging veteran William Schrieber who just turned 36 and Silas Settle who hasn't quite developed as hoped, now 27 years old.

Three Key Storylines: 

• Can Winkler upgrade the EverStar and turn Sina into a hockey destination? Owner Fred Winkler is typically quiet but the team needs him to take a more frontal role to improve.
• Can the team and Patrick Quinn make the leap toward contender status? The roster has had a large number of high draft picks that need to turn the page into contender status behind the brilliance of Patrick Quinn.
• Are the “Larrys” the right choice at coach? Barker was successful in the college ranks and helped lead the team to the playoffs last season, while Weatherford has oodles of playoff experience but was never able to win the big one.

hoo baby. this identity does not make a lick of sense and I love them for it. he (ron) is beautiful and the jerseys are so stupid in the best, most 90s way possible. love to see the teal shine through too, big fan of the color balance here (if these unis can be said to have any color balance whatsoever). keep up the great work my man, you're killing it

Steelman wrote:

Buckle up babe, it's the 90's. (also congrats to the THL for reaching 1,000 replies in the thread)



Trowburgh Herons

About the Team: The Herons joined the THL in 1972 as part of a four-team expansion. Trowburgh previously had an original team called the Lions which only lasted one season before moving to Yubay to become the Falcons. With the growth of area since and league headquarters located there, the league prioritized adding a team there. Craig Kern, a Trowburgh finance mogul, was able to secure the bid for the new franchise. The Herons have not been a consistent team and have often been in the headlines for negative reasons but they've also had Hall of Fame players like Mozzy Turk who helped lead them to a Marcotte Cup championship in 1983 and a second appearance in 1985. The Herons play in the Elam Division.

Ownership and Management: The Herons are owned by Craig Kern, now 77 but still spry and active, considered one of the “good guys” in the seedy world of finances in Trowburgh, the money capital of Torland. Kern is known to be an involved owner, often hosting barbecues for his players and staff and likes to be connected personally to his teams. This can be positive and negative but since the infamous “Adam O” drug scandal in the 70's, the Herons have really tried to clean up their image and operating procedures. Kern is considered a good owner and well-liked around the league. Kern's son Chris has begun to assist him in operational duties.

Ed Smalls has served as General Manager of the team since 1977, hired in the wake of the Adam O scandal to help stabilize the team. He helped guide the team to a championship in 1983. He is considered an underrated GM. The team is coached by Andy Ford, a new hire after the team parted ways with longtime coach Ken Delaney, who landed in Fort Bevin. Ford is from the college ranks and shows promise at 45 years old. Veteran AC Don Blackmon, previously with Kurohara, was added to assist Ford.

City and Arena: The Herons play at the Goldleaf Center in Trowburgh, Lismane. The Goldleaf is a quickly declining structure in downtown. It's a bit cramped by modern THL standards but it's got plenty of vibe and history. The arena predates the team by more than a dozen years, built in the early 60's. It desperately needs renovations but Kern has been loathe to pony up the cash while the team is in a significant rebuilding phase. The city of Trowburgh is a unique place, home to many large finance and business institutions in Torland. Its reputation as a crime-ridden mafia-run city is well earned and the the divide between the rich and poor is quite stark. However, the city has seen better balanced growth at the turn of the decade and seems primed for a new era.

Previous Identity: 1987 Trowburgh Herons

Team Brand and Identity: The Herons make one of the most significant changes in their look in the league and fully embrace the new trends of the 90's. The classic skating bird is traded in for a stoic heron head, simply dubbed “Ron”. The new logo retains the diamond shape from the previous logo and focuses more on bold lines and the unique shapes of the heron head, neck, and beak. The primary black color scheme that was adopted in 1987 is changed back to primary teal with gold, black, and white as secondary colors. The uniforms are completely reimagined, now featuring special upper-sleeve color blocks for the TV numbers. The stripe widths are changed slightly, remaining horizontal on the sleeves but have been turned diagonally on the front and back of the jersey, which is now multi-colored in the most unique look in the league. Both jerseys have gold collars. The double outlines on the numbers are dropped for single strokes.

Roster Breakdown

Top Three Players

Brian Zaragoza, 20, right wing
Mike Sargent, 20, goalie
Ben Camerlin, 18, center (rookie)



Forwards: The Trowburgh roster is a mix of very young and very old. Recent draftees Brian Zaragoza and Ben Camerlin headline the current top line. Zaragoza is entering his second year and the big-bodied power right winger has shown an ability to score at the pro level. Rookie #3 overall pick Ben Camerlin is an undersized center but possesses great playmaking ability. Both players have promise. Team captain and energizer Mitchell Sharpe, 23, is a versatile forward, more of a natural center but playing left wing, with a very high hockey IQ and huge leadership intangibles. The second line has Joe Houston, 20, a tough hard-working winger who can score the greasy goals. He's paired with two veterans in Floyd Hopkins and ageless center Jan Luc Ryba, now 35. A third line has another aging veteran in Bo Conway, part of that '83 Cup-winning team, along with left winger Zack Kolb, 26, and converted defenseman to winger David Reenberg, 29, making his pro debut after 11 years in the minors. A fourth line with rookie winger Joe Julian and young centerman Nick Anderson gives speed next to 34-year-old goon Franco Krauss.

Defensemen: The blue line leaves a lot to be desired but Jeremy Harness, 24, has shown solid development and current heads the top pair with veteran fan favorite Ziggy Marszalek. 30-year-old Quinn Covington has bounced up and down from the minors but has playoff experience and is tough as they come. Tim George, 25, took awhile to develop and doesn't have a high ceiling but he's a serviceable defender. A third pairing of William Fulmer and Silas Sparkman has future promise, both late-round former draft picks that have served their time in the minors and now the team wants to know what they've got with them.

Goaltenders: The Trowburgh netminding unit has grown quickly with the addition of draftee Mike Sargent, 20, now entering his second season, and the emergence of Kerry Sullivan, 25, after five seasons in the minors. Both are starter materiel and the team figures to use a balanced rotation. Sargent, a Dungannon kid, has shown lockdown potential at times while Sullivan has proven to be capable and dependable. The team has Terry Love, 23, in the pipeline where he has served capably when called up to the pros throughout the past few seasons. The team is high on his potential. Also in the minors is Al Dexter who is still very green behind the ears. Overall the team feels well equipped in goal.

Three Key Storylines: 

• Can Smalls do it again and rebuild the Herons? The GM turned around a reeling franchise in 1977 and produced a Cup win. Now he attempts to rebuild the team again.
• When will Kern be able to reno the Goldleaf? The arena is in desperate need of repairs and renovations to modernize the facility but with the team in rebuild mode, money is harder to find.
• Which young player will ascend into stardom and lead the team? Zaragoza, Camerlin, Sharpe, and Houston are all prime candidates to use this opportunity to seize control of a growing team.

Future Projection: The Herons have a lot of work to do before they can contend but they've become a fun and lovable team after spending years changing the culture in Trowburgh. They seem likely to be a lottery team a couple of offseasons away from making noise in the Elam Division.

Marquee Series Sig:



C&C much appreciated! I'd love to hear your thoughts on the new presentation, detailed write-up, new logo and uniforms, anything. Also always happy to answer any questions about teams or Torland!

 
There’s that ‘90s flair I’ve been waiting for!