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Apply. Would prefer to stay in Miami but will ultimately take any job .

PRELUDE: Hello everyone! After several months away from the forum for much-needed life adjustments, I have finally returned to the forum! Very nice to see many new and old names still around, and I hope I get to meet all the new names here soon. NOW...THE ACTUAL ARTICLE Now the premier developmental league of the forum, the VHLM has gotten a lot more competitive, making it tougher for lower TPE to stand out like they once did at a 200 TPE cap. With many graduations to the VHL, @Spartan knows that the league is bound to shake up following the conclusion of the playoffs, stating, "...teams in contention always have more players they'll lose to graduation or call-ups. It's sort of natural for a developmental league. The teams sitting in the mid-low playoff range this season will likely be the ones to make a bigger jump next season." As stated in the title, I will be ranking the depth of each team's position (F, D, G, Potential [meaning team's future potential with picks and lower TPE players]) and give my input as to what each team needs to focus on heading into the upcoming offseason. I'll start from the bottom of the standings to the top. DISCLAIMER: THE GRADES BEING GIVEN ARE FOR THE ROSTERS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE OFFSEASON, NOT THE CURRENT ROSTERS Miami Marauders (10-56-6, 26 PTS) - First Selection: R1, Pick 1 Forwards: F | Defense: F | Goalies: F | Potential: A+ GM: @Ricer13 OVERVIEW: Miami had a rough season, finishing at the bottom of the standings for S98. They'll be looking to fill in some major holes, and this draft certainly has the potential to help Miami build for the future. When asked about thought processes about the upcoming draft, GM (@Ricer13) stated, "The upcoming draft is a big one. Miami's focus will be on trying to accumulate as many picks as possible to build out the team for long-term sustainability." Offensively, they're looking to find three replacements for all 3 Cs, as they will be lost to the Dispersion Draft/Retirement. On the defensive side of things, Miami will be losing D Chase Breeze (@C-Breeze) to the S99 Dispersal Draft, which will be a major blow to their D core. Most of their D have been slacking/not active as of recently, or at a very low TPE number, so Miami must pick up some D depth to build for the future. In net, G special ed (@special ed) will also be entering the Dispersal Draft, which puts Miami without a #1 option for the upcoming season. While ed's stats were nothing pretty, the Mauraders are banking on a G to fall to them in the draft or to have one join them via waivers. DRAFT SUGGESTION: 1st Overall - C John Cowgill (@FlyingWV) (195 TPE) Ricer has stated that "Miami will look to dangle this pick and move down in the draft. The goal is to acquire more depth picks in the draft. We aren't in a place to be selecting a top-end player as we won't be a contender next season." However, we like to have fun and assume that if, for some reason, Miami is unable to trade down with a team, then we say they would stick with #1 in this draft. If so, this should realistically be a no-brainer for Ricer. As mentioned before, Miami will be losing its 3 Cs after the season is over. Picking up C talent at the draft is going to be crucial for Miami's future, and Cowgill's progression has continued to skyrocket. Not to mention, with Cowgill just under 200 TPE, this would possibly mean that the C can stick around longer compared to Florida Man II (214 TPE) and Igor Sokolov (245 TPE). Cowgill has also performed well with Mexico City, putting up respectable numbers on the 2nd line. With first-line minutes, it's possible we could see a breakout from Cowgill and a dominance for seasons to come. TO RECAP: Ricer knows that Miami is in a full rebuild coming into the offseason. When asked about the amount of talent the Mauraders are losing, the hopeful GM reiterated, "The plan hasn't changed. We know waivers will be coming and going, and our focus will be on locking in our roster through the draft and speeding up the rebuild." Ricer certainly has a lot to think about come offseason time, and only time will tell if Miami can squeak into the postseason with luck from Simon. San Diego Marlins (21-47-4, 46 PTS) - First Selection: R1, Pick 2 Forward: C | Defense: B | Goalie: D+ | Potential: A+ GM: @Mysterious_Fish OVERVIEW: San Diego missed the playoffs by 9 points this season and is looking to broaden their depth tremendously. In my opinion, their Defensive core is solid, while their Forward core is mainly young and lower TPE, but has some experience sprinkled in. The only reason I gave Goalie a lower grade was due to a lower TPE compared to several other goalies in the league. Since (@Will3) is currently running Welfare + Practice claims, the position won't be developing into a top-tier goalie anytime soon (trust me, I'm not taking any shots, I was also like that at one point). DRAFT SUGGESTION: 2nd Overall - LW Florida Man II (@Florida Man) (214 TPE) The Marlins are looking to build on their forward depth, and I believe that Florida Man II is a key player that SD should be targeting. The Halifax LW (59GP 2-8-10) may not have the most lucrative stat line in the draft, but is capable of becoming a bloomer given a bigger role on a new team. Not to mention, Man II is consistently building up TPE points, suggesting he could reach well over 300 by the time next season concludes. Considering SDM holds both #2 overall and OTT's 1st (#3 overall), the Marlins have the chance to build strong depth up front or back in net if they wish to do so. 3rd Overall (from OTT) - RW Igor Sokolov (@Kisslinger) (245 TPE) Picking up F talent at the draft is going to be crucial for San Diego's future, and Sokolov, on paper, might be the franchise talent the Marlins can build around. Sokolov, last playing for Halifax (72GP 11-13-24), has been extremely active as of recently and tends to complete a lot of tasks to garner a LOT of TPE. A good forward core is what San Diego needs to be able to clinch a playoff berth, and I believe Sokolov would be the beginning of building something strong for the Marlins. TO RECAP: San Diego could easily become a playoff contender with a MAJOR shakeup bound to happen in the M this year, as top-seeded teams are losing several key players to graduation to the VHL. With the 2nd & 3rd overall pick, picking Man II, in my opinion, will give SDM a rather competitive team, giving them a shot to compete in the playoffs. It will be entertaining to see how SDM plays their cards and competes in S99. Ottawa Lynx (25-42-5, 55 PTS) - First Selection: R2, Pick 11 Forward: C+ | Defense: C | Goalie: C- | Potential: B GM: @Grape OVERVIEW: Ottawa just snuck into the playoffs after comfortably making it in during S98, thanks in part to RW Kyle Evans (@Kyle Evans), who put up great numbers for the 8th seed (72GP 38-71-109), as well as LW Owen Two (@do3bo1) (72GP 31-52-83). When asked about the potential departure of Evans, Grape acknowledges that the offseason will look to fill Evans' shoes once he leaves the club. The GM stated, "Right now, I'm looking at our draft and the players we are retaining to replace that offensive production, which I feel quite confident about." D Elisa McMuffin (@Ente2997) held down the blue line with impressive numbers (72GP 11-51-62), and G Komi Kamal (@dustywilson22) struggled a bit in between the pipes, as the Lynx couldn't find themselves in the middle of the pack and got bounced early by Houston in the 1st round of the playoffs. OTT does not have its first-round pick, as it was sent to San Diego, which Grape says was for a reason. The GM mentioned, "I made the trade right away, knowing that it'll be a high pick, and I still stand by it. I've done my best to load up on later-round picks to assist in making up for this." DRAFT SUGGESTION: 7th Overall (Trade w/ LVA) - D Ayumu Kasuga (@Grape) (149 TPE) Yes, you read that right. I think Ottawa's OWN GM will trade up with LVA to select himself. Here's why: Ottawa's main focus is going to have to be on their defense once Kasuga leaves for the Dispersion Draft. Having said that, if I were in the shoes of Grape, I would move the S100 OTT 2nd and S99 HOU 3rd to obtain the 7th overall pick, held by LVA. That way, Las Vegas obtains a 3rd round pick in this upcoming draft to draft a lower, but also productive, player on defense (they still have the 4th overall pick anyway). This, meanwhile, gives Ottawa the chance to retain Kasuga's services for several seasons down the road. Most of the players for the Lynx have not received TPE points in recent weeks, so it's important to have a player that you know is going to stick around, hence the pick for the GM's player. TO RECAP: Ottawa is continuing to look to compete in the playoffs down the road, but San Diego is not far behind. Miami is going to take a bit longer, but there is no warning as of now. If Ottawa can play their cards right, in picking up key F and D, this team will have no problem continuing to stay playoff contenders (it would also be funny to see Grape take his player lol). Las Vegas Aces (28-34-10, 66 PTS) - First Selection: R1, Pick 4 Forward: B | Defense: D | Goalie: B- | Potential: A+ GM: @sadie OVERVIEW: Las Vegas sat comfortably in the 7th seed when the regular season ended, and as of this writing, has made its playoff series with Philadelphia (the #2 seed!) very interesting. A very notable player on the blue line is easily D Mathias Gunnarsson (@ThatCanadian), putting up solid numbers in his last season with the Aces (72GP 16-43-58). That's the main issue, however, is that Gunnarsson will be leaving the team once the playoffs have concluded. Aces' GM Sadie agreed that Gunnarsson has been a major help for the team, but that the Aces are ready to move into the future. The optimistic GM stated, "Gunnarsson has been HUGE for us, and his departure will make a difference, but the team as a whole is going to have to look very different...S99 will of course be the most important draft in my time GMing." DRAFT SUGGESTION: 4th Overall - Chase Breeze (@C-Breeze) (180 TPE) In a no-brainer, must-need selection by the Aces, they take Chase Breeze, a very productive D with the Miami Marauders (38GP 9-19-28). This pick gives the Aces a solid D choice who has been very active in the forums and Discord. Not to mention that Breeze has developed very well for a first-gen. As mentioned previously, a hypothetical trade would see LVA send their 7th overall pick to OTT for HOU's 3rd in this draft and OTT's 2nd in next season's draft. This gives LVA the chance to pick in the 3rd round on top of their 2nd pick, with chances to select more D to solidify the core. A good draft and FA period could see LVA compete for a championship next year if Sadie plays it smart. Another player to target would be previously mentioned D Ayumu Kasuga, as having two solid, constantly developing D would prove extremely beneficial to the Aces in the long run, as they would both most likely stay for 2+ seasons. Sadie mentioned that Defense is going to be the focus of the offseason, claiming, "We're planning to build the foundation with S99 and be the favorite in S100." TO RECAP: Las Vegas has a lot of chances to make noise in the offseason and emerge as the easy winners. The 4th and 7th (if retained) overall picks could be a game-changer and bring much-needed talent to an already respectable Aces squad. If I were on another team, I would be cautious around the Aces going forward. Saskatoon Wild (34-33-5, 73 PTS) - First Selection: R1, Pick 5 Forward: C | Defense: C | Goalie: C- | Potential: B GM: @Dadam30 OVERVIEW: As of this writing, Saskatoon had been swept by Halifax in the 1st round and is now looking ahead to the offseason with RW CJ Daniels (@xNJDevilsFanx) (72GP 52-58-110) moving on from the team to HC Davos (VHL). This is going to raise a lot of concern for the Wild, who are looking to continue their rhythm next year and make the playoffs again. Their core roster will mostly return, besides Daniels and other late-season pickups. The Wild might have a lot of work to do in the offseason, but they hold a plethora of draft picks to help keep their roster afloat. GM Dadam30 will have their work cut out for them. DRAFT SUGGESTION: 5th Overall - C Patrick Finnegan (@JB123) (158 TPE) Saskatoon is gonna need a LOT of help up front to keep up with the rest of the league, and by selecting Finnegan with the 5th overall pick, will solidify their C position for several seasons. For playing in Miami this year, Finnegan (72GP 21-24-45) produced well and should be a solid piece for Saskatoon should they take him here. Another option could be to move down from 5th to grab more late-round picks in this draft, seeing how deep it is. TO RECAP: Losing a big piece is going to be tough, but I think Saskatoon has enough to persuade FAs and select well. The only reason I graded their potential low is due to the uncertainty of their offseason and the team going forward, but if they have a great draft and FA period, then I could easily see Saskatoon finishing higher than 6th next season. Finnegan's season with Miami this season shouldn't be taken heavily, as Miami struggled this season, but if the Wild were to take him, they should be able to keep up with the rest of the teams and make the playoffs. Mississauga Hounds (38-26-8, 84 PTS) - First Selection: R1, Pick 6 Forward: C+ | Defense: C+ | Goalie: F | Potential: B- GM: @ace_five_ OVERVIEW: After being eliminated in the 1st round at the hands of the Mexico City Kings, a lot of questions are going to be asked about the Hounds. Mississauga had a roster consisting of 3 400 TPE players, and 1 nearing 400, all of which produced a high point total over the season. Not to mention, their starting goaltender, G Yor Bjorven (@Rin), suddenly retired from the team. This makes the offseason very important going forward for them, as they look to continue to be playoff contenders. GM Ace acknowledged this, stating, "They will be missed greatly. Some of these players were part of the cup-winning team back in S96, so it says a lot...these are big shoes to fill." DRAFT SUGGESTION: 6th Overall - C Finn Mertzer (@Steve) (154 TPE) Mississauga currently holds 2 1st round picks, which Ace has high value for, claiming, "I don't think it's too necessary to move up a few spots in such a deep draft. I think the whole first round, and into the second, will be a hit. Anyone will be ready to help the team immediately." Suggesting this, Mississauga will have a strong chance to pick up very talented players, with possibly several seasons to be with the team. C Finn Mertzer (18GP 4-8-12) is a solid option to head up their new-look forward core. 10th Overall - G Brandon Hope (@McLovin) (125 TPE) Coming off a 3 game trial with Las Vegas, Hope can shine as a future star goalie. I have Halifax taking G Diego Adam with the 8th overall pick, so Mississauga should look to pickup the next best option, which in my opinion, is Hope. TO RECAP: Mississauga needs to make some major noise in the offseason to ensure a return to the playoffs. Their potential is solid due to their two high picks, but hangs in the balance of their FA signings due to their minimal draft capital. The GMs for the team know they have their work cut out for them in the upcoming FA/Draft period. Mexico City Kings (44-20-8, 96 PTS) - First Selection: R3, Pick 21 Forward: B+ | Defense: C | Goalie: C | Potential: C GM: @VattghernCZ OVERVIEW: Mexico City's roster has been stacked, consisting of a strong forward core and arguably the #1 defensive core, with a capped goalie to boot. One of the league's top defenders, D Ronan Amnon (@Breeze837) has put on a show from the blue line (72GP 21-53-74), and not to mention their goalie has had an amazing season (53GP 33-14-6, 0.927%, 1.51) to help the Kings become serious playoff contenders. However, once their season concludes, they will have some serious work to do to replace the firepower they will lose to the VHL. DRAFT SUGGESTION: 21st Overall - D Natalia Nano (@leafsman) (98 TPE) MEX will be losing 3 (possibly 4) D at the end of the season, so this position is going to become crucial down the road for the Kings to fill. Nano was stuck on a STACKED Houston team and was picked up late in the season, only playing 18 games in the regular season (2-1-3). With a bigger role and the possibility to play for a few seasons, Nano could easily emerge from their shell and become a big producer down the road for the Kings. TO RECAP: Mexico City has a lot of talent to boot, and should help carry them on a deep playoff run, but once their big producers leave, they'll have to start thinking about the future. With few picks of value in this year's draft, they may have to look to the FA market and pick up some help. I expect Mexico City to regress, but still make the playoffs somewhere in the 5-7 seed range. I give their future potential a C, as it's unsure how the Kings are going to rebound off their D core leaving. Halifax 21st (47-18-7, 101 PTS) - First Selection: R1, Pick 8 Forward: B- | Defense: B+ | Goalie: C | Potential: B+ GM: @rory OVERVIEW: Halifax just barely eclipsed the 100-point mark to cap off a great season under GM Rory. LW Hater Tottingham (@Trunkxolotl) finished in the Top-10 in points this season (72GP 33-47-80), and as of this article, the 21st swept Saskatoon in the first round. Their team consists of solid depth, both on the offensive and defensive side, and features a capped goalie in G Chad Powers (@Big_Dyl), helping solidify their positioning. DRAFT SUGGESTION: 8th Overall - G Diego Adam ( @Dadam30) (147 TPE) Halifax's big concern is going to be picking up a solid G to make up for losing G Chad Powers and now-inactive G Kim Chi. Picking G Diego Adam would make a lot of sense here. While he struggled with Saskatoon this past season, he may need a resurgence with a new team to emerge as the top option in the draft, and Halifax provides enough depth to help him grow. TO RECAP: Halifax had a very productive season, one that sees them more than likely making a deep playoff run, and potentially as a dark horse to win the championship this year. Once the offseason begins, I expect Halifax to move to the top of the standings and finish with an even better record with the depth they have and a hypothetical new addition of G Diego Adam. Losing LW Tottingham to the VHL is going to be a scratch to the lineup, but it shouldn't hurt the 21st too much. Philadelphia Reapers (54-13-5, 113 PTS) - First Selection: R1, Pick 9 Forward: C | Defense: B | Goalie: B | Potential: B GM: @mattyIceman OVERVIEW: Winning the Eastern Conference is no easy task, especially with the talent of some of the teams in the conference (-Miami), but Philly made the most of their season, clinching the conference title and the #2 seed in the Founder's Cup Playoffs. Boasting 4 (!!!) players in the Top 10 in points and G Louis Burley (@EndoNate) locking it down between the pipes for most of the season, the Reapers had no problem becoming a problem on teams' schedules this season. DRAFT SUGGESTION: 9th Overall - C Bash McMurray ( @Bushito) (148 TPE) Philly is going to be losing several Fs to the VHL soon and will need to address their depth up front. Selecting McMurray 9th will solidify the middle of the lineup, especially boasting an impressive stat line on conference rival Miami (18GP 4-7-11). Expect McMurray's production to slightly decrease with more depth surrounding them, but with development over the next few seasons, it should continue to be a productive piece for the Reapers to continue to hunt a championship. TO RECAP: Philly is a Founder's Cup contender at the moment and has a legitimate shot at taking the crown once it's all said and done. They'll lose some F depth after the playoffs, but I don't doubt their ability to rebuild with a hypothetical pick of McMurray. However, it is uncertain what kind of attention they can get from the FA pool, so their potential remains at a solid B for now. Houston Bulls (59-8-5, 123 PTS) - First Selection: R2, Pick 16 Forward: D | Defense: D+ | Goalie: F | Potential: C GM: @SMYLS4 OVERVIEW: The "Cream of the Crop", the Bulls finished with a 10-point cushion ahead of Philadelphia to win the Prime Minister's Cup for most points in the regular season. Led by a star-studded team of ~6 capped players and a capped G in G Bartholomew Lorequavius (@jaypc8237), Houston breezed through their opponents. GM SMYLS4 explained the plan for the Bulls this year, featuring an all-in push. "The plan for S98 was to go all-in and do whatever we could to win," stated SMYLS4, "Although I'm still not 100% sure how many players we will have returning next season, we will be missing many positional needs." I asked SMYLS4 what he thinks about the possibility of Houston winning the Founder's Cup in his first year at the helm. The GM smiled, stating, "This team is full of talent no matter where you look. I am very happy with how we performed in the 1st round, and have high expectations for the following rounds. With it being my first season, I was happy to inherit a good Houston team. I knew we would have a good chunk of players moving up to the VHL after the season, so I decided to go all-in and put us in the best position to win it all. I know it would mean a lot to the team to win it all, as they put in a lot of effort. For myself, winning a Cup in your first season is basically the best possible outcome you could ask for. Houston deserves another Cup." DRAFT SUGGESTION: 16th Overall - LW Oppai Bumu ( @BOOM) (132 TPE) With this all-in push, Houston runs the risk of rebuilding next season. SMYLS4 admitted this, with most of the roster for the Bulls about to be depleted. The GM states, "Having only 3 FA claims doesn't give us a ton of room to work with, but it could be possible. We will desperately need a goalie this draft or have to acquire one via trade." If I'm the GM, I would be looking to build up front and take a different approach to the upcoming draft. I believe at #16, Houston should look to take a risk with LW Oppai Bumu. Not having played in the VHLM yet, Bumu has a high ceiling and should develop quickly. Bumu has the chance to thrive in an environment like Houston's and should be a near half-PPG pick this season, considering future roster woes. Houston in the 3rd round should look to select their backup G from this year, G Michael Szatkowski III (@Mike), who performed well (understandably with a great team in front of him). Szatkowski has developed nicely, and while not the most lucrative pick, should be able to provide long-term stability at the position for Houston down the road. TO RECAP: Houston's roster will take a massive hit once the playoffs conclude. SMYLS4 understands this and seems committed to making the rebuild in hopes of becoming more competitive by the beginning of the season in S100. I give their potential for the offseason a C, considering the lack of draft capital and likely rough FA period lying ahead of them. FINAL THOUGHTS: Whew! Writing 2 days' worth of content is wild, but I had fun doing so. I am excited (as a potential VHLM draft pick myself) to see what the offseason holds and how much the league shakes up in S99! In Simon We Trust. ~4240 words (OH MY LORD)

I’m back! Did you miss me? Of course you did. Don’t ask who I am if you’ve never met me. I think an entire season happened while I was away due to work but I am back and ready to be a productive member of the VHL community once more! Until the next tax season rolls around at least lol. So, what has Ahsoka been up to while I’ve been barely earning and not really paying attention? Let’s look into it. Based on numbers alone (which is really all we are), Ahsoka seems to have had her best season yet. Most goals, most assists, and most points. Low end for her +/- but that’s okay. Overall, all her numbers are up. 16 goals, 51 assists, 195 shots, 6 game winning goals, and 8 power play goals. The only numbers she was down on were penalty minutes and hits, which is exactly what I needed her to do. Lowest so far and I am happy with that. Given that I didn’t build her as a fighter or a menace, I’m happy to see that she’s finally on lines with players who keep her focused on actually playing. Looks like once again she didn’t find herself on any of the leaderboards, but I supposed we can’t all be top 10 players. Though she is tied in 10th place for game winners so had the algorithm worked differently, she might have that number 10 spot. So in terms of the league, she wasn’t all that great. But I guess I’ll take personal improvement as a consolation prize. This was her 4th season so I’m hoping that as she gets further into her career, maybe we’ll be able to see some growth. I think I also may be approaching max build with her. I need to double check with my sources but I’m pretty sure I’m coming close to banking for depreciation. Makes me really happy that I worked my ass off prior to February to earn as much as I could in order to get here so quickly. I think a few more weeks and I’ll be there. As for Seattle, apparently, we made the playoffs? Fucking mint. In 2 games she’s only got 1 assist but I’m sure Bana has some strategy to try and get us as far as possible. Honestly I’m not going to worry about it too much. I always stressed over Jesse Teno because they were such a superstar but I think I’ve come to accept with my time away from the VHL that not every player I make it going to be a star. Not every player I make is going to make a name for themselves and be recognized around the league. And that’s the power of maturing. But seriously, I think I’m okay knowing that Ahsoka isn’t going to be the best or collect accolades. She’s still a great player who I have missed these past 6 weeks and I’m looking forward to getting to know her all over again. 505 words for week ending 4/27/2025

S98 was a major leap forward for the Kings, compared to the last season. But after a solid refular season and a first round series win against the Hounds, the Kings met the giant @SMYLS4 created in Houston just across the brook from us, one of the most dominant teams the VHLM has ever seen. While we were able to go toe to toe with them for games 3-5, we had dug ourselves a hole too big to get out from, going 0-2 to start the series. Despite the bitter end, this season was filled with individual highs and some great stories. It is with great pleasure I can highlight one such story - the story of Ronan Amnon @Breeze837, a career King and a face of the Mexico blue line for as long as I've been around the team. Before being appointed as the Kings GM, I had spent the previous two seasons (and a bit) there as a player, sharing the blue line with Ronan. When my player joined the team in late S94, Amnon had been a premier defender in the 200-cap league and already had a season with the Kings under his belt, as he had joined the team in late S93 and was drafted in the 2nd round of the VHLM draft to return back for S94. In his first full season with the Kings, Ronan immediately established himself as a premier two-way defenseman, scoring 10 goals and 47 assists for 57 points, with +15 rating, 161 hits and 116 shots blocked. He also immediately gained a reputation of a team player, who's a dream to work with for any coach as he's always been really receptive to coaching advices on what areas of the game to focus and improve. A great testament of how well can @JCarson , Mexico GM who drafted Amnon, work with people as well as of his understanding of how the game works. In his second full season with Mexico, Ronan build on his already impressive offensive numbers - especially goals - as he scored an elite 25 goals to go with 44 asists (69 points, nice), 137 hits and 121 blocked shots. Clearly, the increase of his offensive output didn't come at the expense of his defensive game, as that's an area of the game he's always been proficient in. The plus/minus rating took a little dip, going from +15 in S94 to -8 in S95, but realistically - to what extent is it an individual stat? S96 brought the increase of the TPE cap from 200 to 400, a dip in production was expected for all players. This was the case for Ronan as well, but he still managed to outperform the expectations and went on to score 13 goals and 40 assists for 53 points, -9 rating, 60 hits and 120 blocked shots. The offensive production was still on a really high level, the biggest difference was his physicality. Ronan has never been a physical force, but rather a smart, mobile, positionally sound defender. This style of game and his hockey IQ allowed him to recognize he has to take fewer risks now, with a lot of players used to playing a level above the VHLM have re-joined the league. Rather than trying to outmuscle older, tougher and more experienced players, he was using his stick and blocking shots to still bring a huge value defensively, on top of his consistently high level of offense. After the S96, Ronan became a free agent for the first time in his career, as his rookie contract with the Kings expired. However, he decided to re-join the Kings once again. S97 was a down season for Mexico City, as they had had some key players graduating. For most of the season, it was only Amnon and Carl Erhardt @Elite Steel guarding the blue line. With this in mind, it's only expected that some of Ronan's stats took a dip. On the offensive side, he became a 20-goal scoring defenseman once again, this time in a 400-cap league, as he scored 22 goals on career-high 214 shots. His assists and points went down to 30 and 52 respectivelly, but even the best playmakers in the world can't record tons of these, when the team is lacking firepower. the minus-33 rating looks brutal too, but it wasn't the resul on Ronan's defensive game, as he recorded career high 167 shots blocked and 76 hits. He was an elite defenseman on a struggling team. The "struggling team" was the reason I was unsure about Amnon's interest in coming back with the Kings, as he had previously stated that despite his interest in staying in the M for one more season, he'd like to test free agency to see what the options are. But in the end, he decided to sign with the Kings for his final VHLM run in S98. And what a run it was. One fewer goal than the previous season with 21, but a career high in assists and points, with 53 and team-leading 74 respectively, with career high +16, 14 hits and 110 shots blocked. With the Kings blue line being arguably the best in the league and other players taking major defensive roles, Ronan was able to focus on creating offensive plays and showed a level of playmaking prowess that hadn't been seen in his game previously. He was one of the league's most dominant two-way defenders, and I sincerely hope he will be considered as one of the best defenseman trophy contenders. Ronan Amnon's VHLM career stats: 375 games played (all-time franchise leader) 91 goals (all-time franchise leader among defensemen) 221 assists (all-time franchise leader) 312 points (all-time franchise leader among defensemen, 2nd overall) minus-32 rating 280 penalty minutes (3rd all-time) 562 hits (5th all-time) 937 shots (all-time franchise leader among defensemen, 4th overall) 667 shots blocked (all-time franchise leader) 19 game winning goals (all-time franchise leader among defensemen, 2nd overall) With a career like this, I can not make a single argument against Ronan Amnon's number forever hanging from the rafters, joining @SDCore Shush Nyko's 13. But Ronan Amnon was not the only player to make an impact in S98, it's time to move to recognizing some more players with the team awards! Disclaimer: While Ryan Mantzz @Rkhockey9 was arguably the best player on the team since joining us, he only played 20 regular season games with the Kings. While you changed the dynamic of the whole offense and we all appreciate you joining, I'm afraid the limited time disqualifies you from winning most of the team trophies. Rey del Hielo (The King of the Ice) The player dominating the game. The player without whom we wouldn't have been the team we have been. The Most Valuable Player of the regular season. Sombra del Rey (The King's Shadow) The player who might have been overlooked a bit, staying in the shadow cast by the King of the Ice having the spotlight at them. Probably the MVP on most of the VHLM teams. Guerrero de Acero (The Iron Warrior) The player sacrificing the body for his team. Whether it's giving or receiving a hit, blocking a shot or dropping mitts, this player is up for the challenge. The toughest MF on the team. A player you love when he's on your team, but hate when he's not. Guardia del Rey (The King's Guard) The last line of defense in front of the goaltender. The player whose job it is to roleplay Gandalf the Grey preventing Balrog from crossing the bridge in the mines of Moria. The team's best defenseman. Cañón Azteca (The Aztec Canon) The player who the opponents don't want to see with the puck on the stick close to their net. It doesn't have to be the player who had recorded the most goals, but simply the most natural shooter. Goals, shots, shooting percentage, the ability to get the puck through the traffic, anything and everything. Commandante del Ataque (The Commander of the Attack) Some players prefer to be involved in the front lines, while others prefer to direct the attack from the back, making strategic decision and distributing the puck among their teammates to put them in a good position. Not necessarily the player who records the most assists, but overall the best playmaker. Ascenso del Rey (The King's Rise) The player who made the most progress compared to their last season. Maybe it's their confidence, maybe it's their deployment, but they were the most improved player. Soldado Incansable (The Relentless Soldier) This is one of the off-ice trophy that has to do more with the member than with the player. I'd like to show appreciation for hard work put into getting involved in the league and earning TPE. By default, this award would have gone to @Josh Peter Venkman, as probably no one does more for the league than a dev and VHL Commissioner. But I'm sure Josh is okay with highlighting dedication of others, especially first generation members who have immediately stepped in and are already establishing themselves as one of the more active members of the community. Alma del Equipo (The Soul of the Team) The second of the two member awards, rather than player awards. The player who was the most active in the locker room, getting involved all the time, hyping the team up and overall being a great presence and a great member of the community. (Shame you've joined the team late, @Rkhockey9, it's been awesome having you around!) @preds @SleepyPlayz @VOID Stiles @Zurgzz @Rkhockey9 @FlyingWV @Lochlan Chisholm @Bhockey17 @Elite Steel @Josh @Breeze837 @tinafrombobsburgers @STZ @shaun1979 Not team related mentions: @SMYLS4 @LucyXpher (Claimed as a Media Spot; word count: 2k+)

@Kisslinger

The New Meta: An Analysis on Discipline AKA the Gustav is Wrong Thread Some of you may know me for meta in s79-s82, and I’m here to bring you an analysis on the new meta, and something I haven’t really seen talked about by in-depth by anyone else, and in fact it’s mainly talked about in a negative light by a lot of prominent members in the community. @Victor@Spartan @Gustav (for shame) And I, in fact, have been saying it’s good for years now. I will also give a shoutout to @Enorama who hasn’t necessarily been saying it’s good (as far as I can tell), but hasn’t been on the DI is useless train and does recognize it for what it is. I’ll also give a shoutout to @DMaximuswho said this: I didn’t realise he said until I re-read Gustav’s article in the process of writing this, and I’ve used this metric before in the Prague thread, so great minds think alike. I’ve used similar metrics to this before in arguing for awards here I’m sure some of you have also seen my comments about discipline in other threads (specifically the Prague thread) but here’s a concrete manifesto of my whole thoughts on it. 1. What does Discipline actually do? I feel there is a large misconception about what discipline does. Intuitively it would make sense that CK increases how much your player hits, or how hard your player hits, or some explanation with total hits. Likewise, it would make sense that discipline is almost an attribute of how “clean” your player hits. One would expect that increasing CK would result in more hits, and increasing DI on top of that would result in the same increase in hits but less penalties off of it. However, that is not the case. The quick punchline here is that CK increases how often your player hits, DI decreases how often your player hits, it’s basically negative CK. Lets take a look at some numbers. I have 28 seasons of player stats and attributes from S70 - S97. We’ll first explore some basic relationships between the variables of interest (CK, PIM, DI) and then get into some regression models. From the charts we can see very obvious strong positive correlations between CK, Hits, and PIM. This is a super similar chart to what Gustav had, we have a super high population at 40 DI (mostly due to people thinking it’s worthless) and some sparse data points above that with a weak negative correlation. Like Gustav also said, this chart doesn’t really prove much, since it doesn’t tell us anything about CK. The people at 40 DI could have 99 CK or 40 CK for all we know, same with any other point. Let’s then look at the gap between DI and CK, so that we can get information on both. Now we see a negative correlation. As DI increases compared to CK, we see a decrease in hits. We can further analyze this plot and make some improvements to it to build an even better understanding, since there’s still some points that can be made about this one. We’ll get a bit more colour in here to make it look a little fancier. Here I’ve coloured points green if Discipline = 40, and red if Discipline isn’t 40. Let’s dive deeper into this plot now. We can use the 0 point on the x-axis as a marker of sorts. Anything to the left of that point is super similar to CK vs. HIT’s plot we made earlier and we still see that strong correlation. This is further backed up by a lot of these values having DI of 40, which suggests that this is just purely caused by increases in CK. If we look to the right of the 0 marker, we see all the players who have upgraded DI higher than CK. We can “zoom-in” on this. This does look a little random, but there is a negative trend line, and we see the right end having much less hits than the left end. I’ve coloured the graph by whether CK is 40 or not this time, and we can see that a lot of the upper hits numbers are a result of increased CK on top (which we will see later). I can see why the conclusion that DI isn’t that impactful was made, especially since Gustav was just looking at s72 data (a much smaller sample size). It’s also hard to isolate DI from CK, and the correlation between Hits and CK is very small. If you are questioning my results right now I totally understand. From this though we can certainly conclude that CK, PIM, and HITs are all positively correlated with one another, and there may be a dubious relationship between DI and HITs. 2. Deep Dive With Statistics We’ll do a regression of CK and DI on number of hits. Here is some R code output. I’ll interpret it for you if you have no idea what you’re looking at. The coefficients section is basically how much each variable affects the outcome. The estimate is the main one we want to look at. We can see that CK has an estimate of 4.41 and DI has an estimate of -2.52. The regression is like a linear line, where Number of Hits = 4.41 * (CK Value) - 2.52 * (DI Value) - 10.46 So each point in CK is about 4.41 more hits, each point in DI is about 2.52 less hits. We can ignore the intercept of -10.46 since that’s not really relevant (it’s the number of hits you’d have if you had 0CK and 0DI). We also see that the P-value is very significant. We can do the same regression on PIMs as well. We see that each point increase in CK is about 2.7 more PIM, while each point in DI is about -1.12PIM. From both of these regressions, we see that DI is about half as “powerful” as CK, in that 1 point in DI reduces about half the hits that 1 point in CK gains, similarly 1 point in DI reduces about half the PIM that 1 point in CK gains. We however see an R^2 of 0.6, which means this regression explains 60% of the variance in the dataset. Since this is a sim engine, this means that 40% of your hit total cannot be explained by attributes, and is probably a factor of team/lines/minutes. Interlude: I will also just share that throughout the course of writing this I’ve been slowly adding more and more seasons. This started as just S83-S97 but the final version for now is S70-S97 (before S70 my function to scrape doesn’t work due to index formatting differences and I don’t want to fix it right now). However, as I’ve added more data, especially pre-hybrid, the estimate of DI has gone up, while the estimate of CK has gone down. If we just use S83-S97 data the CK estimate is 3.11 and the DI estimate is -0.93. I think this is just due to a bias in the sample, in that a lot of players keep DI low (due to a lot of people thinking it’s a useless stat). We can visualize the distribution. We can see a huge spike at 40 DI, with very few players actually choosing to upgrade DI (In-fact 71% of players in the dataset have DI at 40). After hybrid attributes the number of players choosing to upgrade DI is even smaller than pre-hybrid, which is why including more seasons before S83 is increasing the “power” of DI, since we are able to sample more players actually updating it. 3. Why this is important. So you may be asking, what’s all the fuss about discipline, maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t, why is it good? I’ll tell you why it’s good. Hits are bad. As we saw before, hits are directly correlated with penalties. Penalties are correlated with power plays for the other team, and power plays for the other team are correlated with goals against your team. I’ll show you what I’m talking about. Consider a player with 300 hits. From our previous plot, we’d expect them to have about 160 PIM. 160 PIM is about 80 powerplays for the other team. If the other team has an average power play of 18%, that’s about 14 goals against your team. For comparison, that’s about equivalent to the difference between a .930 goalie and a .924 goalie. We can further extend this to say each hit is about 0.53 penalty minutes. Which means every 4 hits results in a powerplay. With an average power play of 18%, about every 20 hits results in a power play goal against your team. If we furthermore use the regressions, 1 point in CK is equivalent to 2.7 penalty minutes. If each powerplay has a 18% chance of being scored on, 2.7 * 0.18 = 0.486. So every point in CK results in almost 0.5 goals scored against your team Similarly, 1 point in DI is -1.1 PIM. So every point in DI results in 0.2 less goals against your team. One flaw in the metric (that also helps my case), is that if you are a player who has high DF and is on the PK, say for example a team’s top defenseman, hitting is even WORSE for you, since those powerplay averages will presumably go up against your team if the top defenseman is the one in the penalty box. We can conclude though that hits are bad, but why not just avoid updating CK and not touching discipline? Well there does come a point where it is better to upgrade discipline. 4. When is upgrading discipline useful The main problem with discipline is that it’s effect is kind of weak as seen above. In this article I’m not proposing that everyone should just be rushing DI to 99, it’s not that good. In order to properly value it we need to consider the TPE opportunity cost of DI vs. other attributes. Obviously it is much better to upgrade DF to 50 before you upgrade DI to 50, but at what point does it become worth it to upgrade DI? One thing that I’ve seen pointed out is that at some point you have to upgrade BC as it’s the cheapest way to get STHS DF. However, this comes with the drawback of getting 0.06DF but also 0.36CK. So maybe there is a way to also upgrade Poise in-line with Body-Checking to cancel out the CK and just get the DF, while also being cheaper than the next best source of DF. Time to do more math. The most efficient source of DF is PC (Poke Checking, but I always think this is Puck Control for some reason), which gives 0.24 DF and 0.18 ST. At a value of 80 it starts costing 5 tpe to upgrade, so each tpe is worth 0.24/5 = 0.048 DF. Once PC is 80 you start getting more DF per TPE from BC than PC. (0.06 vs. 0.048). But the cost of that cheaper DF means to cancel out the CK increase you basically need 1 point in Poise. So it actually costs 2 tpe for that 0.06 DF to be purely beneficial. We can use an estimate that 1 point in CK is cancelled out by 2 points in DI (0.36CK vs. 1.08DI for upgrading 1 BC and 2 PO respectively), which results in an overestimate [less DI is needed to cancel], and overestimating here is fine. So we need to find a point where 0.06/3 = 0.02DF/tpe (since you need 1 tpe for BC and 2 tpe for the PO to cancel it) is a better alternative to other DF sources. We find that for PC this will never happen, as at the maximum 0.24DF/10tpe = 0.024 DF/TPE, but for the other DF-granting attributes this does happen. For DK which gives 0.12DF, this happens when DK = 90 (0.12/8) = 0.015DF/TPE For DC which gives 0.18DF, this happens when DC = 95 (0.18/10) = 0.018DF/TPE So once DK and DC get to the 90/95 breakpoints respectively, it becomes more efficient to upgrade BC and cancel out the CK increase with PO than to continue upgrading them. Which if you are only upgrading defense, will happen around 580 player TPE. 5. Takeaways, Further Theories, and Conclusion Alright, so we’ve concluded that DI is not in fact useless as many have claimed, and does result in a reduction in Hits and PIM. The main reason why DI is useful though is twofold, hits in general are just bad and you want your player to avoid them as they cost your team goals against. DI does slightly reduce hits and PIM (although it’s easier and more effective to not get hits and PIM by just avoiding updating CK). However, as seen above there does come a breakpoint where to efficiently get DF you need to also upgrade CK, discipline does allow you to effectively cancel this out. However, throughout this analysis we’ve just seen that DI has a somewhat weak effect. I think that this is just due to how STHS works, and a lot of the further variance in hits for players is just due to roster composition and STHS giving a bunch of hits to people high CK already on the team. So for instance if you have a player who is 40CK 40DI, they’ll get about the same amount of hits as someone who is 40CK 60DI just because on the team there is someone with 80CK who is taking all the hits, and not leaving many to be assigned. A basic example to explain what I’m talking about is imagine a line of 3 players, one has 80CK, one has 40CK 40DI, the other has 40CK 60DI. If STHS decides to give that line 100 hits, suppose the 80CK player gets 80 of those 100 hits, and then the remaining 20 hits are to be given to the other players. That distribution may look like 12 hits to the 40DI player and 8 hits to the 60DI player. The 60DI player gets “less” hits but the effect of it is so small just because the 80CK player is absorbing all of it. I think that if you have a team of low CK players, say for example a line of 3 40CK 40DI players, STHS may now evenly assign like 80 hits. However, if those players are now 40CK 60DI, STHS may now assign only 60 hits. What I’m saying is that DI becomes strong on a overall low CK team, as there’s no hits going to the team already, and reducing the hits even more is beneficial (since hits are bad). I saw this anecdotally with test sims with Vancouver in the S80’s. We had a low CK team, and when I ran test sims with everyone at 60DI our winrate increased by like 5% or so. Also please don’t try (or do try) to make the argument that hits lead to takeaways which lead to goals. I might write another article on this but I just don’t think it’s true, or isn’t true at the rate it needs to be true. For the takeaways to be better you’d need a ~5% chance of scoring as a direct result of each hit, which there’s just no way that’s true. TLDR Results: Over 25+ seasons of VHL data: It’s slightly hard to analyze DI just because so little people upgrade it 1 point increase in CK results in 2.7 more PIM and 4.41 more hits 1 point increase in DI results in 1.1 less PIM and 2.52 less hits Hits are bad because they lead to penalties -> powerplays -> goals against your team DI allows for efficient upgrading of DF in BC by cancelling out CK Overall low CK teams probably benefit from DI more. and most importantly, @Gustav is wrong. 2700 words

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Introduction: (1)The VHL Forums have been around for over 10 years at this point in time and we have seen people get over 10 thousand reactions from their peers in the VHL. This can be extremely exciting for those people, as it shows how others interact with their posts in a positive manner. However many issues arise from a system built on reactions, and it's important to fully understand these implications. So today, I will first explain to you the concept of technology-mediated dangerous behaviors, then I will explain the psychological effects of receiving insufficient positive feedback online, and explain ways to mediate this risk. Technology-Mediated Dangerous Behaviors (TMDB): The Causes of Technology-Mediated Dangerous Behaviors: (2)To first understand the Idea of TMDBs you first have to understand what causes them. According to Hamed Qahri, a researcher at Colorado State University, we go through a phenomenon known as homeostatic violations. This is where the socially driven creatures that we humans are, receive a negative reaction. This can trigger a stress induced reaction (SIR) and result in rash behaviors. This is one of the primary triggers for a TMDB, and on standard social media apps, can result in life threatening behavior, which has led to multiple deaths around the world, through texting while driving, or participating in dangerous activities to get a photo that will receive more interactions. (3)There is another major driving factor known as Social Comparison. People often carefully craft the image of themselves that they put online, whether we know we do it, or it is a subconscious action. This image we create drives others to compare themselves to the other users they see online. We as humans are theorized to experience a psychological trait known as psychological egoism, this is a theorized phenomenon that is supported by a study conducted by Joshua May at the University of Alabama. Psychological egoism states that all humans are influenced by selfish desires, whether these selfish desires lead to selfless acts makes for a different argument, however all humans have a view on the way they think the world sees them. If humans feel that others are doing better than them, it drives TMDBs and leads to the behaviors stated in Paragraph 2. The Correlation of Technology-Mediated Dangerous Behaviors on the VHL: (4)The VHL forum is not like a typical Social Media platform, rather than prioritizing fast stimuli material, entering the brain after short periods of time, to keep a user engaged. It prioritizes a slower reactionary based engagement strategy. This means that the users on the VHL Forum are trained to receive, rather than short term rushes of dopamine from seeing the latest trends, to lengthen their attention span through longer articles, where you read about various topics, usually relating to hockey. These interactions are then displayed on a user profile, filling in the two primary triggers of a TMDB, the reactions on any post that a user creates will lead to a homeostatic violation, and viewing your own reaction count compared to others triggers Social Comparison. (5)In an Unmatured mind, these factors can result in a stressed induced reaction, resulting in a TMDB. Due to the slower nature of the forums, the behaviors exhibited might not show short term offline dangers, like texting and driving would, but it can result in long term effects on a person's life. This is known as Cognitive Dissonance, this may be something as simple as sharing their real name with someone, or something as major as revealing personal information in an attempt to gather more interactions from their peers on the form. The Dangers of These Behaviors: (6)While if a person shares something small, such as a name or personal detail of their life, if they get the reaction that they seek, they will continue participating in this action, eventually they will see less of a reaction when they participate in this behavior, and decide to build on their previous behavior, by providing more personal information about themselves. This is known as the Slippery Slope or in extreme cases Intermittent Explosive Disorder. Which is where a person becomes so reliant on these reactions that it becomes violent episodes rather than short term stressed induced reactions. The Effects of Receiving Insufficient Positive Feedback: (RIPF) The Actions That Register as Insuffecient Positive Feedback: (7)Online, we like to build projects, aimed at creating feedback for ourselves to trigger the dopamine response most humans have experienced. An amazing example of an online project would be this paper, based around the very topic. When we create these projects, we often have an idea of being better than the rest, which loops back into the topic of Social Comparison as explained in paragraph 3. Once we feel we have generated content better than those that we choose to compare it too. We create an idea in our head of the feedback we are looking to receive, and then fully expect to receive this feedback. We go online, post our project, whether it be through video, text, or application, and we await to see our feedback, (8)Once this project is posted, we gain a short dopamine rush through a psychological effect known as anticipated response, where the neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward triggers because we feel we have already earned this reaction. This short term rush solidifies in our brain that we deserve these reactions, and causes us to further expect a positive reaction, sometimes even uplifting our expectations to unreasonable and unrealistic heights. The Insufficient Feedback Provided By Our Audience: (9)We as humans often understand that it will take time to build reaction to our expectation, so we often view this feedback through 2 stages, the Immediate Positive and/or Negative Feedback (IPF/INF) and the Long Term Positive to Negative Feedback (LTPNF). Our initial reaction is quick, usually within a couple hours of posting the project, we look at the Positive feedback and Negative feedback separately and occasionally only look for positive feedback. We will see a quick initial rush of support and be excited that our reaction is living up to our expectations, however these reactions will often start to die down after a couple of hours. (10)After these reactions start to slow, we start to experience a reaction similar to that explained in Paragraph 2, we experience Stress Induced Reactions and feel as if we failed, in our creation of the project. While often that is not true, the amygdala often triggers a sad response anyway. This can cause feelings of failure, low self worth, and ultimately depression. The Effects of Receiving Insufficient Positive Feedback: (11)Humans self worth is often a result of a series of factors, the most important being that of Self Comparison (Paragraph 3) and Psychological Egoism (Paragraph 3-4). These two factors are greatly affected through receiving insufficient feedback. We often create expectations through comparison, and when these expectations are not met we often see that as a showing that our work did not size up to that of others, but that we as people can not meet the expectations that others seem to receive so easily. (12)This lowering of our self worth leads to saddening effects, and if the cycle repeats over extended periods of time, we eventually develop social media fatigue, but because of the dopamine rush that we experience from it, we struggle to detach ourselves from these website that are ultimately the root of the issue. This continued depressive state can lead to much more serious effects on our mental health, which continues to degrade over time if we don’t seek professional help. All because of 1 simple button. The Overly Complicated Solution: Solution #1: Remove the like Button: (13)It seems like a simple fix, all we have to do is remove the like button, and this domino effect of SIRs, TMDBs, RIPFs and SMFs can all be avoided. Right? It's sadly not that simple. As the author of my favorite book has stated time and time again, “Nature Enjoys it's balance, you can’t remove bad without removing good.” As much pain as the like button provides, it's also a rewarding factor for doing a good job. The like button influences people to continue creating content, as well as to put effort into their content. Removing the like button ultimately changes the forum from an active and thriving space, to a simple, likely inactive place, where there is no reward or incentive to continue being active. (14)Sadly, this is why like buttons have been provided on almost every social media platform, and those who don’t are often not active or predominant in today's social climate. Ever heard of Maven? It's a perfect example of this sad flaw with the human brain. A social media with no follows, no likes, and as of this moment, practically no users. Solution #2: Educate Rather Than Retaliate: (15)As established, we can’t rely on a system without a reward for posting, so instead we have to educate ourselves on the effects of these issues. If we fully understand the damages that this has on our brains, we can better react to situations, and better help others who don’t fully understand the effects of a system like this. We can’t entirely educate or help everyone, so this solution has a downside, and a very big one, but as stated in Paragraph 13, nature likes its balance. If we want to continue with a forum being active, we have to have likes, but we need to understand how these likes affect us. So ultimately we can continue to safely interact on social media. (16) More importantly, we can also strive to provide support for those who provide their projects on the forum. I am guilty of almost never reacting or commenting on others posts, and through my research on this topic, I have realized that this is an issue in itself. Most of the time, one person's issue can be amplified by that of other people. We need to make it a habit to support each other, in our projects, and in our struggles through issues like this. The VHL has a very tight knit community, and we are already so supportive of each other, but we can reach even further, to support everyone. Read Further Into The Issue: This paper is the collage of many different researchers' work, put together by someone who is dangerously under qualified to be talking about the issue. There are very likely mistakes throughout the paper so I can’t encourage you enough to go read about the issue through the professionals. Everything I have said here has been closely fact checked through at least 2 papers, so any issues you find are that of my fault alone, and not a research failure on any of the papers below. I truly hope I built your knowledge on this correctly and if you remain confused on any of the topics above, do not worry, it took me a while to get it myself. The people below do an incredible job of explaining everything. Further, this project is also apart of a paper I am writing for an actual project in my educational career, if you are knowledgeable about the topic and spot any inconsistencies, I ask that you please point it out to me, as most of the information I have laid down in this paper, is also going to be submitted as a paper about the effects of social media on our psychological health for a grade. Please take everything written here into account, as this is a real issue affecting one inside and outside of the VHL, and providing a like on a smaller youtube video, or some words of encouragement for someone, can make them feel like their countless hours of work has affected one person. All it takes is changing 10 people, and you have changed the world. You are amazing and have a great day! *The words used to label word count have been excluded from the counts themselves (2003 Words Without Sources) (2098 Words With Sources) https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/getting-fewer-likes-on-social-media-can-make-teens-anxious-and-depressed-453482/ https://iep.utm.edu/psychological-egoism/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/what-is-intermittent-explosive-disorder https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/11/strain-media-overload#:~:text=The term “doomscrolling” emerged during,negative affect%2C” he said. https://www.qcc.cuny.edu/socialSciences/ppecorino/ETHICS_TEXT/Chapter_5_Teleological_Theories_Egoism/Psychological_Egoism.htm#:~:text=Psychological egoism suggests that all,be motivated by self interest. https://biz.source.colostate.edu/research-reveals-the-link-between-social-media-likes-and-dangerous-user-behavior/#:~:text=The research explains that there,users whose expectations are met.

Hi folks, I'm tired of getting people messaging me about my resignation, so I wanted to write a message to clear everything up. I'm simply sick and tired of being a consistent bully target by people in the league that use being mean to me as a way to gain easy clout. I've been an easy target for harassment for the past ~3 years and it's recently come to a head for me. I got labeled as a troll in 2020 (happy 5 years in the VHL to me btw) and nothing I do has been able to shake that label, and so it's been open season to target and harass me, which I've had to mentally deal with. As much as I believe in, and love the VHL, I can't reasonably pour energy into a league that does not reciprocate the energy back. I think there's a lot of great people in the VHL, including people that I have butted heads with in the past 5 years, but the recent directions of the league are trending to a direction where I'm not sure there's a positive outcome. I'll still be around casually and hope the league can become a place where everyone can feel safe to contribute like when I got hooked.

Here’s my predictions for awards with some hot-takes, and 100% not biased at all… Scotty Campbell Trophy Player Name: Adi Dassler @BOOM Honourable Mention: Forum Content @frescoelmo Bit of a hot take to start things off, and while both players listed above did have a massive impact on their team success, it honestly comes down to that Calgary would have been much worse without Dassler. Whereas the main argument for Content comes down to the gap between them and their next best teammate. This is probably a bit of a toss up, but I would give Dassler a slight edge. Brett Slobodzian Trophy Player Name: Maverick Goncalves @leandrofg Honourable Mention: Jarmo Ruutu @jRuutu This one is kind of a two horse race, and it’s all Moscow. I’ve got Goncalves taking this one due to a slight edge in goals. The next closest is probably Content or Ironhide, but there really isn’t much of an argument to have either of them ahead of Goncalves or Ruutu. Sterling Labatte Trophy Player Name: Guntis Gavilrovs @Girts Honourable Mention: Mina @Baozi Now onto D awards, this season we could very well see a Gavilrovs sweep, they had a good offensive season, they will be in contention for the Wylde, and they won two last season, which is huge for their HOF hopes. Alexander Valiq Trophy Player Name: Mina @Baozi Honourable Mention: Guntis Gavilrovs @Girts This one really comes down to how you weigh 3 more goals (Gavilrovs) vs. 5 more assists (Mina). I don’t think only 3 more goals is enough to warrant the small points gap, as a result Mina takes this one. Jake Wylde Trophy Player Name: Borris Bone-Breaker @RileyL Honourable Mention: Guntis Gavilrovs @Girts Hot take #2, Borris Bone-Breaker takes the Wylde! Their defensive play was huge this season as they led all defensemen in hits by a wide margin, and aren’t too far down the table for SB, while having a positive +/-. Aidan Shaw Trophy Player Name: Deadpanda @Alex Honourable Mention: Red Panda @Lemorse7 Hot Take #3, I’ll be honest here and say the Shaw is a bit of a crap shoot, 3 goalies finished with a 0.93 SV%, of those 3 Red Panda would have the slight edge with the lowest GAA. However, only 0.03% behind them is Deadpanda who led all goalies in wins (45), GAA (2.06), and Shutouts (9), I think that the considerable gaps in those stats likely end up making up the difference in SV% and then some. Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy Player Name: Bubbles LaFleur @AJW Honourable Mention: Pelayo Bolivar @SMYLS4 This one is purely a toss up that could go either way between LaFleur and Bolivar, LaFleur finished their season with more points and assists, whereas Bolivar had way more goals. I have LaFleur taking this largely due to being a defensemen, however this vote could really go either way. Scott Boulet Trophy Player Name: Maverick Goncalves @leandrofg Honourable Mention: Grimgor Ironhide @FrostBeard Goncalves likely has this one wrapped up with a pretty bow, while Ironhide did have more hits, they also had way more penalty minutes, fewer points, goals, and shots blocked. From my brief look there’s not really many other players in contention. David Knight Trophy GM Name: @v.2 Honourable Mention: @McLovin I have V.2 taking this one in his first season as GM, largely due to their ability to adjust their plan on the fly and turn their season into a really great one! Dustin Funk Trophy Player Name: David Pastanap @Jubis I can’t be asked to go through every team, so we’re just going to assume Davos’s nominee wins it! So congrats Pastanap!

@Tetricide

Hello all! For my first media spot back involved in the league I figured I would just offer some low-quality word vomit to talk about how excited I am to be back and what I plan on with Wesley Church. It's so nice to see familiar faces and some new excited users since my last run here! I'm Toast, someone who has been back and forth on VHL for over a decade now. I recall being a teen posting in the general chat asking for help finding a job and I remember spending countless hours on the forum instant chats with some beloved people. I'm a little older now with a lot of life experience under my belt. I've had a few players come and go here with the most recent being Lloyd Braun from a handful of seasons ago, but even then I was just coasting on welfare and getting trivia wrong every week. This time around I want the triple digit player to be something special and that's why I'm going to make sure that I give it my all this time around. My favourite VHL memories come from my time GMing Riga where Simon was more than generous and the Reign saw a miracle run go to a championship win. This was somehow 50ish seasons ago already but I still remember the excitement I had waiting for the sims to be revealed and anxiously scrolling slowly to reveal the scores. I met some really great users through those teams and was able to live a nice piece of the fantasy of GMing a team to the championship. Other than that though, there were definitely a lot of roles I probably could've given more to but didn't due to a lack of maturity or responsibility at that age. That's part of something I want to change with this new attempt to come back to VHL. I've had some free time come up and I know that I can commit to making sure I'm earning the TPE. I may be a little old for trying to figure out the new building system that is here to make updating in STHS a little more interesting, but I have the experience that can be used to pick up whatever information I need to succeed. I want to see Wesley Church end up in the hall of fame here, which isn't something I've accomplished as a player or user. While I've had many great memories on the league, it seems that I haven't been able to make that player that gets everyone buzzing. I've always said that I will be a team player and I want to be a leader for any team that is willing to give me a shot, but my goals this time around are going to be selfish. I want to be one of the best that the S100 class sees from sim performance. I'll say my prayers to Simon and take my TPE vitamins to make it happen. This time around, I'm going to be a star. guaranteed sths is going to absolutely ruin me this time 520 words claiming for W/E 04/27

@v.2

Player Information Username: SlapshotLegion Player Name: Circus Monkey Recruited From: Returning Age: 21 Position: C Height: 72 in. Weight: 172 lbs. Birthplace: Canada Player Page @VHLM GM

The Season 100 Victory Hockey League Draft is supposed to be a thing of legends. The centennial season of the VHL where all members crawl out of the woodwork to recreate. The monumental season where people have synched up their recreate or retired early to be part of Season 100. We all know it’s just a number, but it does feel special to say one hundred. This is all too early first glance at the draft that is nearly 20 years in the making. Currently the draft has 67 prospects as someone who has been gone for a while is that monumental? For reference let’s look back a little Season 99 has 43 prospects, 98 had 42, 97 had 73, 96 had 50, and 95 had 53. First glance if you omitted Season 97, we’re off to a great start though many people probably were hoping for a ridiculous class of people. With someone new declaring today, yesterday, and the day before we can see the numbers still rising. Wouldn’t it be something to see 100 draftees for Season 100? Get out there and keep recruiting. Now let’s take a deeper dive into the composition of the draft. Of the 67 prospects thus far, we have 60 skaters and 7 goaltenders. The total number of forwards are 42 of which 20 are centers, 12 on left wing, and 10 on right wing. That leaves the final 18 skaters to be defenseman. Not a bad mix of skill, position, builds, activity, new players, old players, and the like. In the short time we’ve seen these players in 20 or so VHLM games how do these players grade out? I’m currently grading 8-11 prospects as first round worthy talents. Players that could legitimately fight for depth minutes in their rookie season. I’m seeing 10-16 second round prospects. Players with real VHL potential that might require another season in the minors before moving up to the VHL. Another 10 or so third round players that will eventually make the VHL might it could take some time and extended development. Finally with the remaining draft looking like long-term projects or career VHLM players. As a fellow Season 100 draftee I’ve got a vested interest into this draft class. I’ll plan on closely monitoring the draft and providing real insight and data over time. I’ve taken a snippet of the current TPE and players. In a few weeks or a month, I’ll write a follow up media spot talking about movers up and down the list. I’ll take another look into the total number of players and see how things have progressed. On a side note, I just want to say how happy I am the league made it this far to 100 seasons. As someone who was part of the VHL since the beginning in fact pre-dating in a shortly run league ESHL (using EA NHL) it’s wild to see. So many members I haven’t met yet and a shockingly number of those still around again nearly 20 years later. Thanks Mike

Any advice on how to better blend the edges into the background?

Next up in this (hopefully) ten-part series is the Philadelphia Reapers. They are currently contending for a championship this year and have a very real chance to win it all. The roster is strong, the chemistry is clicking, and the momentum seems to be on their side. But what about the future? What will this team look like next year and beyond? That is what we are going to take a closer look at today in this week’s outlook. In the upcoming season, the Reapers are in a pretty solid position. They currently hold their own 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 7th round draft picks. That’s five picks in total, with three of them coming in the early rounds—an enviable situation for any contending team. Having all of your top three picks still in play, especially when you're already competing for a title, is a massive asset. It gives them flexibility. They could draft talented young players to keep building the foundation for the future, or even potentially package some of those picks in a trade to make another deep playoff push. If they draft well, they could cement themselves not only as contenders but as favorites next season. On the roster side of things, the Reapers will return several key pieces heading into the next year. Alto Red, Jakub Kovar, Adam Joy, Bazooka Joe, Tommy James Longpre, Krister Von Casar Tzesar, and goalie Louis Burley are all expected to be back. That is an impressive core. Add in a few talented draft picks or even a free agent or two, and Philadelphia could easily be even better next year than they are right now. The depth and star power combined make them a team no one wants to face. One player I think will step up into a bigger role next year is Jakub Kovar. That’s assuming he stays in the M, of course—because I know @MichkovSzn is a high earner and could be ready for the call-up. But if he’s back, watch out. Kovar tied for fourth on the team in points last season with 79. He also tallied 36 goals, showing he’s already a scoring threat. With a potential promotion to the top line and first power play unit, he could absolutely explode statistically. Don’t be surprised if he finds himself in MVP conversations. Another factor working in the Reapers’ favor is the league landscape itself. Three of the other four teams in the league are getting new general managers next season. That means change, transition, and possibly instability. The Reapers, on the other hand, will have continuity. Their players know the system, the expectations, and what it takes to win. That’s a competitive edge that could translate to dominance on the ice. All in all, the future is looking bright in Philadelphia. The Reapers are not just a team for today—they're built for tomorrow, too. They are laying out the blueprint for success in the VHLM. @MichkovSzn@TJ Longpre@Webby1121@alto_red@Spartakiller2@Lucas anton@Itz_Viperz@Brandon@Moon@Advantage@Komrad@MrMom@RJMW@ScottyP@Starchychaff@Baby Boomer@EndoNate

@Nykonax

Player Information Username: Toast Player Name: Wesley Church Recruited From: Returning Age: 18 Position: C Height: 72 in. Weight: 165 lbs. Birthplace: Canada Player Page @VHLM GM

Damn. Gotta throw in my hat for the Hounds.

Player Information Username: Rin Player Name: Darren Pepper Recruited From: Returning Age: 21 Position: C Height: 74 in. Weight: 210 lbs. Birthplace: United States of America Player Page @VHLM GM

Me

I mentioned a little while ago starting an ASMR reading YouTube/TikTok, and I’m proud to say it started this week! Today I posted a poem that @LucyXpher wrote and I’m really happy about how it turned out. If you’re interested in that sort of thing, feel free to head over to TikTok for poems, and my YouTube for short stories. I appreciate all of you! https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMB7r4y28/ https://youtube.com/@ace_smr?si=ed-BcmOvo1Eo1r8f

Getting back into the swing of things hasn’t been as hard as I thought it would be. Got out a decent media spot and have been working on approving updates. Though I find myself slower to get back into the interaction part of it. I think I just got used to sitting on the sidelines for the last 4 months that it feels weird to just pop in and start chatting again. I posted in the locker room and that’s pretty much about it. Maybe when there’s something to comment on I’ll speak up in one of the few admin chats I’m in. One thing that happened which I wasn’t expecting was being offered a new job. Though I’m not sure if it’s a paid job lol. But a job is a job and maybe it’ll help me get back into being social and active. We’ll just have to see if the powers that be deem me worthy. 158 words for week ending 4/27/2025

Hi everyone! I hope you read my (ridiculously) long media spot I just finished writing, it's my insight on the VHLM offseason and the direction teams might be taking heading into S99. Some of you most likely noticed that I took a rather lengthy absence from the forum, and that was for an obvious reason: life took a big turn. Mainly, my schoolwork became my priority, and of course, I needed to take a backseat on the VHLForum as a whole. With mounting tests, homework, projects, and future planning of my real-life career, I felt that it wasn't fair to the team I was on, and thus, I ultimately made the decision to retire my player and leave the forum, possibly for good. But after life settled down, I vaguely remembered the Forum and decided to do a quick Google search to see if the leagues were still running, and luckily, they still were. I thought to myself, "You know what, why not give it another shot?" Thus, Reid Johnson Jr was born. The son of a former LVA player and GM, "Junior" looks to follow in his footsteps and make his name known. I'll try and be more present in the Forum as I can, since I'll be graduating with my undergraduate degree in Biology in less than 2 weeks. I'll be going through final exams next week, so cut me some slack until that period blows over. Happy to be back! (Chris Rock will make an appearance again soon) ~TopTiddee2

@Spartan I'll gladly take any opening here, I did have a stint as Mississauga's AGM, played for Halifax, and I love Miami's look a ton so happy to do any of these.

NYA - TOR I would definitely cheer for NYA, it's kinda obvious as DC Dragons keep 1st TOR S99 and higher spot on the draft means a better player. Thanks to VAN, with them being eliminated DCD will get 8th overall on this VHL Entry Draft as well. However, I truly believe that Toronto has something crucial and magic on their side - luck and skill at the same time (STHS blessed). This regular season stated that DC Dragons is the only team that could bit the shit out of the Legion and as you probably realised DCD are out of the playoffs. This is why I bet on TOR without any hesitation and see how they will advance next playoffs round. If NYA goes further, I'll be even happier. Prediction: TOR Key factor: STHS blessed CGY - SEA Another unsurprising and projected matchup. Both teams deserve to pass the bar and reach 4 wins. I'd say Bana is obviously a key factor, however sometimes it is just not enough. He was blessed last post-season, and I doubt he is that lucky to hop on a victorious train again. Many things might happen including a 4-0 sweep. I am not quite sure SEA is ready to go for back-2-back championships. VSN will do their job and in conclusion, I pray SEA 1st will be as high as it can be. Good luck both teams, wish you the best and no injuries! Prediction: CGY Key factor: We want new champion! mentions: @STZ @dstevensonjr @Ricer13 @Banackock

Miami Marauder Regular Season Awards Season 98 Record: 10-56-6 Last place Eastern Conference The season is over so it’s time for the third Annual Miami Marauder awards presentation. This season was extremely tough on the ice but the locker room was an active place as we saw our team have some fun and learn the ways of the VHLM. It’s entirely rewarding watching new players catch the VHL bug and grow into permanent pieces for our community in the future. SHIVER ME TIMBERS AWARD- Most Hits- This award goes out to the angriest Marauder who led the regular season in hits. There are some players on a club who are quiet in the LR but deadly on the ice. This is one of those. Expected to be a playmaker, he redefined his role this season and came out swinging. The winner is: Andreas Andreasen @Rjdixon01 131 hits Runner up- Danny Ross (41 games) @Spartakiller2 123 hits AYE AYE AWARD- assist leader- The Aye Aye award is for the ultimate teammate that led the regular season in assists. This forward has been a career Marauder and again quietly took a leadership role this season and it payed off in the point column. So…. The winner is: Andreas Andreasen @Rjdixon01 (33 assists) Runner up: Viener Schnitzel @Spaz (29 assists) MAN O’ WAR AWARD- Most PIMS- Every pirate ship needs an enforcer to keep opposing foes in check and protect our star players. This player came as savior of sorts, joining the club to be our only defender at one point. Surrounded by bots he stepped up to be not only the most active in the LR but a devastator on the ice even in his short stint. A favorite of the South Beach fans and teammates alike the winner is….. Winner is- Chase Breeze @C-Breeze 59 PIM (38 games) Runner Up: Danny Ross @Spartakiller2 56PIMS SCURVY DOG AWARD- Blocked Shots- It takes a special kind of animal to be willing to stand in front of a clapper bound to hit the soft spot in the side of your skate. This player blocked the most shots despite playing only 38 games. A true gem of the league now and into the future the winner is. Winner is Chase Breeze @C-Breeze 98 blocked shots Runner up: Patrick Finnegan @JB123 85 blocked shots ANCHOR AWARD- The word Anchor has several definitions. One is, “a heavy object attached to a rope or chain used to moor a vessel to the sea bottom.” Another and more fitting definition is, “a person or thing that can be relied on for support, stability, or security.” This person personifies this award as he joined as in our darkest hours when we had a bot goalie sleeping at the helm. In a rough re-building year this goalie won us 7 games and had 3 ot losses. A 3.56 GAA and an absolute beaut of a teammate. Winner is: special ed @special ed SEA DOG AWARD- This award goes out to our leading scorer in the regular season. A true team leader and absolute savage with the puck. Another first-gen who became a daily companion in the locker room and mentor to newer players as they joined. Picked it up quick I anticipate we will this player’s name on the box scores for years to come. An unfortunate trade deadline loss but a Marauder in spirit always. Winner is: Ryan Mantzz @Rkhockey9 21-28-49 pts (52 games) Runner up: Viener Schnitzel @Spaz 19-20-48 SCALLYWAG AWARD- Game winning goals- A team is much like a marauding ship needs that clutch player who can score when the game is on the line. These clutch goals are even more important when the wins are few and far between. Winner is – Danny Ross @Spartakiller2 3 GWG Runner up- Patrick Finnegan @JB123 2 GWG PILLAGE AWARD- Fight Win leader- Every team needs a player (or two ) that patrols the ice looking for some trouble. This Irish Assassin did just that and did it well. In his rookie season he managed two fight wins in two fights. Now fight wins are hard in VHLM and to win them both shows a lot about what this player packs in his right hand. Winners are: Patrick Finnegan @JB123 (2 fight wins) TOP BUCCANEER AWARD- Team MVP- Again, this is a tough award to hand out with so many amazing players on this club. It makes it even harder on a re-building season where so many gave up a chance at winning to remain with Miami. To me, that makes the team the MVP. After breaking down the numbers and talking it over with our leader @Ricer13 this season will have a three way-MVP’s. Each player dominated in their respective positions showing tremendous skill on and off the ice that gave the Marauders a chance to win every night. The S98 Most Valuable Marauders are: Winners are Viener Schnitzel @Spaz 19g 29a 48pts Runner ups: Andreas Andreasen @Rjdixon01 19g 29a 48pts Ryan Mantzz @Rkhockey9 (leadership MVP) PIRATE KING AWARD- The Pirate King Award goes to the player who received the most “Most Valuable Marauder” shout outs during the regular season. This year we had a total of 12 different Marauders earn the coveted MVM during the week. This season was a first as we had three Marauders ties with 4 MVMs each. The Winners are: Ryan Mantzz @Rkhockey9, Patrick Finnegan @JB123, and Chase Breeze @C-Breeze. Congrats!! ADMIRAL AWARD (also called MINMAN Trophy This is a new award that @Ricer13and I thought should go to the player on the team who shows the most initiative in mentoring and leadership. This player came to the league in S98 and has truly been engrossed by the greatness of the VHL and its community. This player assisted in mentoring as well as recruited our goalie mid-season. He came in and devoured all he could about the league. This player will be a staple in the league and hopefully will continue the mentoring role of others. This year’s Admiral Award winner is: Ryan Mantzz @Rkhockey9 Congrats to all of you winners. Thank you all for being such a great group this season and it was a true pleasure to be a part of this team. @Ricer13 and I wish you the best in your VHL/VHLM careers and we hope to see you again whether in Miami or as your player moves on to the VHL. Hopefully, you all enjoyed your time in Miami. Marauders for life! 1080 words Claiming weeks April 27 and May 4

For the past 16 seasons, since S82, Houston has never made it to the Founder's Cup Finals. With only 3 prior Final's appearances, this marks the 4th in Houston's history. Many people assumed Houston would be good this season, and they were correct. Many thought we would make it to the Finals, and they were also correct. But you can never count out anyone in the playoffs. We swept Ottawa in quick fashion notching 2 SOs in the Quarterfinals. We then went on to battle against our rivals the Mexico City Kings. We went up 2-0, then we had the hardest loss of this entire season, losing 3-2 in Quintuple OT after putting up 75 shots to Mexico's 52. A game between two Defensive Juggernauts, we combined for an astonishing 0 for 23 on powerplays. No team was going to budge. Players left everything out on the ice, some playing 60-80 minutes. And with 6 seconds left in the 5th OT, Bobby More, a First Gen Waiver signing, nets the OT Game winner against Lorequavius. We were shocked, absolutely dumbfounded. The playoff win streak was over. But that didn't break our spirits. We came back the next game and fought hard, winning Game 4 in Double OT with a goal from Hunter s @Hunter S. Game 5 we head back to Houston. The fans are rowdy, the stadium is electric, you would think we were playing at Citizens Bank Park during the postseason. The game is about to start. Gingy @MexicanCow123 and John Cowgill @FlyingWV take their spot in the circle, waiting for the puck to drop. Time begins to slow. The puck hits the ice and Gingy with lightning fast reflexes wins the faceoff. He passes it to Jagr @koty_k, who skates it into the zone. He passes it to Ohi Kau @Hacob, who passes it right back. Jagr passes it up the wing to Hunter, who then gets the puck over to Gingy. Gingy passes it back to the blue line to cycle the puck. Ohi Kau sends it to Jagr again, who dishes it up to Hunter again. HE SHOOTS... but misses the net. Ohi Kau gets the puck and the Bulls cycle the puck around again. They get it to Hunter a second time and he rips one... but misses again. Ohi Kau retrieves it a second time. He fires one on net... and this time Houston scores. Only 46 seconds in and Houston is up 1-0. The rest of the period is silent. The 2nd period is the same, neither team can get a goal. The 3rd period starts the same, until Nick Abbott of Mexico gets a 2 minute minor for elbowing. The trade deadline pickup in Cardinal Copia @Beketov, shows the world why Houston brought him here. He rips one past Silvia on the powerplay to put Houston up 2-0. With the worst lead in hockey, Houston has to really play to their strength, lockdown defense. Houston keeps the pressure up and Silvia doesn't have a chance to get off the ice for a last minute man-advantage. The final seconds tick down, the stadium gets quiet, fans are on the edge of their seat. THE FINAL HORN BLOWS AND HOUSTON HAVE DONE IT. They beat Mexico in 5 games with another shutout, the 4th of the playoffs. Lorequavius @jaypc8237 has been a stalwart for this team in net, shutting down the opposing offenses all season. This team has put everything they have into this season. And I couldn't be prouder of what they have accomplished. Only one more series awaits for Houston to have a shot at lifting up the Cup for the second time in franchise history. Whoever it is, Philadelphia or Halifax, should be scared, because there is not much that can stop this raging bull.

Hello everyone, I hope you are all enjoying these extremely exciting playoffs! It feels weird that I'm throwing up a hiring post this early in the postseason/offseason, but credit to Blues for filling their opening like 5 weeks ago. Sadly, it's not all good news as we're losing three valued VHLM GMs this offseason. To start, congratulations to @Ricer13 for being hired to run Calgary in the VHL. Additionally, thank you to both @ace_five_ and @rory for your efforts with MIS and HFX, respectively. All three of you have been stellar GMs in the M and your time and efforts to the league are much appreciated. While it's sad to see three GMs leaving our league and creating a huge void in our ecosystem, it's also a fantastic opportunity to bring some new talent into the mix. We were excited to see the interest during our last opening post for Houston, and are hoping to see yet another strong turnout for this set of openings as well. If you're interested in a role, or even a specific role, please comment in the thread below and specify if there's a specific team you'd like to GM for as well. Non-applicants, please refrain from posting or you will meet the Moscow gulag. If you have any questions about the role or the responsibilities, feel free to reach out to myself or @Gustav and we'd be happy to chat! - @VHLM Commissioner

Tough Battle ahead... King Kisslinger and the Seattle Bears started hot in the playoffs, winning the first two games of the series, but in a turn of events, Calgary has won three in a row, putting the defending cup champs on the brink of elimination. What will be the Kings' last playoff run before he rides off into the sunset may be cut short by an eager Calgary team that is ready to prove they are the next championship team. Do Better! "We just have to play better in these close games," King Kisslinger said. "We are letting Costanzov down with all of these high-value shots through to him. We know he can make the saves, but he can't save them all. I feel like we need to help him out since he is such a beast in the net and can keep us in any game. I just feel bad, and that we are letting him down. This team is a team that I believe can go all the way and win back-to-back cups for us and our awesome fans back in Seattle, but the way we are letting the other team do what they want in these close games has to stop. I know we can be better, I can be better, we have at least one more game to prove it." Staying Focused on our goal! I came to this team last season and saw the work that all of the players, coaches, and management have put into this team. We battled through many tough series last year, so I know we have it in us to bounce back and play the way the Bears play, smart, confident hockey with purpose. This is my last season here in the VHL, so I want to make it special, show all the fans what this means to the rest of the team and me. I want to set a standard for the next generation of Seattle players and keep the culture here the way it has been, and us coming back in this series would be the perfect way to do so. If we come back and win, we need to regroup and focus because a red-hot New York team is headed our way. The King reminisces... If this happens to be my last series ever. I just want to reflect on my career and how far I have come. I went from a midline forward to a borderline star. I learned a lot over my career, and I am thankful for my time in Warsaw, Vancouver, and Seattle. I learned so much about myself as a person and a hockey player during my time on these teams that I wouldn't trade anything for it. I know my name is King, but the fans around the VHL have made me feel like a King. It was so amazing to have fans from all of the teams in the league come up and talk to me, even if it was friendly trash talk or for a photo and an autograph, it all meant and still means the world to me. It has been an honour to play in this league. King Kisslinger out!

This is a thank you letter from Raimo Tuominen: After 8 seasons in the VHL, I’m about to make one of the hardest announcements of my life. I was 18 when I first entered the VHL system and 20 when I first made it to the big leagues. I’m not gonna lie, I never fully prepared myself for life after the Victory Hockey League. And I’ve been trying to avoid this reality for the longest time now. However, now that we are eliminated from the playoffs, I’ve had to simply face the truth. My time in this league is done. I’m still going to pursue hockey after this. Like many VHL graduates, I’ll be working hard to hopefully get the chance to ply my trade in the NHL. I still have a lot of seasons left in me and I don’t intend on retiring fully from the game of hockey anytime soon. Being completely honest, I probably will be involved with the game of hockey until my very last breath, whether it be as a coach, GM, or even a zamboni driver. I’d like to start off by thanking the Houston Bulls for taking a chance on a streaky, unproven, immature kid from the Finnish league and giving me a chance to compete in a North American rink. The season I spent there was definitely fun and meeting people I’d eventually compete against (and hey! Even people I’d play with: looking at you Kadachi) as well as learning what it took to try and take that next step. I want to thank Oslo and Rome as well in the now defunct VHLE. Being a part of both franchises taught me a lot: At Oslo, we may have had a tough looking record but we were a high-octane offense. Rome taught me how to play a bit more maturely. Of course, I’d also meet Catia Goncalves in Oslo, who, no offense to anybody else, was the perfect linemate for me. Speaking of Catia, I can’t stress how lucky I was to have a teammate like her to develop with in Calgary. When we acquired her from Riga, I was excited. It wasn’t only in Oslo where I had gotten used to her high scoring play; we had played together in international tournaments, Pro-Am tournaments, and even the Junior Showcase Tournament if I am not mistaken. Then in Calgary we took it to another level. That Dustin Funk award I won doesn’t happen without Catia. There was something about the way we played that just clicked and that connection was something magical. We just kept blasting shots on goal and they kept going in! I remember many sequences where it’d just be shot after shot until finally something would go in and then we’d celebrate and sigh in relief that the puck actually slid against the goal line after that shift. I’d like to showcase lots of teammates. I have plenty of stories from Captain Phil to the hard hitting Toby Kadachi to Miner VHLer who is definitely a close second favourite linemate. I’m serious, having VHLer on my line for those many seasons in Calgary helped take the pressure off of me when it came to the physicality. He can bring it and still does with the Wranglers. However, I do want to say a major thank you to Randy Bobandy. I remember that he was an old man when he came to Calgary. He gave me a place to stay, even got a sauna prepared for me, and helped me learn the ropes of being a centerman in the VHL because before that I was a winger! A great mentor off and on the ice, I couldn’t be even close to the player I am today without him. Back then, I was a kid. Now I’ve become an old man just like him. I want to thank the Calgary Wranglers; the staff, fans, Zef Goncalves, our coaches, and my teammates for all of those years. The locker room has always been a great place to be and we went on quite a number of runs together. Being there for 7 seasons and seeing all the different people come in and out and then playing hard together to try and get the job done. I know I might have finished my career as a Legion but nothing can change the fact that I am a Wrangler for life. We went from a young, rebuilding team to a team that could hang with the best. Now they have a new core with guys that I consider myself lucky to have been able to play with and are going to be good for a good while. Thank you for taking a chance on a guy who never scored a point per game pace in both Europe and in the Minors and drafting me 6th overall. I hope that I was able to make an impact on the city and on the organization because you guys definitely made a huge one on me. I hope you can all smell double dubs with your eyes many times in the upcoming seasons. And finally, I want to thank the Toronto Legion who took me in as an old man in his final season in the league. I know it didn’t end the way we wanted but we had a great run. We were a team that kept fighting and that could play a damn good 60 minutes. That regular season was great and even if we did get upset, I know that this team will build upon what was done this season. Vidarsson had us enjoying donuts for days, Skilton is proving to be one of the best offensive defensemen in the league, Shevchenko is become a great forward, Kadachi with the hits, SMM also directing the middle, many good players that will for sure make great things happen in the city of Toronto. It was a short time but I definitely enjoyed my time here and I wish nothing but the best for the Legion for seasons to come. Thank you all for my playing days here in the VHL, I will always be connected with this league. Raimo Tuominen

Bolivar had a great rookie season. And if for some reason you don't know who this stud is, here he is Pelayo Bolivar. Now many of you might just assume that Bubbles LaFleur @AJW should win the Stolz this season as he did lead rookies in points, and you're probably right in assuming that. But let's see why Bolivar shouldn't have a closer chance of losing. 2nd- Rookie Points 1st- Rookie Goals 1st- Rookie PPG T1st- Rookie GWG 1st- Rookie P/20 1st- Rookie Star of the Game 13th- Center Points 13th- Center Goals 13th- Center Assists 1st- Points by a Spanish Rookie in VHL History Led the London United in Points, Helping his team make the Playoffs Had a better +/- and more Hits than Bubbles LaFleur Those are some pretty snazzy stats I'd say. Would Bolivar like to win the Stolz? Absolutely. Will he win the Stolz? Probably not. Is he going to be the best Spanish player and London United player in VHL history? Most definitely. While it will suck not winning the award, don't count Bolivar out on picking up some hardware in future seasons.

Headstander supreme, Bartholomew Lorequavius @jaypc8237

I had a fairly aggressive goal for David David's first (and only) full season in the VHLM. I knew he would start slowly while I took a bit of a break after David Rashford and eased my way into earning. I was never going to judge his performance based off the beginning of the season since I knew he would be significantly outperformed by higher TPE players. However, I knew that if I earned at a good rate that towards the end of the season I'd really make an impact - and so I did. I wanted to be a "point per game" player in the last 20 games of the season. As a defencemen on arguably the worst team, that goal did not exactly set me up for success. However, looking at the data I was pretty damn close. I also looked at what David's numbers would be if the last 20 games of the season was the pace throughout the season, and honestly it's pretty good. Just under 60 points along with healthy hits and shots blocked numbers, and at a rate of -10 for a team that was outscored by 78 goals all year. Really, I just want to prove I can make the jump to the VHL next season and show that even if it's rough at the beginning of my rookie season it'll quickly get better for when it matters. Take note @VHL GMs!

@C-Breeze

The psychology of social media is so interesting, despite that at the same time we can see how negative so much of it is. Great article and one that gave me a lot of food for thought.

someone teach me how to properly do text my god

@LucyXpher

@Tetricide

not the best but tpe is tpe