Brandon

I like this move but here is my unimportant opinion on the matter:
 
The Istanbul Red Wolves probably have one of the best logos/branding across all three leagues, sad to see them be one of the teams that go. 

I’m at least happy a cup was brought to Istanbul during its short tenure, I’ll always remember my time there!
 
ISTANBUL.

I am terrible at writing intros to this kind of thing, so I’m just going to cut to the chase: we are contracting the VHLE back to 6 teams.
 
As I’m sure a lot of you know, there has been a worrying trend of thin rosters in the VHLE, and the numbers reflect that we have a few too many roster spots for players to cover them. We anticipate that a large bounceback in the form of the sizable S90 class of recreates (when compared to S89 at least) should help breathe some life back into the locker rooms. However, we are also helping it along with contraction. After these changes, on average, we are anticipating just shy of two full lines of active players per team.
 
The unfortunate teams that will be heading into the ether are the Geneva Rush and the Istanbul Red Wolves. There was never going to be an easy decision here, but between weak branding, short history, and tangential connections to local terrorist groups, these two franchises will not be in the VHLE for S90 and moving forward. I know that not everyone will be happy, but there was no way to do this without pain somewhere along the line. 
 
However, much like the VHL in S58, we had a bit of a mismatch in terms of the rosters that make sense to remove and the franchises that make sense to remove. To that end, we are effectively full swapping roster players, prospects, and draft picks from Istanbul and Geneva to Stockholm and Vasteras, respectively. The current roster players and prospects on Stockholm and Vasteras will be released and available as free agents this off-season. The current draft picks owned by Stockholm and Vasteras will be passed or deleted as required.
 
Note: compensatory picks will be required in S91 to make this work, we will make sure everyone is made whole. The actual position of these compensatory picks is to be determined.
 
We were lucky enough to not actually need to fire anyone as GM to make this work! There has been some juggling behind the scenes, but here’s how everything shakes out:
- JB123 steps down following an absurdly strong run in Oslo
- Gaming Ringleader shifts over to GM Oslo
- Z follows his roster to Vasteras and takes over there
- Masu steps down from Istanbul in the hopes of pursuing other opportunities
- Twists keeps Stockholm and inherits Istanbul’s roster
 
That’s all for the actual contraction side of things. If you have any particular comments, questions, or concerns, please reach out to thad or I directly. My DMs are always open. 
 
Moving on to a couple of rule changes.
 
 
 
INACTIVE FREE AGENTS
 
Starting this off-season, teams will only be able to add 2 inactive free agents to their roster.This does not apply to players that go inactive mid-season or during their first three years post-draft, it only applies to the players that would have gone through the (now defunct) waivers system. 
 
Since we will only have 12 players to hand out this way each season, we will also be introducing a mini-draft, run on Discord or the forums, to allocate these players in the fairest manner possible. This draft will consist of two rounds, the first of which will be a reverse of the regular season standings while the second snakes that (i.e., equal to the regular season standings). Our current plan for this is to do rolling 12-hour clocks similar to VHFL, but we can adjust that on the fly as required. Teams are obviously allowed to pass on their pick if they do not see value in claiming an inactive free agent.
 
We’re hoping that reducing the crowd of those high TPA inactive free agents to maximum 2 per team will increase engagement for the players who remain active by freeing up more ice time, and by extension, delivering better stat lines.
 
We will be monitoring inactive free agents and their necessity over the next few seasons and will hopefully be able to remove them entirely at some point.
 
 
 
PLAYOFF FORMAT
 
In our 8-team VHLE as it stands now, 5 teams make the playoffs, with a 4-5 wildcard round before semi-finals. 
 
We don’t feel that a competitive league should have 5 of 6 teams making playoffs, so we are transitioning back to a 4 team playoff, with the matchups simply being 1-4 and 2-3. Both semi-finals and finals will remain best of 7. Tiebreakers remain unchanged. Games will be simmed 1 per day to keep as close as possible to in line with the VHL and VHLM playoff schedule.
 
 

TL;DR - Geneva and Istanbul branding deleted. Those rosters move to Stockholm and Vasteras. Current Stockholm and Vasteras rosters released. VHLE moves forward with 6 teams. Some rule changes regarding inactive FAs and playoff format to accommodate the contraction.
 
cc: @VHLE Commissioner @VHLE GM

Simon fr be simon'ing, ggs Prague. Thanks for letting us keep our first.
 
Rip to my fellow fallen brother @Banackock

thank god the old invisionfree forum is gone for me
 
 

same

Graphics by @Zetterberg ❤
 
Here at VSN, we are used to hearing about prospects from some of the most remote places in the world. From Gibraltar and the Isle of Man to Heard Island and McDonald Islands, future VHL stars arrive from the most remote corners of the globe united by a love of hockey. So, when seven players from the same sparsely populated part of the world join the VHLM around the same time, it raises an eyebrow. In this article, we'll take a closer look at the seven prospects that signed to play in the VHLM through the rest of S89, all of whom come from the island of Greenland and discover what makes this group of future star players special.
 
Before looking at the players, a closer look at the island of which all these players call home is in order to better contextualize how special they really are. Greenland, the world's largest island, is a mostly frozen rock northeast of where most of the VHL action takes place. It is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. The 56,081 residents of the island are primarily concentrated along the southwest coast. Nuuk being the largest and capital of Greenland is a 2,257 km or 1402 mi flight to Halifax, the nearest city with a team in any of the three leagues. It is an isolated and sparsely populated part of the world.
 

 
Now it's time to meet the seven prospects that call this island home in the order they came into the VHLM. The first future star to present would be Severus Targaryen. Severus, a nineteen-year-old center who is six foot four inches tall and weighing two hundred thirteenth pounds, joined the VHLM around the start of S89. The Dragon, as he is known, signed up with the Houston Bulls and has played like a king. In sixty games this season, The Dragon has thirty-one goals and thirty-seven assist for sixty-eight points, which also includes being tied for second-best, eight game-winning goals. Having recently reached the TPE cap, this pure offensive forward should be among the top players selected in the S90 VHL Draft. The King of Dragons' rule on the VHL is only just beginning.

 
There was another kid from Greenland who would join near the beginning of S89. His name is Axel Gunner and he is a hard man to forget. The six foot six inch and two hundred fifteen pound center, would start a repeating trend in this list and sign up to play with the Philadelphia Reapers. His play for the Reapers has been elite. He is tied for first in points produced while being fourth in both goals and assist. Axel is set to win multiple individual awards, has a good chance at winning the Founder's Cup, and, having already hit the TPE cap, will most likely be close to the top of the S90 VHL draft board. He appears to be the do everything center men with the puck handling skill to slice up any defense that all teams look for. Axel will most likely be a top 3 pick in the coming draft.

 
 
Later towards the S89 Trade Deadline, three players from Greenland would sign to join VHLM teams. Leading this group would be the duo known as the Reingaard Brothers, Leif and Thor. These brothers are a pair of eighteen-year-olds born on the twenty-first of September that play defense and right-wing/center, respectively. Leif, the older brother, is five foot nine inches tall and weighs one hundred sixty-five pounds. Thor, the younger brother, has a height of six foot two inches and a weight of two hundred and five pounds. The brothers would opt to play together for the defending champions, Philadelphia Reapers. In their first ten VHLM games, Leif had three goals and two assists for five points, and Thor had two goals and one assist for three points. Leif seems set on becoming a top offensive D man while his brother wants to develop into more of a do-everything two-way forward. I find myself hooked on the brothers and hope that they are able to stay together throughout their careers.
 
 

 
The next player to follow the Reingaards to the VHLM would be Lionel Collberg. Lionel is an eighteen-year-old defender born July ninth in Nuuk. He has a height of six feet one inch and weighs two hundred and three pounds. Lionel would follow the brothers and join Leif on the Reapers' blue line. So far, the young man has done well, producing seven assists and two goals for nine points. Lionel is set to become a two-way defender leaning more into the defensive side of the game. Lionel seems like a solid defender that can someday strongly lead a defense.
 

 
The day after the S89 Trade Deadline, two more fine young Greenlanders would be adopted into the VHLM family. The first of these to sign with a team is Theo Allard. Theo is another eighteen-year-old center from Narsaaq. This one is about six foot three inches in height and weighs around one hundred eighty-eight pounds. Theo would do things differently and instead of joining his other Greenland brothers, he would opt to play for the southernmost VHLM team, the Mexico City Kings. It does appear as if Theo has been unsettled by the much warmer weather, as has produced two assists in seven games, but it is far too soon to know for sure. He seems to be developing into a playmaking center with scoring and defense as secondary skills. Of course, Theo is young enough for him to grow differently than what is visible now. If the young man put the hard work in, he will be a brilliant star.
 

 
A prospect with a famous last name would be the most recent Greenlander of this generation to sign to a VHLM team. The name's Minion, Behrens Minion. He is a sixteen-year-old left winger five foot five inches tall and weighing one hundred forty pounds. He decided to join the Houston Bulls, thus teaming up with Severus Targaryen. He currently only has two assists in six games, but that is nothing to worry about. He has put some solid work into his shot which hopefully will result in goals soon. Being the son of legendary Bratislava Watchmen GM Nathaniel Minion and having Chicago Phoenix star goaltender Alexander Minion as an adopted brother comes with significant expectations that the young man will look to live up to.
 
To have such a run of prospects all coming from the same location on the globe is typically a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. However, this is not the first time a group of future stars emerged together from the frigid rock that is Greenland. Deep in the VSN Scouting Vaults lies the story of one of the most iconic families to ever pick up a hockey stick in the VHL. They were the Reinhart family, and all five members would hail from Greenland. The story would begin when Asher Reinhart signed with the Philadelphia Reapers in S75. Philadelphia would win the Founder's Cup that season and it would be the start of a series of awards for the Reinhart family. 
 
The next season, Reylynn Reinhart would sign with the Houston Bulls. She would be best remembered for her S80 performance, winning both the Sterling Labatte Trophy and the Jake Wylde Trophy. 
 
S77 would see two Reinharts begin their journeys with Tobias and Tyler Reinhart both joining the Mississauga Hounds. Tobias would win the Orion D H Chiester IX Trophy in S80. Tyler Reinhart couldn't stop picking up trophies. First, he would win a Founder's Cup and Mitch Higgins Trophy in S78 as a member of the Yukon Rush. He would then become a part of one of the greatest dynasties the VHL has ever seen, the S80-82 Vancouver Wolves that won both the Continental Cup and the Victory Cup three years in a row. Tyler would also win the Dustin Funk Trophy and the Kevin Brooks Trophy in S80. Jerome Reinhart, the last member of the Reinhart family to join the VHL, would follow Tyler in many of his successes, both in Yukon and Vancouver. While in Vancouver, Jerome would be awarded with the Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy in S79 and the Daisuke Kanou Trophy in S81. Jerome's award wins in S85 would mark the end of the Reinhart family's legacy. Overall, that is a substantial legacy for the youth of Greenland to live up to.
 
Now that we've introduced Greenland's crop of prospects, you would be wise to remember them. They are already among the leading prospects going into the S90 and S91 VHL Drafts. They are young, eager to prove themselves, and are chasing homegrown legends. It is weird to think such a cold, isolated, and sparsely populated rock can produce so many hockey players. But as scouts are fond of saying, "It doesn't matter where a prospect comes from. If they have a love for hockey, they will always have a home in the VHL." 
 
For VHL Scouting, this is Will3 signing off.
 
Every user mentioned in this article
 

Parts of it are on the way back machine so watch out on your thanks haha

thank god the old invisionfree forum is gone for me
 
 

thank god the old invisionfree forum is gone for me
 
 

same

@badcolethetitan

I apologize for my fruity language from 8 years ago.

1. To me it's a tossup between Lavelle, Voss, and Wallob. All 3 could easily be correct answers. Truthfully, I'm going to have to go with Wallob, just due to the fact I feel that the goaltending from Wallob was absolutely obscene, and I think he had the largest effect on our place in the standings. He stole the show in some games (as did the others to be fair).
2. I don't believe it. Mine and Arce's first cup was won alongside a victory cup, I believe in miracles.
3. one word, UNREAL!!! I think he will come home with an abundance of awards after this season's performance. The trade with Prague is looking great.
4. Great question, I think just overall team chemistry. Sometimes it meshes, sometimes it doesn't. That it factor from a team that seems to just be a machine, it's hard to describe, but you know it when you are apart of it.
5. Oh yeah I'd love to see New York in the finals that would be fantastic *hint hint*. For EU, I don't have a preference, I think all of the teams are strong, but I think we have an exceptional team.
6. Loba OnlyFans

Since this week's Fantasy Zone came out later it will close on Friday the 14th when VHL/VHLE/VHLM sims happen. Whichever one comes first.
 
 
 
 
Responses
 
If you want to be added or removed from the ping list, let me know.
 
 

@Josh can you just finally let me break the curse Sharpe started 16 years ago? I’ve never remotely come close to the Stolzy.

FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY

@leandrofg  - also @Frank and @kirbithan
Hey everyone, and welcome to the S89 VHL Mid-Season award projections! I understand that the vote went up a week ago and as a result different players have made a push, I will do my best to cover them as well if it is warranted.
 
Alexander Beketov Trophy (most assists)
Jake Thunder @Thunder - 49 assists
 
Kevin Brooks Trophy (most goals)
 John Jameson @Frank - 28 goals

 
Mike Szatkowski Trophy (most points)
 John Jameson and  Ronan Lavelle @Arce - 59 points
 
Greg Clegane Trophy
 Clueless Wallob @DMaximus - 2.25 GAA
 
Aiden Shaw Trophy
Alex’s Pick:  Clueless Wallob - 0.935 SV%, 2.25 GAA
 
Just as I started writing this I realized that I accidentally left the Shaw off of the vote, but none the less as of right now Clueless Wallob would be without a doubt the winner as they currently lead the league in SV% and GAA, the closest behind them would be Joel Castle @animal74, who has the same SV% and trails them slightly in GAA.
 
Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy
Favourite:  Jesper Davis @Josh - 16 goals, 20 assists, 36 points
Vote Results: Davis 7, Calaway 5, Dilson 1
 
Jesper Davis has had a rookie season to remember and one of the better ones so far in the hybrid era. Should they keep up this pace the ROTY is all but their unless Mark Calaway @Beketov can get within 10 or so points at the end of the season as with them being a defensemen it could make it pretty close. 
 
Dustin Funk Trophy
Favourite:  Alexander Leduc @Lemorse7 - 61 -> on pace for 102
Vote Results: Leduc 2, Kowalski 1, Lampi 1, Jameson 1, Strasmore 1, Frenchman 1, Greg 1, VLG 1, Trunov 1
 
The Funk is always a tough one to predict as so many players have taken big steps forward, Leduc was the only player to receive multiple votes in this instance and is currently on pace for their first career 100+ point season. Brian Kowalski @Wheaties, and Elias Lampi @Pifferfish have both taken a huge step this season, however, this award could very well come down to one of Hockley mann @Sen, or Vincent Laroche-Gagnier @vincentlg2007 as they have both quickly became a top player in the league.
 
Scott Boulet Trophy 
Favourite:  Vasile Lamb @dlamb - 36 points, 189 hits
Vote Results: Lamb 6, Laperriere 4, Abass 2, Dixon 1
Alex’s Pick:  Larry Abass Jr @RileyL - 46 points, 208 hits
 
The Scott Boulet is always an interesting trophy each season, and this season saw the early emergence of Vasile Lamb, however Larry Abass Jr seems to have run away with it of late. Realistically it could come down to Abass and Parry Laperriere @KaleebtheMighty, just depends how you weight 12 points vs. 43 hits.
 
Alexander Valiq Trophy
Favourite:  Brian Kowalski - 12 goals, 37 assists, 49 points
Vote Results: Kowalski 7, Payne 3, Thunder 3
Alex’s Pick:  Jake Thunder - 9 goals, 49 assists, 58 points
 
This one changed really quickly, as Kowalski was leading defensemen scoring for some time. However, a recent run of good form from Jake Thunder has turned things quickly as they now have a 9 point lead over Kowalski. Usually this trophy goes to the highest scoring defensemen, unless there’s a large gap in the number of goals.
 
Jake Wylde Trophy
Favourite:  Brian Kowalski - 124 hits, 133 SB, +3
Vote Results: Kowalski 5, Thunder 4, McFleury 3, Voss 1
 
If Kowalski can maintain their strong defensive play, there is no reason why they don’t pick up the Wylde, and they already have a 21 SB lead over Biggie Cheese @a_Ferk who sits in 2nd at 112 SB. At this point the only thing that could realistically hurt his chances would be plus/minus.
 
Sterling Labatte Trophy
Favourite:  Brian Kowalski - 49 points, 124 hits, 133 SB, +3
Vote Results: Kowalski 6, Payne 4, Thunder 2, Strasmore 1
Alex’s Pick:  Jake Thunder - 58 points, 133 hits, 103 SB, +14
 
Similarly to the Valiq, the Labatte has also seen a massive shift recently, but it could be closer with Kowalski’s defensive play making up a bit of the gap. With Thunder having a considerable lead in points and hits, give them a slight edge over Kowalski at this point, although it is very close to a 50/50.
 
David Knight Trophy
Favourite:  Davos (32-6-3) /  Moscow (28-10-3)
Vote Results: Davos 4, Moscow 4, London 2, Prague 1, Riga 1, New York 1
Alex’s Pick:  Moscow (28-10-3)
 
The Knight is often a combination of team success and players acquired, and while on paper Davos and Moscow are neck and neck, and both teams have made at least 1 massive trade with Davos acquiring Skor McFleury @Alex, and Moscow bringing in all of Clueless Wallob, Jason @Jason kranz, and Deron Nesbitt @AW13. With that in mind, it’s hard not to give Moscow the edge right now.
 
Brett Slobodzian Trophy
Favourite:  John Jameson - 28 goals, 59 points /  Clueless Wallob - 0.935 SV%, 2.25 GAA
Vote Results: Jameson 5, Wallob 5, Janser 1, Kowalski 1, Wolanin 1
Alex’s Pick:  Jake Thunder - 58 points, 133 hits, 103 SB, +14
 
Both John Jameson and Clueless Wallob have had spectacular seasons to date, with 59 points and a 0.935 SV% respectively. In my opinion I have to give Jake Thunder a slight edge here as a defensemen within 1 point of the league lead is incredible. Goalies on the other hand are all very close together which makes it unlikely for a goalie to come out on top here.
 
Scotty Campbell Trophy
Favourite:  Clueless Wallob - 0.935 SV%, 2.25 GAA
Vote Results: Wallob 6, Jameson 5, Janser 1, Frenchman 1
Alex’s Pick:  Randy Bobandy @AJW - 12 goals, 44 assists, 56 points
 
MVP is always a tough vote as not only player performance has to be taken into account, but impact on team success has to be considered as well. With that in mind, Clueless Wallob’s chances have taken a bit of a hit recently with Ronan Lavelle being tied for 1st in points, as a result it’s very hard to ignore Randy Bobandy who is currently 7th in points (56), but also has put Seattle on their back this season and has 12 more points than their next closest teammate. This race could get closer as the season moves on, but right now it looks like Bobandy’s to lose.

If I was commish for a day, I would demand no more losses for Helsinki