Renomitsu

Ugh, another rough match vs. Halifax. Have to get our stuff together

Wait a minute, I'm not allowed any hype. That's illegal! I'm not sure I'm worth a first round pick, but I appreciate the write up. Hopefully I can make this ridiculously deep draft class proud.

Absolutely I can - I'll see if I can find time this upcoming week. If so, I'll probably post it on Thursday/Friday!

Not so great on the PK ? Also didn't know you could get ejected, yikes

Posting for claim #3 (Week Ending 4/7)

266 New York Americans @ Moscow Menace 267 Seattle Bears @ Helsinki Titans 268 Riga Reign @ New York Americans 269 Vancouver Wolves @ Toronto Legion

double post, sorry

Seattle 4-2

Saskatoon, SK – Saskatoon’s upswing is happening a little slower than expected. “A couple of not-so-great losses recently,” commented Saskatoon D Apollo Hackett, “but it happens. The VHLM is a fast-paced league and there have to be stretches where we’re a little behind, and other times when we’re a few goals ahead.” A stretch with several quality points against the Yukon Rush and Ottawa Lynx initially proved highly encouraging for the Canadian squad, which had just signed and traded for a multitude of S65/66 draftees within the last season. Recently, however, several tough losses against Minnesota (35-15-4) and Halifax (36-15-3) has briefly unsettled some players. “We as defenders have to take some responsibility – you don’t get a 6-7 loss without allowing 7 goals,” Hackett remarked, referring to a recent loss to the Storm. “Juan [Jaundice, goalie] has to take on way more shots than he needs to, and that falls to us as a unit. We're a good VHLM squad -- now we just have to show it.” Since making a few trades early in the season, the Wild have struggled to make up significant deficits in W/L points. They presently sit seventh in the league, two points behind the Rush (26-24-4) and five points behind the Lynx (28-23-3) and Aces (27-22-5). The Lynx recently traded away Jack Lynch and D Codrick Past in a fire sale late last week – signaling a potential end to their playoff hopes. So long as they’re ahead of the Rush and Wild, however, their championship hopes stay alive. The Wild have their work cut out for them – as they have the 21st yet again in a rematch of yesterday’s game, followed by the Aces and Rush.

Oh man, could you imagine if Thunder Bay made a sim league return?

Sick logo.

What is defense?

+10 Apollo Hackett

Name: Apollo Hackett Position: D Current Team: Saskatoon Wild Age: 19 Height: 6’2” Weight: 215 lbs. Birthplace: USA Scout Notes (Brief) Nephew of former S46 draftee Saul Hackett, Apollo makes a relatively late transition to professional hockey after diverting from a potentially successful career in STEM. He primarily has experience in recreational leagues between junior year of high school and three years’ worth of college – and scouts and GMs are rightfully concerned about his inexperience with the game. He may have a leg up on other prospects because of his level of maturity and his uncle, but lacks muscle memory of many shots, passes, and general wherewithal to be an elite prospect from the get-go. Even if he receives some starting experience in the VHLM this season, he will be far from polished even compared to mid-round Entry Draft picks. However, coincidental thinness at defense in the Season 66 draft may work in his favor. Projected in early fourth round at the earliest, likely fifth or sixth; expect him to play another season or so in the minors before his drafting GM even considers putting him on the ice with the pros. Scouting Report Strengths Physicality – Apollo is a staunch defenseman through and through. In spite of his lack of experience, he has the stature and gravitas to intimidate forwards, with a rapidly-improving checking technique to supplement it. He seeks and initiates contact, seeking to set the tone with opposing forwards before the have a chance to get into a rhythm. Defensive Fundamentals – If nothing else, Apollo can rely on the basics of positioning and shot blocking to increase his effectiveness as a defender. He understands basic matchups with snipers, power forwards, and playmakers alike, as well as how to play around and behind the net as necessary. It’s difficult for Apollo to make a boneheaded mistake, but his reliance on his fundamentals may prevent him from neutralizing more refined forwards. Skating – Compared to most VHLM players entering both the Dispersal and Entry draft, this particular defender is quik on skates and can keep up with most any minor league forward. He’ll need extra work to compete with major leaguers, but that can be said of most of his skills at this point in his career. Weaknesses Offensive Impact – While Apollo can handle the puck, block shots, and lay out hits, he’s something of a liability on offense. Pushing the puck up the ice or towards the net are both significant weaknesses, and must be planned around by coaching staff until he begins to develop competency in these skills. Even simple, short passes can be troublesome for the defender, and shots are essentially a non-factor regardless of where he is on the ice. On power plays he will likely be more of a harm than a help. Big Stages? – Even at the secondary/high school level, Apollo does not have experience with the spotlight. He is relatively reserved off the ice, and hasn’t had a chance to face immense pressure from great players or a large audience – and this may affect his performance in important games. To be clear: he hasn’t fumbled under pressure, he just hasn’t really been exposed to it. Penalties – Apollo has excellent checking and defensive technique generally, but his penchant for contact will often draw more penalties than some of his coaches and teammates would like. Though this has not arisen as a significant issue, it will be up to the young defender to develop his discipline and limit the number of penalty kills his team has to execute.

1. In the latter half of the season now and, while Halifax and Minnesota are quite a few points ahead, there is just 4 points separating 3rd and 7th, which of those five teams (Aces, Bulls, Lynx, Rush, Wild) do you think will finish highest at the end of the season? Though we're working from a deficit, I think the Wild have a good shot of finishing third or fourth, but the Aces have to be my top pick. They have four capped players and plenty at 150+ TPE. 2. Since the last set of questions were asked, the World Juniors Rosters have been selected. What do you think about your nationalities chances at winning the tournament? I feel optimistic about the USA's chances of winning the WJC. It's readily apparent (as most members have guessed the USA will win in the prediction thread) that they have a deep, high-quality roster that can compete with any other, and manhandle some of the worse WJC rosters. 3b. (If you didn't make your World Juniors roster) Were you surprised not to make it onto your team's roster or was it expected? I was beside myself. How could the USA WJC team not want a 30 TPE D-man? 4. Hunter Hearst Helmsley is currently leading the league in points and goals, do you think there's anyone who can stop him from leading in either come the end of the season? I don't think it's likely. Other teams have similarly-talented players, but Helmsley is the star of Yukon. Their offense, in my opinion, begins and ends with his line, and he's the one on that line with the best scoring chops. It also helps to have a great passer and two-way center like Anthony Matthews to help feed him the puck. 5. Give a shout-out to one member of your team who has helped you out and why (maybe a member's player has helped your player perform well in the sim, a member who helped you with PT's, etc.) @Peace is the easy/obvious answer, but @nethi99 has been active in our Discord and helps promote a pretty good locker room environment. 6. Recommend either a video game or a movie for other members to play/watch and why you'd recommend it. I'm a big, big RPG guy. Pillars of Eternity & Tyranny are both made by the same company, and have a retro RPG feel remniscent of Baldur's Gate. Lots of character customization, diverse encounters and dialogue trees, incredibly engaging stories, and Tyranny + Pillars of Eternity II are both almost entirely voice-acted. They're great if you like reading and playing creative works, or if you're a fan of Critical Role!

I'm looking forward to whatever the sim does after an OT/SO as a tiebreaker. Can't seem to make up its mind between our two teams! Great games as always Yukon!

1. Seems as though you're still sporting Saskatoon Wild colors on occasion. You've come a long way since. Have you kept up with their front office since? 2. What do you think of VHLM GM Peace's approach to this season? 3. Riga are in the thick of the playoff race. How do they take the next step and overtake Seattle? 4. Plenty of celebrities watching VHL matches. What's the most interesting fan/celebrity interaction you've had before or after a game? 5. Lots of promising young wings out there, both on Riga and with the S66 draft class. Do you/have you planned to mentor any of them? 6. Who has had the greatest impact on your career since joining the VHL/VHLM?

I'm definitely appreciative of the build! There is absolutely nothing wrong with putting points in offensive scoring/facilitating attributes, and I feel like there are still builds left undiscovered after 65 seasons. Best of luck to Baxter. I agree. As with any class there will inevitably be users that drop out, so GMs have a LOT of work ahead of them for the Entry Draft this time around. The cross-recruitment drive has been awesome - this class is absurdly deep, but the lack of a singular stand-out defenseman means first-time players and returners (like Nielsen) have a shot at being stars!

This is probably where I saw it then LOL My bad, like I said I've been out of the game a while

I’m not sure what league I saw it with (I’ve been out of the game for a while), but I’d also like to test the waters on a ‘theme week’ once or twice a season for Media Spots and Graphics. Lots of players use Welfare – which is an incredible resource for member retention that I’d never do away with – but maybe offer 2-3 uncapped TPE for a Point Task that is in line with a theme (All Stars, WJC/World Cup, etc.). Stick some of the week’s graphics in as headers for World Cup/All Star games or put the Media Spots up for submission and inclusion in a once-per-season VHL Magazine. Don’t make it every week, as that would seriously disadvantage members taking Welfare that also create content for the SBA/EFL. Instead, use this as a way to increase members’ investment in the VHL. I’ll also be the third to agree with @DMaximus. I know I’m not terribly inclined to look at game threads that don’t directly involve my player (except when I’m doing research for media spots or checking for Pick’em/Predict the Score). Encouraging members to write trash talk or even just a GG in game threads a few times a week with TPE requires little effort for implementation, could help foster a better environment among teammates, (maybe even more importantly) set up long-term rivalries. I know sometimes it’s hard to write VHL.com articles (barring some crazy weekend story for some more creative users) because there isn’t as much to talk about outside of game stats; and I think trash talk & hype around games from game thread replies will also encourage people to write more VHL.com/media spot articles.

USA

VHL Headquarters – The S66 draft is unprecedented. Don’t believe me? Take a look at my intro here. For the number of ‘firsts’ we’re seeing in this draft with respect to volume (which is commendable in its own right), there is frighteningly little talk of possible elite defenders in this draft. After all, you have to go down twelve spots in the live draft rankings to find a single defender. Rhye Tyr, the highest-ranked defenseman in last week’s rankings, is a startling 125 TPE below from the top prospect in this year’s class; the young Canadian sits below three centers, five left wings, and three right wings. In the first-round mock draft released less than a day ago, Tyr was expected to go fifth overall – but his TPE compared to the next three draftees is sorely lacking, and @DilIsPickle astutely notes that his draft spot is partially due to a scarcity in defense in this draft. Let’s investigate – what defensemen might be best to draft (and briefly, why?), why is this historically-deep draft short of them, and how can we rectify the problem? Best in Class #1) Aron Nielsen @solas | Minnesota Storm | Canada 6’0” | 205 lbs. | TPE: 166 (+32 from 3/10-3/24) We can argue ‘til we’re blue in the face about whether Nielsen or Rhye Tyr should be ranked the best defenseman in S66’s draft class, but ultimately Nielsen has shown more upside, has improved faster, and may be more likely to have a successful rookie season. In a league that constantly asks, "what have you done for me lately?", week-to-week improvement is a must. He’s a high-quality two-way prospect that frankly has a skill-set that resembles a center nearly as much as he does a defender. We’ll save the discussion for what type of defender is ‘best’ for later in the article. With 39 points, a +16, 72 hits, and 49 shots blocked in 44 games, however, Nielsen has proven that he can do it all. He’s not as flashy as some of this class’s forwards, but he doesn’t have to be if he’s competent on every inch of the ice. He’ll likely hit the VHLM TPE cap before the draft happens, and although he has some stiff competition from some promising newer players (like our next couple of draftees), Nielsen is a safe bet for a defense-needy GM. #2) Charlie Paddywagon @DMaximus | Las Vegas Aces | United States 6’4” | 208 lbs. | TPE: 154 (+52) Nope, number two in the draft class still isn’t Tyr: it’s the Buffalo, NY-native Irishman Charlie Paddywagon, and only part of the reason is because one of his cop buddies is named Chet (https://vhlforum.com/topic/58556-charlie-paddywagon-an-oral-biography-12/). Paddywagon is a hard-nosed, coach’s dream of a defender: strong, immovable, and capable of stopping pucks and passing as those needs arise. He’s certainly important in the ‘best defender’ argument for this class in spite of a limited offensive repertoire (25 points in 45 games, -5): he averages nearly 2 SB and 1.5 hits/game, and devastates opposing forwards in the process. Paddywagon is possibly the fastest-improving defender in the draft, and scouts have been impressed with his progress especially in the last few weeks. There’s plenty of tape for him, as he participated in S65’s Dispersal Draft, and I wouldn’t question a GM that drafts him in the late first or early second round. #3) Jerry Garcia @GustavMattias | Houston Bulls | United States 6’1” | 194 lbs. | TPE: 150 (+54) We covered this guitar-legend-turned-hockey-player in last week’s article about mid- and late-round steals, and it’s for good reason. While not quite as polished a raw defender as Paddywagon, Garcia has shown excellent puck-handling skills and a willingness to lay hits down on opposing forwards like nobody’s business – in fact, he’s fifth in hits (at 143) in the VHLM and first among Entry Draft-eligible players in S66. He blocks shots (78) at a pace comparable to Paddywagon and Rusty Shackleford, further showcasing his willingness to be physical, but this physicality is also something to refine: Garcia currently has 108 penalty minutes, good for second only to teammate Viktor Kozlov in the minors. #4) Rhye Tyr @Plate | Halifax 21st | Canada 5'10" | 205 lbs. | TPE: 159 (+8) For most, this will be something of a surprise - Rhye is generally projected to be one of the first two defensemen off the board, possibly mid first round; I'm not dismissing that possibility, as he's considered to be one of the better prospects in the field. Certainly, this young Canadian has the scoring and defensive chops to make that argument; he has 37 assists to his name and earns about a point per game. In recent weeks, however, scouts have suggested Tyr hasn't been improving at as rapid a rate as he was previously. Does this mean Tyr is as good as he'll be against VHLM competition, or is this something more worrisome for the future? If he gets back to work, Tyr could still be a first-round/early second-round pick. #5) Codrick Past @Kylrad | Ottawa Lynx | United Kingdom 6’0” | 190 lbs. | TPE: 133 (+38) One of the more promising two-way defenders in the minors, Codrick Past talks and plays a big game. He recently announced his preferences for draft destinations, but importantly showed that the choice of General Manager (and fantasy league results, heh) are moreimportant than current team success for him. He also recently accused some fellow VHLMers of doping. On the ice, he’s shown to be an excellent passer (48 assists in 44 games) and a pretty good defender (83 hits & shot blocks) through his 44 games; he’s anchored an otherwise talent-depleted Ottawa Lynx defense and could go as early as the late second round for GMs in need. #6) Rusty Shackleford @K1NG LINUS | Saskatoon Wild | United States 6’5” | 225 lbs. | TPE: 121 (+51) Rounding out our top five is an actual steak-and-pulled-pork-eating, PBR/Bulleit Bourbon-drinking cowboy’s son in Rusty Shackleford. He brings his tough Texas attitude to the ice, where he’s the closest thing to an enforcer this class has; like Garcia, he has an abundance of hits (126), blocked shots (79), and penalty minutes (94). Some scouts make an argument that Shackleford may actually be worth taking as high as the early third round; he’s improved quickly and has similar upside to many of the defenders higher up in this list, but simply had a later start (first TPE added in week ending March 3rd) #7) Andreas Sundell @VisualDarkness | Minnesota Storm | TPE: 120 (+38) | Playmaking Defenseman (SK, DF, PH) Sundell has a solid chance of breaking into the mid or early fourth round for the astute GM. He’ll get a chance on the big stage with fellow Euro Codrick Past as a part of Team Europe in the World Junior Championship before you know it. Doesn’t get a lot of chances to contribute points-wise due to limited minutes, but does generate a good number of hits and blocked shots. He has to share ice-time with four or five competent defenders, some from last season’s VHL Entry Draft – so the stats don’t say everything with this promising Swede. #8) Cody Parkey @SaltyTalty| Saskatoon Wild |TPE: 103 (+62) | Playmaking Defenseman (DF, PA, SC) Parkey is a solid defender with lots of scoring potential (65 passing, 55 scoring); currently projected as a 5th-rounder but has breakout potential and may go early in the fourth or even in the third. Produces plenty of hits; has only played in 36 games this season. Has an excellent +15, and is a relatively young player (created week of 3/3) #9) Edward Vigneault @Patpou22 | Halifax 21st |TPE: 105 (+46) | Playmaking Defenseman (SK, DF, PA) Like Parkey, Vigneault is a younger player (34 games played) but has slightly better defensive stats (57 hits, 53 shots blocked). Has shown high-quality passing ability on top of defensive fundamentals. Currently sitting behind S64 draftee Basaraba Moose and Rhye Tyr, but has better draft stock than the latter due to recent improvement, per scouts. Like many of his colleagues, will likely need to spend another half or full season in the VHL before any ice time with the pros. #10) Dwin Championship @Award97 | Saskatoon Wild | TPE: 78 (+41) | Offensive Defenseman (PA, SK, SC) Dwin is a strange defenseman, with subpar defensive technical skills but a good eye for passing lanes. Primary strength right now is finding high-quality assists and laying out hits. Like most of our defensemen ranked 5th or lower, Championship shares ice time with other defensemen in his class (Parkey, Shackleford) and hasn’t gotten much of a chance to shine yet. #11) Beau Buefordsson @Radcow | TPE: 89 (+28) | Defender (DF, SK) Beau is one of the few defense-first defenders in the draft, but he has shown smooth skating and glimpses of scoring potential in recent games. At this point, he’s a bit difficult to evaluate due to limited ice time and his rawness as a prospect - but pro teams looking for some depth at defenseman will find a solid pick in Buefordsson. Honorable Mentions #12) Papa Gage #13) Samuel Sparrow #14) Duncan Jeffers #15) Richard Hejtsel #16) Anthony Amberback #17) Srraxxarrakex II #18) Finn Theismann [author note: excluded my player so as to avoid some bias] Where Are the Defensemen? Last season’s (i.e. S65's) Week Two Draft Rankings by @McWolf showed a much different picture than S66’s class: three defensemen in the top four prospects and six in the top twelve actually demonstrated a defense-dominant class. Wings were virtually nowhere to be found – with the first showing up at rank 13 (but centers were abundant through the top half of the class). Is this class's top 20 normal variance, or is it something more? 1) Is there a need for defensemen? One possible explanation for the lack of high-TPE defensemen is that the professional league has enough. After all, if the league is saturated, veteran player builders wouldn’t want to sit behind players 4-5 seasons into their career for their first several seasons. Similarly, if there are a high number of excellent prospects sitting in the VHLM waiting for a chance to start, S66 draftees may need to wait a while before getting any significant ice time. As shown above, there hasn’t been significant variance in defensemen among the top 20 prospects (until this season), though it is worth noting that the increase in LWs may be because of a limited wing class last season. Their distribution is important, too - with players like Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen, Dallas Jones, and Brady Stropko Jr. (in a class dominated by defensemen) all projected in the first round, veteran players might have just decided that there are too many S65 draftees just ahead of them. More important, however, is the availability of defensemen to major league teams. Ideally, teams should be able to sport two lines’ worth of capable defenders – or have the means to replace them. Consider how many teams needed to worry about their future or depth in defense last season. Some GMs may have placed their hopes of fielding a good defense on this draft, but relatively few teams (Helsinki, Riga, and to some extent HC Davos, Riga, and New York) have a defensive corps worth talking about. Riga in particular has an excellent defensive lineup and future, with 4 active major leaguers and 4 active prospects to which they have the rights. If teams want to field two complete lines of defensemen, there’s clearly a need – so maybe we need to diversify our search or have GMs reach further down these deep draft ranks for depth at defense. 2) Is there motivation to make defensemen? A few VHL.com articles, Media Spots, statuses, and league chatter (Discord) conversations suggest that a lack of defensive stats may drive (1) members to make non-defensive players and (2) defensive players to be built as two-way, or even offensive players. The predominant build is a high Defense attribute with Passing, Scoring, and Skating; depending on the build, Puck Handling and (more rarely) Checking is seen on defensemen. Let’s take Calgary’s defensemen as an example. Lando Baxter @Elhandon, the team’s highest-rated defender, has exceptional skating, roughly 85 Puck Handling, Defense, and Passing, and 75 Scoring. Their other defenders Dallas Jones @Trifecta and Elasmobranch Fish @Sharkstrong both have about 75 Scoring; Jones is very balanced between scoring, playmaking, and defense, while Fish is a bit more defensively oriented (90 DF, 80 PH, 60 CK) but still possesses average passing and scoring. In fact, among all players on the Wranglers, the lowest Scoring attribute is 73; only one player has Checking above the first TP threshold (70). Even last year’s champions, the Toronto Legion, started two defensemen with 90+ scoring – each within one point of their defense (Tzuyu @tfong and Robert Malenko @pennypenny), and neither of which invested heavily in checking (40 and 50, respectively). These builds (and builders – looking at you, tfong <3) are so successful that the Best Defenseman trophy was split in three several seasons ago – producing the Jake Wylde, Alexander Valiq, and Sterling Labatte trophies for best defensive, offensive, and overall defenseman, respectively. Furthermore, the last defenseman to earn either of the Scotty Campbell or Brett Slobodzian trophies was Guntis Petenis (who earned both) in S54. Before that, Daniel Braxton took home the Slobodzian trophy in S27, and we have to dig to S20 until Patrick Bergqvist, the second-to-last defenseman recipient of the Campbell trophy. In an offense-driven league, however, a lack of defensive MVPs/MOPs seems like a given. Importantly, diversity in defense builds is just as important as diversity in forward archetypes. On top of that, defensemen have three position-specific awards and equal representation (due to lower player population & fewer positions for defensemen on teams), and we had high-quality defense in the S65 draft, so we have to ask... 3) Is scarcity of defensemen in S66's draft even a problem in the first place? Ultimately, providing some arbitrary, undeserved impetus (e.g. extra TPE, overrepresentation in awards or All-Star teams) to make defensemen would be an overreaction – and if there is a scarcity of defensemen, GMs are much more likely to value high-quality players at this position anyway. For new and old players alike, the most important quality is staying power: will users stick around long enough for their players to see continued success? Is it even reasonable for every team to field a high-quality D1 pair? Artificially overpopulating the pool of D-men will make those users who only want to make defensemen less likely to stick around, and possibly make veterans who would otherwise make forwards enjoy their time in the VHL less. So I ask @VHLM GM and @VHL GM – is this draft's lack of high-TPE defensemen a problem? Does the strength of defense in the S65 draft compensate for this offense-dominated draft? Maybe most relevantly -- who's your top pick on defense, and where do you think they'll go? Also tagged here: @PapaGage, @Birdman, @Tophdaddy, @hejta, @Oost, @flan, @StaticShocked [Length >2,000 words; I'd like to use this MS for 4/14, and will claim others after the turn of the season. Am I allowed to do this?]

Quoting for player update use (for Doubles Week ending 3/31)