Hoopydog

1. I mean we are gonna win the cup obviously... right simon?!?!? Apart from us I'd go with Seattle for the back to back, they have a pretty good team and I think they can go all the way just like us.
2. Probably Spartan, he showed me the ropes for a lot of things here like building my player, claiming PTs and even picking players for VHFL.
3. Maybe New York, they always seem to be in and around the bottom but they have a good team this year so maybe that will change.
4. Maybe because we don't have a coat of fur covering our face or maybe other animals don't have an emotional range as advanced as us? idk.
5. I'm gonna say mustard because I feel like it would destroyed my insides less than a bucket of burger grease.
6. Big man Matt Thunder would be my choice, with Zetterstrom and Lose as alternates.

Dawson Back to Work
Legion sophomore looking for turn-around season after many hours of practice through the off-season
 

 
TORONTO, ON — With the S78 regular season right around the corner, Phoenix Dawson and the Toronto Legion are preparing to make another stand to show the VHL what they are made of. 

With the announcement from the VHL that there will be a temporary two-tier salary cap for S78, the Legion were able to bring in some star power with Erik Killinger joining the defense for the season and Jon Webber filling out the roster for the forwards. The only remaining question is to find out what this will mean for the younger forwards on Toronto hoping to make an impact during the season.

In the case of Phoenix Dawson, the young center has been hard at work since arriving in Toronto. With the effort going on in practice and in the gym, the forward is now above 500 practice hours which is quite the improvement but it still leaves him on the outs with a stronger group in front of him. It’s expected that Dawson’s ice time will be limited to a lower line like in the situation with Webber as management monitors to see if they can improve over the season. 

The challenge ahead for Dawson will be to find results on the ice that shows he deserves further opportunities to see more ice time. Following a rookie campaign that didn’t see him get consideration for rookie of the year let alone even scoring in the top 10 for rookies, Dawson is going to need some better results. Following the work through the off-season, it seems Dawson’s game has strongly improved on defense which should help when it comes to making some highlight passes to his teammates. 

“I’ve been honest when I say I’m not happy with how last season went,” said Dawson. “I want to show the league that I can be one of the best players and I’m putting in all the work I can to make that a reality. I think this season is going to be very important for making that point to the league so we’ll see how everything goes.” 

Going into the last season of his rookie contract, if Dawson is not able to show what he has to offer through his development and success in his game he very well may be looking for his third VHL team for his third season in the league. With players again and possible changes to come, it’s to be expected that Dawson could slot in to the future plans for the team but with the current young talent it is important for the young player to make an impact as soon as possible.

“That’s something that I will worry about in the off-season,” said Dawson in regards to his contract. “Right now I am focused on doing whatever I can to become a better player and show Toronto that I am ready for the opportunity. Hopefully by the end of the season we won’t even have to talk about these questions.”

Keep an eye on Dawson and the Legion when the regular season gets started later this week.

At the outset of Part 2 I must make a disclaimer.  I might not include questions from all teams.  Not because there haven’t been a few provocative questions, but rather, I have already spoken to the subject.  So, I apologize in advance to those teams omitted.  As you may remember, Part 1 looked at interesting questions that various teams had posed in their press conferences.  This is a continuance:
 
Los Angeles Stars
 
@Brewins15 came up with a good one:
 
What makes a good leader in the locker room?
 
Arkansas pitching coach Dave Jorn says, "A lot of your success and failure is going on in the locker room. Your leaders are key to managing the locker room." Detroit Red Wings assistant coach Tom Renney echoes his statement when he says, “If you don't have good people, first and foremost, in your dressing room, it will be a long season.”
 
Locker Room Leaders serve as the critical creators, champions, and caretakers of your team’s culture. Through their words and deeds on a daily basis, trusted Locker Room Leaders mold, monitor, and maintain your team’s culture into one that is positive and productive for your team.
 
As well Locker Room Leaders must possess a great deal of knowledge about the VHL and its workings in order for newer players to feel confident in what they are doing and what is happening to their persona.
 
In Riga, thanks to @hedgehog337, @Ledge and Dairy, @RedSus, @tcookie and @Hoopydog (to name just a few)  our locker room is a great place to be, both fun and informative.
 

 
New York Americans
 
@dlamb of the New York Americans posed a different kind of question, one that was personally interesting as I like to combine text and graphics:
 
Use a GIF to describe how your player has played this season.
 
Here not only do you have to assess how your player performed, but also discover a gif that adequately describes that performance,  A little more than meets the eye.
 
And so, for Isau’s nondescript Season 76:
 

 
Or
 

 
Seattle Bears
 
@Banackock posed a question to the Seattle Bears that got me to thinking about the last year of lockdowns and isolation:
 
2020 has had it's challenges. What are some good things that have happened for you?
 
I spent a lot more time with my partner (wife).  We have been married for a long time and were always close.  The enforced isolations just brought us that much closer.  I also reached out to some family members with whom I hadn’t spoken since Christ was a choir boy.  My cousin Geno commented, “So it took a pandemic for you to call me !!!”  The silver lining for me in all this was that I renewed some family ties that had gone too long neglected.
 
Toronto Legion
 
@Peace, of the Toronto Legion asked his players this:
 
Do you feel like you can be yourself within our locker room? Dangerous question, I know!
 
I think this will depend on the toxicity level of the Locker Room.  In Riga the players were friendly and supportive with some minor-league chirping going on .  All good and one could afford to let down his guard a bit, so to speak.  If the stress level were higher, players would be a lot more careful in what and how they say things.  If they were to speak at all.  I mentioned the role of Locker Room Leaders earlier.  Your leader would be the conductor on this bus.
 
Now, we could get into the thinking that we are really all actors on the World stage and, as such, we really ever know anyone, but that is too much for my few remaining brain cells !
 
Vancouver Wolves
 
Can insanity bring out more creativity ?
 
Maybe I should have posted this question first.

 
Everyone can cite famous people from Vincent Van Gogh and Virginia Woolf to Tony Hancock and Robin Williams, who were exceptionally creative and experienced mental health problems. There are so many examples that it seems obvious that there must be a link between mental illness and creativity.

Surely research would support this common wisdom? Not exactly.
In fact there is remarkably little good data on the topic. In a review of 29 studies conducted before 1998, 15 found no link, nine did find a link and five found it was unclear. So hardly a straightforward connection.
 
In addition, the relationship between mental illness and creativity is more complex,  mental health problems allow people to think more creatively than others, but this creativity drops back down to average levels or lower during severe episodes of illness. 
 
What is your favorite part of the VHL and why ?
 
This is a multi-faceted question with no clear answer as what I like about the VHL is not what someone else would necessarily like. I like the realism of the sim experience; a draft, a contract, free agency, no-trade clauses and the like.  Even the sim engine is mostly realistic with the “best” team on paper not winning all the time.  But most of all I like the camaraderie of the VHL users.  They are a friendly supportive bunch with whom I am very happy to be associated.  The Christmas Charity Drive was something that was so unexpected and so generous…..WOW !
 
Davos Dynamo
 
Thanks @GustavMattias for this one:
 
What's your favorite little-known fact?
 
Initially it occurred to me that if it were little known, it might not be a fact.  One of the bits of factual trivia that has always been a bit arresting is that humans are the only animals that blush.  Hmmmmm!
 
We are also believed to be the only animal that feels embarrassment—a complicated emotion requiring understanding others’ opinions and other factors. Charles Darwin called blushing “the most peculiar and most human of all expressions,” while Mark Twain said, “Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to.”
 
Mark Twain’s comment certainly reflects on our human behaviour, doesn’t it ?
 
Helsinki Titans
 
@BladeMaiden was just churning out the questions this week:
 
They say it's all about ambiance, if that is true do you pick warm lighting or bright white lighting? What are the advantages to your choice?
 
This is a two part question with one part being more thought-worthy than the other.  As far as the quality of light.  It depends on what you are doing, setting a mood or growing plants.  Your call.
 
Ambiance on the other hand has more to it than just lighting.  Ambiance can be a determining factor in how we feel at any particular moment.  Ambiance is a sum total of what all of our senses are telling us..  Interestingly though, science has figured out that there is no greater sense that a human being has for memory recall than the sense of smell.  Therefore, if you are trying for a mood setting ambiance, things better smell pretty fine.  Of course, then there is the problem that not all of us like the same smells.  Then there are the mixed messages that we get from our brain.  So something might be visually appealing, have a great sound, but stinks.  Here is where 2 out of 3 just doesn’t cut it !!
 
London United
 
London United’s @der meister posed this question:
 
What's the last movie you watched, and how would you rate it out of 5 stars?
 
Ya, so what’s the big deal here ?? Looks like a pretty simple question, but really, when you think about it, this deals with our concepts of art and aesthetics.  There are university courses on this topic.  What makes a movie, or any other creative work good or not so good ?  I like movies that entertain me.  I like “Hollywood Endings” because they make me feel good.  So, maybe, that is what makes a movie, novel, art or a song “good”, the fact that it makes us feel something.  But I know I am missing something here.  For example:
 

 
This is a painting by Edvard Munch called The Scream.  Firstly, it looks like an effort by my 11 year-old that she did with her pencil crayons.  Secondly, although it makes us feel something,  it’s a pretty negative feeling...terror.  So what am I missing, I mean the painting only sold for $119 million U.S. in 2012.  Obviously, I am not appreciating what the art world does.  And so, I dare not tell you what the best recent movie is, in my opinion.
 
Malmo Nighthawks
 
@Juice, of the Malmo Nighthawks asked his team mates:
 
The off-season can be rough for players not in the playoffs around this time. What is keeping you busy while we wait for the draft and next season to start?
 
I have some concerns about the off-season.  If your player is not in the playoffs, nor in the World Cup, nor in the World Juniors, it tends to be a very slow time.  I can see people losing interest and motivation during this slack time.  I see where people start “Town of Salem” type games in order to keep up interest, but that’s not hockey.  And hockey is what we are here for (mostly).  My thinking is, if there were a volunteer to take on the job, to run another secondary tournament, or even two, so that most players would have some off-season involvement.  I really believe that retention becomes an issue during this lay-off.
 
Moscow Menace
 
@Telkster provided this question for the Moscow Menace players:
 
Where is the furthest north you have ever been in your life?
 
Ya, a pretty simple question on the surface.  I live in Northern Ontario, so I have been pretty far north, but not in Canada.  The Isle of Rousay, in the Orkneys is further north than Churchill, Manitoba.  I was there on one of my mystic Highland adventures.
 
This also brought to mind a mildly humorous story.  When I was in high school (Toronto Area) my school soccer team went to Buffalo to play another team.  During warm-up there were a few girls around who I chatted up as young guys do.  They asked where I was from.  To which I responded with the name of my town and its location, about 350 miles north of Toronto.  One of the young things, with a very serious expression, asked if we lived in igloos up there.  I am still smiling !!!
 
Prague Phantoms
 
@Domg5 of the Prague Phantoms writes:
 
 If you could change one rule of your choice in hockey, what would it be?
 
Firstly a shout out to the Phantoms.  One of my favourite teams, earlier on, were the Philadelphia Phantoms.  They went on to become the Adirondack Phantoms when the Spectrum was demolished,  Then, they became the Lehigh Valley Phantoms where they are today.
 

 
As far as what hockey rule should be changed.  It has got to be the no icing when you have a penalty.  That should be abolished.  If you have a penalty and ice the puck, then play is stopped and the face-off returns to your own zone.  As well, you still wouldn’t be able to change the players who are on the ice.  There is some thinking as well, that if a team has a penalty then the entire 2 minutes must be served regardless as to whether or not a goal is scored.  This might be excessive.  I don’t think a >1 goal penalty is required for an inadvertent trip, or a light hook.
 
Warsaw Predators
 
From the Warsaw Predators, @dasboot asked this :
 
Are you a hat person? If so, which style of hat ?
 
I really never thought about that too much.  When I was younger, I really didn’t wear a hat, unless it was cold winter weather.  Then, ball caps were the rage.  And so my collection increased because every event a person went to, there was a ball cap given away.  And now...well



 
So, my point is that our hat styles change with age and the times.  Very much like what kicks you use.  What are your “dress” running shoes ?  How about your hackers ?  It comes down to the same  kind of thinking.
 
Thanks for reading my effort.  I hope you got some enjoyment from the two articles.
 
Word Count:  2023
Claiming Week Ending May 23, May 30, June 6, June 13.

1. Heading home and partying hard to make up for the lost time are my plans!
2. I think that Frank's and Mr Penguins sigs are my favourites probably.
3. I think I'm a little late with this one but I'm not surprised that Talinder went first, I think Moscow had a good draft and they will be a real force in the future. I think we also had a good draft and I can't wait to see how the new guys will improve our team going forward.
4. Yeah by a mile, the guy is just unreal. I don't think there is a player as good individually as him in the league.
5. I would go with "When It Rains It Pours" by Luke Combs
6. Probably my Leatherman multi-tool, it has like 10 or 11 different attachments on it so it's quite useful I guess.
 

1. I'm not really that bothered about the lotto tourney stats. Although it would be nice to see us play well and win games because we don't have our first I'm not too fussed.
2. All that sweet sweet of season TPE and the draft, can't forget about the draft.
3. I think its gonna be Seattle, they have been so solid defensively and I just don't think Helsinki will be able to break them down.
4. Yeah I'm excited to be back and I'm looking forward to next season. We are in the prime years of our cup window so we just have to take our chances and make every game count.
5. 'Would you rather'. I seen it on Netflix and I was by far the worst film I've ever seen. 
6. Of course it does.

Review: Really nice job on this media spot mate. You do a really good job of giving the reader an overview of your players career and you give a nice amount of detail about who they played each season. The goodbye and thank you quote/speech you included gives the piece a more personal feel and makes this article that bit better. Overall, top, top job!
 
9.5/10

The Wild were well out of reach of the playoffs in S76 when The Seabasstard first arrived to the VHLM after the trade deadline. They played well enough to finish the year but still managed to miss the playoffs at the end of the year by 9 points. This year the team showed a lot more promise as they put up a whopping 50 wins, which was good enough to earn them the honors of being on top of the Western Conference at season's end. The team's special teams were strong and every line appeared to have chemistry playing together since the start of the season.  They had two players reach the coveted 100 point mark on the season as Duncan Montana and Griff MacKenzie lead the Wild's offense with 111 and 106 points respectively. The Wild also had a total of 6 players point per game players, which was more than any other team in the VHLM. Things were looking real good for the playoffs as everyone seemed to be clicking and despite their 3 game losing streak to finish off their season with, the Wild were heavily favored to beat the Las Vegas Aces come the first round of the VHLM playoffs. 
 
Sadly that's not how the series turned out as the Vegas were able to upset the Wild in 5 games.  It didn't even seem like they were the same team out there as they got consistently outshot by the Aces throughout that series. What did them in however was the fact that their PP and PK that was so strong throughout the regular season didn't replicate their success in the playoffs against the Aces.
 
WILD SPECIAL TEAMS
 
Reg. Season S77 / Powerplay: 22.09% Success Rate / Penalty Kill: 88.92% Success Rate
S77 Playoffs / Powerplay: 8.7% Success Rate / Penalty Kill: 69.77% Success Rate
 
Sadly, this is how The Seabasstard will wrap up his VHLM career as he's no longer eligible for the VHLM after hitting the 250 TPE cutoff mark. So for right now I'm officially homeless as I eagerly await the S78 VHL Draft to find out what city I'll call home next.
 
" I'd like to take a moment to say goodbye to the Wild Organization that has treated me very well since I've entered the league. I was ecstatic the day I found out that I was drafted here to Saskatoon after spending the tail end of S76 here as a end of season signee. I've learned so much during my time here and I'll always remember the impact the Wild has had on my future VHL career. So I'd like to thank @Doomsday and @a_Ferk for keeping me around these past few seasons and for taking me early in the draft despite the odds of me possibly only being here for a season. I also want to thank all of my teammates but specifically my former line mates, @TheCHEESEand Craig Martin @Craig we had some good chemistry playing together and I hope to able to recreate something like that in the big league.  It was also an honor to be able to get a chance to play with an old school VHL member like Nixon Caldwell @KendrickI'd also like to thank all my coaches, other Wild personnel and of course the owners of the team for supporting us during this amazing regular season. Good luck to everyone in your future VHL careers, hopefully some of us can cross paths again someday"
-The Seabasstard
 
The Seabasstard had a solid showing with the Wild going over a PPG over his career in the M.  When he first joined the team in S76, The Seabasstard showed promise right away as he collected 10 points in 12 games played, but he seemed to lack the confidence and looked hesitant to make higher risk plays on the ice. When the Wild were officially eliminated from playoff contention, The Seabasstard was given a chance to play on the team's top line to finish off the year and displayed the potential to be a good two way centerman in the league. 
 
The Seabasstard's S76 Reg. Season / 12 Games / 2 Goals / 8 Assists / 10 Pts / +2
 
The Seabasstard worked hard at the gym and hired a power skating coach during the offseason and showed up to training camp bigger and faster. He added 15 pounds of muscle to his small frame and showed a big improvement on his skates as his skating stride was more refined and it seemed like he gained a few steps. While the Seabasstard had the TPE to do so, he wasn't the explosive offensive threat you'd expect with such a high TPE total. Instead he was more of a all around player that excelled at many things but wasn't really elite at anything but taking draws in the faceoff circle. The Seabasstard was actually the best in the league on the draws since his arrival to the M. He led the league with a success rate on the draw of 64.25% which was really helpful to the Wild's penalty kill which ended the year with the best success rate in the league as well.  He ate up a lot of ice time playing against other team's top lines and did a reasonable job shutting them down but was still able to produce at a point per game rate.  After posting 2 goals in S76, Seabasstard blew other teams away with 34 goals and 81 points. 
 
The Seabasstard's S77 Reg. Season / 72 Games / 34 Goals / 47 Assists / 81 Points / +21
 
The Seabasstard had a solid showing during the only playoff series he's been in. He showed VHL scouts that he can show up when it matters most by posting 5 points over the five games and displayed that he can play playoff hockey with a little more edge as he threw 2 hits a game which was very unusual from the typically softer, small center man. He showed a lot of heart and continued to dominate the Aces on the draw improving to a success rate of 66.67%. It's just too bad it all ended up being a losing effort as the Wild got eliminated by the Las Vegas Aces 4 games to one. 
 
The Seabasstard's S77 Playoffs / 5 Games / 3 Goals / 2 Assists / 5 Points / +5
 
" I'm really looking forward to seeing where I'll end up going in the VHL Draft. I think I played well enough during my Wild stint to not only be noticed by VHL scouts but actively interviewed. I've already been interviewed by a few teams already in preparation for the draft and I'm hoping to not only be selected in the top 5 of this draft but top 3 even. I'll try not to let that go to my head too much though, ha ha.  In the end it's an honor to even be selected at the VHL draft and I would be happy to play for anyone that has enough faith in me to select me. "
-The Seabasstard
 
OVER 1000+ words good to two weeks worth of PT
 

MY SEASON 77 CALGARY WRANGLERS PLAYER STATS PREDICTIONS RESULTS

The 77th Victory Seasons ended and the Calgary Wranglers was one of the hottest teams after the trade deadline, but when the final 7 games of the season came. They were the worst team in the most important stretch for the Wranglers and thus missed the play-in tournament. Luckily, they had two lottery picks for the S78 draft and they are now holding the 1st and 6th pick in the draft. It would be a shocker if Nils Tallinder is not picked  1st overall since his own dad, Patrik Tallinder is the head scout for the Calgary Wranglers, but with the 6th pick? U believe either Drakon Zabastovka, Henri le Massif or Tui Sova would be all solid picks for the Wranglers. Anyways, let us see what my predictions ended up looking like, probably a disaster...
The new players and youngins of the teams really did play well for the Wranglers this season as the veterans were a little bit slow in pace with the coaching and, being on a young team for once. The defense has been great this season and Askarov legit carried the team on his back. He might face long-time injury because of his back, facing 60 shots every 3 games this season,
 
Goalies:
Vsevolod Askarov
Predictions:
Games Played     Wins      Losses        OTL          SV%          GAA         SO
        64                  28            22          14           0.920            2.95            4
Season 77 stats:
Games Played    Wins       Losses        OTL          SV%          GAA         SO
        64                  29              28            7            0.918          3.24           3
 I was actually really close to getting everything right. He has one more win than I expect him to, he had 6 more Ls which I thought would be in overtime. I'm .002 off of his SV% and he has a way higher GAA than I expected (Which could be because of the horrible start we had, we were at the bottom of the league for a while). He was 1 SO short of getting 4. I'm actually proud that my prediction was this spot on for him, I'm scared to see the others now.

D-Core:
Rolf Fizzlebeef Jr
Predictions:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  7               20                 27              -13               67                104
Season 77 stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
   4               38                 42              -5                 103                141
 My predictions were so off lmao. He stepped up big time, mainly because he was playing in the top 2 for a good amount of time, which gave him more opportunities to do stuff and I can't predict those kinds of situations.
He reached 100 hits as a d-men in his first season, 141 blocked shots which is good for a rookie, only a -5 on a rebuilding team and he got 42 points. He won't be in the ROTY contention, but he has a great season to build off too.

Tom Eagles
Predictions:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  14               38                52              -8               118               142
77 Seasons Stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  13               47                60               -9              140                 206                
 Offensively, my predictions were not so far off, but he took a bigger step defensively getting more hits and blocking more shots. He will become a great two-way d-men in the Victory Hockey League.

Cowboy Prout
Predictions:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  8               42                 50              -6                110                ~150
Season 77 Stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  15               45                60              16                140                   181
Well, he scored a lot more than expected and he was not getting scored on at all. He will be a great Robin to our Batman (Tom Eagles) for many years to come.
 
Kosmo Kramerev
Predictions:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  23               55                78              -4                24                135

Season 77 Stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  11               25                36                1                 48                103
He only did this in 37 games before getting traded. He was having a career year for the Wranglers and he is becoming one of the best consistent offensively d-men in the entire year. I hope being in New York does not ruin him.
 

Forwards:
Green Gaming, C
Predictions:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  8               17                 25              -14                45                14
Season 77 Stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  10               18                82              -3                30                 10
My predictions for him were spot on until he moved up in the lineup which gave him more opportunities to do stuff.
Chris foley, C
Predictions:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  7               14                 21              -18               38                 11
Season 77 Stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  5                12                 17               -3                20                  4
 He was a -18 during this season, but now he is all the way back to -3. He had a very decent season being in the top 9. I don't know if he will be back or not, but uhm yeahh.
 
Mikey Harris, RW
Predictions:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  12               18               30              -14                51               15
Season 77 Stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  24               21                 45                4                 14                 21
 He quickly became my favorite player beside Luke Thornton this season and I don't really know why. 24 goals in his rookie season is very good, he is very scared of laying the body, but have a depth scorer like him is good for the future.
Keith Krestanovich, RW
Predictions:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  1               2                    3                -4                3                  1
Season 77 Stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  13                13                  26           -9               70                7
 
He ended up playing for the team. He had decent numbers in his last season in the league. God bless him's next player that he is making and I hope he will have a better carrer.
Steve Eso, C
Predictions:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  8               15                  23              -5                87                 11
Season 77 Stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  25                32                57              0                 81                 36
Proved me wrong. He played number 1 centermost of the season so we gave him enough opportunities to produce. He did well compared to playing against the other's best centers and hopefully, he can reproduce that next season.
 
Sheldon Juniper, LW to C
Predictions:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  21               17                 38             -1                72                20
Season 77 Stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  26                40                 66              18               30                39
Almost reached 30 goals. He is going to be a great center on our team and was a +18. I'm hoping it can continue this pace for the next 3 seasons.
 
Nathan Perry, RW
Predictions:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  15               38                 53              -4                174                16

Season 77 Stats:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  31                41                72              12               145                 15
He had 1 block shot mid-season, now he was 15 so he did step up defensively. 31 goals and a point per game, he got the sophomore good type of season, and hopefully, he does not get back to earth next season.
Jonas Stormsson, LW
Predictions:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  31               25                 56              -9                54                13
 
Currently:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  13                13               26                0                 27                 10
 
He is blocking a lot more shots than I thought he would, but my men is finnaly going to become a 30 goal scorer! It's been a long 3 season journey for him and he finally has his chance to shine for the team
 
Luke Thornton
Predictions:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  48               38                 86               -7             358                27
Currently:
Goals       Assists           Points           +/-             Hits         Shots Blocked
  16                29               45                2                35                 21
I thought he would just go off this season, but that was not the case. He was still having a very good season though, but he wanted a change of scenery, unfortunately. Not a lot of solid top 6 forwards like him in the league.
Luke Thornton
Well, he did not go off as expected. I should not get any expectations from my players from now on, but he did get 325 hits. That's cool, I hope I can hit 350 hits one day and I do want to be top 3 all-time in hits for the team. I should be number 2 with another 325 hits season and hopefully he can take that spot before anything happens.
Anyways, I am currently at 1372 words and I won't waste the extra 372 words that I got so I will try to reach 1 500 words so that I can claim for the next 3 weeks and don't be stressed about getting TPE.
I'm not hoping for anything big from my player next season, because hoping will just get your hopes to crush and just be sad, but I hope my team can make the play and possibly make some noise. We got a young team and a number 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft. If we play our cars right, this team will be a solid team for years to come and some free agents might even be willing to actually sign in Calgary. I don't remember the last time Caglary signed a top star in free agent and boom I just hit 1500 words. Cya
 

RIGA REIGN PRESS CONFERENCE
Not the AGM Edition!
Week Ending 05/09
 
1. The VHL Lottery Tournament is over. We don't have our first round pick. Do you care about the stats from the tournament?
2. What are you looking forward to in the offseason?
3. Seattle vs Helsinki in the cup finals. Who do you think is taking home the cup?
4. We just had a bunch of our Season 75 players resign. Does that get you excited about next season?
5. What is the worst movie you have ever seen?
6. If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
 
 

Yes, this is an actual roller coaster. I built it on a livestream and was going to post a time-lapse but it didn't save (I guess I ran out of space).
 
So I present to you, the Season 77 Riga Reign Ride.
Featuring:
 
A 60MPH Launch - To signify that we were going to be competitive quickly after last season.

 
A Tophat into a Beyond 90 Degree Drop- To signify our hopes dropping after a bad start to the season

 
An Immelmann into a Barrel Roll Drop - Cause our season was very disorienting

 
A Speed Hill - A glimpse of hope that soon faded

 
A Zero G Roll - Trade deadline madness

 
and finally...
 
A Dive Loop into the Final Brake Run - Almost made it to the playoffs but fell short and our season ended early.

 
An Overall View of the ride and area surrounding it:

 
POV:
 
 
 
Well that's a VHL first. It took me 30 mins just to format this beast. Hope you enjoyed our pain and suffering.

1. Its gutting for sure that we weren't able to make the playoffs, especially when we were so close to defying the odds. We will just have to work harder next season to make sure we make those playoffs.
2. I'll go with Sheilds. He put up the most points for our team and we'd definitely be in a worse position without him.
3. I don't think there will be any massive upsets but I think we could see a dark horse emerge in win the playoffs this season.
4. I would merge a duck and a shiba inu puppy because I think that could be kinda funny.
5. I like the hulk because he smash.
6. Potatoes probably. All other vegetables are trash

Love this concept for a media spot. They way that you have used the teams colours to help separate and differentiate between the teams makes it easy to read. Next time you could maybe add like a little review  of each teams season to give some more context and it would allow you to also give your thoughts on how those teams did. Overall, good job!
 
9/10

before the season I did predictions on where I thought each team would finish in the standings: 
 
imma go over it to see how badly i fckd up.
Predictions for NA:
 
Playoffs:
1. LA Stars
2. Seattle Bears
3. Vancouver Wolves
4. Chicago Phoenix
5. Toronto Legion
Not the playoffs:
6. Calgary Wranglers
7. D.C. Dragons
8. New York Americans
Reality for NA:
Playoffs:
1. Chicago Phoenix 88 pts
2. Toronto Legion 87 pts
3. Seattle Bears 85 pts
4. LA Stars 84 pts
5. Vancouver Wolves 79
Not the playoffs:
6. Calgary Wranglers 69 pts (nice)
7. New York Americans 65 pts
8. D.C. Dragons 61 pts
ngl these predictions where better than I though they would be. All the teams I thought would make the playoffs did just in a fucked up order. Because of that there weren't too many surprises in my predictions other than New York miraculously not finishing last. The Toronto legion finishing as high as they did was also a little bit of a shock as I thought they'd need a bit more time to develop but apparently not. Also rory and LA failed me by not finishing first in the division like they promised, I think I actually substituted them with Chicago which would've made my predictions more accurate but Jeffery Pines had to shit the bed like usual. And of course LA sweeps Chicago somehow smh, STHS is a joke. The only other thing to mention about the division is how bad D.C was, I mean they weren't S76 Davos but fuck I thought they would do better than dead last in the league.
Predictions for EU:
 
Playoffs:
1. London United
2. Warsaw Predators
3. Helsinki Titans
4. Riga Reign
5. Prague Phantoms
Not the Playoffs:
6. Malmo Nighthawks
7. Moscow Menace
8. HC Davos Dynamo
Reality for EU:
Playoffs:
1. Warsaw Predators 98 pts
2. London United 93 pts
3. Helsinki Titans 90 pts
4. Prague Phantoms 84 pts
5. Malmo Nighthawks 67 pts
Not the Playoffs:
6. HC Davos Dynamo 67 pts
7. Riga Reign 66 pts
8. Moscow Menace 62 pts
I think it's worth mentioning first that I lowballed my expectations for Riga in my initial predictions, I genuinely thought we'd finish 1st or 2nd in the league this season. I have no idea wtf happened to our team as we got considerably worse despite having better players than the previous season, it mad absolutely no sense and I don't think I'll ever get over it. On top of that all the other teams in the EU seemingly finished the season where they should have, in other words STHS decided to ass fuck Riga and Riga only this season which pisses me off even more. Now that I'm done my rant I got the top two kinda right, just needed to swap them into the right order. Helsinki finished 3rd like I thought they would. To steal Rigas RIGHTFULL place at 4th is god damn Prague who played way over there heads this season. Then after that it's basically a three way Tie between Riga Malmo and Davos for the last playoff spot, of course STHS had to give us a glimmer of hope on the last day of the season where we went 3-1 in the last sim only to miss out by 1 point. Then Malmo by some miracle of god with there clusterfuck of 300 TPE forwards sneak into playoffs only to get molested by Prague in three games. Also Moscow finishes last lol.
595 words
 
 
 

Tom and the Calgary Wranglers were clearing out their lockers last night as the team did not qualify for the final wildcard spot. We sat with Tom to discuss his play, the team and what the future may hold.

R: Hi Tom, thanks for taking the team to speak with us today

TE: No problem, always happy to chat

R: Tell us about these final few days chasing the wildcard spot

TE: Leading up to those last few games, everyone in the locker room had high hopes that we would be able to clinch that final spot. We had a few games on hand over the Wolves and we were playing well and coming in with a winning streak….then I am not sure what happened whether it was just inexperience in those situations or just a unlucky break but the team just crashed and I think we lost all our final games.

R: How disappointed was everyone?

TE: The team and fans were devastated. For me, I saw it as a learning opportunity. I learned that I do not want to go through something like that again and I believe with the team we have that next season we won’t be chasing a playoff position but will be well settled at this point next season.

R: How did the season go for you?

TE: I definitely took a step forward and almost doubled all my stats from my rookie season. You always wish you can contribute more but I think this season was a great stepping stone for me. My goals for next season is to try and hit that 80-90 point mark and I think I can do it.

R: Next season is your contract year, can you tell us a little about that and if there has been any discussions for renewal?

TE: There have been discussions here and there but I don’t want contract talks to effect my play. Myself and the GM will have discussions in the next off-season but I like it in Calgary and the direction the team is going so I think it’s fair to say you will be seeing me in a Calgary jersey for a few more years.

R: That’s always good to hear and I am sure once something gets finalized the fans would be happy. How do you think the GM did in their first season?

TE: GM has done great, He came in and put his stamp on the team and has outlined to us his future plans for the team. I think all the players are on board with the plan and it will be an exciting few seasons in Calgary. We are still a young team but growing ever day and the league should take notice. Next season we will be a dominant team

R: It’s always good to be optimistic about the team and the direction of the team. That is all the time we have today. Once again Thank you Tom and best of luck next season.

TE: You’re welcome! Keep an eye out on us next season, the Wranglers are about to showcase what we have been working on in this rebuilding season.

1. Its gutting for sure that we weren't able to make the playoffs, especially when we were so close to defying the odds. We will just have to work harder next season to make sure we make those playoffs.
2. I'll go with Sheilds. He put up the most points for our team and we'd definitely be in a worse position without him.
3. I don't think there will be any massive upsets but I think we could see a dark horse emerge in win the playoffs this season.
4. I would merge a duck and a shiba inu puppy because I think that could be kinda funny.
5. I like the hulk because he smash.
6. Potatoes probably. All other vegetables are trash

Well it's theme week again and this season our theme is Alternate Realities. Well I couldn't really think of any alternate reality other than back in Season 74 where I was torn between resigning with my longtime team the Prague Phantoms for 2 years or sign on with the Helsinki Titans for the one year to give my player at the time, Seabass Perrin his first real shot at competing for the Cup.  Of course as we know Seabass ended up signing on with the Titans where they reached the finals only to fall short to the Vancouver Wolves in the S74 Continental Cup Final. Afterwards I chose to close out my career with the Phantoms by making a return to Prague in S75.
 
I always wondered however, what if I hadn't signed on with the Titans? What if I had played that season in Prague? 
 
Roster Changes
 
Well if I had signed in Prague, they probably wouldn't of brought back Jacob Perry in order to fill out the top 4 on the backend. Kudos to Perry though he came back from inactivity that year and had a good season scoring 38 pts and going +11 for the Phantoms. The Phantoms probably would've also had to move someone out to fit Seabass' Cap hit. Who knows, it could of made the Phantoms trade away Dagmar Havlova a season sooner than it actually had happened. No offense to Perry but I feel like the team's blueline would've been in better shape with me instead as I was a career 50-60 point getter and I would've given the team a more veteran presence to better transition rookie Riley Knight Gee to playing in the VHL. However, the team would've had to take a hit in the forward department to make it all happen which I feel wouldn't of made that year's team that much better in the end. I think they were actually better off just letting me go. 
 
Helsinki on the other hand could've tried to go attract some other defender from Free Agency as there were other big names such as Lance Flowers, Jeff Downey, Cinnamon Block and Andrej Petrovic available for hire that offseason. However, in my mind odds are they would've just tried to resign Daldo instead of letting him walk after Season 73. Daldo in reality ended up signing up with the Toronto Legion.
 
Helsinki/Prague Wildcard Round could've went differently.
 
Hell, maybe Helsinki wouldn't even of made the playoffs. The team just barely made the playoffs on the last day of the season back in S74. ending the season with 81 points. The Titans and the Phantoms (80pts) just barely beat out HC Dynamo (80pts) for a wildcard spot in order to officially enter the playoff rounds. The Titans then ended up having to dispose of the Phantoms in that Wildcard round in a 2 game sweep. Maybe if the Phantoms had the power of Seabass on their side that year they could've perhaps had a better chance at overcoming the Titans. After all, Seabass was playing the best hockey of his career as the playoffs of Season 74 is the only time I ever got Seabass playing at a PPG pace. 
 
My Finals run that year could've never happened
 
Helsinki not only could they have lost to the Phantoms in that opening wildcard round but even if they had survived that round they perhaps wouldn't even made it much further past that round. Seabass played an important role in the finals run as he lead all Titans Defenseman in scoring in the playoffs with 19 points in 18 games. Without Seabass coming up with solid showing in the playoffs they could've possibly struggled like they did during the regular season. 
 
If by any chance I would've helped the Phantoms beat out the Titans in the wildcard round I don't think the Phantoms had as good of a roster to be able to survive past teams like the Moscow Menace and the Malmo Nighthawks in the next two rounds to be able to make the finals that year. 
 
Conclusion
 
 I think I made the right call as I wouldn't of had as good of a chance to experience a finals run in Prague. Also, that finals run with the Titans was just magical and I had a lot of fun playing with all those guys for the year I was there for and I don't regret a thing. To this day it remains the closest I've ever been to really winning a Continental Cup. Of course I won the Cup in Season 11 with my first player but I don't really count that one at all since I wasn't active at all for that one. So here I am with what is now my third player, still chasing my first real Continental Cup.

A Nod to the All-Important Playoffs
 
With just 8 games to go in the season, a young centerman’s thoughts turn to just one thing. Playoff hockey! The San Diego Marlins are a VHLM team on the rise under the capable leadership of GM @thadthrasher, AGM @Eldredman, and Captain @LuluSalesAway From the bottom of the juniors barrel to a winning record of 30-28-6 and 66 points in one season is quite a feat and good enough to have already clinched a playoff spot. Once we get to the playoffs, we know we will be playing the part of David to the Goliaths of the VHLM, Mississauga, Saskatoon, and Miami, but we also know that it turned out pretty good for David!
 
On to the topic of Scouting
 
But actually a centerman’s thoughts turn to at least one thing beyond the playoffs and that is the upcoming VHL Entry Draft which will determine his first steps in his big league career. Luc Tessier of the San Diego Marlins is that centerman and here are some of his thoughts on the scouting process that begins the draft season.
 
Why Scout? The Team Perspective
 
Scouting takes a good deal of time and effort so is it worth it? Clearly yes - scouting is important for a team as it seeks to find the best players to round out the roster to make a playoff run in the coming season or seasons. You can glean some important data just by looking at current TPE earned and the user’s history of earning, the player’s current build, past players the user has had. And this forms the very first step in the scouting process, but real scouting where the user is engaged in some conversation and questions are asked of juniors GMs will reveal much more. The VHL is a very competitive league and strong scouting can make the difference between getting a solid first round selection and a superior pick and maybe more importantly identifying those diamonds in the rough later in the draft.
 
And just a quick word about how scouting impacts the value of an incoming draftee. You can can sometimes identify a great draft selection without much engagement with the player’s user and this is especially so if the player is a 2nd gen or beyond. The user has history in the league and the team knows they are getting a quality pick. But if the user doesn’t get at least a certain level of engagement in the scouting process, they can come into the LR feeling a little neglected or taken for granted. If they are a solid user, they are going to still invest in the team as best they can, but they may lose just that little edge of enthusiasm.
 
Why Scout? The League Perspective
 
It’s important for the team doing the scouting, but it’s important for the health of the league as a whole. Being scouted feels good. It just does. Someone is paying attention to you, your experience in the league, and your engagement and hopes and dreams for your player. This draws you in and makes you feel better about the league.
 
This is especially important for a first gen user as it will form part of the all-important first impression of the league. Is this something I want to invest my time and energy in or am I better served with a different hobby or pastime? For those on the fence, it may keep them engaged enough to get involved early. From my experience, those that get tucked in quickly are more likely to enjoy the league and stick around longer. That’s where the VHLM GMs and their scouting plays such a crucial role for the league.
 
But if that first gen user is not scouted well by the VHL GMs, that initial excitement can wear off fast. And VHL GMs and their scouting can play a vital role in scouting 2nd gens and beyond as well. We all experience waxing and waning interest in the league over our time here. If someone is going into one of the valleys in sim life, being truly scouted can reignite that passion for the VHL.
 
What’s Most Important?
 
So, just doing the scouting is important, but what should a GM look for as they decide how to spend those precious draft picks?
 
Fit
 
The say in real estate that the three most important considerations are location, location, location. I’d grab that concept from real estate and say that the three most important considerations for scouting are fit, fit, fit. I mean fit between the user and the team’s management and LR, of course.
 
A GM recently told me – as I was being scouted, in fact – that they look at the team as a family. I get what they mean. First and foremost, the vast majority of people in sim leagues are not just looking for a competitive experience. They aren’t just looking for a hockey video game. Those are out there, but they come here to the VHL for something beyond that. They come for a personal experience that includes the opportunity to inhabit one particular player and role play them to a lesser or greater extent and to do that within a community of like-minded people. That latter is key. Sim leaguers want to be in a community.
 
Well, in any larger group of people there are people you really click with and those that really rub you the wrong way – hopefully very few of the latter in sim leagues or real life. Good scouting that truly engages the user can go miles toward learning whether this is a user who will enjoy the current management and future teammates or not. Likewise, it can reveal whether this user is someone they the GMs and current team actually want to hang out with. Doesn’t mean the person is a good or bad person, but just “different strokes for different folks”.
 
This matters why? A better fit means more fun first and foremost and that’s the whole dang point of being in a sim league.
 
Activity and Longevity
 
But a good fit also means more likelihood of sticking around in the league and being able to build something special on the ice as well as off. A bad fit can turn someone off the whole league and cause them to walk out the door. At the very least it will mean less engagement and less earning so that the player never reaches his or her full potential.
 
If you look at someone who is a 2nd gen or is still active in the later years of their first player, I guarantee you are looking at someone who has had a very positive LR experience because they found a good fit.
 
But when I point this out as something to be learned in the scouting process, I also mean that scouting can help get a feel for how active the user will be in the upcoming season and how likely it is that they will stick around for the long haul. People tend to be overly optimistic in stating some version of “I’ll be a max earner forever and never leave the league”, but a longer conversation can often help determine how close to reality this truly is.
 
Positional Need
 
Fit and potential activity levels are primary, but it is of some importance to take a look at where on the ice the team has the most need. If you have the best forwards in the league, it might make for a stronger overall team to draft a defenseman or goalie who is not quite as high on your draft board. That can’t be taken too far, however. A good fit with 100+ TPE per season earning potential is almost always going to be a better selection than a good fit with 50-something TPE per season potential earning.
 
Timeline Considerations
 
Hard on the heels of the above positional needs criteria is consideration of the team’s current timeline. Almost no one is going to make an immediate all-star appearance the first year they come out of juniors so when making positional need assessments, you have to look at least 2-4 seasons down the road. My team may not need a forward today because ours are the best, but our forwards all may be retiring in 1 or 2 seasons as well. If so, we had better be looking for that next great winger or center now.
 
Conclusion
 
Though it all looks quite straight-forward as to what GMs should be looking for in their scouting: fit, activity and longevity, positional need, and timeline fit, it really isn’t that simple or easy. Scouting is more of an art than a science at times. Users can be super engaged today and truly intend to maintain that activity level and then something happens in their life and they drop from the league altogether. Others can show little commitment in scouting, but then get turned on by a playoff run or a great relationship in the LR and they become the new max earners and mainstays of their team. No, there is no guarantee in scouting, but solid effort in the process can definitely up the odds of success a great dea.
 
And for sure, strong scouting is good for the overall health of the league and the ability for all of us to have a great time in the VHL for years to come.
 
1579 words: claiming for weeks ending 4/25, 5/2 and 5/9

1. I'm always gonna back the team to get it done, it's gonna be tough but I think we can pull it off.
2. They definitely could be. Warsaw and Chicago have shown some weakness and they were the two frontrunners but I think that Toronto could pull it off.
3. I really like the look of Tui Sova. He's a scoring first D-Man with a lot of upside and he's over a point per game in the VHLM, definitely someone to look out for.
4. That's a tough one but I'll go with Russell Howard. His TV is show is hilarious.
5. Johnny English, any of them. They are all just amazing movies and they are quite funny.
6. Probably "You" on Netflix. Whenever the new season came out I would watch in the one go.
 

Nothing was quite working right recently. She was in a weird rut and couldn’t quite get out of it. Masami knew it was going to be fine…probably. It had to be fine! Her recent performances in the VHLM left something to be desired, and she hadn’t been able to sing recently anywhere but the locker room because it was snowing a lot. Even when she did get the chance to perform for her teammates something felt off about it, she felt an odd disconnect, an unsatisfying note was hidden somewhere in her soul and she couldn’t quite find it. Everyone politely listened and gave applause when she’d finish after the games but it was obvious that she wasn’t connecting with them the way she had been before. Her raw emotion was still there, but there was just something…off.
 
Masami sat and pondered this as she watched the snow slowly drift down out the window of her apartment. She yearned for her music to be like it was, she desperately wanted to start playing better too. Something about that thought struck her as not quite right though. Yearning. She yearned for something, yes, but she was missing it. That was the key to everything, she just had to figure out what this longing feeling inside her was for and she’d be able to get back to normal, she was sure of it. She closed her eyes and tried to think. What was it that she was missing? What was it that was hidden from her own conscious mind, this discordant note that she felt within her own soul.
 
As she sat desperately trying to think of what it was her phone began to ring. It was her father. He hadn’t called her in about 2 months, since she had decided to enter the VHLM against his wishes. She looked at her phone in disbelief for a moment then picked up the phone. Her father told her that he had called to urge her to come back, to stop this nonsense about hockey in a foreign country. He told her he’d been noting her recent struggles and that it just proved that she didn’t belong there. She was clearly not good enough to play in the VHL, she needed to come home.
 
Masami was speechless at first. Then she felt her anger rising. She began to tell her father what she thought of his “request” but he interrupted her part way through and began shouting. He said that she had always been a disappointment as a daughter and that she finally had the chance to do what was right for the family. He demanded she return home immediately and to be prepared to meet with the man that had been arranged for her. Masami was stunned. The man who had been arranged for her? Her father had arranged a marriage for her? Was he out of his mind? Almost no one did that anymore, and then it was supposed to be mainly for the elite. There was no way that she was going to be subjected to this antiquated practice! She told her father she would never marry anyone unless she fell in love with them herself and that she had no intention of returning. He began shouting at her about how hard he’d worked for the family, and how she needed to be a good daughter and do her duty. Masami wasn’t about to take that abuse though and hung up on him.
 
Her emotions were boiling over. She was so..so…angry? Sad? Disappointed? All of those things. She had never had the closest relationship with her father but this? Demanding she abandon her dreams and return for an arranged marriage? This was insane! She absolutely could not believe this. She felt like she was going to explode. She needed to talk to someone, she needed a friend right now. As that thought hit her she knew exactly who to call.
 
In a little café near downtown she sat waiting for Baldur, she’d ordered a tea and was attempting very hard to not look like she was on the verge of a mental breakdown. When she saw him approaching her table she had a moment where she wanted to just completely lose it and start crying in public. She restrained herself though, largely because she also noticed that she had a strange sense of anticipation when she saw him that she didn’t really understand. Baldur greeted her warmly and ordered himself a coffee when the waiter came. She didn’t know where to begin so she sat silently looking at her tea. Baldur took the initiative and began to talk about hockey. He could talk about hockey all day, he was so passionate about it and he had so much to say. Masami felt herself calming down as she chatted with him and after about an hour, and a couple of refills of their drinks, she felt like she could finally talk about what had happened. She told him about the phone call with her father, about his demands and about how she was so angry and sad. She also told him that she’d been feeling really out of sorts recently and felt like there was something she was missing and couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was.
 
Baldur listened attentively; he let her get it all out on the table. When she was done he told her that she was a very lovely young woman, and that she was valid and amazing just the way she was. He didn’t try to fix her problems for her, or cheerlead her by saying she’d done nothing to deserve this. He simply looked on warmly and didn’t judge her, he accepted her and told her she was cared for. She was an integral part of the team and he’d be very sad if she ever had to leave hockey. Masami felt like this was exactly what she needed. She wasn’t looking for Baldur to rescue her, just...to be a good listener and let her express these emotions that were raging inside her. She felt much more calm after having talked with him. She apologized for taking up so much of his evening, as it was nearing 9pm local time, and thanked him for being such a wonderful friend. He gave her a parting hug and told her he’d be willing to listen to her anytime, because she was a very good friend of his.
 
Back at home, Masami felt like she had let a load off her back that had been crushing her and making it hard to breathe. She was so glad that Baldur had agreed to meet. They’d never met outside the rink before, just the two of them. She truly felt like Baldur was one of the coolest, nicest people she’d ever met and she was extremely happy to be his friend. She hadn’t solved all her problems tonight but she was very glad that she’d at least had Baldur to talk to. Something was still nagging at the back of her mind about what she’d been looking for, and that sensation was even more profound after tonight, but she didn’t have any answers yet so she set it aside and tried to get some sleep for today, hoping that tomorrow would bring answers.
 
1221 words  

Hey it's me, matt, and as my player really sucks, I'm writing this to get some tpe to upgrade him, even if we all know that he will continue to play very bad as usual.
but that's enough talking about how my player is trash, we need to talk about an alternate story about my player, matt thunder.
 
So, what would happen if matt Thunder wasn't drafted by riga in the S74 draft?
 
Let's suppose that if Riga didn't draft me, no other team would have drafted me, as it's hard to think where I would have ended, also because I have zero immagination. (but let's not say that)
Today is also your lucky day as I don't have one alternate story but guess what, two! (i know, you are really hyped for this like I am)
 
Let's start by the first one:
The first one is really short but still deserve attention.
After not beeing drafted at the S74 draft Matt  played his last season with Las Vegas, but when that season ended, Matt did not gave up with hockey (as it was the only thing that he was good at) and he decided to become the trainer for the defenders of the (only ) team that drafted him, the las Vegas aces.
His life would have continued like this living in Vegas with his wife, his two kids and also teaching the new talents of his team how to become great and maybe, maybe, see them drafted by a team of the vhl. (as he would always make him proud seeing some talents trained by him finally reaching the vhl, an objective that he never reached)
 
The second one is a lot more different and also more longer:
After not beeing drafted by any team in the vhl, matt gave up with hockey, and went back to his life in his home town, pont-aven (a small city in France, where matt was born and he grew up) and once he came back, he became depressed, thinking that maybe they didn't draft him because he was a failure or  things like that.
After he passed some mouths depressed, he finally understood that maybe his life wasn't that bad after all, and he started to work in the comic store that his father owned and where he worked, trying to forget his past with the sport he always loved, hockey.
And that was his life, a normal one,living with (like in the frist story) his wife and his two kids at Pont-aven still working in the comic store, but sometimes it happened that he would think about how is life would have been if he was drafted, maybe also becoming a captain of a vhl team and making new friends, but after all, they were all just some stupid thoughts, that would never happen, maybe in a parallel universe if he was lucky, even if they don't really exist.
 
So this is it, I hope you liked my two stories (and the ending of the second story as I put a lot of effort into it) even if they aren't that interesting, I hope you will have a good weekend, we will meet again in my next media spot.
 
545 words if i'm not wrong.
 
 

so this sim gave us a win against Warsaw in my 10000 post party day. fine.

damage control szn continues.
 
It's unfortunate that the roster never clicked properly, but at least Zod has a legit chance for a championship now. Good luck in Seattle @Matt_O!
 
Also, welcome to Riga @Dtayl @Jurell Yurki!

What is up VHL, we are back with the first edition of Under 250 in a while. We'll be looking at all the happenings of our very own junior league. Make sure to check out some other featured VSN content.
 
Game 7 Stories S61 | BoG Update | VHLM Power Rankings #2 | Talents Behind the Trophies: Jake Wylde Trophy
 

 
Standings Overview
 

Western Conference Standings
 
As per normal, we have a very good idea of what the standings will look like come playoff time based on what they look like now. After a brief stint where they had a fight for 1st place with Houston at the beginning of the season, the Saskatoon Wild have taken over the West. It seems they have a perfectly built team based off of past champions and, well, their resounding success so far. They just came off a 5 game winning streak, and their dynamic trio of Duncan Montana, Griff Mackenzie, and David Tavau are all over the league leaderboards.. The Houston Bulls started off very strong, but their apparent lack of players in general eventually caught up with them as they trailed into second place. As is with their up and down success pattern, they are definitely suffering a ‘down’ season this epoch. The Las Vegas Aces, forever competitive, boast a decent squad that should crack the playoffs. They have a talented mix of both experienced returnees and fresh rookies. The San Diego Marlins completely rebuilt their team after a crazy S74, which saw them deal away a huge number of futures, and they are still feeling the repercussions. They also have a truckload of waiver signings. The Yukon Rush spent their picks and prospects in hopes of a championship the last few seasons, and now their pipeline runs dry. New management hopes to bring a plentiful S78 after stocking up at the recent draft. The Mexico City Kings are reeling from two consecutive Founders’ Cup finals where they sacrificed the vast majority of their future to achieve greatness. They have struggled mightily with a small pool of players, most of whom came from the minors not long ago. They also do not have a cupboard full of draft picks.


Eastern Conference Standings

 
The East, from a first glance, looks to be significantly stronger than the West in terms of points and wins. The Mississauga Hounds lead the way, with only 4 losses in the entire season and just coming off an insane 11 game winning streak. Their management, although youthful in the league, have proved to be quite adept. The Miami Marauders follow, with a picture perfect team and a new yet veteran general manager. They saved up assets for this season, and now is their time to contend. The Minnesota Storm once again exhibit a high amount of players and draft picks, setting them up for years of playoff time. Their uber-experienced management group has excelled after a few seasons of basement dwelling. The Halifax 21st possess a startling amount of players, alas mostly freshmen and not showing any capabilities of topping the rankings. The Ottawa Lynx, for what seems to have become a norm, own a measly 6 players and not a single defenceman. Finally, we have the Philadelphia Reapers, who have been weighed down by loss of assets by trading them away at past deadlines. They have, however, kept some key pieces and collected numerous draft selections so we should expect a better showing next season.
 
Feature Story
 
The Mississauga Hounds’ Revival


 
Since their inception into the VHLM in S66, the Mississauga Hounds have not won a single Founder’s Cup. Not even a Prime Minister’s Cup. However, in only brand new general manager Zetterberg’s second season at the helm of the Hounds, they are atop of the league, and a championship could be just on the horizon. In this feature story, I’ll be looking at how Zetterberg and his loyal assistant tcookie built the juggernaut that is the S77 Mississauga Hounds.
 
S76
 
The Hounds had a horrid S76, finishing last in the Eastern conference and 2nd last overall. They had spent a lot of valuable assets in pursuit of the S74 cup, and suffered from that lack of fresh blood for the next few seasons, as they floated listlessly in mediocrity. However, as we know from the cases of the Reapers and the Marauders before them, in the VHLM, success comes after mediocrity. They were able to sell off some players during the S76 season and gather loads of draft selections to set them up for this season’s run. Going into the draft, they had forwards Owen Taylor, Guy Lambert, Miks Sunish, and Miles Johnson as well as defenseman Kirby Pandora (who they traded for after losing in the S77 draft by Ottawa), Chris P Bacon, and Elvis Michael, and then goaltender Luke Spinelli. This was the main core that rode with them into the middle of the standings.
 
S77 Dispersal Draft
 
With a good portion of their core secured, Z and tcookie went to work drawing fresh blood at the draft. They made their presence known, taking Gustislav Nasherov, Hard Markinson, and Joe Madison at 3rd, 4th, and 5th overall. It was clear from the start that they had a defensive core to rival some VHL teams. In the second round, they nabbed Tynan Sylvester, JaredN Jr., and Innunguaq Kiak, and opposing squads watched as the Hounds grew stronger as every round passed. Skip to the fourth round and Jlloyoid Blloyoiderson, and then Brighton Grisby in the fifth joined the roster, which was full to the brim with talented players. They went quiet in the final two rounds, meme picking Rolf Fizzlebeef Jr. as he was already headed up to Calgary. 
 
S77
 
The season arrived. Anxious to see how their team would do, the Hounds management watched as they won eleven games straight to start the campaign. Before the draft, they had swapped Kman and a 6th rounder in exchange for Davey Jones Jr., and sent Ashton Hauff in a separate deal for Lorgo Pompronkimishkonov (whom they would later trade for Jonny Pacheco). The only deals they made at the draft were trading up for Markinson and swapping late round picks. After they recognized how much of a powerhouse they had built, Pacheco as well as Gaspar Zakrevsky from Yukon and Kirby Pandora from Ottawa were acquired. Grisby, Kiak, and picks went the other way. 
Although the leaderboards are dominated by mostly other teams, they depth-rich Hounds don’t need to play the same players 30 minutes a game, so they have a reason for being concealed. However, their scoring is spread out nicely. Guy Lambert leads the way with 74 points, and Nasherov and Michael are both defenders over a point per game. They have seven players with over 50 points, which is incredible. By contrast, Ottawa has zero and Halifax has only one. 
As the season went on, Joakim Lund, a VHLM journeyman, signed as a free agent in Halifax, and backup goalie Tobias Reinhart was added to the team as a waiver signing. 

 
The Mississauga Hounds could not be a more complete team. There is hardly anything they could possibly do to further improve at this point. All they can do is hope that the erratic engine that is Simon T will nod their way when it matters most.

 
That will be all, thank you for reading and stay tuned for more VSN coverage of everything VHL and VHLM.
 
Player mentions:
 
 

Big brain time with hoopy today

1. Yeah I think we do. It's a shame that it hasn't quite worked out the way we hoped but we'll be back next year and ready to go again.
2. I don't know, Simon is a sadistic guy so they could be in for a gut wrenching cup run.
3. I'm not sure what it'll be but I'm excited because they said there would be more jobs, so imma try get myself one of those.
4. January because it's always cold and icy and I hate having to walk on ice on the way to university.
5. The Queen is a cannibal, how else can she live until she's 97. She's practically immortal.
6. To make it easier to get the pizza out because you have the gaps at the corner of the box so you can get your hand in to grab a slice.