Hoopydog

Here is the statement released from Cobalt Burns’ agency, Torrago Hockey Management, regarding his decision to play in the VHLE next season.
 
Our client has ultimately decided to play in the VHLE in S83, effectively ‘skipping’ the VHLM, along with some of his S84 draftee counterparts. It is in our best beliefs that this move is the premier one possible, considering our client’s best interests. It is the right move for his development as a hockey player, and for his physical and emotional preparation for the VHL. He is looking for the most effective way to enhance his game enough to excel at the next level, and we believe to have found it in this move. 

 
And here is what Burns himself had to say in an interview with Sports Illustrated on Friday.
 
It’s not a decision I took lightly. I make every choice concerning my career with as much reason as possible, and this move makes the most sense to me. I have played a total of 21 games in the VHLM, in both the regular and postseason, and I feel like I am prepared  to take the next step and move up to the VHLE. I know there are players that have had less of a head start as me, such as players who are fresh out of major junior or even high school. I spent years developing in Junior A and then NCAA D1, and I’m ready to play against men. I have nothing against the VHLM, but I feel like it is the best move for my career to accelerate my competition and give myself more of a challenge, a better preparation for my ultimate goal of the VHL. I think of it as like before going to the NHL, playing in the AHL instead of another year in major junior or the NCAA. It’s a better reflection of the physicality and speed of the big league, and you’re playing against men, which is something I want to experience before I go up against the best players in the world, ideally in one or two seasons. Both my time with the Aces and the Brigade in the Junior Showcase were very valuable to me, because I was able to compare myself to the best competition at the VHLM level, and based on my performance I think I’m ready. Thanks for having me on. 

 
Finally, we had Remi Torrago, general manager of the Miami Marauders, and former president of Torrago Hockey Management’s thoughts on the mass migration to the middle league.
 
I mean, it’s eventually up to the players themselves to decide where they want to play next season, and I’d respect their decision regardless. The whole league will obviously miss such talented young players to raise the bar for everyone else in the league, but in the end it works out quite well both ways. The players themselves get to play in a higher competition, more VHL-like situation, and on our side, we can give less-celebrated, potential talent more ice time and give them a better shot at making a name for themself and becoming a star. I’m not sure if this will become a yearly thing, but I would definitely support it doing so. Like I said, it’s a win-win, and anything to increase the chances of a VHLM player making their way to a higher level is a massive win to all of us in the league, so I am 100% with it. Through THM, which I am still minimally involved in, I got to know Coby Burns and see his point of view as well, and it just seems like a great scenario for everyone involved. Plus, those lucky VHLE GMs might even get these youngins for a few seasons! Thanks for having me guys.
 
 
632 words, claiming for week of April 10th

Wow this off season seems so long!!!!!   As I am anxious for the start of my VHL career I still feel so behind in TPE so the off-season seemed to help out a bit for me.  The one glaring obvious thing for me that this off season makes it very difficult to find something interesting (for me) to write about for my much needed 6 TPE. 
 
First, I’d like to chat about the recent draft.  My good friend and fellow defenseman, Jake Thunder @Thunder was picked 19th overall in the VHL by Davos and 9th overall in the VHLE by Oslo.  I was excited for him, and I look forward to fighting him every time Warsaw plays Davos when he makes it up to the show after next season.   I was also happy he was drafted by my former and first ever GM JB123.  JB helped me navigate my rookie season in the M with the San Diego Marlins.  Without his help I would probably still only have 100 TPE.  Congrats Thunder!  
 
Next, I want to chat about my team the Warsaw Predators.  With the some great moves by Dlamb we have some super studs in house to hopefully battle for the Cup this season.  Lets take a look at the team:
 
Forwards: 
 
Brendan Marner @MetalToday, Zach Kisslinger II @Kisslinger, and Bogdan Trunov @qripllall lead the team with over 700 TPE each.  These three beasts combined for an amazing 141 goals last and 357 points.  On a special note close to my heart Marner had an amazing 310 hits as well.  
 
Next comes Brian Moreau @weekz, Omi Aberg @osens, Robert Wilk @Tomat0, and rookie sensation Girts Galvins @Girts with between 400-556 TPE.   Between these three they amassed 131 goals and 310 points total.  Having played with Girts last season I can only imagine the numbers he will put up when paired with any of this teams 6 other forwards. 
 
Defense:
 
Hari Singh Nalwa @Dil, Tavish DeGroot @rory Rory, and Brian Payne.  Hari has a total of 847 TPE (a number I would murder for).  The massive 608 250Lb D-man won the Cup in S81 with the Vancouver Wolves and we hope that we can give him another one this year as a Predator.  With 20 goals and 69 assists in his last season this phenom will fit in nicely with the offensive talent in front of him.
 
Tavish DeGroot.  I had the opportunity to play with Degroot in San Diego in the M during our rookie seasons.  He tore up the league and played with a backpack full of sandpaper.  Hits, goals, fights he could do it all.  A testament to his talent and TPE earning prowess he made the jump directly to the VHL.  
 
Brian Payne- Well I am writing this, and I would love to say I had the resumes of the above listed players. But I sadly do not (yet).  I will be a good teammate and depth forward until I can get my TPE up to some decent levels.  I am hoping my build helps the team win some games and compete for a championship.  
 
Goalie:
 
Nothing more to say that WUMBO @Fire Fletcher. He’s a great teammate that played on a struggling Oslo team last season.  Despite that he held an Impressive .910 save percentage on a whopping 1470 shots against in a very tough league.  With a solid defensive team in front of him I am pumped to see what he can do.  
 
GM:
 
Last but not least is team GM -DLAMB @dlamb.  In my short time in the club Dlamb has shown he is willing to make moves to help the club win now.  With him at the helm I see good things for the club this year.  
 
 

1. I'll try watch a few rounds of the VHL and VHLE draft and I'll definitely be watching the VHLM draft to see where I end up.
2. I don't really have a steal as such but there are quite a few Dmen in and around the 260 TPE mark so they could be a steal if some of them fall down the draft a bit.
3. I would go with Scotty Sundin because I think they will have a better chance at getting a top goalie in S84 draft than getting a top center but either choice will be huge.
4. I think it will be Jake Thunder, I think he will be picked at 10th by Calgary and they could really use a good prospect in the back end.
5. The locker room can be a bit mental but don't think too much about it and just vibe. It's a really great place to be
6. I'm alright with it to be honest. Have a captain who is determined and head strong can be good for a team so I think he'll make a great captain.

With the VHLM now being scheduled to take place on the 10th of April, we wanted to have a quick chat with Fraser Wallace and get to know his thoughts ahead of the upcoming draft.
 
Reporter: Hi Fraser, thank you for taking the time to speak with us.
Wallace: No problem, thank you for having me.
Reporter: So, the VHLM draft is just a week away now, how are you feeling about it?
Wallace: Yeah, I’m feeling good. Obviously, I haven’t had a whole lot of time to show people what I’m made of but I’ve been working hard to improve my game and hopefully a team takes a chance on me.
Reporter: The early pre-draft reports have you going somewhere between the mid-2nd to early 3rd rounds. What are your thoughts on that?
Wallace: I try not to pay attention to the draft rankings much to be honest. I’m not too concerned with when or where I go in the draft. All I care about is doing the best for the team that drafts me
Reporter: I’m afraid that’s all we’ve got time for, thank you very much for going me Fraser.
Wallace: Cheers for having me on thank you.

I know we have the big announcement of the offseason with the hybrid change.
With that in mind I'm going to make this short and sweet since we've had a lot of announcements recently.
 
 
 
1.) Going forward playoffs for the E are going to be 1 game a day instead of 2. This is how it used to be back when there were 8 teams in the VHL and I believe the timing will align better with the M and the VHL. The VHLE offseason has been too short and leaves too many folks waiting. 
 
2.) Another big change is that Practice Facility is now going to be 2 TPE instead of 1 for players in the E. This will be implemented starting April 4th 2022. 
 
Stay tuned for more updates (maybe?)!
 
 
@VHLE Commissioner@VHLE GM

Nah man the clan are the only real team in Scotland. I don't think the bcc is still a thing.

Ice Hockey in Scotland is a niche watched by few and played by even fewer but that none if that affected Fraser Wallace’s love for the game and his desire to be the very best. There aren’t very many junior hockey teams in Scotland so he started off his career playing for the Kilmarnock Thunder junior teams (u12 all the way to u19) where he was a major success posting multiple 2+ points per game seasons.
 
This caught the eye of local SNL team the Paisley Pirates who wanted to have Wallace join them in their push for the SNL title. In his first and only season for the pirates, Wallace went a point per game, a big reduction from the highs of his junior career but this time he was playing against adults and that lack of game experience limited his abilities but the signs were very promising.
 
His performance in the SNL was noticed by team all over the UK in the EIHL (the UK’s top flight) and it was clear that someone was going to snap him up but the question was who did Wallace want to sign with. It came down to 2 teams, the Cardiff Devils and the Glasgow Clan. Despite the allure of the Champions hockey league that he would get with Cardiff, he chose to remain in Scotland and play with his favourite team, the Glasgow Clan.
 
He played 2 seasons with the Clan. In his first season, he played 52 games putting up 7 goals and 13 assists for 20 points. It was clear that he had a hard time adjusting to the quality of the league and he was now playing against professional player, some who have had great careers and played in top leagues all over Europe and even the NHL but again you could see the promise was there with Wallace. With rumours of him heading over to the VHLM, there was one goal before he left… the playoff championship.
 
In that second season, Wallace went a point per game to help take the Clan to #1 n the standings and secure them a favourable match up in the quarter finals. The Glasgow side battled their way to the final, defeating rivals the Fife Flyers in the quarter final 8-3 (over two legs) and the Belfast giants in a hard fought 5-4 overtime win with Wallace getting the game winning goal. In the final they face the Cardiff Devils and it was time for Wallace to give the Glasgow faithful his farewell. Wallace bagged all 3 goals in a 3-2 win to seal the clubs first playoff title.
 
He is currently playing with the Las Vegas Aces in the VHLM where he is looking to win another championship and he is looking to show off his skills for the upcoming VHLM draft

(Sorry in advance for the shear size of this thing)
 
Introduction
 
Hello everyone, I am Hoopydog (or just Hoopy for short is fine) and I am the user behind the retiring Artair McCloud. This was my first proper go at the VHL universe and since I love a good player review, I thought it would be only fitting to take a look at how my first player got on and find out whether it was a success or not.
Early Days
 
When Artair McCloud entered into the league, it was past the trade deadline and therefore he couldn’t be signed to any VHLM team until after the draft. This dealt a blow to his chances of being drafted high up the draft because he had missed out on a few weeks of high TPE earnings but also the chance to join a locker room and get his name known around the league. There were only 2 minor league teams that contacted him before the draft and they were the Miami Marauders and the Las Vegas Aces. It would end up being GM Spartan that got his man with the 43rd pick of the draft. He felt at home in Vegas. It had everyone you could want as a player. A vibrant locker room to keep you engaged, a team with great quality capable of winning things and a management team to help steer you in the right direction.
 
VHLM – Regular Season
 
His VHLM career stats weren’t the best, let’s not beat around the bus they were pretty bad. In his 1st season on the Aces, he put up a measly 11 points in a full 72 game season. It might be worth noting that he played minimal ice time given strength of the team. I knew I’d get my time in the sun but for now my job was to play support and that’s what I was gonna do.
In his 2nd season he performed better, not to the standards he had hoped but it was still an improvement. This time he put up 48 points in 72 games scoring 28 goals as well so a decent showing from the young forward. That season again playing a very good team did limit his ice time in some aspects as trades for Dan Dan and Jordan Tate were both made to try and give the team the best chance at playoff glory. Something of note from this season was that he scored 13 Powerplay goals meaning just under half of his goal tally came with a man advantage
So overall his VHLM stats were: GP – 144 G – 34 A – 25 P – 59
 
VHLM – Playoffs
 
It seems that, over the course of his career, McCloud showed himself to be more of a playoff player than a regular season guy despite never winning a VHL or VHLM playoff championship (Spoiler Alert) his numbers and performances just always seemed better. He put up 3 points in 12 playoff games in that 1st season which doesn’t seem like much but it is a big improvement (in terms of points per game) compared to his regular season. The Aces breezed past Mexico City in the first round but were taken and beaten in 7 games by the underdogs in Miami, who went on to win the whole damn thing. Still not over it.
In the 2nd season he put in a much better performance in the playoffs. He played the same number of game but this time put up 10 points for the Aces. In that run, they took the Saskatoon Wild to seven games but then fell to Mexico City in the following round meaning that McCloud’s VHLM career ended without a cup win.
So overall his VHLM playoff stats were: GP – 24 G – 6 A – 7 P – 13
 
He definitely wasn’t a stand out in the minor league but he did do enough to attract quite a few teams interested in the taking him in the draft.
 
Taking The Next Step
 
The S75 draft was absolutely stacked and McCloud was on a lot of teams list as a potential steal later on in the draft. No one really knew where he would go in the draft but it was thought he would go as a late 2nd or early 3rd rounder. Out of all the teams that expressed interest in McCloud, it looked like it was going to be either the Vancouver Wolves or the Riga Reign that would be the most likely to pick him up. As the picks entered the twenties, I started to get a bit a nervous as it was nearing closer to my predicted position and when the Vancouver Wolves select Sheldon Juniper with 23rd overall pick, I knew my home was going to be Riga. GM Hedge selected me with the 28th overall pick in the draft along with a few of my Vegas team mates. It was always going to be difficult to find my place and stand on my own on the Riga roster since they had just drafted 9 prospects in the first 2 rounds of that draft which included the likes of Cabe McJake, Adison McLaren, Sirkants Klamasteris, Justin Lose and Linus Zetterstrom. The hype around this team, especially after a couple of seasons and we were all 700 TPE+ was immense and it was frustrating that we just didn’t win anything. Out of the 5 season I played with Riga, we only made to the playoffs twice. I never won a VHL playoff round in my career but that wasn’t for a lack of trying. I ended up going IA for a little while and during that time my contract with Riga expired. I was picked up as a free agent by the D.C. Dragons and it was there that I would have my best season as a player, playing as a defenseman.
 
VHL – Regular Season
 
It took McCloud a few seasons to adapt to the speed of the VHL and to start to produce semi-decent numbers. In his debut season McCloud put up 40 points in 72 games played, scoring 19 goals in his debut campaign. Due to the nature of the Riga roster, the time was split pretty evenly amongst the prospects but 40 points is ok for a rookie. Not amazing but not terrible either. The 2nd season wasn’t much better, his points tally went up to 48 points and scoring and extra 3 goals. He played similar minutes to the previous season but some of the other players on the roster gained a lot more ice-time, leading to them having larger points totals and I noticed I was again starting to play that support role like I did when I was in Vegas.
In his 3rd season with the Reign, Artair had a bit of jump in his production on the team. He put up 30 goals and 66 points in that season, mainly due to the fact that he was playing about an extra 6/7 minutes a night. Some random stats from that season, he took 441 shots, scored 10 times on the powerplay and he also scored a short-handed goal. The following 2 seasons, he had the same sort of level of production, with his eclipsing the 30-goal mark and scoring 70 and 72 points respectively.
He played 1 season for the D.C. Dragons in which he hit a career high 92 playing as a defenseman. He was also nominated and won some unofficial VHL awards that season, a somewhat highlight of his playing career
I don’t really have much more to say about my last few seasons at Riga nor my season playing for D.C. as this was around the time, I went IA and it doesn’t feel right to comment on them since I don’t really know what happened. I enjoyed my time at Riga and the locker room was amazing to be apart of even though we were one of the most cursed teams in modern VHL times.
His VHL regular season stats ended as follows: GP – 432 G – 164 A – 224 P – 388
 
VHL - Playoffs
 
There isn’t really a whole lot to talk about when it comes to McCloud’s VHL playoffs since he only took part in 2 playoffs series and lost them both #blamesimon. McCloud would continue as being more of a playoff player. In S76, he got his first taste of playoff experience and he would be able to shine as he was joint team top scorer with 3 points despite averaging 12 less minutes a night than the teammates, he shared top spot with. In S79 he claimed the top spot in team point scoring all for himself, putting up 7 points in 5 games. This was unfortunately not enough to help push his team over the line and he lost yet another playoff series.
So, after those 2 playoff attempts his stats were: GP – 9 G – 4 A – 6 P – 10
 
The Last Dance
 
When I came back to the league, I decided that since I only had one more season left that I want to go for a cup. So, when Rome GM Rockstar asked me if I wanted to play for the Gladiators in my final season, I said yes. (Sidenote: This led to possible my most notable moment as a VHL member to date, there was an issue because I had been IA that I was contracted still to D.C. so I was still their player. A big thank you to GM Enorama for letting my play for Rome in my final year). I was gunning for that cup but I also wanted to show everyone what McCloud was capable off, even if it was in the VHLE. He was the top defensemen in the VHLE this season and he finally achieved what he had sought after his entire career, a playoff championship. We had assembled a great team here in Rome with the likes of Pekko Viitanen, Drakon Zabastovka and Boris Tsezar at all ends of the ice.. A big thank you to all my teammates in Rome for helping me go out with a bang… WE DID IT!!!!
 
VHLE – Regular Season
 
McCloud had a stormer of a season playing on Rome. As one of their marquee signings, he had a duty to perform at the highest level for his team and he did just that. He put up a staggering 91 points and claimed his spot as the top defensemen in the VHLE that season. This was a monumental achievement as he now stood alone as the best Dman in the VHLE.
That season’s stats were: GP – 72 G – 22 A – 66 P – 91
 
VHLE – Playoffs
 
This playoffs run was about getting over the line, no matter if he scored 1 point or 20. As long as he got to hoist the cup, that’s what mattered. He scored 10 points in Rome’s playoff run contributing 3 goals to their tally. He also put up a man of the match performance in Game 5 of the finals having a hand in all 3 goals, in a 3-2 win of Cologne to help keep that dream alive.
His playoffs stats for the run were: GP – 12 G – 3 A – 7 P – 10
 
Conclusion
 
Well, that was a very long rabble but it was nice to go through and see just what I was able to achieve with my first player in the VHL. In case you didn’t know, I have re-created and my new player is Fraser Wallace and I’m hoping that I will be able to use all the knowledge I have gained from my first player and take the VHL by storm this time round.
 
P.S. I was really close to hitting the 2000-word mark so I’m just gonna tell some of my other memorable moments from my first player in the VHL. During one of the VHL charity streams, I was last in nearly all of the marble races which is just absurd considering that game is literally all chance. Another being that everyone seemed to like the name of my player, I think in the creation thread someone made a comment about it being one of the best names in the draft.
 
2030 words

1. I wasn't on the team very for long whilst he was the GM but he brought me back to Vegas and gave me a place on the team which was amazing.
2. I want to win the Cup and I also want to try get my build right. With the new hybrid attributes, it'll be tough to try find something that's effective.
3. I think it'll be especially tough for centers because we have to invest double the amount of point we would normally do into face-offs which means we can put as much into other attributes and it could really hamper our playing ability.
4. There are a lot of good players in the upcoming draft and I think anyone that comes in will be a huge boost to the team.
5. I'm not involved in those drafts but I am excited for my time to enter those drafts. I want to be as high a pick as I possibly can
6. I hope it all gets resolved he can be convinced not to hang up his skates.

Introduction
 
With Fraser Wallace being in the upcoming VHLM draft, we have decided to take a look at both his strengths and weaknesses to try and figure out what kind of player he is. Let’s start with his strengths.
 
Strengths
 
His best asset right now is probably his ability to play a 200ft game. Being both an offensive threat but also a defensive stalwart makes him a very versatile player. As a centerman, it is likely that he would be apart of both the powerplay and penalty kill so this 200ft ability is crucial. His offensive talent wasn’t able to shine through in his brief stint with the Las Vegas Aces this past season but he is definitely proving his worth in the Junior Showcase tournament as a member of the Boston Brigade as he has put up 15 points in 13 games.
 
His second most valuable asset is his face-off ability. It is vital for a centerman to be able to out match his counterparts in the face-off circle and Wallace most certainly can. This couples well with his special team versatility so whether you need to manufacture one more chance or send the puck down the ice to win the game, Wallace is going to be able to clutch up and win the draw so you can do just that.
 
His last strength that we have identified is skating and puck handling ability. The way he is able to move both on and off the puck makes him a nightmare for other teams deal with. He can break out of his on zone and breeze past defensemen but also bust a gut to back-check and thwart opposition attacks. These further aids his 200ft game and gives him a very good skill set.
 
Weaknesses
 
His main weakness is that he isn’t the most physical player. He lacks the upper body strength to be strong on the puck so he relies heavily on his skating and puck handling when trying to generate chances. This also contributes to him not laying very many checks on the opposition which can be problematic at times because sometimes the only option you have is to lay a hit and that’s not something the Wallace can do very well.
 
Despite not being a physical player, Wallace has a bit of a temper and likes to start fights and takes a lot of penalty minutes meaning that spends a lot of time on the penalty box rather than being out on the ice helping his team. He needs to learn to calm down and keep his head in the game so he doesn’t start to hinder his team.
 
Conclusion
 
So that conclude our scouting report on Fraser Wallace. Overall, we think he has the potential to go far in this league as long as he is able to sort those weakness. The question is which team is gonna be brave enough to take a chance on him.

its impossible to hit 99 scoring now? Also I feel like we are getting ripped off on the points we earn now. 1 tpe isnt worth 1 tpe anymore. Now the 12+ a week I earn is worth less than that. In this example below I have spent 675 TPA but am only get 277 of ACTUAL TPE used. wt actual f.
 

I’ve been salty about meta since the moment I even heard the word “meta,” and learning the history of discovering it and then the implementation of it made me want to vomit.
 
HOWEVER
 
Fuck the haters indeed. Vancouver legally put together a team that rather dominantly put together the second threepeat in league history. In such a manner that it changed the league forever. I didn’t like one moment of it, but I think it should still be celebrated and appreciated all the same.
 
Congrats Vancouver, you did good.  

What if: VHLM Expansion Teams
 

 
Hello everyone! Today I'll be writing about a What if scenario, this one being, What if there were teams added to the VHLM? What would it look like? How many teams would be added? Where would they be? All of these questions will be answered below so stick around and read up!   Expansion Team #1: Boston Brigade:   The first expansion team added in my opinion would be the Boston Brigade. The Brigade are currently a team in the JST, and transitioning them over to the VHLM would be fairly easy. You might be asking, why did I pick Boston? Well, this is why I picked Boston. First off, I was debating Chicago, Boston, or another city that is on the Eastern side of the United States of America. I didn't want to add another Canadian team in the league, since there are already four Canadian teams and I feel like that is already enough. When I think of the Brigade, I think of the term "minutemen" who were civilian colonists who independently formed militia in the civil war to fight against the British for our independence. Something about the logo gives me these vibes, and when I think of "minutemen" I immediately think of Boston, as the history of Boston and the Civil War makes sense to fit with the Brigade. The Boston Brigade would slot into the Eastern Conference, with the Philadelphia Reapers, Mississauga Hounds, Ottawa Lynx, Halifax 21st, and Miami Marauders. I also think the color scheme that the Brigade have, red, blue, and white, fit very well into the VHLM and that they'd be an instant hit in the league. Obviously, this is just my opinion, but if there was to be an expansion team, I'd love to see the Boston Brigade potentially become a thing!   Expansion Team #2: Seattle Steel:   The second expansion team that would be added would be the Seattle Steel. Just like the Brigade, the Steel are currently a team in the JST, and they've had fairly solid results over the past two tournaments that would warrant them potentially being moved to the VHLM. The city picked is Seattle, but it wasn't an easy pick for me like the Brigade. When I think of Steel, I immediately think of something like Detroit, or Chicago (there already is a Chicago Steel team in the USHL), but I needed a Western Conference team. I ended up having three options, St Louis, Minnesota, or Seattle. At the end of the day, I ended up picking Seattle just because of their location to Saskatoon and I feel like this could become an instant rivalry. Two of these teams are fairly close to each other and the Western Conference is super spread out, so I decided to give Saskatoon a buddy that is at least close to them. The Seattle Steel would slot into the Western Conference, with the Saskatoon Wild, Las Vegas Aces, San Diego Marlins, Mexico City Kings, and the Houston Bulls. On top of that, just like the Brigade, the Chicago Steel have a very unique color scheme, in orange, gray, and black, that is not used by another team in the league. I think adding this team into the VHLM would be a great idea, and it would give Saskatoon a close rival!   Conference Alignment:   This one is fairly easy on how the conferences align, but I'll list them below just in case you skipped over them in the Expansion Team paragraphs:   Western Conference:   Seattle Steel [NEW] Saskatoon Wild  Las Vegas Aces  San Diego Marlins  Mexico City Kings  Houston Bulls    Eastern Conference:   Boston Brigade [NEW]  Mississauga Hounds  Ottawa Lynx  Philadelphia Reapers  Miami Marauders  Halifax 21st    New Storylines:   Eastern Conference:   With the Seattle Steel and Boston Brigade being added to the league, there would be new story lines and rivalries being born. For the Eastern Conference, you would have a Reapers vs. Brigade rivalry, the battle of Boston vs Philadelphia, which would be an absolute great rivalry for a new team being added to the league. The Reapers have shown that they're not here to mess around in the VHLM and that they're a team that time and time again can be contenders. Now, match that with a new team coming into the league with a ton of promise, it's already a great rivalry being born. This also doesn't take into account the fact that you could have a Boston vs. Halifax rivalry in the fact that both of these teams are close to the coast, which could be a reason for a rivalry (who knows, kind of just grasping at straws here). The last rivalry I can think about is a 3v3 rivalry! Now in the Eastern Conference, you have three Canadian teams and three American teams, which could sprout it's own rivalry, in which some American/Canadian teams would root for their fellow friends in their country to take down the other country! I think it would be a super fun thing and very unique that you wouldn't be able to see anywhere else. These are just some of the ideas for rivalries, but I bet there are much more that would come out of this that isn't even geographical based.   Western Conference:   Next up, the Western Conference. With the Seattle Steel being added to the Western Conference, you would now have a rivalry between Saskatoon and Seattle, since they are the closest teams together geographically in this conference. I feel like Saskatoon is a little bit out of place and having a team close to them could really spark some sort of unique rivalry that I for sure would love to see. The next thing I could potentially see is a 2v2v2 rivalry between Seattle+Saskatoon, Las Vegas+San Diego, and Mexico+Houston. This would be a little farfetched and probably wouldn't happen in a sports setting, but it would be pretty funny to see something like this happen, though the odds are pretty low. The last rivalry I could see that is a little funny, is the battle of the teams based in cities starting with a S and the rest of the conference. On one side, you would have Seattle, Saskatoon, and San Diego all rooting for each other up against Las Vegas, Mexico City, and Houston. Again, like the last one, this is a little farfetched and wouldn't happen in a sports setting, but it would be hilarious to see and I would love to see what would come out of it!   Closing Thoughts:   At the end of the day, there currently isn't a reason to expand the VHLM. I wanted to write something unique and fun this week and I thought you guys would enjoy something that most people probably wouldn't write about. What do you guys think though, do you think my points are valid? If there was to be expansion teams, could you see the Seattle Steel and Boston Brigade potentially becoming a reality, or do you guys think there are better teams suited for the job? Let me know down below and I'd love to hear your thoughts!

(Sorry in advance for the shear size of this thing)
 
Introduction
 
Hello everyone, I am Hoopydog (or just Hoopy for short is fine) and I am the user behind the retiring Artair McCloud. This was my first proper go at the VHL universe and since I love a good player review, I thought it would be only fitting to take a look at how my first player got on and find out whether it was a success or not.
Early Days
 
When Artair McCloud entered into the league, it was past the trade deadline and therefore he couldn’t be signed to any VHLM team until after the draft. This dealt a blow to his chances of being drafted high up the draft because he had missed out on a few weeks of high TPE earnings but also the chance to join a locker room and get his name known around the league. There were only 2 minor league teams that contacted him before the draft and they were the Miami Marauders and the Las Vegas Aces. It would end up being GM Spartan that got his man with the 43rd pick of the draft. He felt at home in Vegas. It had everyone you could want as a player. A vibrant locker room to keep you engaged, a team with great quality capable of winning things and a management team to help steer you in the right direction.
 
VHLM – Regular Season
 
His VHLM career stats weren’t the best, let’s not beat around the bus they were pretty bad. In his 1st season on the Aces, he put up a measly 11 points in a full 72 game season. It might be worth noting that he played minimal ice time given strength of the team. I knew I’d get my time in the sun but for now my job was to play support and that’s what I was gonna do.
In his 2nd season he performed better, not to the standards he had hoped but it was still an improvement. This time he put up 48 points in 72 games scoring 28 goals as well so a decent showing from the young forward. That season again playing a very good team did limit his ice time in some aspects as trades for Dan Dan and Jordan Tate were both made to try and give the team the best chance at playoff glory. Something of note from this season was that he scored 13 Powerplay goals meaning just under half of his goal tally came with a man advantage
So overall his VHLM stats were: GP – 144 G – 34 A – 25 P – 59
 
VHLM – Playoffs
 
It seems that, over the course of his career, McCloud showed himself to be more of a playoff player than a regular season guy despite never winning a VHL or VHLM playoff championship (Spoiler Alert) his numbers and performances just always seemed better. He put up 3 points in 12 playoff games in that 1st season which doesn’t seem like much but it is a big improvement (in terms of points per game) compared to his regular season. The Aces breezed past Mexico City in the first round but were taken and beaten in 7 games by the underdogs in Miami, who went on to win the whole damn thing. Still not over it.
In the 2nd season he put in a much better performance in the playoffs. He played the same number of game but this time put up 10 points for the Aces. In that run, they took the Saskatoon Wild to seven games but then fell to Mexico City in the following round meaning that McCloud’s VHLM career ended without a cup win.
So overall his VHLM playoff stats were: GP – 24 G – 6 A – 7 P – 13
 
He definitely wasn’t a stand out in the minor league but he did do enough to attract quite a few teams interested in the taking him in the draft.
 
Taking The Next Step
 
The S75 draft was absolutely stacked and McCloud was on a lot of teams list as a potential steal later on in the draft. No one really knew where he would go in the draft but it was thought he would go as a late 2nd or early 3rd rounder. Out of all the teams that expressed interest in McCloud, it looked like it was going to be either the Vancouver Wolves or the Riga Reign that would be the most likely to pick him up. As the picks entered the twenties, I started to get a bit a nervous as it was nearing closer to my predicted position and when the Vancouver Wolves select Sheldon Juniper with 23rd overall pick, I knew my home was going to be Riga. GM Hedge selected me with the 28th overall pick in the draft along with a few of my Vegas team mates. It was always going to be difficult to find my place and stand on my own on the Riga roster since they had just drafted 9 prospects in the first 2 rounds of that draft which included the likes of Cabe McJake, Adison McLaren, Sirkants Klamasteris, Justin Lose and Linus Zetterstrom. The hype around this team, especially after a couple of seasons and we were all 700 TPE+ was immense and it was frustrating that we just didn’t win anything. Out of the 5 season I played with Riga, we only made to the playoffs twice. I never won a VHL playoff round in my career but that wasn’t for a lack of trying. I ended up going IA for a little while and during that time my contract with Riga expired. I was picked up as a free agent by the D.C. Dragons and it was there that I would have my best season as a player, playing as a defenseman.
 
VHL – Regular Season
 
It took McCloud a few seasons to adapt to the speed of the VHL and to start to produce semi-decent numbers. In his debut season McCloud put up 40 points in 72 games played, scoring 19 goals in his debut campaign. Due to the nature of the Riga roster, the time was split pretty evenly amongst the prospects but 40 points is ok for a rookie. Not amazing but not terrible either. The 2nd season wasn’t much better, his points tally went up to 48 points and scoring and extra 3 goals. He played similar minutes to the previous season but some of the other players on the roster gained a lot more ice-time, leading to them having larger points totals and I noticed I was again starting to play that support role like I did when I was in Vegas.
In his 3rd season with the Reign, Artair had a bit of jump in his production on the team. He put up 30 goals and 66 points in that season, mainly due to the fact that he was playing about an extra 6/7 minutes a night. Some random stats from that season, he took 441 shots, scored 10 times on the powerplay and he also scored a short-handed goal. The following 2 seasons, he had the same sort of level of production, with his eclipsing the 30-goal mark and scoring 70 and 72 points respectively.
He played 1 season for the D.C. Dragons in which he hit a career high 92 playing as a defenseman. He was also nominated and won some unofficial VHL awards that season, a somewhat highlight of his playing career
I don’t really have much more to say about my last few seasons at Riga nor my season playing for D.C. as this was around the time, I went IA and it doesn’t feel right to comment on them since I don’t really know what happened. I enjoyed my time at Riga and the locker room was amazing to be apart of even though we were one of the most cursed teams in modern VHL times.
His VHL regular season stats ended as follows: GP – 432 G – 164 A – 224 P – 388
 
VHL - Playoffs
 
There isn’t really a whole lot to talk about when it comes to McCloud’s VHL playoffs since he only took part in 2 playoffs series and lost them both #blamesimon. McCloud would continue as being more of a playoff player. In S76, he got his first taste of playoff experience and he would be able to shine as he was joint team top scorer with 3 points despite averaging 12 less minutes a night than the teammates, he shared top spot with. In S79 he claimed the top spot in team point scoring all for himself, putting up 7 points in 5 games. This was unfortunately not enough to help push his team over the line and he lost yet another playoff series.
So, after those 2 playoff attempts his stats were: GP – 9 G – 4 A – 6 P – 10
 
The Last Dance
 
When I came back to the league, I decided that since I only had one more season left that I want to go for a cup. So, when Rome GM Rockstar asked me if I wanted to play for the Gladiators in my final season, I said yes. (Sidenote: This led to possible my most notable moment as a VHL member to date, there was an issue because I had been IA that I was contracted still to D.C. so I was still their player. A big thank you to GM Enorama for letting my play for Rome in my final year). I was gunning for that cup but I also wanted to show everyone what McCloud was capable off, even if it was in the VHLE. He was the top defensemen in the VHLE this season and he finally achieved what he had sought after his entire career, a playoff championship. We had assembled a great team here in Rome with the likes of Pekko Viitanen, Drakon Zabastovka and Boris Tsezar at all ends of the ice.. A big thank you to all my teammates in Rome for helping me go out with a bang… WE DID IT!!!!
 
VHLE – Regular Season
 
McCloud had a stormer of a season playing on Rome. As one of their marquee signings, he had a duty to perform at the highest level for his team and he did just that. He put up a staggering 91 points and claimed his spot as the top defensemen in the VHLE that season. This was a monumental achievement as he now stood alone as the best Dman in the VHLE.
That season’s stats were: GP – 72 G – 22 A – 66 P – 91
 
VHLE – Playoffs
 
This playoffs run was about getting over the line, no matter if he scored 1 point or 20. As long as he got to hoist the cup, that’s what mattered. He scored 10 points in Rome’s playoff run contributing 3 goals to their tally. He also put up a man of the match performance in Game 5 of the finals having a hand in all 3 goals, in a 3-2 win of Cologne to help keep that dream alive.
His playoffs stats for the run were: GP – 12 G – 3 A – 7 P – 10
 
Conclusion
 
Well, that was a very long rabble but it was nice to go through and see just what I was able to achieve with my first player in the VHL. In case you didn’t know, I have re-created and my new player is Fraser Wallace and I’m hoping that I will be able to use all the knowledge I have gained from my first player and take the VHL by storm this time round.
 
P.S. I was really close to hitting the 2000-word mark so I’m just gonna tell some of my other memorable moments from my first player in the VHL. During one of the VHL charity streams, I was last in nearly all of the marble races which is just absurd considering that game is literally all chance. Another being that everyone seemed to like the name of my player, I think in the creation thread someone made a comment about it being one of the best names in the draft.
 
2030 words

(Sorry in advance for the shear size of this thing)
 
Introduction
 
Hello everyone, I am Hoopydog (or just Hoopy for short is fine) and I am the user behind the retiring Artair McCloud. This was my first proper go at the VHL universe and since I love a good player review, I thought it would be only fitting to take a look at how my first player got on and find out whether it was a success or not.
Early Days
 
When Artair McCloud entered into the league, it was past the trade deadline and therefore he couldn’t be signed to any VHLM team until after the draft. This dealt a blow to his chances of being drafted high up the draft because he had missed out on a few weeks of high TPE earnings but also the chance to join a locker room and get his name known around the league. There were only 2 minor league teams that contacted him before the draft and they were the Miami Marauders and the Las Vegas Aces. It would end up being GM Spartan that got his man with the 43rd pick of the draft. He felt at home in Vegas. It had everyone you could want as a player. A vibrant locker room to keep you engaged, a team with great quality capable of winning things and a management team to help steer you in the right direction.
 
VHLM – Regular Season
 
His VHLM career stats weren’t the best, let’s not beat around the bus they were pretty bad. In his 1st season on the Aces, he put up a measly 11 points in a full 72 game season. It might be worth noting that he played minimal ice time given strength of the team. I knew I’d get my time in the sun but for now my job was to play support and that’s what I was gonna do.
In his 2nd season he performed better, not to the standards he had hoped but it was still an improvement. This time he put up 48 points in 72 games scoring 28 goals as well so a decent showing from the young forward. That season again playing a very good team did limit his ice time in some aspects as trades for Dan Dan and Jordan Tate were both made to try and give the team the best chance at playoff glory. Something of note from this season was that he scored 13 Powerplay goals meaning just under half of his goal tally came with a man advantage
So overall his VHLM stats were: GP – 144 G – 34 A – 25 P – 59
 
VHLM – Playoffs
 
It seems that, over the course of his career, McCloud showed himself to be more of a playoff player than a regular season guy despite never winning a VHL or VHLM playoff championship (Spoiler Alert) his numbers and performances just always seemed better. He put up 3 points in 12 playoff games in that 1st season which doesn’t seem like much but it is a big improvement (in terms of points per game) compared to his regular season. The Aces breezed past Mexico City in the first round but were taken and beaten in 7 games by the underdogs in Miami, who went on to win the whole damn thing. Still not over it.
In the 2nd season he put in a much better performance in the playoffs. He played the same number of game but this time put up 10 points for the Aces. In that run, they took the Saskatoon Wild to seven games but then fell to Mexico City in the following round meaning that McCloud’s VHLM career ended without a cup win.
So overall his VHLM playoff stats were: GP – 24 G – 6 A – 7 P – 13
 
He definitely wasn’t a stand out in the minor league but he did do enough to attract quite a few teams interested in the taking him in the draft.
 
Taking The Next Step
 
The S75 draft was absolutely stacked and McCloud was on a lot of teams list as a potential steal later on in the draft. No one really knew where he would go in the draft but it was thought he would go as a late 2nd or early 3rd rounder. Out of all the teams that expressed interest in McCloud, it looked like it was going to be either the Vancouver Wolves or the Riga Reign that would be the most likely to pick him up. As the picks entered the twenties, I started to get a bit a nervous as it was nearing closer to my predicted position and when the Vancouver Wolves select Sheldon Juniper with 23rd overall pick, I knew my home was going to be Riga. GM Hedge selected me with the 28th overall pick in the draft along with a few of my Vegas team mates. It was always going to be difficult to find my place and stand on my own on the Riga roster since they had just drafted 9 prospects in the first 2 rounds of that draft which included the likes of Cabe McJake, Adison McLaren, Sirkants Klamasteris, Justin Lose and Linus Zetterstrom. The hype around this team, especially after a couple of seasons and we were all 700 TPE+ was immense and it was frustrating that we just didn’t win anything. Out of the 5 season I played with Riga, we only made to the playoffs twice. I never won a VHL playoff round in my career but that wasn’t for a lack of trying. I ended up going IA for a little while and during that time my contract with Riga expired. I was picked up as a free agent by the D.C. Dragons and it was there that I would have my best season as a player, playing as a defenseman.
 
VHL – Regular Season
 
It took McCloud a few seasons to adapt to the speed of the VHL and to start to produce semi-decent numbers. In his debut season McCloud put up 40 points in 72 games played, scoring 19 goals in his debut campaign. Due to the nature of the Riga roster, the time was split pretty evenly amongst the prospects but 40 points is ok for a rookie. Not amazing but not terrible either. The 2nd season wasn’t much better, his points tally went up to 48 points and scoring and extra 3 goals. He played similar minutes to the previous season but some of the other players on the roster gained a lot more ice-time, leading to them having larger points totals and I noticed I was again starting to play that support role like I did when I was in Vegas.
In his 3rd season with the Reign, Artair had a bit of jump in his production on the team. He put up 30 goals and 66 points in that season, mainly due to the fact that he was playing about an extra 6/7 minutes a night. Some random stats from that season, he took 441 shots, scored 10 times on the powerplay and he also scored a short-handed goal. The following 2 seasons, he had the same sort of level of production, with his eclipsing the 30-goal mark and scoring 70 and 72 points respectively.
He played 1 season for the D.C. Dragons in which he hit a career high 92 playing as a defenseman. He was also nominated and won some unofficial VHL awards that season, a somewhat highlight of his playing career
I don’t really have much more to say about my last few seasons at Riga nor my season playing for D.C. as this was around the time, I went IA and it doesn’t feel right to comment on them since I don’t really know what happened. I enjoyed my time at Riga and the locker room was amazing to be apart of even though we were one of the most cursed teams in modern VHL times.
His VHL regular season stats ended as follows: GP – 432 G – 164 A – 224 P – 388
 
VHL - Playoffs
 
There isn’t really a whole lot to talk about when it comes to McCloud’s VHL playoffs since he only took part in 2 playoffs series and lost them both #blamesimon. McCloud would continue as being more of a playoff player. In S76, he got his first taste of playoff experience and he would be able to shine as he was joint team top scorer with 3 points despite averaging 12 less minutes a night than the teammates, he shared top spot with. In S79 he claimed the top spot in team point scoring all for himself, putting up 7 points in 5 games. This was unfortunately not enough to help push his team over the line and he lost yet another playoff series.
So, after those 2 playoff attempts his stats were: GP – 9 G – 4 A – 6 P – 10
 
The Last Dance
 
When I came back to the league, I decided that since I only had one more season left that I want to go for a cup. So, when Rome GM Rockstar asked me if I wanted to play for the Gladiators in my final season, I said yes. (Sidenote: This led to possible my most notable moment as a VHL member to date, there was an issue because I had been IA that I was contracted still to D.C. so I was still their player. A big thank you to GM Enorama for letting my play for Rome in my final year). I was gunning for that cup but I also wanted to show everyone what McCloud was capable off, even if it was in the VHLE. He was the top defensemen in the VHLE this season and he finally achieved what he had sought after his entire career, a playoff championship. We had assembled a great team here in Rome with the likes of Pekko Viitanen, Drakon Zabastovka and Boris Tsezar at all ends of the ice.. A big thank you to all my teammates in Rome for helping me go out with a bang… WE DID IT!!!!
 
VHLE – Regular Season
 
McCloud had a stormer of a season playing on Rome. As one of their marquee signings, he had a duty to perform at the highest level for his team and he did just that. He put up a staggering 91 points and claimed his spot as the top defensemen in the VHLE that season. This was a monumental achievement as he now stood alone as the best Dman in the VHLE.
That season’s stats were: GP – 72 G – 22 A – 66 P – 91
 
VHLE – Playoffs
 
This playoffs run was about getting over the line, no matter if he scored 1 point or 20. As long as he got to hoist the cup, that’s what mattered. He scored 10 points in Rome’s playoff run contributing 3 goals to their tally. He also put up a man of the match performance in Game 5 of the finals having a hand in all 3 goals, in a 3-2 win of Cologne to help keep that dream alive.
His playoffs stats for the run were: GP – 12 G – 3 A – 7 P – 10
 
Conclusion
 
Well, that was a very long rabble but it was nice to go through and see just what I was able to achieve with my first player in the VHL. In case you didn’t know, I have re-created and my new player is Fraser Wallace and I’m hoping that I will be able to use all the knowledge I have gained from my first player and take the VHL by storm this time round.
 
P.S. I was really close to hitting the 2000-word mark so I’m just gonna tell some of my other memorable moments from my first player in the VHL. During one of the VHL charity streams, I was last in nearly all of the marble races which is just absurd considering that game is literally all chance. Another being that everyone seemed to like the name of my player, I think in the creation thread someone made a comment about it being one of the best names in the draft.
 
2030 words

(Sorry in advance for the shear size of this thing)
 
Introduction
 
Hello everyone, I am Hoopydog (or just Hoopy for short is fine) and I am the user behind the retiring Artair McCloud. This was my first proper go at the VHL universe and since I love a good player review, I thought it would be only fitting to take a look at how my first player got on and find out whether it was a success or not.
Early Days
 
When Artair McCloud entered into the league, it was past the trade deadline and therefore he couldn’t be signed to any VHLM team until after the draft. This dealt a blow to his chances of being drafted high up the draft because he had missed out on a few weeks of high TPE earnings but also the chance to join a locker room and get his name known around the league. There were only 2 minor league teams that contacted him before the draft and they were the Miami Marauders and the Las Vegas Aces. It would end up being GM Spartan that got his man with the 43rd pick of the draft. He felt at home in Vegas. It had everyone you could want as a player. A vibrant locker room to keep you engaged, a team with great quality capable of winning things and a management team to help steer you in the right direction.
 
VHLM – Regular Season
 
His VHLM career stats weren’t the best, let’s not beat around the bus they were pretty bad. In his 1st season on the Aces, he put up a measly 11 points in a full 72 game season. It might be worth noting that he played minimal ice time given strength of the team. I knew I’d get my time in the sun but for now my job was to play support and that’s what I was gonna do.
In his 2nd season he performed better, not to the standards he had hoped but it was still an improvement. This time he put up 48 points in 72 games scoring 28 goals as well so a decent showing from the young forward. That season again playing a very good team did limit his ice time in some aspects as trades for Dan Dan and Jordan Tate were both made to try and give the team the best chance at playoff glory. Something of note from this season was that he scored 13 Powerplay goals meaning just under half of his goal tally came with a man advantage
So overall his VHLM stats were: GP – 144 G – 34 A – 25 P – 59
 
VHLM – Playoffs
 
It seems that, over the course of his career, McCloud showed himself to be more of a playoff player than a regular season guy despite never winning a VHL or VHLM playoff championship (Spoiler Alert) his numbers and performances just always seemed better. He put up 3 points in 12 playoff games in that 1st season which doesn’t seem like much but it is a big improvement (in terms of points per game) compared to his regular season. The Aces breezed past Mexico City in the first round but were taken and beaten in 7 games by the underdogs in Miami, who went on to win the whole damn thing. Still not over it.
In the 2nd season he put in a much better performance in the playoffs. He played the same number of game but this time put up 10 points for the Aces. In that run, they took the Saskatoon Wild to seven games but then fell to Mexico City in the following round meaning that McCloud’s VHLM career ended without a cup win.
So overall his VHLM playoff stats were: GP – 24 G – 6 A – 7 P – 13
 
He definitely wasn’t a stand out in the minor league but he did do enough to attract quite a few teams interested in the taking him in the draft.
 
Taking The Next Step
 
The S75 draft was absolutely stacked and McCloud was on a lot of teams list as a potential steal later on in the draft. No one really knew where he would go in the draft but it was thought he would go as a late 2nd or early 3rd rounder. Out of all the teams that expressed interest in McCloud, it looked like it was going to be either the Vancouver Wolves or the Riga Reign that would be the most likely to pick him up. As the picks entered the twenties, I started to get a bit a nervous as it was nearing closer to my predicted position and when the Vancouver Wolves select Sheldon Juniper with 23rd overall pick, I knew my home was going to be Riga. GM Hedge selected me with the 28th overall pick in the draft along with a few of my Vegas team mates. It was always going to be difficult to find my place and stand on my own on the Riga roster since they had just drafted 9 prospects in the first 2 rounds of that draft which included the likes of Cabe McJake, Adison McLaren, Sirkants Klamasteris, Justin Lose and Linus Zetterstrom. The hype around this team, especially after a couple of seasons and we were all 700 TPE+ was immense and it was frustrating that we just didn’t win anything. Out of the 5 season I played with Riga, we only made to the playoffs twice. I never won a VHL playoff round in my career but that wasn’t for a lack of trying. I ended up going IA for a little while and during that time my contract with Riga expired. I was picked up as a free agent by the D.C. Dragons and it was there that I would have my best season as a player, playing as a defenseman.
 
VHL – Regular Season
 
It took McCloud a few seasons to adapt to the speed of the VHL and to start to produce semi-decent numbers. In his debut season McCloud put up 40 points in 72 games played, scoring 19 goals in his debut campaign. Due to the nature of the Riga roster, the time was split pretty evenly amongst the prospects but 40 points is ok for a rookie. Not amazing but not terrible either. The 2nd season wasn’t much better, his points tally went up to 48 points and scoring and extra 3 goals. He played similar minutes to the previous season but some of the other players on the roster gained a lot more ice-time, leading to them having larger points totals and I noticed I was again starting to play that support role like I did when I was in Vegas.
In his 3rd season with the Reign, Artair had a bit of jump in his production on the team. He put up 30 goals and 66 points in that season, mainly due to the fact that he was playing about an extra 6/7 minutes a night. Some random stats from that season, he took 441 shots, scored 10 times on the powerplay and he also scored a short-handed goal. The following 2 seasons, he had the same sort of level of production, with his eclipsing the 30-goal mark and scoring 70 and 72 points respectively.
He played 1 season for the D.C. Dragons in which he hit a career high 92 playing as a defenseman. He was also nominated and won some unofficial VHL awards that season, a somewhat highlight of his playing career
I don’t really have much more to say about my last few seasons at Riga nor my season playing for D.C. as this was around the time, I went IA and it doesn’t feel right to comment on them since I don’t really know what happened. I enjoyed my time at Riga and the locker room was amazing to be apart of even though we were one of the most cursed teams in modern VHL times.
His VHL regular season stats ended as follows: GP – 432 G – 164 A – 224 P – 388
 
VHL - Playoffs
 
There isn’t really a whole lot to talk about when it comes to McCloud’s VHL playoffs since he only took part in 2 playoffs series and lost them both #blamesimon. McCloud would continue as being more of a playoff player. In S76, he got his first taste of playoff experience and he would be able to shine as he was joint team top scorer with 3 points despite averaging 12 less minutes a night than the teammates, he shared top spot with. In S79 he claimed the top spot in team point scoring all for himself, putting up 7 points in 5 games. This was unfortunately not enough to help push his team over the line and he lost yet another playoff series.
So, after those 2 playoff attempts his stats were: GP – 9 G – 4 A – 6 P – 10
 
The Last Dance
 
When I came back to the league, I decided that since I only had one more season left that I want to go for a cup. So, when Rome GM Rockstar asked me if I wanted to play for the Gladiators in my final season, I said yes. (Sidenote: This led to possible my most notable moment as a VHL member to date, there was an issue because I had been IA that I was contracted still to D.C. so I was still their player. A big thank you to GM Enorama for letting my play for Rome in my final year). I was gunning for that cup but I also wanted to show everyone what McCloud was capable off, even if it was in the VHLE. He was the top defensemen in the VHLE this season and he finally achieved what he had sought after his entire career, a playoff championship. We had assembled a great team here in Rome with the likes of Pekko Viitanen, Drakon Zabastovka and Boris Tsezar at all ends of the ice.. A big thank you to all my teammates in Rome for helping me go out with a bang… WE DID IT!!!!
 
VHLE – Regular Season
 
McCloud had a stormer of a season playing on Rome. As one of their marquee signings, he had a duty to perform at the highest level for his team and he did just that. He put up a staggering 91 points and claimed his spot as the top defensemen in the VHLE that season. This was a monumental achievement as he now stood alone as the best Dman in the VHLE.
That season’s stats were: GP – 72 G – 22 A – 66 P – 91
 
VHLE – Playoffs
 
This playoffs run was about getting over the line, no matter if he scored 1 point or 20. As long as he got to hoist the cup, that’s what mattered. He scored 10 points in Rome’s playoff run contributing 3 goals to their tally. He also put up a man of the match performance in Game 5 of the finals having a hand in all 3 goals, in a 3-2 win of Cologne to help keep that dream alive.
His playoffs stats for the run were: GP – 12 G – 3 A – 7 P – 10
 
Conclusion
 
Well, that was a very long rabble but it was nice to go through and see just what I was able to achieve with my first player in the VHL. In case you didn’t know, I have re-created and my new player is Fraser Wallace and I’m hoping that I will be able to use all the knowledge I have gained from my first player and take the VHL by storm this time round.
 
P.S. I was really close to hitting the 2000-word mark so I’m just gonna tell some of my other memorable moments from my first player in the VHL. During one of the VHL charity streams, I was last in nearly all of the marble races which is just absurd considering that game is literally all chance. Another being that everyone seemed to like the name of my player, I think in the creation thread someone made a comment about it being one of the best names in the draft.
 
2030 words

Nice job on this media spot! You do a really good job of breaking up the text and spacing it out which makes it a lot easier to read. Having the all the different graphics for the different awards is a really cool touch and they work we as secondary headings. I would maybe make the main paragraph text a little bit bigger to make that but more easy to read. All in all, great job! 9/10

Hybrid Attributes and You: The New Meta
 
OR
 
How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Clap Bombs
 
It's in the news everywhere. CNN. The Washington Post. The BBC. The Atlantic. Vanity Fair. Rolling Stone. Better Homes and Gardens.
 
That's right: Hybrid Attributes. Simon T has made passing so pathetic that without intervention, it will get gangrene and fall off. Rather than raise a measly $500 000 and hire a small company to develop their own simulator, with logic and a less obnoxious creator (if you don't believe me, look at anything Simon T has ever said on his forums), Head Office has decided to implement a total restructuring of the attributes that you, the taxpayer, can spend your hard-earned TPE. It's a classic case of government overreach, just like public schools, the EPA, the IRS and driver's licenses. What's next - a license to make toast in your own damn toaster?
 
Unfortunately, for strong, liberty-oriented men like you and me, the voters have become so accustomed to suckling on the government teat, that this injustice is unlikely to be reverted any time soon. With that in mind, here is a guide to building a strong, masculine player to dominate the bleeding hearts on the ice and the scoreboard.
 
Underlying Attributes to Maximize
Faceoffs - There is no greater flex than literally winning every faceoff. Imagine the dismay on your opponent's face when he knows in his bleeding heart that you are going to begin every play with possession. Every time you skate into the circle, you cooly slide that puck on back to your defense with as much ease as a bowel movement, at least if you're eating Mongoose87 brand Testosterone Prunes (link in the signature). What? You don't play center? Center is a man's position, get the hell out of my guide.
 
Strength - When I played in beer league, my muscles were literally too big. I had to order custom sized pads in order to fit them over my chest and arms. As a result, anyone who came near me ended up on their ass, and I kept the damn puck. Even after I was expelled from the league, because three goalies elbowed in the head is supposedly too much to be a series of accidents, I kept the damn puck. All the damn pucks. I grabbed the bag and ran, and my best friend owns the only sporting goods store in town, so now those chumps have to order their pucks online. Imagine having a hockey league and not being able to buy pucks! What a bunch of chumps.
 
What was my point? Just be fucking strong.
 
Penalty Shot - Any guy with the kind of strength and masculinity you're going to have if you follow this guide (and eat your Mongoose87 Testosterone Prunes, don't forget, link in the signature) is going to draw a lot of penalties, stick infractions to be specific. Don't be surprised if every Tom, Dick and Harry is constantly looking for the chance to sneak their stick into your skates, or break your custom shop synthetic stick with a quick slash. It comes with the territory, kid. They're jealous of us and they can't even pull themselves up by the own bootstraps and become real hockey players. As a result, expect to lead the league in penalty shots every year.
 
For most players, penalty shots are pretty well a toss up. Not for us. Scoring 70% or more on penalty shots is a major power move.
 
Puck Handling - I know what you're thinking - this is for soft Russians who would rather do ballet on ice than throw a check. I don't dispute that. However, as we already discussed, passing is like deliberately contracting the clap, and the doctor tells me I'm in serious trouble if I get that again. That means you're going to possess the puck. A lot. (Side note for any men currently going through a divorce make sure you only possess the puck physically, not legally. My ex-wife didn't get a single one of my pucks in the settlement.) Unless you want to dump and chase like some kind of socialist, you're going to carry the puck everywhere, like a man who values his rights.
 
Shooting - The truest of power moves is the slap shot. Its mere sound intimidates lesser males. I use a slap shot any chance I get. I don't give a shit about league rules, I'm winding that shit up and clapping it. I even introduced the slap shot to my baseball league, a first in sporting history.
 
Underlying Attributes to Avoid
Skating - As we established you're going to be big, strong and constantly in possession of the puck. Then, I ask you, why are you wasting your pressure bodily fluids sweating from skating hard? That's half a step away from dump and chase, you commie. We put our work in before we step in the ice, by bulking and eating plenty of Mongoose87 Testosterone Prunes (link in the signature). We don't need to skate fast or hard. We're already hard.
 
Defense - You're already possessing the puck off of every faceoff. You're never getting knocked off the puck. You're clapping huge bombs that score every time - when they don't slash you and give you an easy penalty shot. So, tell me, why should you waste what little TPE you have, after the greedy taxman has snatched a cut, on learning something you're never going to use? Just stay the hell away from this money pit.
 
Leadership - Real leaders lead by example and by putting weak chumps in their place. If your teammates are looking to you for a brave speech, tell them to shut up and eat their prunes. If watching your muscle-bound ass score at will isn't enough to inspire them, they're a lost cause.
 
Passing - Imagine you're on an Alaskan cruise. You've just been given your last warning for using one of the ten firearms you exercised your right to smuggle aboard to shoot whales. Your heartless bitch of a wife is spending every waking moment with that Italian Pilates instructor. You've been banned from the casino for setting up a competing roulette wheel at the pool (so much for the free market). There's been a recall on the mussels and the kitchen staff will not let you exercise your right to ignore that recall. You've broken into the kitchen at 2:00am and fried up your own batch, just to show them. Twenty minutes later, you're puking up the mussels, your whisky and the emergency gold nugget you swallow, just in case. That's passing.
 
High Priority Hybrid Attributes to Focus On
Slap Shot - This one is a no brainer. Two of my favorite attributes, in one place - this is gold. Pump this one sky high.
 
Wrist Shot - Scoring and penalty shot, perfect. Though I am leery of the prospect of taking a wrist shot, instead of a manly slap shot, you can't discount how important it is to raise your Penalty Shot rating.
 
Faceoffs - This one is another gold bar, boosting both Faceoffs and Strength. This might be the most masculine Hybrid Attribute there is. I'm giving this attribute my Mongoose87 Golden Prune award for manliness. If you have TPE, get it in here.
 
Deals With the Devil - Hybrid Attributes That Mostly Increase Good Attributes
 
Stick Handling and Deking - I know what you're thinking. These increase Skating and Defense, two of the attributes I specifically told you weren't worth your time. However, if we ignore my concerns and use math (despite being invented by Isaac Newton, a British virgin), we discover that they increase Stick Handling three and two times as much. So, like me ignoring that the AK-47s I purchased were invented and manufactured by damned communists, we ignore the downsides to get our guns.
 
Offensive Vision - I hate to recommend anything that increases passing so much. It's like finding out your Mongoose87 Testosterone Prunes have been switched out for a batch of bad mussels spiked with a heavy dose of a sedative, so that your wife's lawyer can secure your gold bars, preventing you from hiding them before the divorce proceedings. It's that bad. But if you're going to get your scoring high enough to clap serious bombs, you're just going to have to eat those mussels. My advice? Make yourself puke right afterwards.
 
Stick Checking - This one just barely made it on here, just like I can barely stand to show a driver's licence issued by the illegitimate tyrants at the MTO. But, if you want to be so the strongest man on the ice, sometimes you have to suck it up and present that disgusting little piece of plastic.
 
Hybrid Attributes to Avoid
Passing - Passing ruined football and it will ruin you. This pointless hybrid attribute only increases that underlying plague. Stay the hell away, bub!
 
Speed - A hybrid attribute that only increases skating? Why not just burn all of your money? At least that will keep your house warm. Don't ask to get gangrene.
 
Poise - A tiny bit of leadership and a lot of discipline. Discipline is for pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and for painstaking painting tiny models of the Army of Northern Virginia. Not for hockey. Real men show dominance on the ice, not restraint. You already know what I think of leadership.
 
Defensive Coverage - This attribute increases Defense and Skating, two attributes so putrid, I'm surprised Head Office's nanny state hasn't banned them, yet. Invest in this if you want to be the kind of guy that guys like me run over. On the ice, I mean.
 
 
There it is, folks. With this keen advice, before you know it, they'll be looking for reasons to nerf these new stats. Remember, they're constantly looking for reasons to put successful men like you and me down. That's what the government is there for.
 
 And while we're here, stop banking TPE for regression. You can't trust banks with your hard earned money. Invest in gold. 
 
WORD COUNT: 1664
Claiming for: Weeks ending March 20, March 27, April 3

S82 Philadelphia Reapers Awards Show
 
Introduction:
 
Good Afternoon my fellow VHLers! I've been tasked with hosting the Reapers Awards for Season 82 and I'm thankful for the opportunity. Before we start this ceremony, I'd like to thank @Masu Chan for a fantastic first season as the GM for the Philadelphia Reapers. He did an amazing job and I couldn't have asked for anyone else to be under as an Assistant, hopefully there's more years to come! I would also like to thank former Reapers General Manager @KaleebtheMighty for the banners used in these awards. As a reminder, even if you aren't nominated for an award, you were an important part to this team's success this season. Despite us getting bounced in the second round, we had an amazing season and it's nothing to be ashamed of. Let's get this show underway with the first award!
 
The Reserve Reaper Award
 

 
The first award we'll be handing out is the Reserve Reaper award. This said award is given to the Reaper who excelled at a limited bottom six role for the Reapers. They might've not had the most ice time, but their numbers and stat-lines showed that they have a bright future ahead of them!
 
The nominees for this award are: Gus Bentley, Budnik McDangle, and Chikeli Cholo!
 
The winner of the Reserve Reaper Award is: Chikeli Cholo, @bobikeb! Congratulations!
 
The Risible Reaper Award
 

 
The next award we have is the Risible Reaper award. This award is given to the Reaper who is seen by most as the Locker Room leader. They don't need to be the Captain, or the Alternate captain, however they always seem to take the lead and work to lift the spirits up of their fellow teammates. Even if they weren't wearing the "C" on their jersey, their destiny will be to wear one in the future, regardless of what team.
 
The nominees for this award are: Red Gaming, Siyan Yasilievich, and Gus Bentley!
 
The winner of the Risible Reaper Award is: Siyan Yasilievich, @badcolethetitan! Congraulations!
 
The Rough Reaper Award
 

 
The third award we'll be handing out today is the Rough Reaper award. The Rough Reaper award is given to the Reaper who isn't afraid to get to the dirty areas and throw hits on the ice. They're also known to stand up for the superstars on the team, something every team needs!
 
The nominees for this award are: Bobby Rockwell, Orr, and Ammon Tutankhamun!
 
The winner of the Rough Reaper Award is: Bobby Rockwell, @Kairi! Congratulations and thanks for sticking up for our teammates!
 
The Resilient Reaper Award
 

 
The fourth and second to last award we'll be handing out today is the Resilient Reaper award. This award is handed to a player who played the best in high pressure situations. It didn't matter if it was Game 7 of the Finals, or a normal regular season game, this player always had a cool head and performed when the team needed them most. They often ended up playing the most minutes and even if their points don't reflect how well they played, they still were a massive part of this team's success.
 
The nominees for this award are: Red Gaming, Dylan Powers, and Eldon Escobar.
 
The winner of the Resilient Reaper Award is: Red Gaming, @Lilpfigher! Congratulations!
 
The Righteous Reaper Award
 

 
The last and final award to hand out this season is the Righteous Reaper award. This award goes to the player that produced the most on the team, and played a massive part in the team's success throughout the entire season.
 
The nominees for this award are: Siyan Yasilievich, Sebastian Dokis, and Bob Chicoine.
 
The winner of the Righteous Reaper Award is: Sebastian Dokis, @Sebastien! Congratulations!
 
 
Closing Statement and Thanks:
 
That'll be the end of the award show for this season. We'd like to thank everyone who was apart of the Reaper's success this season, and we wish you well on your careers moving forward. It's been an amazing season, and hopefully we'll see you guys tiering it up in the big leagues very soon! Thanks everyone who played under @Masu Chan and I this season, you all hold a special place in our hearts. We'll see you guys again next season, and as always:
 
#LETSGOREAPERS
 
 

OMG, FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
After two seasons of going in the final and losing against the Vasteras Iron Eagles in S80 in 7 games and getting sweep by the Stockholm Vikings in S81, the Rome Gladiators are finally winning the Renaissance Cup in 7 games against the Cologne Express. After 3 games, Rome was down 0-3 in the series and everyone was saying that it was over and that Rome was going to lose their third final in a row, but not the players and the management. Indeed, Rome won the next one, never stopped winning and won the next three games to reverse sweep the Express to win their first every Renaissance Cup. I want to congratulate a player in particular, this player is a rookie in the VHLE, has been on the team from the start of the season and was one of the best player on the ice as well as in the locker and this is why he was Rome's captain and yes, I am talking about Boris Tsezar @comrade cat. Indeed, Boris was just incredible during the playoffs with a record of 8 wins and 4 losses with a save pourcentage of 0.934% and an average of goal against of 2.53. I also want to congratulate @InstantRockstarand the rest of the team for this incredible season : @Xdjk93@tylerwest@Howie McMeeker@JCV@Rjdixon01@FBR@Gaudette@wcats@RstortonYT@DarkSpyro@Hoopydog@Lilmar@RicoTheTrapGod@Mattylive3k@NerdyCowz@Xalen11@Lspinelli
 
Thanks everyone, see you next week and let's go Gladiators!!!

1. I think it's going better than I though it would. We are putting up a good fight and we have done a great job to get them to game 7. Now it's just a 1 off game.
2. I'd go with Landon Wolanin like averaging 2 points a game is nuts
3. I want to be one of the best players in the VHLM and make sure everyone knows who I am
4. Maybe some example build advice could be pretty sweet but I think the league does a good job as is to help new players
5. More with facial hair definitely
6. I got a B in English after I was predicted to fail it, probably my most proud achievement to date 

1. I'm excited for the playoffs challenge. I think we could surprise some people with our performance and we cant why we cant make it to the next round.
2.  I'd have to give it to Pete Mitchell. He leads the team in points but he's also got a whopping 8 game winning goals. That is some proper clutch player stuff right there.
3. I'm a bit biased in this obviously but I think we can add a bit more depth to the lineup and also bring a bit of locker room spirit.
4. I'm not a fan of Fraser Power or Artair Power. Doesn't flow of the tongue very easily.
5. I don't do a whole lot of crazy stuff but I am known for my crazy sandwich and wrap fillings
6. I'm not sure about the new attributes if I'm honest. I'm not sure that they will fix the meta builds. My old player in the VHLE is a D man and is 6th in scoring with 60 passing but I guess we'll have to wait an see.

Welcome everyone,
 
Yesterday was the end of the regular season and in a couple of days the playoffs will start. The Rome Gladiators finished third in the league with 45 wins, 21 losses and 6 over time losses for a total of 96 points in 72 games and only one point behind the Stockholm Vikings who currently has 97 points in 72 games and are second in the league. A total of eight players finished the seasons with at least a point per game and two of them finished with 90+ point. Indeed, Pekko Viitanen @Xdjk93 finished second in the league in points with 97 and fourth in goals with 42. Also, Artair McCloud @Hoopydog finished sixth in the league for the amount of points and first as a defensemen with a total of 91 points. In addition, the defensemen Drakon Zabastovka @DarkSpyro finished seventh for the number of assists with 59 in 72 games. The goaltender, Boris Tsezar @comrade cat finished second among all the goaltenders for the most wins with 31 in 55 games and tie in first place for the most shutouts with 3.
 
Thanks everyone, see you next week and let's go Gladiators!!!