Peace

All in all a good addition.

For as long as I can remember - which honestly isn't long as I endure extreme IRL stresses - I've done some form of 'post draft' media spot recapping the Toronto Legions' latest entry draft. Somewhat recently I also started adding my own perspective to these articles, although I can confirm I was doing that long before I created the 'A GM's perspective:' series I've been running lately, and guess what? Another entry draft has come and gone, I stare at my computer hoping it'll write a media spot by itself, but I know it won't. I decided to make this article after immediately regretting the fact I claimed welfare five last week, so now I'm sitting at my PC with freshly cut finger nails wondering how to start this article. Good ole reliable. I'm usually always transparent within these articles; I was extremely lazy this time around, full stop. I guess it wasn't entirely intentional as I deal with complicated issues, however I know I can't use that as an excuse to avoid my responsibilities, but if a sim league needs to be axed for a week so be it. With that being stated, I have to thank @Doomsday for the amazing work he's been doing for the Toronto Legion. I have a lot of personal baggage behind me as if it were a drag parachute but his help has made things much better, perhaps even gave me enough time to send out a few draft interviews. I made a VHL.com article reflecting on how I was 'caught napping' before the draft as a joke, but it really wasn't a joke. I woke up just a handful of hours before the draft that day, and throughout most of the week I was unable to really commit to any serious pre draft interviews. Ebbs and flow of water, right? I tried to work around those pesky IRL issues... well, that didn't quite work out the way I had hoped it would. Nevertheless I was fortunate enough to land one of the few prospects I had actually scouted and I'm beyond excited to see what happens as we continue to build towards a hopeful championship. Now onto the meat of the article... who'd Toronto draft? BO JOHANSSON Drafted 9th overall by the Toronto Legion (VHL) Drafted 4th overall by the Bratislava Watchmen (VHLE) Projected franchise defensemen. Bo Johansson was never drafted by a VHLM team, yet was impressive enough over his seventy two game minor career that defensive prospect not only went within the top ten in both the VHL and VHLE Entry Drafts, but also helped his player agency win the leagues' memorial award. Outside of a sheer RP context, we all know Shindigs has made an immediate impact on the league. He's been noticeable, helpful and vibrant with his presence, hence why he won the Elmebeck Memorial Award and a well deserved win at that. He was also one of the few to receive an 'in-depth' interview from Toronto, and his response sealed the deal for me. I was willing to trade up just to make this selection, another homerun from a first generation. Apparently I have a tradition now - pointed out by fromtheinside during the livestream - Toronto had taken a first gen in the first round once again. I realized the majority of the drafts [that I have a first round pick] while I've been at the ships helm I've selected a first generation player; Shindigs, with Bo Johansson; Vice, with Cadmael Ixazoluoh; Juice, with Kristof Welch; fromtheinside, with Scotty Kaberle; and although I didn't draft this user, I did essentially swap picks with Davos for them... Rookie, with Jaxx Hextall. I'm very excited to have Shindigs on Toronto, I'm aware that top heavy D teams tend to struggle within the sim without enough forward firepower to help them out. We suffered the same fate with the 'good on paper' Legion of S76, 77 and 78 before I decided to blow it all up again. I cannot afford to make the same mistake, and eventually will be unable to afford four active defenders on the same roster. Soon these young players will be requiring 4,000,000 - 5,500,000 and a team just can't support four of them. The reality of a top heavy D team is unfortunate, so we've got to make the most of an open window as we can while the salary cap is still in our favor. Onwards! PHOEBE BRIDGERS Drafted 25th overall by the Toronto Legion. Drafted 18th overall by the Vasteras Iron Eagles. Drafted 8th overall by the Huston Bulls. Projected career forward. Seems like a recurring pattern, but I was unable to find the time to properly scout Gritty, in fact other than welcoming Shindigs unofficially in Toronto's DLR I've yet to send either the official welcoming message I send to nearly every player to ever join Toronto. I know, I'm sorry, I'm a terrible GM but I'm working on the VHL priority list today! I had two options at this pick and I decided to go with Gritty, I know about his connectivity issues depending on whether or not his school has banned Discord/VHL/Both. I know the pain, back when I was in high school there was this old sim league called 'MetroHo' and the IT guy seriously thought it was an adult site. I'm not kidding, I got into an argument with him one day at the long gone age of sixteen or seventeen telling him to check the website out for himself. I imagine from his perspective it was very inappropriate; I'm certain it's an adult site, I've banned the URL from all school computers and this peach fuzz teenager is yelling at me to check for myself. Nah, I'm good, I'd almost certainly be thinking because I think that almost every day now. Here's the thing, this IT guy had the gull to argue back with me claiming he had already checked the website out and verified it was an inappropriate website, and that he had reported me to the school district. The very next day I go to log in and the website had been unblocked, and that man never talked to me again throughout my time at that school. Now I know the situation is different as the times have changed, I'd still like to imagine some decent computer teachers/school IT techs/school districts have the common sense to not ban a SIMULATED HOCKEY LEAGUE. Then I look at some of the peoples we've had here on the forum and immediately switch to hoping the IT Tech/Teacher/District worker never interacts with them. Yes, [redacted], [redacted], I'm talking about you. As for Gritty the intended outcome is simple. Bridgers fills a need at forward after loosing Numminen to retirement and Mulds to a hiatus, we needed a forward that would develop as a low-cost piece to compliment our developing core of Fire, Peace, Calamari and partially to replace the loss of Steele after the conclusion of this season. He won't be expensive and he'll likely only play a handful of seasons as a VHL forward, but I've said it multiple times... I believe that's a blessing in disguise, the new system allows for players to play in the VHLE and then play numerous seasons without any regression at all. Once again thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed the article. Until next time!

2x TPA recall 60 - 50 PA 50 - 40 PA

Duncan Idaho @Scurvy

I got Shindigs at 9, I thought he'd be gone before then so...

1. Toronto received a bit of a gut punch with the sudden retirement of Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy finalist Otto Numinen and Harkat Mulds taking a step away from the league. Who will have to step it up to make up for this sudden misfortune? The entire roster will have to step up to replace not only Numminen and Mulds, but the depreciation of Steele as well. There's a lot of missing TPE that arguably made us competitive last season, we'll have to find a way to make it work for us. 2. With the Season 82 VHL Draft Lottery completed, Toronto's position at 7th overall is now locked in. Who do the Legion go with at this selection? All I know is I should have done a more dedicated job in draft interviews. Been so busy lately with IRL stuff, and the situation I'm in, I was unable to really scout as much as I wanted too. 3. With Cadmael Ixazaluoh and George Sanderson joining Toronto as rookie defensemen this season, it gives the Legion something they didn't have last season: four defensemen on the roster. What kind of effect will the two rookies have for Toronto's defensive play in S82? From a STHS perspective it means we've got someone far better than TOR D on the blue line, from a personnel perspective it means we've got an active member on the team instead of a bot. From either angle I view it as much needed improvement, that's a win in my books! 4. Who has the foulest mouth in the Toronto locker room? Me. 5. Tavish McGroot, the highest-ranked prospect of the Season 82 draft class by TPE, has very publicly declared that he will retire if he is drafted by anyone other than Los Angeles. What's the right metaphor to describe the situation? Without more context from recent developments, it's a shitty way to do things and certainly poor sportsmanship. 6.. What is the weirdest player name you've seen in the VHL? Any 'joke name' is weird to me.

TORONTO, ONTARIO -- It's a quiet day within the management office above the Legions' home ice, the Ricoh Arena had been silent since the team was eliminated from the playoffs until the gnawing alarm from GM Peace's phone shattered the tranquility. Inside his office, leaned back in his ergonomic chair with his feet on the desk, Rylan Peace was caught catching some Z's hours before the draft. Open on his desktop was the clubs opening salvo of draft interview questions for those who wanted to play for Toronto, unsent and a lone blinking line still on the screen. Only a few prospects received the cut down list of questions, the majority receiving nothing but the question of whether or not they'd like to play for the Legion. Some ignored the call to arms, so to speak, while others had apparently replied judging by the red notifications over the sleeping managers' mail icon. Awoken, the Toronto Legion GM bid farewell to his office and assumed control of the clubs situation room as the draft nears. Equipped with a homemade double double, a proper double double, the man is now ready to draft albeit perhaps a bit unprepared.

Mark me down!

Ouch that price.

The last traces of Gustav in Davos now departing.

Post-Playoffs Presser! 1. Toronto stunned the experts who predicted a quick series for the Los Angeles Stars by flipping the script with a 3-1 series win. What did the Legion do that enabled them to pull off the upset? From a sim side, I think it was the depth Toronto had that pushed us over the edge. I've seen in the past where teams with better depth beat teams with a far better 6-4-1 roster for whatever reason. 2. Although Toronto put up a fight and managed to steal a game, they were ultimately no match for the Vancouver Metawolves. What do the Legion need to do in order to compete with the league's best in Season 82? We all need to reroll and abuse a knowingly broken meta! ... I wish that were sarcasm, too. Knowingly abusing the tactic that breaks the sim is disgraceful. 3. A tremendous season has come to a close in Toronto, what was the defining moment of it for you? As a GM making the playoffs felt great, been a long road of bad sim results so finally making a post season appearance is quite nice! 4. Who do you feel is Toronto's team MVP this season? I'll refrain from this one, but I will say it's a tough question. 5. So, it needs to be asked... who's winning the Continental Cup this season? Was it any surprise? 6. What's your favorite card game? Magic: The Gathering!

But you retired when a team that wanted you did pick you.

Make me!

Lame

Actually... in a way, yes!

Final claim

1. After finishing dead last in the VHL with 30 points last season, the Toronto Legion finished with 79 points and a playoff berth in Season 81. What sparked such a dramatic turnaround? The team was bolstered by numerous prospects from the pipeline. Our team was going to be more competitive than S80 regardless, but clinching the playoffs is only the first step from our new core and an impressive feat none-the-less. 2. The Los Angeles Stars are Toronto's opponent in the Wild Card Round, what will be the keys for the Legion to defeat them? I believe our victory in the Wildcard round against LA was our goaltending. Amazing numbers, really kept us in throughout the four games we played. 3. Four Toronto players placed in the top ten in rookie scoring, including Otto Numinen's rookie-best 95 points, while Oskar Lindbergh had a solid season in net. Do you see either coming away with the Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy as the top rookie of the VHL? I'm really hoping Nimminen wins the top rookie award, he had an impressive season on a weaker team [compared to say Prague]. 4. The Vancouver Wolves again brought the meta argument to the spotlight by easily coasting to a Victory Cup this season. Is the meta a serious issue the league needs to address, or is it up to the other teams to find a way to stop it? There's no real way to combat the 'meta', since someone will just find something else that works more efficiently than a restricted build. 5. Did you have the traditional meal of pork and sauerkraut for New Year's? Nope. I had loaded meat lovers pizza with my brother. 6. The VHL ProAm Tournament is returning this off-season, do you plan to participate? Probably not.

An absolute blast!

KYLE PEACE LW | 5'11 | 180 LBs 26 Years Old VHL Entry Draft: 5th Overall [TOR] EXPECTATIONS: My expectations were lofty this season, perhaps even unrealistic when you paint the term 'realistic' with a broader brush; I wanted to be as successful as Fire had been last season, I craved a triple digit performance and fueled myself on the determination I'd get there at some point while I was still a rookie. Obviously I failed to reach that mark, it was probably out of reach by the first handful of games, so the dream of winning top rookie will have to slip through the cracks. I couldn't do it, dad, everyone knows the Legion gave me every opportunity to put points on the board. I led the team in shot attempts [cause I'm a greedy shooter], had a healthy plus/minus, second on the team in goals and I'd like to think 'fairly disciplined' is a fair statement. There was an accomplishment worth talking about though, both my father and I wanted my career to be better than his ever was. He's currently building the Toronto Legion around a shared dream, we've acknowledged that in the past, although 'winning the cup' is a pretty common objective for anyone involved in the VHL. Now don't get me wrong, we had a real opportunity here and provided more challenge than anyone thought we would. We beat LA in the wildcard round and weathered an overpowered Vancouver team fairly well, minus one particular game, but the goal this... player agency actually achieved this season was, well, my rookie season being better than my fathers during his time with the Reign. Moving forward though, I think the expectations are quite simple: Attempt for triple digit production, win a championship with Toronto, compete for some individual awards and what not. ROOKIE SEASON RECAP: If I were to recap the season in a single sentence, I'd say 'we did more than anyone thought possible, and then some'. We finished the season above five hundred, we made the post season -- won a round too -- when everyone had already wrote is off. Toronto produced a strong top rookie candidate in Numminen, perhaps even Lindbergh, while we all created memories of constantly proving people wrong throughout the season. What was expected of us never came to fruition, we finished above that line. The entire locker room knows this season was a major success regardless of our season ending recently. I guess this should be recapping my rookie season though, eh? It was alright. Thirty seven goals, thirty seven assists, seventy four points and a plus sixteen is... well, alright, I'll take it. One of the questions usually asked in these types of interviews or 'write your own story' media events is typically my favorite game. I'll save you the effort of asking, I can tell you right now it's not what you expect. Was it my hat trick game? Well, no, uh not directly anyway. Most points in a game? Nope, that ain't it either. Alright so I sorta hinted about it/lied, my favorite game is one I scored a hat trick in, but that's not the reason it was my favorite. You see Moscow beat the shit out of us 10-4, then a couple games later -- riding a two win streak into a rematch against Moscow -- we beat then 8-5, a statement that our young team won't go quietly and we can hold a grudge for a little while. The entire team came together beautifully, including our backup in what was a really fun game to participate in. On the flip side, the one game I hated the most, would without a doubt not be a single game but rather any of the games we blew two or three goal lead. That crap is just unacceptable, when you're in command of a hockey game by a score of 4-1 and lose 5-4, or 6-4, it's beyond disappointing. It's embarrassing, humiliating.

Lindbergh was busy in net throughout this series. How does the sim even allow 70+ SOG every game [but one]?

Saw the spoiler tag so just read the thread posts instead. Congrats on Oslo!