Peace

Toronto being 'fisted anally' by RNG has been a demoralizing march into mild depression, but if there's one thing I know it just so happens to be depression. There is one steady constant with Toronto you can take to the bank nearly every day of the week... you can safely bet on TOR getting the wrong end of the stick when it comes to any form of luck. Sim results? Nah, tough luck. Lottery odds? We'll give you -1 twice and you'll like it. Despite the unrelenting series of unfortunate events, I find solace in the fact Toronto does have two of the top four picks in this upcoming entry draft. Toronto is deplete and that's on me, but Toronto also has a bright future and I'm keen on learning from the mistakes I made last time. There's my 150 word blurb for the day.

@BOOM has my vote. What an incredible season.

We'll get fucked by RNG anywhere, anytime, anyplace. Just add 'Toronto' and you're good! RNGesus wills it so.

1. Did you follow the lottery tournament at all? 2. The VHLE just had their first ever set of sims... thoughts? 3. What do you expect from Toronto in the upcoming entry draft? 4. If you remain on Toronto -- who have cap space for bonuses -- what would you use bonus money on? 5. What do you anticipate for yourself next season? 6. Who do you think goes first overall in the upcoming VHLE draft? @Smarch @rjfryman @Eldredman @GreenGato @jaredc7@Dtayl

Claim 2

Season ain't over until the off season.

I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the hard work and dedication @Smarch put into his role and our team; he is a team first individual and a tremendous help through some of my more difficult times. He held the team down when I was dealing with utility disconnections, scrambling to find income to avoid the eviction notice I received, and was generally available to help everyone when they needed it. Recently, however, I was informed by Smarch that he was unsure of his future level of activity and it was better to have someone more active in the role. He'll remain as an advisor (if he chooses). That being said I'm looking for someone who is willing to contribute to Toronto's rebuild, not afraid to voice themselves when they believe I'm making a mistake and be available to the team from time to time. It's nothing too crazy, I don't expect anyone to live and breath Toronto but rather lend a helping hand when I've got 10 hour shifts at work, or step up when I've stepped out. There's no real point packing my office when I'm out of town for a couple of days when I don't need to transport everything. Just DM me here on the forum, I'll get back to you. Cheers. - Peace

So I was curious how former Legion players were performing after the fire sale in Toronto earlier this season. I was pleased in some cases, while being a little irritated that it appeared Toronto's curse followed others to their new teams and all I could do was shake my head. For some they went on to improving upon their performance after departing, unfortunately -- for others -- that simply wasn't the case and the perceived struggle continued, although that just reflects my opinion and nothing more. How exactly did Dawson, McLaren, Klamasteris, Moreau, Kaberle and Harris do after leaving Ontario? Phoenix Dawson had a fairly consistent but I'd reckon underwhelming performance in Toronto. He recorded 11 goals with 11 helpers this season, equaling out to 22 points in the 24 games he suited up for the Legion. Unfortunately it appears his tenure with New York never yielded greater results, although Dawson did find his way back to the playmaking roots of his build. With 48 games with New York under his belt, Dawson registered 46 points -- of which 33 were assists -- and managed to increase his powerplay production with the Americans. Addison McLaren was added to Toronto to produce goals and help the team offensively, I'd argue he was accomplishing those goals nicely. Last season he played 33 games for Toronto, potting 13 goals for himself and falling just short of that point per game mark. This season he had the same number of goals (13) and achieved that mark in just 24 games, nearly ten less than his S78 end of season state line. His 20 points in 24 games were solid, but nowhere near what anyone was hoping as the team struggled again after a hot start. His offensive production slightly declined after being dealt to Davos, although I suppose his 7 points in 9 playoff games are 7 more than he ever got in Toronto... oh and he's in the playoffs, which is always a win in my books. Sirkants Klamasteris joined the Legion as the eventual starter after Hextall retired, but he nor the team were able to elevate each other to the next level. I take the blame for that, my inability to field a roster that meshed well within the sim is my fault and my fault alone. 'Klam' struggled this season, his 9-10-3 record with a .911 save percentage wasn't noteworthy. After just 22 games he was traded to Calgary, where he improved to a 25-16-3 record with a respectable .927 save percentage and a sub 3.00 goals against average. Despite Calgary being defeated in the wildcard round by DC, Klamasteris moved to a team that at least made the post season. Aurelien Moreau came to Toronto as a replacement to Kristof Welch, and at the time I thought it was a great trade. You see Welch at this moment has 855 TPE, meanwhile Moreau has 749. Sure, Welch has more but Moreau was younger and it fit the roster we had. Unfortunately young guys and high TPA players are... well for obvious reasons they fetch higher prices on the market, so when I decided to rebuild I knew I'd be saying goodbye to a still rookie defender practically on par with Welch's development when he was still in his rookie deal. Moreau didn't play long in Toronto, a mere 24 games to be precise, however Moscow felt giving away a guaranteed top six pick was worth the price to reap the rewards of a long-term defender. He scored 19 points with Toronto, but was a point per game with Moscow; clear improvement. Scotty Kaberle was producing at a point per game chip with Toronto prior to a trade request after the Legion started stumbling for the third straight season. He had enough, requested a trade and I worked quickly in ensuring his desires were met. Despite the opinions out there, I am capable of learning from my mistakes regardless of how destructive they have been. Kaberle exploded with Malmo and the resurging Gunnar Odinsson; I'm thrilled both of them had wonderful regular season successes, I really do wish them both good luck in the post season. In his 50 games with Malmo, Kaberle recorded an impressive 62 points, meaning he earned 84 combined points for a career shattering high. And finally we have Mikey Harris -- a retired forward traded to Riga after 24 games with Toronto -- who had provided depth to the Riga team before their 4-1 defeat in the post season. I acquired Harris from Calgary for relatively cheap, then moved him to Riga for a similar price. There's really not much going on here, he scored 17 points with Toronto and another 22 for Riga. By the time he joined Riga he was already retired, so his ice time wasn't as lucrative as what he got in Toronto. So generally it was status quo, with Kaberle being the outlier for any significant improvement. Moreau has a young team in Moscow, so I'm sure he'll start ripping the VHL apart when all the current defenders are too old to skate anymore without plastic walkers used to teach kids how to skate; Kaberle has a near career long contract and joined a wonderful team in Malmo, I guarantee you he'll tear it up next season too... but my guarantees aren't worth a dime so don't quote me; McLaren will be a big part of Davos next season, I'm sure Gustav will want to continue competing with his current roster; I'm unsure what happens to Dawson at this point since the NYA GM change; and I don't think Klamasteris is going to be Calgary's starter for the foreseeable future. Each one of these players -- minus Harris of course -- is in a position to do better than they could in Toronto. Please take it easy on Toronto in S80, we're a fragile team but on the down low... use us to stat pad, really. Abuse us! We like the pain... apparently. Oh and yeah, uh, Toronto only has two players under contract right now. Interesting off season coming up.

Toronto's end of season lines are good.

It better not. I'm watching you.

I have to say I was surprised Saskatoon won both games today, I'm not sure why but I had a nagging feeling like Halifax was going to come out of the afternoon sim atop the Wild two games to zilch. I feel as if there is a curse surrounding me lately -- all good things have come to an end kinda thing -- so to see the team I play for up 2-0 was a relief, even if this trash sim engine is just rolling dice for every decision. I'm genuinely looking forward to seeing how Saskatoon continues to play, and I'm curious if Halifax can prevent a sweep. I can already foresee the 'you jinxed us!' thoughts as Halifax storms back into the series and takes Saskatoon out in six, however I also desire to bring the cup back to Saskatoon and relent to praying the STHS gods give us some good sim results. The last time the Wild won [S72] seems a little distant now, so seeing the Wild win S79 ten seasons after the glorious S69 Saskatoon Wild would be pretty amazing.

1. How do you think of your players performance this season? 2. Toronto didn't make the playoffs, but we're going to get a guaranteed top six pick. Who are you hoping we draft in the entry draft? 3. Who do you think was our most valuable player this season? 4. Will you be cheering on any friends in the VHL this post-season? 5. What are your expectations for Toronto next season? 6. What sim engine would you use if VHL announced a popularity contest for any specific sim engine to replace STHS? @Smarch @rjfryman @Eldredman @GreenGato @jaredc7@Dtayl@ClapbombsRus

It was my goal with Kyle Peace to outperform my previous players -- Rylan Peace and Erik Killinger -- especially in a more offensive era that has dawned on the VHL. Rylan Peace scored 101 points in 98 VHLM games, while Erik Killinger registered 132 points in 96 VHLM games. I realize the VHLM season isn't quite over, but with only three games left to play [for Kyle Peace] he's already performed better with less games than my previous two players despite different circumstances. A huge part of K. Peace's success has been the team @Doomsday has built in Saskatoon, my player has meshed well with Montana and Jankowski as each one of us now has over triple digit point totals. The next step for my goal of categoric improvement would to be to beat the best rookie season I've had so far. Erik Killinger scored 53 points in his rookie campaign, so my goal with Kyle would be to score at least 60 simply because Rylan Peace put up 46 points, and that natural progressive pattern [+7] would put me at exactly that mark. I suppose before then I'll have a totally new experience with the VHLE if I decide to play there, however I doubt I'll surpass the 350 TPA required to play in the VHL before the new European league begins.

TORONTO, ONTARIO -- It's raining hats, hallelujah, it's raining hats; Lester Green [4] and Asher Reinhart [3] both enjoyed hattricks in Toronto's 7-6 overtime victory against the London United yesterday. Some thought both individuals would have been moved [traded] before the leagues' set transaction deadline, but the freezing hour arrived with both players remaining on the roster. For the dwindling number of fans at Ricoh Arena, well they can thank the heavens that both of them weren't traded, as they nearly single handedly delivered one of the more entertaining games played on home ice this season. Asher Reinhart would open the scoring early in the first period, however London would eventually carry a 2-1 lead going into the second frame with perceivably all the momentum. Intermissions can be a strange phenomenon in any organized sport, and perhaps some words of encouragement reached the souls of some Legion players while they were resting. Similar to his fellow Legionnaire, Mr. Green would score early in the second period to tie the game at 2 apiece, although that lead wouldn't last more than two minutes. London climbed ahead 3-2 nearly two minutes after Green scored his first goal of the contest. Toronto seemed deflated while they recovered, but when they did the rest of the second period belonged to Toronto and Toronto alone, there was nothing London could do to control the Legions' surge. Asher Reinhart would register his second goal of the game at 13:42, the fifth goal of the game within the final twenty seconds of any given minute, a pattern that dissipates in the final twenty minutes of hockey. 3-3 going into the third, yet this game ended in a 7-6 overtime win for Toronto. Lester Green personally took Toronto, firmly placed the team upon his back after the third period puck had dropped, and began skating with a single purpose. His determination and sheer willpower radiated excitement throughout the building; staff, players and fans alike were captivated in the sudden display of offensive prowess, cheering and chanting his name every time the center received the puck. From the shoulders of momentum came two impressive goals, Lester Green had the hattrick he was searching for, helping a stale 3-3 tie turn into an honest 5-3 Toronto lead. Yet this story wouldn't have been that interesting if London had folded there, it would have been just another hattrick in an awkwardly offensive season for the VHL, and while Toronto would celebrate the achievement they had become expected throughout the league. London would fight back and eventually tie the game 5-5 with around six minutes left in the third period, one of their roster players even reached a milestone by scoring his fortieth goal on the season to tie the game... which was also his third of the evening. Half a second later Lester Green had his forth goal of the evening, gave Toronto a 6-5 lead and enjoyed spoiling London's celebration. The United would eventually tie the game, but there are two victories Toronto can take from this hockey game. Six seconds before the overtime buzzer Asher Reinhart potted his third goal of the contest, earning himself a hattrick on a play generated from the blueline; Toronto won the hockey game 7-6, an entertaining back and forth affair between two teams that will miss the postseason, and won the hattrick count as well. London had one player with a hattrick, Toronto had two players with a hattrick, but the real winner was the Ricoh Arena's merchandise. Asher Reinhart would go onto scoring another hattrick in a 6-2 Toronto victory over the HC Davos Dynamo, which included his fortieth goal of the season. It's raining hats...

I thought we had a good roster to start the season, and we did, that's why I made the moves I did to acquire the people I acquired. Toronto started off hot -- just like S78 -- and tumbled through the middle, and eventually I just got tired of having decent rosters [especially our S78 roster] just to play inadequately. It truly felt like the sim engine just had decided 'Fuck Toronto' suddenly, no other team in the league had worse RNG/'Sim Luck' than TOR in 77, 78 and the early stages of this season. I'd argue it as a fact!

Toronto acquired Odinsson knowing he wanted to switch to forward. I often wonder how things could have gone for Toronto had we actually played like the second highest TPA team in both forward and defense categories instead of missing the playoffs altogether. It'll always be a stain on my opinion of STHS.

Sorry for missing the PC last week, but here's one you can answer! 1. What is your go-to side dish for any home prepared meal? 2. What is your go-to fast food order? 3. What do you think about this seasons theme week? 4. What do you think about Toronto's collection of draft picks? 5. Are you looking forward to the VHLE starting soon? 6. Do you think we can play spoiler for a hopeful playoff team? @Smarch @rjfryman @Eldredman @GreenGato @jaredc7 @Dtayl @ClapbombsRus

This whole here article was just for fun.

This here required capped article is just a friendly reminder -- reminding the commissioner team something they need to remember -- that they've forgotten to add the correct players to Riga and Toronto on the portal page. It is my duty to request that they remedy this here minor problem and to kindly remind @Beketov, @bigAL and @Quik with this here 590 task in hopes that it'll jog their memory before they've forgotten and need to be shown to remembrance, which would lead to me reminding them that I've already reminded them in the past with this here friendly reminder asking them to remember what they might have forgotten. Or it could be they're waiting to do it later [waiting until after the trade deadline to process it, although that wouldn't make a ton of sense because Riga could look at their draft picks and forget that some of them aren't actually owned by the Reign anymore]. Remember.

Awards used to be something I looked forward to, they were something I once had a burning passion for but that flame has long went out. I'd argue it was snuffed out, actually, and I guarantee I ruined it myself during my time as a member of the VHL Award Committee. Haven't heard of that before? It was a role here prior to it being demolished and the responsibilities returned to BoG hands some time ago. The experience I had within the committee truly tainted how excited I used to get, and the realization I felt when I realized some awards boiled down to a popularity contest more than they really should have... destroyed my passion for anything related to awards. Gorlab used to complain about the awards frequently, and now that I've been around probably far too long I've started to grow a likeminded opinion about them, although perhaps not as flamboyant as his views were and certainly not parallel with his vision of winners. The graphics are really nice, but they've never truly excited me enough to read the thread; the descriptions of the winners are neat, but they feel copy and pasted despite being untrue; the thread itself has been chaos lately, rather than an organized and neatly delivered event for the league; and inescapably everyone bitching (including me) further sours the experience. Everything around the VHL award show has me ultimately feeling 'meh' about even the slightest mention of them, and now I have to cover it for theme week. Well now I'm about halfway to the destination. Five hundred words about the awards seems daunting, but I suppose I've already written half an article about how I feel about them. There is no concrete solution, there is no way the people who create the awards or present them can fix how I feel about it, but I am capable of expressing excitement when one of my roster players wins an award. Now I'll admit that there were a few close calls, a few times where I thought a member of Toronto would win -- biased opinion or not -- and was disappointed when they didn't. It was those times I hope for their sake it wasn't a popularity contest, but without transparent award discussions there will never be closure to that particular concern. Chad Magnum winning the Boulet in S73 was amazing, followed by John Merrick taking home another prestigious award before leaving Toronto. When those two won awards, I was happy and excited for them, but I recall just browsing the actual ceremony and looking for any Toronto tags. Beyond that the thread was ignored, left to collect dust I'd blow away when I needed. I recall going back and rereading award ceremonies when I was the GM of Saskatoon just to build ideas for media spots around my roster players, but as GM of Toronto through the mid season seventies I just look at the awards tab on the portal and that suits my needs fine enough as is. It doesn't help that no Legion player has won an award since Merrick, apparently (although I swore we had a most improved since then) so maybe all it'll take for me to build interest again is getting some Legion individuals some hardware. Well that's it! I'm pretty sure I'm over the limit now.

Alright here's at least one controversial suggestion... 1. Less Discord integration... healthier the forum might be? I've seen programs like Discord, or Discord itself, completely kill forum-based communities I've either been a member of or wanted to become a member of; gaming communities, post-by-post RPs, hockey forums, hell even a place where aspiring authors could go to share their stories no longer exist. All gone in this modern age of impatience and instant access, really. 2. Time to take the chance with a new sim engine. Nearly eight seasons using STHS is enough, can't change a setting or two and call it a fresh coat of paint anymore. We all know EHM won't work, and I've yet to see any transparency on the apparently ongoing tests of FHM or another similar sim engine. When it comes to something supposed to be fun more often than not people will abandon that when it starts to feel long in the tooth. 3. More portal features would be neat. Retired numbers on the team page, simple front/back of each teams' jersey with adaptive text for individual name and numbers, a simple cartoonish avatar generator for each player page, allow teams to set who their rivals are and have those games highlighted in the schedule, display an icon on who's hot and who's not on a teams' roster page, just some ideas to throw arond.

It's 10:09 PM as I start to write this, but the truth is I've been working on a 150-word article for the majority of the afternoon, well before the earlier media spot I posted not long ago. The idea I had for a VHL.com article developed into a full media spot by the time I stopped writing, so now I have to write another. I haven't sat down at the computer and dedicated the ten minutes it takes to write a VHL.com article after growing drowsy from the new medication I'm on, and I still need to complete an additional task for my last capped TPE. I reckon I'm near 150 words now though, so I'll end this blurb with a question: How do you keep engaged to the VHL? Do you rely on the VHL General chat to keep you entertained? Perhaps your individual locker rooms are your preferred poison. I'd like to know.

This week went by quick, I guess, although at the same time some of the days seemed brutally slow. I was surprised by a Sunday sunrise, then realized my capped tasks were still incomplete so here I am; Toronto has entered a rebuild (obviously) and we're coasting towards the end of the season, we're not really expecting much anymore and our current 11L streak doesn't really bother me. The next event for the Legion would be the trade deadline, where I'm hoping the team continues to commit to selling the remaining assets. The reality is Toronto isn't making the playoffs, we're not even close and lack the firepower to really push towards that goal, so my intent for Toronto is rather simple... be as offensive as we can possibly be, maybe get some of the remaining roster players an individual stat line they can be happier with, or perhaps play spoiler down the road and upset a team that had postseason desires by defeating them just a few points outside of the wildcard position. I can dream, but so too did I when Toronto had a good roster. Yes, I am still salty about last season. Well that's Toronto! Same crud as last time, different pile; Kyle Peace seems to be having a good season though, so I'm pretty thrilled about that. I should be interacting with that locker room a bit more, especially considering the line my player is on has been arguably the best forward line in the VHLM. I've been satisfied looking at the scoresheets and logging off to play some games or treat some of my rising medical issues. Peace leads Saskatoon in goals, which can be directly attributed to Montana's insane play throughout the season. The sim has really liked his build as Duncan steadily contributed triple digit seasons for the Wild season after season, although it remains to be seen how he'll perform at the VHLE level now that he's surpassed both the 250 and 200 TPA cap for a VHLM player. What else can a write about to reach five-zero-zero? I think I'll comment on one of Toronto's players -- Jared Carter -- earning himself two goals since joining the Legion. Carter played one hundred and sixty eight games with the Riga Reign and only scored a single goal, also this season, so I imagine he's pretty happy about the increased ice time and multiple goals he's managed to score. In just twenty games with the Toronto Legion, Carter has netted two goals. I applaud Mr. Carter on what I hope he views as a success, even though his fight-heavy build is supposed to be generating major penalties and winning the forgotten heavyweight honor. That about wraps it up for me this week, I need to start writing media spots for four claims again. Those were the easier days, days I'm still capable of I'd reckon, I just have to knuckle down and come up with a topic worth writing about and that seems to be in short supply lately.

Kyle Peace LW | 5'11" | 180 Lbs 26 Years Old Drafted 7th overall by the Saskatoon Wild Kyle Peace is the second iteration of what has now become another blood line in the Victory Hockey League. Kyle's father [Rylan] found success at the highest level of VHL competition, including a single season with triple digits (103) while played for the HC Davos Dynamo back in season sixty five, but the Peace surname was cemented in mediocracy at the tail end of Senior Peace's career with Toronto. What was a great start in his prime faded into being 'just good enough', 'good but not great', or perhaps 'good but not good enough'; never able to win any individual awards, despite fifty one and forty goal seasons, and never discovered post season success with any of the teams he played for. Kyle looks to elevate his families name into the hall of fame, create a lasting legacy that will see fans donning the Peace jersey long after he has retired, like so many NHL icons past and present. Peace's development has been aided by the tools he has had available to him, which shouldn't be surprising as he is the son of current Toronto Legion general manager Rylan Peace. Kyle has trained alongside former and current Legion players while also having access to their coaching staff, training staff and prospect camps. He's unofficially attended training camps, observed high level games from the bench and witnessed VHL-level strategies employed by Toronto against other teams. PROS: Skating: Junior Peace's skating ability is second to just Vinny Detroit -- the top rated S80 prospect at the time this article was written -- who scouts have given just one extra point in the skating judgement among prospects eligible for the upcoming VHL Entry Draft. Kyle's skating (79) falls comfortably ahead of the third highest prospect in the category, Logain Ablar, who was rated at an impressive 76 by scouts as recently as August 8th. Peace has the necessary footwork to develop his skating at a VHL level, and continue to improve upon his explosive starts and consistent skating throughout all three zones of the ice. Although he's not a speedster by any means, he has the poise and balance in his feet some veteran VHL players lack. Puck Handling: It seems the PPA -- or Peace Player Agency -- spends a significant chunk of time training their prospects to be great puck handlers. Peace's puck handling skills (83) are the highest in the S80 draft class by a healthy margin, and represents one of his most lethal skills that will undoubtedly develop further at the VHL level. Scouts have said Peace's puck handling magnetizes the eyes, you simply can't stop watching the second coming of Peace work his business, and have been consistently using the age old 'the puck is on a string attached to his stick!' trope that so many impressive puck handlers have been chained too in history. Scoring: Peace's fifty seven points could be contributed to his teammate Montana obliterating his VHLM competition, but the reality behind those healthy numbers are a modest scoring rating (80) when he was individually judged by scouts on August 8th. He may not be the top in his class, where he technically ranks third in scoring ability, but he's got a lot of time to develop himself into an elite VHL scoring forward. The scoring archetype has been long sought after by most player agencies in the VHL, which has quickly become one of the more reliable ways to train a prospect for consistent VHL performance. Kyle Peace looks to take a step in the right direction on a path to the hall of fame by using his scoring abilities to manifest the right archetype proven successful in history. CONS: Passing: Kyle Peace is tied for the worst passing ability (40) among prospects in his draft class. He's certainly a puck hog, who uses his great puck handling and scoring abilities to earn points and generate scoring opportunities for his team, rather than creating those opportunities off a direct or indirect pass in the offensive zone. If 'Junior' wants to find any long term success at the VHL level he will have to develop his passing ten-fold by the time he's a regular on a teams' roster, elsewise he could be received as a liability by a franchise or teammates. Checking: Kyle isn't a big body, and truthfully he doesn't play like he's got one anyway. When a hit is registered to his name... well it was more of a bump than an actual hit, he's never laid someone across the ice and rarely causes turnovers by using his body in order to generate offensive opportunities. His checking skills (40) are fine for the VHLM, but he certainly won't be causing turnovers VIA his body at the next level of competition, which will be the VHLE for the Canadian prospect. Leadership: True proper leadership isn't something that can be trained into an individual right away -- should such thing actually exist -- and droves of people would argue you have to learn those hard 'leadership lessons' as you develop as an individual in our society. Some are born with the tools required to understand the innate skill and can use the lessons they've learned right away, while others simply cannot understand the concepts being directly or indirectly taught to them. It takes time for them to understand and eventually they reach a level of 'learned leadership', and this is where Kyle stands. He has some of the tools you acquire in leadership training, but lacks the practical experience to truly lead a team at this point. He may never be ready until he is already retired given how fast a VHL players career ends.