Enorama

1. Ryan Artyomov is the greatest goaltender to ever grace a sheet of ice.
5. Defense is a no-brainer. No matter your position or role, you should be maximizing DF at all turns.
8. Fallout 3/NV. They're basically interchangeable to me because I started and finished each of them in the same summer in high school. 100%ed all achievements too.

D.C Dragons
Season 68 - Present
 

Is it your graphic of Aurora Skylight or is it just a picture of Molly Engstrom with some words scrawled on it?

All the vote means is 11/11 people agreed with you that Wallob should have won.
 
What you're describing would require rank-choice voting, which is something that I have been a proponent of for literal years now for exactly the reason you're describing.
 
Actually, my entire campaign for that is the reason that typing a british-ism for glasses corrects to rainbow flavoured unicorns on the forum.

All the vote means is 11/11 people agreed with you that Wallob should have won.
 
What you're describing would require rank-choice voting, which is something that I have been a proponent of for literal years now for exactly the reason you're describing.
 
Actually, my entire campaign for that is the reason that typing a british-ism for glasses corrects to rainbow flavoured unicorns on the forum.

Moscow receives:
S90 MOS 1st

Malmo receives:
S90 CGY 1st


This trade has been accepted by all parties and is pending league approval.

Ended up close as shit holyy

Sounds familiar

Be grateful for something at least!!
 
Although Kastelic collected a triple crown by the end of his sophomore VHL season, and team success is really everything I guess?

As the curtains draw closed on another Istanbul Red Wolves season, many players and fans alike cannot help but to feel frustrated and discontent with the way it ended. This season was a historically great one for the Red Wolves, but it is historic for a multitude of negative reasons as well.
 
The curtains are not just drawing closed on the season for Istanbul but for the Red Wolves franchise as a whole. It came out just before the finals that both Istanbul and Geneva would be folding as teams. It was a shocking announcement for many players and you could feel the mood shift instantly in the Instanbul locker room. This finals matchup versus Cologne gained an even more significant meaning as it would be the last chance for this passionate franchise to take home a championship.
 
Words were shared around the locker room, the team seemed to be more pumped than ever for this series versus the Express.
 
“I will not allow the Red Wolves to go out with a whimper…”
 
“The last run of Istanbul. We will make it memorable…”
 
“Here we go⎯ a deeper meaning to this season…:
 
Were all things said in anticipation for the first game of the finals. This Istanbul team was hopeful and confident in themselves, and why not be? Lowest goals against in the regular season, best record, and of course they were hot off a 4-game sweep of Geneva, but perhaps it was the way Geneva ended their final season that would foreshadow the ending of the Red Wolves.
 
With all this anticipation entering the first game, so many emotions building in the hearts and heads of the Istanbul players, how could they ever lose? Well… they did, there can be so many different reasons why a team loses a game but at the end of it all the only thing that matters is the loss. Once you lose a game you can’t turn back the clock to try again, you have to keep pushing a fight for a win another day.
 
However, the game one loss didn’t seem to hinder the belief of the players in Istanbul, they were still confident in themselves to end the season with a bang, not a whimper.
 
“Oh man, it’s gonna be a tough one…”
 
And it would be.
 
Heading into game 2 expectations were still high, one game is one game they just needed to bounce back and close out game 2…
 
Pass to Montgomery Burns, pass to Keegan Gamble, shot by Keegan Gamble… Keegan Gamble scores
 
Cologne 3-1 Istanbul
 
And the Wolves were down 0-2 in the final series of the franchise.
“You better bet this will go all the way to 7…” (Masu must’ve angered Simon when he sent this)
 
Coming back from down 0-2 is not impossible, it’s been done many times before, just win game 3 and you’re back within 1.
 
Cameron Elsby scores 2 to bring the Cologne lead to 3 games to none.
 
But now it’s time for game 4… the start of the movie-esque comeback to reverse sweep and end the Red Wolves final series with an incredible display… We all know how this story ends, the movie-esque comeback is not how this story ends.
 
Although not many showed it, most confidence was gone after that 3rd loss, perhaps all that excitement and nervous energy got to them before the series began. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter. The Re Wolves weren’t able to go out with the bang they expected, in fact, it was the complete opposite. An assuredly heartbreaking end to the season and the franchise.
 
There isn’t much else to be said here, thank yous, goodbye, and words of encouragement have been shared throughout the Istanbul locker room. You can hardly call it a bittersweet ending to the final season that Istanbul will play as almost all that sweetness was washed away by the bitter sweep of the Wolves in the final…
 
One last goodbye to everyone that was a part of this season with Istanbul, and thanks for everything.

I am terrible at writing intros to this kind of thing, so I’m just going to cut to the chase: we are contracting the VHLE back to 6 teams.
 
As I’m sure a lot of you know, there has been a worrying trend of thin rosters in the VHLE, and the numbers reflect that we have a few too many roster spots for players to cover them. We anticipate that a large bounceback in the form of the sizable S90 class of recreates (when compared to S89 at least) should help breathe some life back into the locker rooms. However, we are also helping it along with contraction. After these changes, on average, we are anticipating just shy of two full lines of active players per team.
 
The unfortunate teams that will be heading into the ether are the Geneva Rush and the Istanbul Red Wolves. There was never going to be an easy decision here, but between weak branding, short history, and tangential connections to local terrorist groups, these two franchises will not be in the VHLE for S90 and moving forward. I know that not everyone will be happy, but there was no way to do this without pain somewhere along the line. 
 
However, much like the VHL in S58, we had a bit of a mismatch in terms of the rosters that make sense to remove and the franchises that make sense to remove. To that end, we are effectively full swapping roster players, prospects, and draft picks from Istanbul and Geneva to Stockholm and Vasteras, respectively. The current roster players and prospects on Stockholm and Vasteras will be released and available as free agents this off-season. The current draft picks owned by Stockholm and Vasteras will be passed or deleted as required.
 
Note: compensatory picks will be required in S91 to make this work, we will make sure everyone is made whole. The actual position of these compensatory picks is to be determined.
 
We were lucky enough to not actually need to fire anyone as GM to make this work! There has been some juggling behind the scenes, but here’s how everything shakes out:
- JB123 steps down following an absurdly strong run in Oslo
- Gaming Ringleader shifts over to GM Oslo
- Z follows his roster to Vasteras and takes over there
- Masu steps down from Istanbul in the hopes of pursuing other opportunities
- Twists keeps Stockholm and inherits Istanbul’s roster
 
That’s all for the actual contraction side of things. If you have any particular comments, questions, or concerns, please reach out to thad or I directly. My DMs are always open. 
 
Moving on to a couple of rule changes.
 
 
 
INACTIVE FREE AGENTS
 
Starting this off-season, teams will only be able to add 2 inactive free agents to their roster.This does not apply to players that go inactive mid-season or during their first three years post-draft, it only applies to the players that would have gone through the (now defunct) waivers system. 
 
Since we will only have 12 players to hand out this way each season, we will also be introducing a mini-draft, run on Discord or the forums, to allocate these players in the fairest manner possible. This draft will consist of two rounds, the first of which will be a reverse of the regular season standings while the second snakes that (i.e., equal to the regular season standings). Our current plan for this is to do rolling 12-hour clocks similar to VHFL, but we can adjust that on the fly as required. Teams are obviously allowed to pass on their pick if they do not see value in claiming an inactive free agent.
 
We’re hoping that reducing the crowd of those high TPA inactive free agents to maximum 2 per team will increase engagement for the players who remain active by freeing up more ice time, and by extension, delivering better stat lines.
 
We will be monitoring inactive free agents and their necessity over the next few seasons and will hopefully be able to remove them entirely at some point.
 
 
 
PLAYOFF FORMAT
 
In our 8-team VHLE as it stands now, 5 teams make the playoffs, with a 4-5 wildcard round before semi-finals. 
 
We don’t feel that a competitive league should have 5 of 6 teams making playoffs, so we are transitioning back to a 4 team playoff, with the matchups simply being 1-4 and 2-3. Both semi-finals and finals will remain best of 7. Tiebreakers remain unchanged. Games will be simmed 1 per day to keep as close as possible to in line with the VHL and VHLM playoff schedule.
 
 

TL;DR - Geneva and Istanbul branding deleted. Those rosters move to Stockholm and Vasteras. Current Stockholm and Vasteras rosters released. VHLE moves forward with 6 teams. Some rule changes regarding inactive FAs and playoff format to accommodate the contraction.
 
cc: @VHLE Commissioner @VHLE GM

I am terrible at writing intros to this kind of thing, so I’m just going to cut to the chase: we are contracting the VHLE back to 6 teams.
 
As I’m sure a lot of you know, there has been a worrying trend of thin rosters in the VHLE, and the numbers reflect that we have a few too many roster spots for players to cover them. We anticipate that a large bounceback in the form of the sizable S90 class of recreates (when compared to S89 at least) should help breathe some life back into the locker rooms. However, we are also helping it along with contraction. After these changes, on average, we are anticipating just shy of two full lines of active players per team.
 
The unfortunate teams that will be heading into the ether are the Geneva Rush and the Istanbul Red Wolves. There was never going to be an easy decision here, but between weak branding, short history, and tangential connections to local terrorist groups, these two franchises will not be in the VHLE for S90 and moving forward. I know that not everyone will be happy, but there was no way to do this without pain somewhere along the line. 
 
However, much like the VHL in S58, we had a bit of a mismatch in terms of the rosters that make sense to remove and the franchises that make sense to remove. To that end, we are effectively full swapping roster players, prospects, and draft picks from Istanbul and Geneva to Stockholm and Vasteras, respectively. The current roster players and prospects on Stockholm and Vasteras will be released and available as free agents this off-season. The current draft picks owned by Stockholm and Vasteras will be passed or deleted as required.
 
Note: compensatory picks will be required in S91 to make this work, we will make sure everyone is made whole. The actual position of these compensatory picks is to be determined.
 
We were lucky enough to not actually need to fire anyone as GM to make this work! There has been some juggling behind the scenes, but here’s how everything shakes out:
- JB123 steps down following an absurdly strong run in Oslo
- Gaming Ringleader shifts over to GM Oslo
- Z follows his roster to Vasteras and takes over there
- Masu steps down from Istanbul in the hopes of pursuing other opportunities
- Twists keeps Stockholm and inherits Istanbul’s roster
 
That’s all for the actual contraction side of things. If you have any particular comments, questions, or concerns, please reach out to thad or I directly. My DMs are always open. 
 
Moving on to a couple of rule changes.
 
 
 
INACTIVE FREE AGENTS
 
Starting this off-season, teams will only be able to add 2 inactive free agents to their roster.This does not apply to players that go inactive mid-season or during their first three years post-draft, it only applies to the players that would have gone through the (now defunct) waivers system. 
 
Since we will only have 12 players to hand out this way each season, we will also be introducing a mini-draft, run on Discord or the forums, to allocate these players in the fairest manner possible. This draft will consist of two rounds, the first of which will be a reverse of the regular season standings while the second snakes that (i.e., equal to the regular season standings). Our current plan for this is to do rolling 12-hour clocks similar to VHFL, but we can adjust that on the fly as required. Teams are obviously allowed to pass on their pick if they do not see value in claiming an inactive free agent.
 
We’re hoping that reducing the crowd of those high TPA inactive free agents to maximum 2 per team will increase engagement for the players who remain active by freeing up more ice time, and by extension, delivering better stat lines.
 
We will be monitoring inactive free agents and their necessity over the next few seasons and will hopefully be able to remove them entirely at some point.
 
 
 
PLAYOFF FORMAT
 
In our 8-team VHLE as it stands now, 5 teams make the playoffs, with a 4-5 wildcard round before semi-finals. 
 
We don’t feel that a competitive league should have 5 of 6 teams making playoffs, so we are transitioning back to a 4 team playoff, with the matchups simply being 1-4 and 2-3. Both semi-finals and finals will remain best of 7. Tiebreakers remain unchanged. Games will be simmed 1 per day to keep as close as possible to in line with the VHL and VHLM playoff schedule.
 
 

TL;DR - Geneva and Istanbul branding deleted. Those rosters move to Stockholm and Vasteras. Current Stockholm and Vasteras rosters released. VHLE moves forward with 6 teams. Some rule changes regarding inactive FAs and playoff format to accommodate the contraction.
 
cc: @VHLE Commissioner @VHLE GM

I am terrible at writing intros to this kind of thing, so I’m just going to cut to the chase: we are contracting the VHLE back to 6 teams.
 
As I’m sure a lot of you know, there has been a worrying trend of thin rosters in the VHLE, and the numbers reflect that we have a few too many roster spots for players to cover them. We anticipate that a large bounceback in the form of the sizable S90 class of recreates (when compared to S89 at least) should help breathe some life back into the locker rooms. However, we are also helping it along with contraction. After these changes, on average, we are anticipating just shy of two full lines of active players per team.
 
The unfortunate teams that will be heading into the ether are the Geneva Rush and the Istanbul Red Wolves. There was never going to be an easy decision here, but between weak branding, short history, and tangential connections to local terrorist groups, these two franchises will not be in the VHLE for S90 and moving forward. I know that not everyone will be happy, but there was no way to do this without pain somewhere along the line. 
 
However, much like the VHL in S58, we had a bit of a mismatch in terms of the rosters that make sense to remove and the franchises that make sense to remove. To that end, we are effectively full swapping roster players, prospects, and draft picks from Istanbul and Geneva to Stockholm and Vasteras, respectively. The current roster players and prospects on Stockholm and Vasteras will be released and available as free agents this off-season. The current draft picks owned by Stockholm and Vasteras will be passed or deleted as required.
 
Note: compensatory picks will be required in S91 to make this work, we will make sure everyone is made whole. The actual position of these compensatory picks is to be determined.
 
We were lucky enough to not actually need to fire anyone as GM to make this work! There has been some juggling behind the scenes, but here’s how everything shakes out:
- JB123 steps down following an absurdly strong run in Oslo
- Gaming Ringleader shifts over to GM Oslo
- Z follows his roster to Vasteras and takes over there
- Masu steps down from Istanbul in the hopes of pursuing other opportunities
- Twists keeps Stockholm and inherits Istanbul’s roster
 
That’s all for the actual contraction side of things. If you have any particular comments, questions, or concerns, please reach out to thad or I directly. My DMs are always open. 
 
Moving on to a couple of rule changes.
 
 
 
INACTIVE FREE AGENTS
 
Starting this off-season, teams will only be able to add 2 inactive free agents to their roster.This does not apply to players that go inactive mid-season or during their first three years post-draft, it only applies to the players that would have gone through the (now defunct) waivers system. 
 
Since we will only have 12 players to hand out this way each season, we will also be introducing a mini-draft, run on Discord or the forums, to allocate these players in the fairest manner possible. This draft will consist of two rounds, the first of which will be a reverse of the regular season standings while the second snakes that (i.e., equal to the regular season standings). Our current plan for this is to do rolling 12-hour clocks similar to VHFL, but we can adjust that on the fly as required. Teams are obviously allowed to pass on their pick if they do not see value in claiming an inactive free agent.
 
We’re hoping that reducing the crowd of those high TPA inactive free agents to maximum 2 per team will increase engagement for the players who remain active by freeing up more ice time, and by extension, delivering better stat lines.
 
We will be monitoring inactive free agents and their necessity over the next few seasons and will hopefully be able to remove them entirely at some point.
 
 
 
PLAYOFF FORMAT
 
In our 8-team VHLE as it stands now, 5 teams make the playoffs, with a 4-5 wildcard round before semi-finals. 
 
We don’t feel that a competitive league should have 5 of 6 teams making playoffs, so we are transitioning back to a 4 team playoff, with the matchups simply being 1-4 and 2-3. Both semi-finals and finals will remain best of 7. Tiebreakers remain unchanged. Games will be simmed 1 per day to keep as close as possible to in line with the VHL and VHLM playoff schedule.
 
 

TL;DR - Geneva and Istanbul branding deleted. Those rosters move to Stockholm and Vasteras. Current Stockholm and Vasteras rosters released. VHLE moves forward with 6 teams. Some rule changes regarding inactive FAs and playoff format to accommodate the contraction.
 
cc: @VHLE Commissioner @VHLE GM

I am terrible at writing intros to this kind of thing, so I’m just going to cut to the chase: we are contracting the VHLE back to 6 teams.
 
As I’m sure a lot of you know, there has been a worrying trend of thin rosters in the VHLE, and the numbers reflect that we have a few too many roster spots for players to cover them. We anticipate that a large bounceback in the form of the sizable S90 class of recreates (when compared to S89 at least) should help breathe some life back into the locker rooms. However, we are also helping it along with contraction. After these changes, on average, we are anticipating just shy of two full lines of active players per team.
 
The unfortunate teams that will be heading into the ether are the Geneva Rush and the Istanbul Red Wolves. There was never going to be an easy decision here, but between weak branding, short history, and tangential connections to local terrorist groups, these two franchises will not be in the VHLE for S90 and moving forward. I know that not everyone will be happy, but there was no way to do this without pain somewhere along the line. 
 
However, much like the VHL in S58, we had a bit of a mismatch in terms of the rosters that make sense to remove and the franchises that make sense to remove. To that end, we are effectively full swapping roster players, prospects, and draft picks from Istanbul and Geneva to Stockholm and Vasteras, respectively. The current roster players and prospects on Stockholm and Vasteras will be released and available as free agents this off-season. The current draft picks owned by Stockholm and Vasteras will be passed or deleted as required.
 
Note: compensatory picks will be required in S91 to make this work, we will make sure everyone is made whole. The actual position of these compensatory picks is to be determined.
 
We were lucky enough to not actually need to fire anyone as GM to make this work! There has been some juggling behind the scenes, but here’s how everything shakes out:
- JB123 steps down following an absurdly strong run in Oslo
- Gaming Ringleader shifts over to GM Oslo
- Z follows his roster to Vasteras and takes over there
- Masu steps down from Istanbul in the hopes of pursuing other opportunities
- Twists keeps Stockholm and inherits Istanbul’s roster
 
That’s all for the actual contraction side of things. If you have any particular comments, questions, or concerns, please reach out to thad or I directly. My DMs are always open. 
 
Moving on to a couple of rule changes.
 
 
 
INACTIVE FREE AGENTS
 
Starting this off-season, teams will only be able to add 2 inactive free agents to their roster.This does not apply to players that go inactive mid-season or during their first three years post-draft, it only applies to the players that would have gone through the (now defunct) waivers system. 
 
Since we will only have 12 players to hand out this way each season, we will also be introducing a mini-draft, run on Discord or the forums, to allocate these players in the fairest manner possible. This draft will consist of two rounds, the first of which will be a reverse of the regular season standings while the second snakes that (i.e., equal to the regular season standings). Our current plan for this is to do rolling 12-hour clocks similar to VHFL, but we can adjust that on the fly as required. Teams are obviously allowed to pass on their pick if they do not see value in claiming an inactive free agent.
 
We’re hoping that reducing the crowd of those high TPA inactive free agents to maximum 2 per team will increase engagement for the players who remain active by freeing up more ice time, and by extension, delivering better stat lines.
 
We will be monitoring inactive free agents and their necessity over the next few seasons and will hopefully be able to remove them entirely at some point.
 
 
 
PLAYOFF FORMAT
 
In our 8-team VHLE as it stands now, 5 teams make the playoffs, with a 4-5 wildcard round before semi-finals. 
 
We don’t feel that a competitive league should have 5 of 6 teams making playoffs, so we are transitioning back to a 4 team playoff, with the matchups simply being 1-4 and 2-3. Both semi-finals and finals will remain best of 7. Tiebreakers remain unchanged. Games will be simmed 1 per day to keep as close as possible to in line with the VHL and VHLM playoff schedule.
 
 

TL;DR - Geneva and Istanbul branding deleted. Those rosters move to Stockholm and Vasteras. Current Stockholm and Vasteras rosters released. VHLE moves forward with 6 teams. Some rule changes regarding inactive FAs and playoff format to accommodate the contraction.
 
cc: @VHLE Commissioner @VHLE GM

I am terrible at writing intros to this kind of thing, so I’m just going to cut to the chase: we are contracting the VHLE back to 6 teams.
 
As I’m sure a lot of you know, there has been a worrying trend of thin rosters in the VHLE, and the numbers reflect that we have a few too many roster spots for players to cover them. We anticipate that a large bounceback in the form of the sizable S90 class of recreates (when compared to S89 at least) should help breathe some life back into the locker rooms. However, we are also helping it along with contraction. After these changes, on average, we are anticipating just shy of two full lines of active players per team.
 
The unfortunate teams that will be heading into the ether are the Geneva Rush and the Istanbul Red Wolves. There was never going to be an easy decision here, but between weak branding, short history, and tangential connections to local terrorist groups, these two franchises will not be in the VHLE for S90 and moving forward. I know that not everyone will be happy, but there was no way to do this without pain somewhere along the line. 
 
However, much like the VHL in S58, we had a bit of a mismatch in terms of the rosters that make sense to remove and the franchises that make sense to remove. To that end, we are effectively full swapping roster players, prospects, and draft picks from Istanbul and Geneva to Stockholm and Vasteras, respectively. The current roster players and prospects on Stockholm and Vasteras will be released and available as free agents this off-season. The current draft picks owned by Stockholm and Vasteras will be passed or deleted as required.
 
Note: compensatory picks will be required in S91 to make this work, we will make sure everyone is made whole. The actual position of these compensatory picks is to be determined.
 
We were lucky enough to not actually need to fire anyone as GM to make this work! There has been some juggling behind the scenes, but here’s how everything shakes out:
- JB123 steps down following an absurdly strong run in Oslo
- Gaming Ringleader shifts over to GM Oslo
- Z follows his roster to Vasteras and takes over there
- Masu steps down from Istanbul in the hopes of pursuing other opportunities
- Twists keeps Stockholm and inherits Istanbul’s roster
 
That’s all for the actual contraction side of things. If you have any particular comments, questions, or concerns, please reach out to thad or I directly. My DMs are always open. 
 
Moving on to a couple of rule changes.
 
 
 
INACTIVE FREE AGENTS
 
Starting this off-season, teams will only be able to add 2 inactive free agents to their roster.This does not apply to players that go inactive mid-season or during their first three years post-draft, it only applies to the players that would have gone through the (now defunct) waivers system. 
 
Since we will only have 12 players to hand out this way each season, we will also be introducing a mini-draft, run on Discord or the forums, to allocate these players in the fairest manner possible. This draft will consist of two rounds, the first of which will be a reverse of the regular season standings while the second snakes that (i.e., equal to the regular season standings). Our current plan for this is to do rolling 12-hour clocks similar to VHFL, but we can adjust that on the fly as required. Teams are obviously allowed to pass on their pick if they do not see value in claiming an inactive free agent.
 
We’re hoping that reducing the crowd of those high TPA inactive free agents to maximum 2 per team will increase engagement for the players who remain active by freeing up more ice time, and by extension, delivering better stat lines.
 
We will be monitoring inactive free agents and their necessity over the next few seasons and will hopefully be able to remove them entirely at some point.
 
 
 
PLAYOFF FORMAT
 
In our 8-team VHLE as it stands now, 5 teams make the playoffs, with a 4-5 wildcard round before semi-finals. 
 
We don’t feel that a competitive league should have 5 of 6 teams making playoffs, so we are transitioning back to a 4 team playoff, with the matchups simply being 1-4 and 2-3. Both semi-finals and finals will remain best of 7. Tiebreakers remain unchanged. Games will be simmed 1 per day to keep as close as possible to in line with the VHL and VHLM playoff schedule.
 
 

TL;DR - Geneva and Istanbul branding deleted. Those rosters move to Stockholm and Vasteras. Current Stockholm and Vasteras rosters released. VHLE moves forward with 6 teams. Some rule changes regarding inactive FAs and playoff format to accommodate the contraction.
 
cc: @VHLE Commissioner @VHLE GM

Name: Ryan Artyomov
Position: Goaltender
Birthplace: Екатеринбург
Height: 2.03m
Weight: 114kg
Catches: Left
 
Ryan Artyomov, the indomitable goaltender hailing from the city of Yekaterinburg, Russia, possesses a skillset that leaves opponents in awe. Standing tall at an impressive 2.03 meters (6' 8") and weighing 114 kilograms (250 pounds), he is a goliath in the crease. Artyomov is an extraordinary talent in the world of ice hockey. After watching him 130 times over the past 3 seasons, here is my report.
 
Strengths:
- Positioning: Exceptional ability to read the play and maintain optimal positioning in the crease. Rarely caught out of position, making it difficult for opponents to find open net areas.
- Glove Hand: Artyomov's glove hand is practically a magnet for pucks, consistently snatching pucks out of the air with confidence.
- Blocker Side: Strong on the blocker side, not a bad right hook either. Lead his junior team in penalty minutes, all fighting majors.
- Five-hole: Virtually impenetrable in the five-hole, closing the gap efficiently.
- Mental Toughness: Possesses unwavering mental composure and focus, thriving under pressure situations. Does not get rattled by high-pressure situations.
- Communication: Knows exactly how to tell his teammates what to do. Could be the greatest coach of our time should he so choose.
- Durability: Maintains a high level of performance throughout the season, showing no signs of fatigue or slowing down as the games pile up. Artyomov actually finished his last season in junior with more games played than there are games in a season. Nobody knows how this happened, he must have snuck into other teams' games.
- Work Ethic: Despite already being amazing at everything, Artyomov spends 19.5 hours at the rink every single day, honing his craft even further.
 
Weaknesses:
N/A: when it comes to weaknesses, there is absolutely nothing to report. Artyomov is the epitome of a well-rounded and exceptionally talented goaltender, leaving opponents and analysts alike scratching their heads in search of any chink in his armor.
 
Conclusion:
A no-bullshit generational talent, Artyomov is clearly the bastard lovechild of Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy, Ken Dryden, Dominik Hasek, Terry Sawchuk, and Jacques Plante and was spliced with Vladislav Tretiak's DNA at an early age. Expect him to break every goaltending record upon reaching the VHL. Honestly, I would be surprised if he even gives up a goal in his career. If he lets one in, it's clearly because he feels bad for the opposition.

I am terrible at writing intros to this kind of thing, so I’m just going to cut to the chase: we are contracting the VHLE back to 6 teams.
 
As I’m sure a lot of you know, there has been a worrying trend of thin rosters in the VHLE, and the numbers reflect that we have a few too many roster spots for players to cover them. We anticipate that a large bounceback in the form of the sizable S90 class of recreates (when compared to S89 at least) should help breathe some life back into the locker rooms. However, we are also helping it along with contraction. After these changes, on average, we are anticipating just shy of two full lines of active players per team.
 
The unfortunate teams that will be heading into the ether are the Geneva Rush and the Istanbul Red Wolves. There was never going to be an easy decision here, but between weak branding, short history, and tangential connections to local terrorist groups, these two franchises will not be in the VHLE for S90 and moving forward. I know that not everyone will be happy, but there was no way to do this without pain somewhere along the line. 
 
However, much like the VHL in S58, we had a bit of a mismatch in terms of the rosters that make sense to remove and the franchises that make sense to remove. To that end, we are effectively full swapping roster players, prospects, and draft picks from Istanbul and Geneva to Stockholm and Vasteras, respectively. The current roster players and prospects on Stockholm and Vasteras will be released and available as free agents this off-season. The current draft picks owned by Stockholm and Vasteras will be passed or deleted as required.
 
Note: compensatory picks will be required in S91 to make this work, we will make sure everyone is made whole. The actual position of these compensatory picks is to be determined.
 
We were lucky enough to not actually need to fire anyone as GM to make this work! There has been some juggling behind the scenes, but here’s how everything shakes out:
- JB123 steps down following an absurdly strong run in Oslo
- Gaming Ringleader shifts over to GM Oslo
- Z follows his roster to Vasteras and takes over there
- Masu steps down from Istanbul in the hopes of pursuing other opportunities
- Twists keeps Stockholm and inherits Istanbul’s roster
 
That’s all for the actual contraction side of things. If you have any particular comments, questions, or concerns, please reach out to thad or I directly. My DMs are always open. 
 
Moving on to a couple of rule changes.
 
 
 
INACTIVE FREE AGENTS
 
Starting this off-season, teams will only be able to add 2 inactive free agents to their roster.This does not apply to players that go inactive mid-season or during their first three years post-draft, it only applies to the players that would have gone through the (now defunct) waivers system. 
 
Since we will only have 12 players to hand out this way each season, we will also be introducing a mini-draft, run on Discord or the forums, to allocate these players in the fairest manner possible. This draft will consist of two rounds, the first of which will be a reverse of the regular season standings while the second snakes that (i.e., equal to the regular season standings). Our current plan for this is to do rolling 12-hour clocks similar to VHFL, but we can adjust that on the fly as required. Teams are obviously allowed to pass on their pick if they do not see value in claiming an inactive free agent.
 
We’re hoping that reducing the crowd of those high TPA inactive free agents to maximum 2 per team will increase engagement for the players who remain active by freeing up more ice time, and by extension, delivering better stat lines.
 
We will be monitoring inactive free agents and their necessity over the next few seasons and will hopefully be able to remove them entirely at some point.
 
 
 
PLAYOFF FORMAT
 
In our 8-team VHLE as it stands now, 5 teams make the playoffs, with a 4-5 wildcard round before semi-finals. 
 
We don’t feel that a competitive league should have 5 of 6 teams making playoffs, so we are transitioning back to a 4 team playoff, with the matchups simply being 1-4 and 2-3. Both semi-finals and finals will remain best of 7. Tiebreakers remain unchanged. Games will be simmed 1 per day to keep as close as possible to in line with the VHL and VHLM playoff schedule.
 
 

TL;DR - Geneva and Istanbul branding deleted. Those rosters move to Stockholm and Vasteras. Current Stockholm and Vasteras rosters released. VHLE moves forward with 6 teams. Some rule changes regarding inactive FAs and playoff format to accommodate the contraction.
 
cc: @VHLE Commissioner @VHLE GM

The Storm are just coming off 4 straight finals appearances (including 3 cup wins).

I am terrible at writing intros to this kind of thing, so I’m just going to cut to the chase: we are contracting the VHLE back to 6 teams.
 
As I’m sure a lot of you know, there has been a worrying trend of thin rosters in the VHLE, and the numbers reflect that we have a few too many roster spots for players to cover them. We anticipate that a large bounceback in the form of the sizable S90 class of recreates (when compared to S89 at least) should help breathe some life back into the locker rooms. However, we are also helping it along with contraction. After these changes, on average, we are anticipating just shy of two full lines of active players per team.
 
The unfortunate teams that will be heading into the ether are the Geneva Rush and the Istanbul Red Wolves. There was never going to be an easy decision here, but between weak branding, short history, and tangential connections to local terrorist groups, these two franchises will not be in the VHLE for S90 and moving forward. I know that not everyone will be happy, but there was no way to do this without pain somewhere along the line. 
 
However, much like the VHL in S58, we had a bit of a mismatch in terms of the rosters that make sense to remove and the franchises that make sense to remove. To that end, we are effectively full swapping roster players, prospects, and draft picks from Istanbul and Geneva to Stockholm and Vasteras, respectively. The current roster players and prospects on Stockholm and Vasteras will be released and available as free agents this off-season. The current draft picks owned by Stockholm and Vasteras will be passed or deleted as required.
 
Note: compensatory picks will be required in S91 to make this work, we will make sure everyone is made whole. The actual position of these compensatory picks is to be determined.
 
We were lucky enough to not actually need to fire anyone as GM to make this work! There has been some juggling behind the scenes, but here’s how everything shakes out:
- JB123 steps down following an absurdly strong run in Oslo
- Gaming Ringleader shifts over to GM Oslo
- Z follows his roster to Vasteras and takes over there
- Masu steps down from Istanbul in the hopes of pursuing other opportunities
- Twists keeps Stockholm and inherits Istanbul’s roster
 
That’s all for the actual contraction side of things. If you have any particular comments, questions, or concerns, please reach out to thad or I directly. My DMs are always open. 
 
Moving on to a couple of rule changes.
 
 
 
INACTIVE FREE AGENTS
 
Starting this off-season, teams will only be able to add 2 inactive free agents to their roster.This does not apply to players that go inactive mid-season or during their first three years post-draft, it only applies to the players that would have gone through the (now defunct) waivers system. 
 
Since we will only have 12 players to hand out this way each season, we will also be introducing a mini-draft, run on Discord or the forums, to allocate these players in the fairest manner possible. This draft will consist of two rounds, the first of which will be a reverse of the regular season standings while the second snakes that (i.e., equal to the regular season standings). Our current plan for this is to do rolling 12-hour clocks similar to VHFL, but we can adjust that on the fly as required. Teams are obviously allowed to pass on their pick if they do not see value in claiming an inactive free agent.
 
We’re hoping that reducing the crowd of those high TPA inactive free agents to maximum 2 per team will increase engagement for the players who remain active by freeing up more ice time, and by extension, delivering better stat lines.
 
We will be monitoring inactive free agents and their necessity over the next few seasons and will hopefully be able to remove them entirely at some point.
 
 
 
PLAYOFF FORMAT
 
In our 8-team VHLE as it stands now, 5 teams make the playoffs, with a 4-5 wildcard round before semi-finals. 
 
We don’t feel that a competitive league should have 5 of 6 teams making playoffs, so we are transitioning back to a 4 team playoff, with the matchups simply being 1-4 and 2-3. Both semi-finals and finals will remain best of 7. Tiebreakers remain unchanged. Games will be simmed 1 per day to keep as close as possible to in line with the VHL and VHLM playoff schedule.
 
 

TL;DR - Geneva and Istanbul branding deleted. Those rosters move to Stockholm and Vasteras. Current Stockholm and Vasteras rosters released. VHLE moves forward with 6 teams. Some rule changes regarding inactive FAs and playoff format to accommodate the contraction.
 
cc: @VHLE Commissioner @VHLE GM

The Yukon Rush have long been a player, a fan favourite and until their relocation to Geneva in S81 were one of the oldest and most historic VHLM franchises having been in the league since S31. Since then many people have been calling for the rush to return to Yukon, the place they truly belong. Below I will provide 1 reason why each VHLM team should relocate to Yukon and become the beloved Yukon Rush. Additionally, returning a team to Yukon would be good for recruitment as @Juice has said that they will return when Yukon does.
 
Mississauga Hounds
I'm putting Mississauga first since, lets be honest if a team moves it will be them. Mississauga has no team history and has never won a Founder's Cup. The only VHLM record that has anything to do with is being the worst team in the league. Not to mention their logo has been consistently called the worst in the league. I'm also going to try and come up with 1 reason why a team shouldn't move to the Yukon, but for Mississauga there isn't one. It should also be noted that the only Mississauga GM that experienced any success wants this to happen.
 
Halifax 21st
Similarly to Mississauga Halifax really hasn't done much since they joined the VHLM, with that being said, Halifax does have it's own following (including being owned by @rory) and outside of their lack of success their really isn't much of a reason why they would move, especially when you consider the meaning behind their branding.
 
Houston Bulls
In most of the proposed relocations Houston would be the team shifting to the Eastern Conference, and with their GM stepping down, why not just move Houston? Their new GM could have a fresh start in a new city. Given that Houston has also had minimal success and really lacks much history, there isn't much of a reason not to move them.
 
Mexico City Kings
Similarly to every team already listed, Mexico also lacks much history and could easily be relocated with their GM already having ownership of the OG Yukon LR. The main reason not to move them would be that it is neat to have a team in Mexico, and that their logo is relatively new.
 
Miami Marauders
Once again, Miami does not have much history aside from being very successful when they first entered the VHLM. Additionally, to my knowledge there really isn't much of a heavy following of Miami and not many people have a connection to the team. Miami's brief but positive success would be the main reason to keep them here, also I like their logo.
 
Now into the unlikely teams:
 
Philadelphia Reapers
The Philadelphia Reapers have been one of the most successful VHLM teams despite their relatively short history, for this reason they really aren't a good fit to move, the only reason would be with their GM stepping down it would be a good time to relocate.
 
San Diego Marlins
RIVALRY!! The main reason I have San Diego in this group is the historic rivalry created between them and Yukon that dates back to @thadthrasher and @Juice being the GMs of both teams and created a very fun and engaging environment which resulted in Juice being pied in the face. This was one of the VHLM's only true rivalries and the league misses it dearly.
 
Saskatoon/Las Vegas/Ottawa
Neither of these teams are moving for the same reason Yukon deserves to be back, history. Saskatoon, Ottawa, and Las Vegas are the only three remaining VHLM teams that formed in S2.
 
It is time to bring Yukon home, and what better team to move than Mississauga, so let's just do it.
 
 

I am terrible at writing intros to this kind of thing, so I’m just going to cut to the chase: we are contracting the VHLE back to 6 teams.
 
As I’m sure a lot of you know, there has been a worrying trend of thin rosters in the VHLE, and the numbers reflect that we have a few too many roster spots for players to cover them. We anticipate that a large bounceback in the form of the sizable S90 class of recreates (when compared to S89 at least) should help breathe some life back into the locker rooms. However, we are also helping it along with contraction. After these changes, on average, we are anticipating just shy of two full lines of active players per team.
 
The unfortunate teams that will be heading into the ether are the Geneva Rush and the Istanbul Red Wolves. There was never going to be an easy decision here, but between weak branding, short history, and tangential connections to local terrorist groups, these two franchises will not be in the VHLE for S90 and moving forward. I know that not everyone will be happy, but there was no way to do this without pain somewhere along the line. 
 
However, much like the VHL in S58, we had a bit of a mismatch in terms of the rosters that make sense to remove and the franchises that make sense to remove. To that end, we are effectively full swapping roster players, prospects, and draft picks from Istanbul and Geneva to Stockholm and Vasteras, respectively. The current roster players and prospects on Stockholm and Vasteras will be released and available as free agents this off-season. The current draft picks owned by Stockholm and Vasteras will be passed or deleted as required.
 
Note: compensatory picks will be required in S91 to make this work, we will make sure everyone is made whole. The actual position of these compensatory picks is to be determined.
 
We were lucky enough to not actually need to fire anyone as GM to make this work! There has been some juggling behind the scenes, but here’s how everything shakes out:
- JB123 steps down following an absurdly strong run in Oslo
- Gaming Ringleader shifts over to GM Oslo
- Z follows his roster to Vasteras and takes over there
- Masu steps down from Istanbul in the hopes of pursuing other opportunities
- Twists keeps Stockholm and inherits Istanbul’s roster
 
That’s all for the actual contraction side of things. If you have any particular comments, questions, or concerns, please reach out to thad or I directly. My DMs are always open. 
 
Moving on to a couple of rule changes.
 
 
 
INACTIVE FREE AGENTS
 
Starting this off-season, teams will only be able to add 2 inactive free agents to their roster.This does not apply to players that go inactive mid-season or during their first three years post-draft, it only applies to the players that would have gone through the (now defunct) waivers system. 
 
Since we will only have 12 players to hand out this way each season, we will also be introducing a mini-draft, run on Discord or the forums, to allocate these players in the fairest manner possible. This draft will consist of two rounds, the first of which will be a reverse of the regular season standings while the second snakes that (i.e., equal to the regular season standings). Our current plan for this is to do rolling 12-hour clocks similar to VHFL, but we can adjust that on the fly as required. Teams are obviously allowed to pass on their pick if they do not see value in claiming an inactive free agent.
 
We’re hoping that reducing the crowd of those high TPA inactive free agents to maximum 2 per team will increase engagement for the players who remain active by freeing up more ice time, and by extension, delivering better stat lines.
 
We will be monitoring inactive free agents and their necessity over the next few seasons and will hopefully be able to remove them entirely at some point.
 
 
 
PLAYOFF FORMAT
 
In our 8-team VHLE as it stands now, 5 teams make the playoffs, with a 4-5 wildcard round before semi-finals. 
 
We don’t feel that a competitive league should have 5 of 6 teams making playoffs, so we are transitioning back to a 4 team playoff, with the matchups simply being 1-4 and 2-3. Both semi-finals and finals will remain best of 7. Tiebreakers remain unchanged. Games will be simmed 1 per day to keep as close as possible to in line with the VHL and VHLM playoff schedule.
 
 

TL;DR - Geneva and Istanbul branding deleted. Those rosters move to Stockholm and Vasteras. Current Stockholm and Vasteras rosters released. VHLE moves forward with 6 teams. Some rule changes regarding inactive FAs and playoff format to accommodate the contraction.
 
cc: @VHLE Commissioner @VHLE GM

I am terrible at writing intros to this kind of thing, so I’m just going to cut to the chase: we are contracting the VHLE back to 6 teams.
 
As I’m sure a lot of you know, there has been a worrying trend of thin rosters in the VHLE, and the numbers reflect that we have a few too many roster spots for players to cover them. We anticipate that a large bounceback in the form of the sizable S90 class of recreates (when compared to S89 at least) should help breathe some life back into the locker rooms. However, we are also helping it along with contraction. After these changes, on average, we are anticipating just shy of two full lines of active players per team.
 
The unfortunate teams that will be heading into the ether are the Geneva Rush and the Istanbul Red Wolves. There was never going to be an easy decision here, but between weak branding, short history, and tangential connections to local terrorist groups, these two franchises will not be in the VHLE for S90 and moving forward. I know that not everyone will be happy, but there was no way to do this without pain somewhere along the line. 
 
However, much like the VHL in S58, we had a bit of a mismatch in terms of the rosters that make sense to remove and the franchises that make sense to remove. To that end, we are effectively full swapping roster players, prospects, and draft picks from Istanbul and Geneva to Stockholm and Vasteras, respectively. The current roster players and prospects on Stockholm and Vasteras will be released and available as free agents this off-season. The current draft picks owned by Stockholm and Vasteras will be passed or deleted as required.
 
Note: compensatory picks will be required in S91 to make this work, we will make sure everyone is made whole. The actual position of these compensatory picks is to be determined.
 
We were lucky enough to not actually need to fire anyone as GM to make this work! There has been some juggling behind the scenes, but here’s how everything shakes out:
- JB123 steps down following an absurdly strong run in Oslo
- Gaming Ringleader shifts over to GM Oslo
- Z follows his roster to Vasteras and takes over there
- Masu steps down from Istanbul in the hopes of pursuing other opportunities
- Twists keeps Stockholm and inherits Istanbul’s roster
 
That’s all for the actual contraction side of things. If you have any particular comments, questions, or concerns, please reach out to thad or I directly. My DMs are always open. 
 
Moving on to a couple of rule changes.
 
 
 
INACTIVE FREE AGENTS
 
Starting this off-season, teams will only be able to add 2 inactive free agents to their roster.This does not apply to players that go inactive mid-season or during their first three years post-draft, it only applies to the players that would have gone through the (now defunct) waivers system. 
 
Since we will only have 12 players to hand out this way each season, we will also be introducing a mini-draft, run on Discord or the forums, to allocate these players in the fairest manner possible. This draft will consist of two rounds, the first of which will be a reverse of the regular season standings while the second snakes that (i.e., equal to the regular season standings). Our current plan for this is to do rolling 12-hour clocks similar to VHFL, but we can adjust that on the fly as required. Teams are obviously allowed to pass on their pick if they do not see value in claiming an inactive free agent.
 
We’re hoping that reducing the crowd of those high TPA inactive free agents to maximum 2 per team will increase engagement for the players who remain active by freeing up more ice time, and by extension, delivering better stat lines.
 
We will be monitoring inactive free agents and their necessity over the next few seasons and will hopefully be able to remove them entirely at some point.
 
 
 
PLAYOFF FORMAT
 
In our 8-team VHLE as it stands now, 5 teams make the playoffs, with a 4-5 wildcard round before semi-finals. 
 
We don’t feel that a competitive league should have 5 of 6 teams making playoffs, so we are transitioning back to a 4 team playoff, with the matchups simply being 1-4 and 2-3. Both semi-finals and finals will remain best of 7. Tiebreakers remain unchanged. Games will be simmed 1 per day to keep as close as possible to in line with the VHL and VHLM playoff schedule.
 
 

TL;DR - Geneva and Istanbul branding deleted. Those rosters move to Stockholm and Vasteras. Current Stockholm and Vasteras rosters released. VHLE moves forward with 6 teams. Some rule changes regarding inactive FAs and playoff format to accommodate the contraction.
 
cc: @VHLE Commissioner @VHLE GM

I am terrible at writing intros to this kind of thing, so I’m just going to cut to the chase: we are contracting the VHLE back to 6 teams.
 
As I’m sure a lot of you know, there has been a worrying trend of thin rosters in the VHLE, and the numbers reflect that we have a few too many roster spots for players to cover them. We anticipate that a large bounceback in the form of the sizable S90 class of recreates (when compared to S89 at least) should help breathe some life back into the locker rooms. However, we are also helping it along with contraction. After these changes, on average, we are anticipating just shy of two full lines of active players per team.
 
The unfortunate teams that will be heading into the ether are the Geneva Rush and the Istanbul Red Wolves. There was never going to be an easy decision here, but between weak branding, short history, and tangential connections to local terrorist groups, these two franchises will not be in the VHLE for S90 and moving forward. I know that not everyone will be happy, but there was no way to do this without pain somewhere along the line. 
 
However, much like the VHL in S58, we had a bit of a mismatch in terms of the rosters that make sense to remove and the franchises that make sense to remove. To that end, we are effectively full swapping roster players, prospects, and draft picks from Istanbul and Geneva to Stockholm and Vasteras, respectively. The current roster players and prospects on Stockholm and Vasteras will be released and available as free agents this off-season. The current draft picks owned by Stockholm and Vasteras will be passed or deleted as required.
 
Note: compensatory picks will be required in S91 to make this work, we will make sure everyone is made whole. The actual position of these compensatory picks is to be determined.
 
We were lucky enough to not actually need to fire anyone as GM to make this work! There has been some juggling behind the scenes, but here’s how everything shakes out:
- JB123 steps down following an absurdly strong run in Oslo
- Gaming Ringleader shifts over to GM Oslo
- Z follows his roster to Vasteras and takes over there
- Masu steps down from Istanbul in the hopes of pursuing other opportunities
- Twists keeps Stockholm and inherits Istanbul’s roster
 
That’s all for the actual contraction side of things. If you have any particular comments, questions, or concerns, please reach out to thad or I directly. My DMs are always open. 
 
Moving on to a couple of rule changes.
 
 
 
INACTIVE FREE AGENTS
 
Starting this off-season, teams will only be able to add 2 inactive free agents to their roster.This does not apply to players that go inactive mid-season or during their first three years post-draft, it only applies to the players that would have gone through the (now defunct) waivers system. 
 
Since we will only have 12 players to hand out this way each season, we will also be introducing a mini-draft, run on Discord or the forums, to allocate these players in the fairest manner possible. This draft will consist of two rounds, the first of which will be a reverse of the regular season standings while the second snakes that (i.e., equal to the regular season standings). Our current plan for this is to do rolling 12-hour clocks similar to VHFL, but we can adjust that on the fly as required. Teams are obviously allowed to pass on their pick if they do not see value in claiming an inactive free agent.
 
We’re hoping that reducing the crowd of those high TPA inactive free agents to maximum 2 per team will increase engagement for the players who remain active by freeing up more ice time, and by extension, delivering better stat lines.
 
We will be monitoring inactive free agents and their necessity over the next few seasons and will hopefully be able to remove them entirely at some point.
 
 
 
PLAYOFF FORMAT
 
In our 8-team VHLE as it stands now, 5 teams make the playoffs, with a 4-5 wildcard round before semi-finals. 
 
We don’t feel that a competitive league should have 5 of 6 teams making playoffs, so we are transitioning back to a 4 team playoff, with the matchups simply being 1-4 and 2-3. Both semi-finals and finals will remain best of 7. Tiebreakers remain unchanged. Games will be simmed 1 per day to keep as close as possible to in line with the VHL and VHLM playoff schedule.
 
 

TL;DR - Geneva and Istanbul branding deleted. Those rosters move to Stockholm and Vasteras. Current Stockholm and Vasteras rosters released. VHLE moves forward with 6 teams. Some rule changes regarding inactive FAs and playoff format to accommodate the contraction.
 
cc: @VHLE Commissioner @VHLE GM

I am terrible at writing intros to this kind of thing, so I’m just going to cut to the chase: we are contracting the VHLE back to 6 teams.
 
As I’m sure a lot of you know, there has been a worrying trend of thin rosters in the VHLE, and the numbers reflect that we have a few too many roster spots for players to cover them. We anticipate that a large bounceback in the form of the sizable S90 class of recreates (when compared to S89 at least) should help breathe some life back into the locker rooms. However, we are also helping it along with contraction. After these changes, on average, we are anticipating just shy of two full lines of active players per team.
 
The unfortunate teams that will be heading into the ether are the Geneva Rush and the Istanbul Red Wolves. There was never going to be an easy decision here, but between weak branding, short history, and tangential connections to local terrorist groups, these two franchises will not be in the VHLE for S90 and moving forward. I know that not everyone will be happy, but there was no way to do this without pain somewhere along the line. 
 
However, much like the VHL in S58, we had a bit of a mismatch in terms of the rosters that make sense to remove and the franchises that make sense to remove. To that end, we are effectively full swapping roster players, prospects, and draft picks from Istanbul and Geneva to Stockholm and Vasteras, respectively. The current roster players and prospects on Stockholm and Vasteras will be released and available as free agents this off-season. The current draft picks owned by Stockholm and Vasteras will be passed or deleted as required.
 
Note: compensatory picks will be required in S91 to make this work, we will make sure everyone is made whole. The actual position of these compensatory picks is to be determined.
 
We were lucky enough to not actually need to fire anyone as GM to make this work! There has been some juggling behind the scenes, but here’s how everything shakes out:
- JB123 steps down following an absurdly strong run in Oslo
- Gaming Ringleader shifts over to GM Oslo
- Z follows his roster to Vasteras and takes over there
- Masu steps down from Istanbul in the hopes of pursuing other opportunities
- Twists keeps Stockholm and inherits Istanbul’s roster
 
That’s all for the actual contraction side of things. If you have any particular comments, questions, or concerns, please reach out to thad or I directly. My DMs are always open. 
 
Moving on to a couple of rule changes.
 
 
 
INACTIVE FREE AGENTS
 
Starting this off-season, teams will only be able to add 2 inactive free agents to their roster.This does not apply to players that go inactive mid-season or during their first three years post-draft, it only applies to the players that would have gone through the (now defunct) waivers system. 
 
Since we will only have 12 players to hand out this way each season, we will also be introducing a mini-draft, run on Discord or the forums, to allocate these players in the fairest manner possible. This draft will consist of two rounds, the first of which will be a reverse of the regular season standings while the second snakes that (i.e., equal to the regular season standings). Our current plan for this is to do rolling 12-hour clocks similar to VHFL, but we can adjust that on the fly as required. Teams are obviously allowed to pass on their pick if they do not see value in claiming an inactive free agent.
 
We’re hoping that reducing the crowd of those high TPA inactive free agents to maximum 2 per team will increase engagement for the players who remain active by freeing up more ice time, and by extension, delivering better stat lines.
 
We will be monitoring inactive free agents and their necessity over the next few seasons and will hopefully be able to remove them entirely at some point.
 
 
 
PLAYOFF FORMAT
 
In our 8-team VHLE as it stands now, 5 teams make the playoffs, with a 4-5 wildcard round before semi-finals. 
 
We don’t feel that a competitive league should have 5 of 6 teams making playoffs, so we are transitioning back to a 4 team playoff, with the matchups simply being 1-4 and 2-3. Both semi-finals and finals will remain best of 7. Tiebreakers remain unchanged. Games will be simmed 1 per day to keep as close as possible to in line with the VHL and VHLM playoff schedule.
 
 

TL;DR - Geneva and Istanbul branding deleted. Those rosters move to Stockholm and Vasteras. Current Stockholm and Vasteras rosters released. VHLE moves forward with 6 teams. Some rule changes regarding inactive FAs and playoff format to accommodate the contraction.
 
cc: @VHLE Commissioner @VHLE GM

I am terrible at writing intros to this kind of thing, so I’m just going to cut to the chase: we are contracting the VHLE back to 6 teams.
 
As I’m sure a lot of you know, there has been a worrying trend of thin rosters in the VHLE, and the numbers reflect that we have a few too many roster spots for players to cover them. We anticipate that a large bounceback in the form of the sizable S90 class of recreates (when compared to S89 at least) should help breathe some life back into the locker rooms. However, we are also helping it along with contraction. After these changes, on average, we are anticipating just shy of two full lines of active players per team.
 
The unfortunate teams that will be heading into the ether are the Geneva Rush and the Istanbul Red Wolves. There was never going to be an easy decision here, but between weak branding, short history, and tangential connections to local terrorist groups, these two franchises will not be in the VHLE for S90 and moving forward. I know that not everyone will be happy, but there was no way to do this without pain somewhere along the line. 
 
However, much like the VHL in S58, we had a bit of a mismatch in terms of the rosters that make sense to remove and the franchises that make sense to remove. To that end, we are effectively full swapping roster players, prospects, and draft picks from Istanbul and Geneva to Stockholm and Vasteras, respectively. The current roster players and prospects on Stockholm and Vasteras will be released and available as free agents this off-season. The current draft picks owned by Stockholm and Vasteras will be passed or deleted as required.
 
Note: compensatory picks will be required in S91 to make this work, we will make sure everyone is made whole. The actual position of these compensatory picks is to be determined.
 
We were lucky enough to not actually need to fire anyone as GM to make this work! There has been some juggling behind the scenes, but here’s how everything shakes out:
- JB123 steps down following an absurdly strong run in Oslo
- Gaming Ringleader shifts over to GM Oslo
- Z follows his roster to Vasteras and takes over there
- Masu steps down from Istanbul in the hopes of pursuing other opportunities
- Twists keeps Stockholm and inherits Istanbul’s roster
 
That’s all for the actual contraction side of things. If you have any particular comments, questions, or concerns, please reach out to thad or I directly. My DMs are always open. 
 
Moving on to a couple of rule changes.
 
 
 
INACTIVE FREE AGENTS
 
Starting this off-season, teams will only be able to add 2 inactive free agents to their roster.This does not apply to players that go inactive mid-season or during their first three years post-draft, it only applies to the players that would have gone through the (now defunct) waivers system. 
 
Since we will only have 12 players to hand out this way each season, we will also be introducing a mini-draft, run on Discord or the forums, to allocate these players in the fairest manner possible. This draft will consist of two rounds, the first of which will be a reverse of the regular season standings while the second snakes that (i.e., equal to the regular season standings). Our current plan for this is to do rolling 12-hour clocks similar to VHFL, but we can adjust that on the fly as required. Teams are obviously allowed to pass on their pick if they do not see value in claiming an inactive free agent.
 
We’re hoping that reducing the crowd of those high TPA inactive free agents to maximum 2 per team will increase engagement for the players who remain active by freeing up more ice time, and by extension, delivering better stat lines.
 
We will be monitoring inactive free agents and their necessity over the next few seasons and will hopefully be able to remove them entirely at some point.
 
 
 
PLAYOFF FORMAT
 
In our 8-team VHLE as it stands now, 5 teams make the playoffs, with a 4-5 wildcard round before semi-finals. 
 
We don’t feel that a competitive league should have 5 of 6 teams making playoffs, so we are transitioning back to a 4 team playoff, with the matchups simply being 1-4 and 2-3. Both semi-finals and finals will remain best of 7. Tiebreakers remain unchanged. Games will be simmed 1 per day to keep as close as possible to in line with the VHL and VHLM playoff schedule.
 
 

TL;DR - Geneva and Istanbul branding deleted. Those rosters move to Stockholm and Vasteras. Current Stockholm and Vasteras rosters released. VHLE moves forward with 6 teams. Some rule changes regarding inactive FAs and playoff format to accommodate the contraction.
 
cc: @VHLE Commissioner @VHLE GM