McWolf

That's great!

I'm still learning, lmao

Or is it automatic now? Anyway, welcome in the league, @Dyldel. If you need any help getting started, there's a channel dedicated to helping newer members in the VHL Discord where veterans can answer every question you have or help you in any way you need, or you can just send me a PM on here.

As a new retainment crew member, a WJC co-commissioner and a fairly new member that was part of the tournament for the first time last season, I'm gonna go ahead and share my totally unbiased opinion with you old timers: I think it's cool that new members get so much to do at the start, with the WJC and everything surrounding the draft, namely the weekly rankings, the mock drafts, etc. The competition gets a lot stiffer once you get to the VHL, so it's fun to taste what it's like to dominate in the VHLM and take part in an international tournament at the very start of your career before moving up and becoming a depth piece for a couple years. If the VHLM was the dark place no one really wanted to be in, no matter you had trouble getting new members to join and keeping them active up until they were important players on their VHL teams a couple of seasons later. I guess, it's not everyone that would stick around long enough to go through 2 uninteresting months in the VHLM and then 6+ months of barely being a depth piece in the VHL before actually getting good. Especially not first-gens.

I plan on doing one of these every season, not gonna write one VHL.com article every week about some random 13-year old playing high school level, that would suck balls. Which is the kind of thing @pennypenny does, not me.

Really sad to see @Tagger step down from the retention role, as it was basically him that made the role what it is right now. I'm stoked that I was @Beaviss and @Spade18's first choice to cover for him and that I get this chance so early in my VHL career but, to be absolutely honest with everyone, it's pretty scary that I'm the one that has to step up and follow in Tagger's steps. He paved the way nicely, setting up things like the Newsletter, the Pressers for VHLM Players and, of course, the daily updated Draft Rankings. He did so much for the league, especially for the new members, making sure they feel at home it in the VHL(M), even though it can feel pretty overwhelming at first. So, in the coming weeks, I'll do my best Tagger impression and try to pursue every single little project he had going on, along with continuing to be a welcoming presence and a helper for new members on the forums and on the Discord server. Thanks again to the 3 of you, really. I'm hyped for this new challenge!

Quebec 2-0

40 scoring shootout hero

Today is a very special day for the protagonist of this story. 13-year old Jake Stingray is sitting at his seat in the Xcel Energy Center, next to his father. He is proudly wearing his red and black Alexandria Cardinals jersey. In front of him unfolds the most magnificient show he ever had the chance to laid his eyes on. Today, Team USA Jr. is meeting with Team Canada Jr. as part of the Season 63 World Junior Championship. Jake was as happy as ever when his father told him that this year's World Junior Championship was gonna be help in St. Paul (perks of being a commissioner). After all, it's only two-hour ride from Alexandria to St. Paul, and the two of them would make it once or twice a year for different reasons. This year's reason was a special one, however. With Jake's birthday being on December 1st, his father thought it would make a great gift to get him tickets for that rivalry-fueled matchup between Canada and USA. This game easily is the highest caliber hockey he'll get to see before long. I mean, he saw the Wild once in that same arena, but can you really argue that somehow washed up veterans are better than young studs playing their heart out on the international stage? I don't think so. Throughout the evening, the boys joined in "U-S-A!" chants and were delighted to see their team's top players, namely Chance Matthews, Ryan Sullivan Jr. and Sidney Crosby (uh?), perform well. The young hockey player had stars in his eyes when Eric Parker finally scored the first American goal during the second period. The game ended as a tough 5-1 loss for the Americans, but Jake doesn't care at all about that. Today, all that matters is that Jake saw some of the better hockey players of the current generation. Some of the guys that will shape up the future of the VHL. Some of these guys may end up breaking records that stood for decades. Some of these guys may even pave the way for the next generation of talent, kids like Jake, to one day suit in the VHL and leave their mark on the history of the league. But our protagonist doesn't know that yet, as he's only 13 years old and has absolutely no idea how good he actually is at the game.

Hey, man, that's prety good!

@Nykonax @Esso2264 so you guys trashtalk 24/7, but when you GM against one another, you don't even say a word?

USA shot 13 times. I mean, NYA is shooting more than that and we got 4 players.

that's basically your whole strategy, right? that and let Nguyen get 3+ pts a night

@Enorama nvm, they're still doing bad. /s

Europe doing good under new management. @Enorama

@Dtayl is mad he wasn't named defenseman of the tournament last season lmao

Welcome in the league, @Aero. If you need any help getting started, there's a channel dedicated to helping newer members in the VHL Discord where veterans can answer every question you have or help you in any way you need, or you can just send me a PM on here.

That's pretty accurate to be honest

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE, EVERYONE

yo boi wolf

TPE is for the players that are chosen for the ASG, I believe

There is no turning back from this Tomayto, tomahto. You still chose to turn your back to the Lynx.

Welcome in the league, @Matty69P. Let me know if you got questions.

1. The morale is low, confidence is shaky. Everyone is trying to laugh at the situation and look at the Americans bright future instead of focusing on this lost cause of a season. Oh and the rumours are absolutely true, there are 70+ pages worth of lewd material, pretty much all courtesy of BOOM. 2. Lace the left skate before the right. Stop for a bit after putting on the pants, go rinkside with his iPod and listen to his pregame playlist. He doesn't talk much before the games, he's not much of a locker room presence, but he tries to lead by example on the ice to compensate. 3. My motivation level is pretty much the same. TPE growth is slower, because of the practice facility giving only 1 and we can't do the one-time PTs anymore once we did them. But it's all fine. VHLM growth is all about getting the important ratings to that first threshold. VHL growth is more about long term development, which makes it even more rewarding when you reach that objective of yours. 4. McWolf lived in London for some bit, so he is kinda used to huge cities with shitty weather and shitty people. Of course, New York takes a bit of getting used to, but he's doing fine now. There's a sweet bagel shop a block away from his place, so he gets to start everyday with some New York treat. He started to get called out on the street a bit too, as people start to recognize him. Not a day passes without hearing "Hey that's McWolf", "Can I take a picture with you?" or "You guys fucking suck." He's living the dream! 5. Joseph McWolf is proud to be part of the Jolt Juice family. Jolt Juice comes in tons of different flavours. Taste them all, find your favourite one and load up on that one so you are always hydrated and ready for the action. The patent-pending electrolytically energezing formula of Jolt Juice ensures every droplet you drink will completely revigorate your chakra and karma levels. Who would not want to sign with them? When you do they give you a lifetime supply of Coconut-Grape Jolt Juice. It's a shitty flavour, but if you drink enough, it starts to taste like water with a weird sensation tongue burning. It's amazing! 6. That's a rough one. I guess I'd kill @Spade18 Ismond Kingfisher, because physical violence is the only way he knows to show how he loves someone. Killing him would be the absolute climax of our relationship. I'd kill for @Sonnet Alexander Pepper. (Not so) little known fact: I was the CEO of the #Pepper1OA campaign that almost got him to get drafted 1st overall in the last VHL Entry Draft. We were off by like one digit. Next time I'll murder people above to make sure it happens. I'd defend @Poptart Finn Davison. Fellow brit, and he's playing for my beloved Lynx. He deserves to protected at all cost. I'm sad I can't defend him myself, instead of that flock of inactive dmen. So that leaves @BladeMaiden Brick Wahl to be abandoned. Just like he abandoned me and ditched the Lynx for the Aces (that loved him so much they already got rid of him).