TacticalHammer

Welcome back buddy!

Decided it was finally a good time to recreate, now that I'm an Admin in the EFL and get that auto-12/use that carryover. My understanding is that I just missed tonight's draft, so I'm an FA for at least the current season. Open to pitches!
 
Planning for this player to be kind of a prime- TJ Brodie type. Smooth skating, good first passes, lots of assists. 

Player Information
Username: TacticalHammer
Player Name: Rolf Fizzlebeef Jr
Recruited From: SisterLeague
Age: 22
Position: D
Height: 75 in.
Weight: 198 lbs.
Birthplace: Canada

Player Page
@VHLM GM

GUSTAV'S GUIDE TO BUILDING
(Updated for Hybrid Builds)
 
 
If you're new, welcome to the VHL! If you're not, I have no idea what you're doing here, but thanks for stopping by and I hope you learn something nonetheless. This guide originally served a purpose as a very helpful tool back when our build system was more straightforward, and I've now modified it so that it might be a very helpful tool now that it's less straightforward. For the newbies, I'm going to provide a little bit of context as to why our system works the way it does and how it's changed.
 
*NOTE: MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THE SECTION BELOW BEFORE MOVING ON!*
 
The VHL runs its sims (and has run its sims since 2007) with the SimonT Hockey Simulator (or STHS for short). This engine provides text-based output for every game, every season, and has mostly served its purpose well in doing so. If you've ever played a "Be a Pro" mode in an NHL (or Madden, or whatever other sporting equivalent), you have already experienced the basic concept of a sim league--you do things, and those things will help you earn points which you can spend to upgrade your player's attributes. For example, STHS has a "Scoring" attribute--earning TPE and spending it on Scoring will make your player better at--you guessed it--scoring (for the super lost, a good breakdown of TPE earning is in this article). 
 
And that's the basic premise of STHS. Our sim engine takes in basic player attributes (which will be explained in PART 1 below), and spits out results. It's not that simple, though--until Season 83, one point into Scoring on the VHL website meant one point into Scoring in STHS. That season, though, the system was reworked. Now, we have more attributes to upgrade, and more potential ways to build a player. These attributes aren't fed into STHS--rather, they're translated into the same basic attributes as before, and those attributes are fed into STHS.
 
You might be asking yourself--why do we do it this way? If it's accomplishing the same thing, why do we need to make it more complicated?
 
That's a perfectly valid question, and I would agree that it seems a bit nonsensical for someone new. The answer involves a good dive into league history. Starting around the early S70s, and growing throughout that decade, it became more and more accepted that having a full team of players who separated Scoring and Passing as much as possible would "break" STHS in a way, leading to unrealistic results and forcing teams to follow what became known as the "meta" way of building if they wanted to be good (I present a more detailed breakdown of the situation in this article). By S80, things had gotten way out of hand, and it was clear that something needed to be done about the meta taking over.
 
The new attributes (which I will explain in PART 2 of this article) solve two issues at once: first, it is impossible to separate Scoring and Passing nearly as much as before, and the effects of the meta are significantly diminished, and second, it allows for a little more build diversity--some had complained as well that the attributes offered by STHS weren't enough.
 
As goalie builds were unaffected by the meta, goalie builds remain the same as they were before. Part 1's explanation for goalie builds will be all you need, but you'll need both if you're building a skater.
 
 
Get it? Got it? Good. If you don't get it, please go back and re-read it--otherwise, you'll probably be very confused as to what's coming up.
 
 
*A SECOND NOTE: YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND PART 1 TO UNDERSTAND PART 2! THE KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT A GOOD BUILD WAS BEFORE THE SWITCH IS 1000% RELEVANT TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT A GOOD BUILD IS TODAY!*
 
 
Without further ado...
 
 
PART 1: THE "OLD WAY" AND HOW STHS REALLY WORKS
 
What you'll see below is what STHS uses to evaluate its players--if you're a skater, this is different from what you'd see on the portal.
 
 
Skater attributes:
 
Checking (CK): The higher this stat is, the more hits your player will record. High Checking will also give you lots of penalty minutes, especially in the VHLM, but if you're building a physical player, there's nothing wrong with upgrading this attribute. If you're seeing your penalty minutes fly through the roof, that's just how it is with high Checking. There's no real way to avoid that (see the article linked under Discipline for more info), but it's a trade-off. Whether you upgrade it or not is up to you and can have benefits either way.
 
Fighting (FG): This one is pretty self-explanatory. The more you upgrade Fighting, the more fights your player will get into. Not good for the team, but some people like to upgrade fighting nonetheless for the laughs.
 
Discipline (DI): In theory, this attribute should lower the number of penalties your player takes. In practice, it accomplishes this--but it more or less does so by lowering hits. This is why I said up by Checking that high Checking and high Discipline at the same time is a bad idea. Per this article, in fact, I personally believe that upgrading Discipline at all is meaningless unless your sole objective is to avoid taking penalties--and even then it's only going to have a minor effect. Don't focus on upgrading Discipline at all if you're planning on doing things that will give you higher Checking.
 
Skating (SK): Upgrades to Skating make your player faster and can also help with positioning. In my opinion (and that of most others), skating is an important one to upgrade. Some believe it doesn't do much, but most players that you'll see out there have significant upgrades to Skating. In general, Skating is (as it should be) a primary attribute for skaters, and it's widely considered a standard in any build. Part of the Decision-Making Formula*. 
 
Strength (ST): Sounds important, and it is, though at a secondary level. Strength is sort of a "helper" attribute for a whole bunch of stuff: for one, it makes a player harder to knock off the puck (though Puck Handling will also accomplish this), and for another, it makes a player's checking slightly more effective. It also plays a minor part in face-offs and fighting. Mostly, a focus on Strength should be reserved for your player's build after you've already put a good amount of points into it, but once this is the case, upgrades to Strength aren't a bad idea. Even if it's secondary, it's underrated! Though it shouldn't be built up as much as some other stuff, it is worth it.
 
Puck Handling (PH): Underrated and important! Good for just about any build. It is exactly what it sounds like--a player with good Puck Handling will have a hard time losing possession, something more important than most realize in the simulation--go to the play-by-play of any sim and count the turnovers, because you'll find a ton of them. Also helps with tipping the puck to score and stealing the puck in the defensive zone (and I've heard once but not confirmed that it's a little bit helpful for shot blocking as well). If a player has Skating upgraded, Puck Handling should be upgraded as well, more or less evenly with it.
 
Face-offs (FO): A good face-off rating is essential to any center's build, and somewhat far off in the distance for a winger. Being able to get possession right away (especially if your goalie has solid rebound control, which we'll get to later) is imperative, especially in the defensive zone. If you're a winger, don't worry about this one--even though 10 points or so in it might be worth it, it certainly isn't any sort of priority. If you're a center, though, this should be right up there with your primary attributes--maybe not your highest, but not too far behind.
 
Passing (PA): Another "exactly what it sounds like" attribute. The higher this is, the better you'll be at passing the puck. Passing is tricky, because one must be careful to keep it distanced a bit from scoring (which I'll get to in the Decision-Making Formula section). In general, shoot-first players have more success points-wise and are more sought-after by GMs, but playmakers can still be valuable, so don't let that get in the way of building a pass-first player if you'd like to as well! Part of decision-making formula*.
 
Scoring (SC): Yet another "exactly what it sounds like" attribute. The higher this rating is, the better your player will be at, well, scoring. This is helpful and imperative in just about any build but defensive defenseman (where it's ok to upgrade, but should be secondary). Part of the Decision-Making Formula as well*. 
 
DEFENSE (DF): Defense is, in my opinion, THE MOST IMPORTANT ATTRIBUTE FOR ANY POSITION OR BUILD. Every player, regardless of what type of player they are, should upgrade their Defense rating to at least 70 in the VHLM. Prior to S83, just about every top player had a DF rating of 99, and getting it to a fairly high point today should be a primary objective in building. Upgrading Defense not only makes your player valuable on both ends of the ice, it also makes a player more likely to track down a loose puck, which is also helpful on both ends of the ice. It will also make your player more adept at intercepting passes, which can lead to some great chances, especially if your player is a forward. I HIGHLY recommend that everyone, regardless of position or build, upgrade defense, and do so significantly.
 
Penalty Shot (PS): This attribute (theoretically) makes your player more successful in both penalty shots and the shootout (with highly limited results in real life). Not too useful, and almost nobody ever upgrades it. Putting even 5 or 10 TPE into it might give you an edge over some goaltenders, but again, keep in mind that this stat isn't all too important. If your player has other needs, address them first. 
 
Leadership (LD): There are but a few who think leadership does anything at all. Theoretically, it will help your team's morale and make them more consistent, leading to more wins and more success in general. Whether or not this is actually the case is a matter of debate--a great many are convinced that leadership doesn't do anything, and even if it does have an effect, it's very slight. Upgrade if you'd like, but at your own risk.
 
 
*Decision-Making Formula: Passing, Scoring, and Skating are all part of the "decision-making formula." Basically, the more you have one of these attributes upgraded, the more likely your player is to choose that course of action when carrying the puck. For example, a player with Scoring upgraded more than Passing or Skating is most likely to shoot the puck, rather than pass to set up a play or attempt to skate to gain better positioning. It's advisable to stagger these stats a bit so your player isn't indecisive--if Scoring is more important to you than Passing, put Scoring at least 10 points ahead (if not more). If Passing is more important than Scoring, put passing about 10 points ahead. In my own personal opinion, Skating doesn't have to be staggered, and can be upgraded just as much as your top preference--common sense dictates that if you're carrying the puck, you will either have to pass or shoot, so in the end, to me, this doesn't make much difference. If you upgrade Skating significantly, however, you'd better also upgrade Puck Handling to make sure you can pass or shoot in the first place.
 
In the end, build the way you want. Not trying to maximize the gap between Scoring and Passing might get you to fall down the draft board a bit, but it's not like you won't be valuable if you build creatively. What's truly important is that you earn consistently, have a good all-around build, and have fun.
 
 
 
Now for goalies! You're the lucky ones because this continues to be completely relevant information:
 
Skating (SK): This attribute affects a goaltender's ability to move around, both in the net and out of it, to play pucks, for example. This is an important attribute for goaltenders, though not a top-tier one. Skating, Size, and Agility are the three main "secondary" attributes for goaltenders, though Skating is the one most often left in the lurch as some consider Size or Agility more important than the rest.
 
Size (SZ): Fun fact--although you get to choose your player's height and weight during creation, that information actually has no bearing on your goalie's performance. A goalie can, by official height and weight, be built like Shaq, or like Peter Dinklage, and neither will have any sort of advantage size-wise over the other in the sim. This attribute is actually what makes the difference--the higher a goalie's size rating is, the more area that goalie will cover without even having to move. It is somewhat popularly believed that Size has more of a positive effect than Skating or Agility, and though it is not a primary attribute, some tests in limited capacity have reflected this opinion numerically.
 
Agility (AG): Agility will make your player's movements more natural, making this attribute an overall boost to quickness. It's helpful as a supplement to already-upgraded stats, but isn't a substitute for any of them. It is, like Skating and Size, considered a secondary attribute.
 
Rebound Control* (RB): It doesn't matter what kind of save a goaltender makes--if the puck goes right back out to an opposing player with a wide open net, the outcome won't be very good. A solid Rebound Control upgrade gives a goalie the ability to stop the puck and hold onto it, something of higher importance than most realize. Centers be warned, though--to get the puck out of the defensive zone after the goalie hangs onto it, you'll need to win the face-off, so be sure to upgrade your face-off rating!
 
Style Control* (SC): This attribute is far more important than it sounds on its surface. Upgrades to Style Control will allow your goalie to be a good deal more consistent in the course of a game, maintaining the same style of play throughout. If a goalie doesn't do this, the game can fall apart and get blown wide open, so it's best to have this one taken care of.
 
Hand Speed* (HS): This attribute will increase your goalie's hand speed (no, really). It's also quite important, as anyone who knows hockey even a little bit knows that the glove is one of the most important pieces of equipment a goalie has, being extremely versatile and mobile. Making sure your goalie can use it well is one of the secrets to success as a player. 
 
Reaction Time* (RT): While skating and agility help to make sure that your goaltender can move around easily, Reaction Time is what makes sure your goaltender makes a move in the first place, before the puck goes in the net. While Skating and Agility are important, Reaction Time outdoes both. 
 
Penalty Shot (PS): This one will improve a goalie's ability in both penalty shot situations and in shootouts, though nothing but. Although it's not the most useful, putting even a little bit into this stat can give a goalie an advantage, as not many skaters upgrade it either. As I said for skaters, though, if you have any needs with your build, address those long before considering upgrading this one.
 
Leadership (LD): See above under skater attributes. Long story short, don't bother.
 
*Primary Attributes - upgrade these four above all else.
 
 
 
So, now that you've got all that (and feel free to re-read if necessary!), let's get on with the actual building.
 
 
 
PART 2: THE "NEW WAY" AND HOW TO GET YOUR BUILD STARTED
 
 
For a skater, the following attributes are available for player upgrades on the portal:

 
Remember those attributes from Part 1? This table explains how the new attributes work--if you take Deking from 0 to 1, for example, you will have effectively upgraded Puck Handling (PH) by 0.24 and Defense (DF) by 0.12. So, about 8 points into Deking equates to about 2 points into PH and 1 point into DF. 
 
I realize that this is a lot to make sense of for a new player, so here I'm going to provide some sample builds for different play styles. Each build below will be a 200-TPA build, to give you a good target to shoot for in the VHLM.
 
 
Forwards:
 
1. The Scorer
 
This build will be based on the following principles:
 
-We want to score! The three attributes that will help us upgrade Scoring are Offensive Vision (OV), Slap Shot (SS), and Wrist Shot (WS). Offensive Vision helps the most, but it also includes upgrades to Passing. Because of this, we'll upgrade Offensive Vision until it starts to cost more to upgrade, and then create a gap between Scoring and Passing with the others.
 
-We also want DF to be high. We don't care about hits, so we'll leave Body Checking (BC) off the table for now and focus on Deking (DK), Stick Checking (PC), and Defensive Coverage (DC).
 
-SK and PH are also important, so it will be important for us to put points into Stickhandling (SH) and Speed (SP).
 
That gets us the following build. Note that Stick Checking in the table is abbreviated to PC (presumably Poke Checking) on the portal:
 

 
With this build, our primary objective (increasing SC with high OV) has been achieved, with some gap added through SS and WS. Along with this, we've managed to bring DF to 51, SK to 47, and PH to 49--and ST increasing with the others is a nice bonus. Note that we made OV really high here--though it adds to PA at the same rate, it is by far the easiest way to increase SC.
 
 
2. The Playmaker
 
Pass-first builds tend to be frowned upon, but the hybrid system makes them more attainable than scoring builds. We'll target this build like so:
 
-Building Passing is easy if we go for high Passing (PA) and Offensive Vision (OV). Slap Shot and Wrist Shot matter a lot less here.
 
-As above, we'll build DF with DK, PC, and DC. We'll also build SK and PH with SH and SP.
 

 
While it's true that this build leads to lower Scoring, the ability to avoid putting points into SS and WS to build a SC-PA gap allows for those points to be distributed elsewhere--this player has DK, SH, PC, DC, and SP at least 5 above the Scorer build. When translated to STHS attributes, that's 3 higher in DF, 3 higher in PH, and 6 higher in SK. ST takes a hit as it's closely linked to the Scoring attributes, but other than that, this is a more TPE-efficient build (though it could present itself as a bit less desirable than the Scorer anyway).
 
 
3. The Two-Way Forward
 
Here, we'll be aiming to build a forward who can play a good defensive game, and can also throw their weight around. Because of this, we'll go for the following:
 
-Our first priority is DF, and we'll build that the same way we did before with DK, PC, and DC--but we'll also add in Body Checking (BC) because we don't mind giving some hits.
 
-If we really want to prioritize hits (and get in some fights), we'd also upgrade Grit (GR). Since BC has a greater effect on Checking than Grit does, Grit isn't practical for a VHLM build, so it won't be shown here--but it's something to keep in mind as TPE gets higher (as upgrading something past 70 will cost more, Grit will be the fastest way to upgrade Checking when BC hits 70).
 
-Strength is also important, so we'll throw points into SS. We'll also upgrade Faceoffs (FO). Even if our player isn't a center, it's a good boost to Strength that has a situational upside.
 
-Because SS is helpful for Strength, a two-way forward would trend more toward a Scorer build with added checking ability than a Playmaker one--but because PA is an efficient upgrade to make, it's perfectly fine and doable either way.
 

 
As you can see, a physical build tends to sacrifice some progress in the offensive realm because you're just targeting more different things at once. If you want hits to show up on your stat sheet, though, it's what you've got to do!
 
 
General advice for any forward build: FO is a very good attribute to upgrade if you're a center. With the exception of the Two-Way Forward build, I haven't shown it anywhere, but as you can see there, a little goes a long way. Decide what you'd like to sacrifice for it and make that choice.
 
 
 
Defense:
 
1. The Offensive Build
 
In this league, a defenseman who can score will get a lot of credit for it. Here's how to accomplish that:
 
-Don't forget your position! Defense is still your #1 priority. As explained above, we're going to upgrade DK, PC, and DC to get there. Because Scoring will require a lot of TPE, we'll avoid BC for now and tell ourselves we're going to look into it when we make it up to the VHLE or the VHL and we have more TPE to work with.
 
-OV will remain the most important offensive attribute there is, while we'll build the Scoring-Passing gap with points into SS. WS isn't as desirable here because its secondary attribute isn't what we need as a defender (though if SS eventually hits 70, WS will become the better way to improve Scoring).
 
-As above, SK and PH will be built up with SH and SP.
 

 
You'll probably see some builds shift more towards the offensive attributes, but I've never been a fan of building defensemen exactly like forwards. This build provides a solid base for every necessary defensive attribute while also giving you some level of Scoring to work with.
 
 
2. The Defensive Build
 
Here, we care a bit less about scoring and a lot more about just getting down to the basics and playing defense. We'll reflect that by doing this:
 
-DK, PC, and DC are again your top priorities, but you can think of them as your super-ultra-mega-top priorities. SH and SP will now be your top priorities as well, but imagine the first three in a tier above top.
 
-You can actually get objectively exactly where you want in a hyper-defensive build by doing that much and not touching anything offensive. For the sake of balance, we'll upgrade PA and OV somewhat as they're both very efficient attributes. SS is helpful as well because it's a bonus to Strength, and being a defensive player doesn't mean you can't touch it.
 
-BC is optional (as is GR eventually), depending on what kind of player you want to be, and I'll be throwing some in there just to show that it's a viable option. I won't make this build super physical, but a physical build is more doable here because we're not focusing on SC.
 

 
Exactly what you'd expect here--we've sacrificed some Scoring ability for some Checking and Defense. You won't be on the point leaderboard, but if hits and blocked shots are your thing, this player will still be exciting to watch!
 
 
 
Goaltenders:
 
Sadly, there isn't much build variation for goalies--but there is a lot of simplicity since you're just working with the STHS attributes. The process to building one is simple:
 
-Take your four primary attributes--(Rebound Control (RB), Style Control (SC), Hand Speed (HS), and Reaction Time (RT)) and upgrade those above all else.
 
-Take care to upgrade your secondary attributes (Skating (SK), Size (SZ), and Agility (AG)), though not as strongly.
 
I threw together the following really-basic-but-works-just-fine VHLM build in probably 10 seconds, and you can too:
 

 
That's not to say you can't mess around with your goalie build, still--at the time of updating this section, my goalie was just about to leave the VHLM! Here is/was his build:
 

 
 
 
 
One final word, and something I said earlier but which I find important to repeat: build your player in whatever way makes you happy. This guide is not a guaranteed path to success, and you should never be afraid to play around with your player and see what happens. Too many people think they have to build one way or another to have fun in this league, and that's simply not true. Your player's success should always be secondary to the enjoyment you get out of being a part of the community--you can have that enjoyment without success, but if you're not enjoying it, you're going to find it very hard to get good enough to be successful.
 
I hope this helps you--let me know if it does. Build on and have fun!

Player Information
Username: TacticalHammer
Player Name: Rolf Fizzlebeef Jr
Recruited From: SisterLeague
Age: 22
Position: D
Height: 75 in.
Weight: 198 lbs.
Birthplace: Canada

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Player Information
Username: TacticalHammer
Player Name: Rolf Fizzlebeef Jr
Recruited From: SisterLeague
Age: 22
Position: D
Height: 75 in.
Weight: 198 lbs.
Birthplace: Canada

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Player Information
Username: TacticalHammer
Player Name: Rolf Fizzlebeef Jr
Recruited From: SisterLeague
Age: 22
Position: D
Height: 75 in.
Weight: 198 lbs.
Birthplace: Canada

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Good luck  

Player Information
Username: TacticalHammer
Player Name: Rolf Fizzlebeef Jr
Recruited From: SisterLeague
Age: 22
Position: D
Height: 75 in.
Weight: 198 lbs.
Birthplace: Canada

Player Page
@VHLM GM

looked like an autocorrect of something.
 
Well the son of this multi sport legend oughta be good. Glad to have you back with us!

You picked a great time to recreate man. The draft is about 5 mins out, but once free agency opens up the floodgates will definitely open. We would love to have you in Yukon. I will definitely send you a formal pitch when FA opens up but it'd be an honour to have someone of your stature and notoriety in Yukon! All the best and welcome back!

Decided it was finally a good time to recreate, now that I'm an Admin in the EFL and get that auto-12/use that carryover. My understanding is that I just missed tonight's draft, so I'm an FA for at least the current season. Open to pitches!
 
Planning for this player to be kind of a prime- TJ Brodie type. Smooth skating, good first passes, lots of assists. 

Player Information
Username: TacticalHammer
Player Name: Rolf Fizzlebeef Jr
Recruited From: SisterLeague
Age: 22
Position: D
Height: 75 in.
Weight: 198 lbs.
Birthplace: Canada

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Ondrej Ohradka Retires
 
 
A press conference was called to announce that S68 draftee Ondrej Ohradka is retiring.
 
Ohradka read from a prepared statement:
 
Thank you to everyone for coming. Today, I am announcing my retirement from the VHL. I just wanted to take the time to thank some people who helped me in my career and some of the friends who I’ve met along the way.
 
First, I would like to thank the four organizations that I had the pleasure of playing for: the Minnesota Storm , the Saskatoon Wild , the Calgary Wranglers  and especially the Prague Phantoms . I would like to thank the management who either drafted me or traded for me and took a chance on a “first-gen”: @Rayzor_7, @Peace, @Bushito, & @diamond_ace . Of course, I need to mention that Elmebeck was the AGM of the Wild and I had the opportunity to have some Discord chats with him before he left us. He had an impact on me and I will not forget his kindness. R.I.P.
 
I’ve met and have conversed with lots of great people along the way but I wanted to especially say thanks to @Victor and @a_Ferk
 
Thanks to the VSN staff for taking a chance on me. You’ve all been great to work with and I look forward to writing more great content with you!
 
Then there are all the fantastic teammates who have shared a part in my career and I’d like to acknowledge as many as I can.
 
From my Wild days: Kristopher McDagg @Viperxhawks19, David O'Quinn @David O'Quinn, Killy Foilen @Aye my name jeff, Damien Wolfe @Laflamme, Erik Killinger @Peace, Uhtred @leafsman
 
My Wrangler mates (and some former Wild mates). Albeit a brief stay, thanks for making it a memorable one!: Charlie Paddywagon @DMaximus, Sigard Gunnar @Big Mac, Kris Rice @Ricer13, Hiroshi Okada @enigmatic, Tyler Barabash Jr, Brady Stropko Jr @Bushito, Jordan Tonn @MexicanCow123, JB Rift @Devise, RJ Jubis @Jubis, Edwin THE Encarnacion @Tagger, Mikko Lahtinen @Beketov, Jacques Lafontaine @SlapshotDragon
 
And finally, my Phamily – the Prague Phantoms. Thanks for making this career so enjoyable in spite of our lack of team success. It has been a pleasure to battle and party with you on and off the ice: Gert B Frobe @NumberJ5, Blake Laughton @Grape, Joel Ylonen @Esso2264, Virgil Ligriv @MMFLEX, Roll Fizzlebeef @TacticalHammer , John Poremba @CrlineDijohn14, Pengu @Pengu, Nicolas Fomba @efiug, Cody Smith @cody73, Solomon Crawford @AW13, Ben McGirr @cartoes, Jacob Perry @Liberty_Cabbage, Zachariah Kisslinger @Zach Kisslinger, John LeClair II @flyersfan1453, Riley Knight Gee @KnightRiley, Dan Baillie Jr @wcats, Woody McPine @HearnNation67, Kefka Palazzo, Dagmar Havlova @diamond_ace , Brick Wahl @BladeMaiden, Alex Pearson @Jayrad28, Gary Tarantino @Garrett, Cinnamon Block @omgitshim, Wolf Stansson Jr @Cornholio, Seabass Perrin @Seabass, & Thomas Landry II @Doomsday.
 
See you on the ice soon and Merry Christmas!
 
The native of Trencin, Slovakia began his career as a Founder’s Cup winner with the S69 Saskatoon Wild and had one trip to the Continental Cup Finals in his rookie season with the S70 Calgary Wranglers which ended in a six-game defeat to the Moscow Menace. He also was a part of two first round losses with the Prague Phantoms in S71 and S74. Although no major awards bear his name, he has won many team awards with the Saskatoon Wild and Prague Phantoms. And up until the last part of this season, Ohradka was the Wild’s all-time leader in career goals and game-winning goals and currently holds the Phantoms’ single-season goals record with 35. He will end his career in the Top-5 of many Prague statistical categories including third in all-time goals even though he played less than six full seasons there. After being a 4th round pick and having underwhelming rookie and sophomore years in the height of the dead-puck era, Ohradka will finish his career with four consecutive seasons of 26+ goals and 50+ points. He was also an assistant captain of the Phantoms for the first and only time in his final season. He finishes with 977 TPE.

This is bittersweet. I've had a blast and a great ride with my first player in this league, Wolf Stansson, Jr. Or was it really my first? For some reason I may have been McLovin or Sexy McSexington a very long time ago, like during the first decade of this league or something. Not sure why I didn't last long. But yeah, I made an effort to stick around all those seasons with Wolf Stansson, Jr. If the forum search tool is correct, I created Wolf Stansson, Jr. just over a year and half ago (June 2019) and time sure flies by fast. I guess as is the practice with those kind of pieces, I should be thanking some folks. So here goes nothing. 
 
@Rayzor_7 Thank you for helping WSJ get started with that late-season signing to Minnesota Storm in S66. I wish we did more but at least we made it to the playoffs and you did help me out. I wish that you had kept me around for S67 but it was not meant to be.
 
@Josh  S67 with the Yukon Rush... that was a great VHLM team, I'm still bummed that we did not do more. I mean, we had @CowboyinAmerica @.sniffuM @Seabass @Jbeezy76 @Speed  @Ace  and a couple of other solid members. Outstanding D, still not sure how we lost in the first round to Halifax (?). But yeah, this year helped WSJ get going and gave me some excitement to what a scoring D-Man could do.
 
@diamond_ace  This guy gets the biggest thanks out of everybody. He gave me inspiration and a reason to really stick around -- WSJ ended up being the first ever rookie drafted to the Prague Phantoms back in S68 (12th overall). I'm not even sure if I would have stuck around if I went to another team and probably toiled in relative anonymity which would have tuned me out. With Prague I had a chance to get first line minutes right away and that motivated me to help see Prague through from the bottom up. I'm disappointed that Prague has underachieved through the eight years and I'm sorry I couldn't have done more. I hope that you have no regrets picking WSJ. 
 
WSJ unfortunately walks away with no awards at all and three or four early playoff exits. Nothing except a couple of Prague all-time marks (which will eventually be broken). 
 
This is the part where I just randomly tag people thanking them for being Prague teammates and spending time together in the LR (other than the ones already mentioned). This is off the top of my head so sorry if I forgot you! @Jayrad28 @BladeMaiden @omgitshim @Doomsday  @animal74  @AW13  @Grape @TacticalHammer   @Kisslinger 
 
On to That Dude it is then. 

Well it's theme week again and this year our theme is dream teams. Now i'm guilty of not really being that sharp with my VHL knowledge so I won't be making an all time great dream team or anything like that.  My dream team will be mostly made up of my favourite team mates during my career or people who have had an impact on my 2+ year stay here so far in the VHL with Seabass. My dream team will be made up of 6 forwards, 4 defenseman and one goaltender. Here goes!
 
First Line Center: Roll FIzzlebeef
@TacticalHammer
I played with the Fizz for the last 3 seasons of his career.  Fizz was a consistent offensive threat during those 3 seasons and lead the Prague Phantoms in scoring for 2 out of those 3 seasons. He was probably the best centerman I got a chance to play with, not only because of his offensive output but because he was just a good all around player. He would play a physical brand of hockey and try to hit anything that moved which opened up some space for others on the ice. In those 3 years, the fizz scored 193 points in 216 games played and threw 469 total hits.  He was crucial in putting Prague on the map during the franchises early years and his physical play further cemented the Phantoms reputation of being a very physical team that nobody looked forward to play against. 
 
First Line Left Winger: Thomas Landry II
@Doomsday
Landry has been a stud since he entered the league in S71.  He's basically the posterboy for the current Prague Phantoms and he will be essential to the team moving forward once Block/WSJ retires. The reason I want Landry on my dream team is more for leadership purposes. Landry has shown me that he was an incredible, natural leader while we played together. He was always the first one on the ice and usually the last one on the ice as well. Brining in Landry onto the dream team gives me yet another physical presence up front to compliment Fizzlebeef, who Landry puts to shame with his 768 total hits accrued over 3 seasons., which is just a insane amount of hits.  
 
First line Right Winger: Erik Draven
@Jbeezy76
Draven and I go way back, we played out our time in the minors together as a member of the Yukon Rush. After we graduated the VHLM we were also lucky enough to get a chance to go to the same VHL team together as we both started off our careers in Prague. Draven is one of the few members that I have regular discussions with and he's helped me stay interested in the VHL over my career. Draven has been a pretty clutch player in the playoffs and I hope he can be just as clutch while playing on my dream team. 
 
2nd Line Center: Alex Pearson
@Jayrad28
Of course I have to grab my homie Pearson that's a no brainer. Pearson and I also go back, as we've played 6 seasons together as members of the Phantoms. Pearson was a pretty consistent offensive producer during his career being a 50+ point producer in 5 out of his 6 seasons played. The real reason I've acquired him to be on my dream team however is to party! Pearson is a fucken party animal, I just want him here to drink with in the event we win the dream team championships. I won't even require any real work out of him, he can even show up drunk to work if he wants!  I know I will be and I can't be the only one making a fool of myself on the ice or during the post game media scrums.  As long as we keep out of jail this time, it'll work out great.
 
2nd line Left Winger: Ondrej Ohradka
@animal74
Ohradka is cool shit! He's just fun to have around and really shows that he's passionate about the teams he's a part of. He always encourages his team mates to be the best version of themselves and he gives praises all around to his team mates. I feel like I've built a good friendship with Ondrej during our time in Prague and I miss having him around. That's why I'm stealing him from Prague to be a member of the Seabass Dream Team. Ohradka gives it his all every night and I hope that kind of passion just spreads throughout my lineup through him.
 
2nd Line Right Winger: Willie Dredge
@Speed
Dredgie! It's been a while since I've played with Willie and I can dream about having us reunited. Dredge and I played together in the minors and like Draven, we joined up in the VHL after being both drafted by the Prague Phantoms.  It's been 4 seasons since I've got to play with Willie and I'd like to get that going again for my dream team especially since Dredge has grown into such a offensive star since his departure from Prague. He has been a PPG player since he left and I want a chance to play with my Willie at it's peak. 
 
1st Paring: Seabass Perrin and Wolf Stansson Jr.
@Cornholio
Of course I'll be putting myself on my own team's first pairing that's just expected, but i'm picking up my homie WSJ to join me on it. Out of any player in the VHL, i've played the most games with WSJ as a team mate. He too was a member of the same Yukon Rush team with the likes of Willie Dredge and Erik Draven. Wolf however was my most common defensive partner over the years and I feel like our players had some good chemistry playing together for the 6 seasons I was in Prague. 
 
2nd Pairing: Cinnamon Block and Erik Summers
@omgitshim
It only made sense to reunite the old Phantoms big 3 on defense by also having Cinnamon Block on my dream team. We terrorized the league together for 6 years, now we can all reunite to inflict more punishment. I've played a good 90%  of my time with either Block or WSJ during the entirety of my career so it's safe to say I didn't really know who to add in to pair up with Block for this 2nd pairing. Summers is the better of the defenders I currently play with in Helsinki so i've selected him to fill the spot even though him and I play like shit together. I'm hoping he has better chemistry playing with Block then he is currently with me. 
 
Goaltender
@BladeMaiden
This one is easy, Brick Wahl. He's by far the best goaltender I've had to play in front of. Wahl is a riot to be around and keeps all his teammates laughing and in good spirits.  His last season in the VHL was just something amazing to be a part of , it's just too bad we didn't get to win a single playoff series with Wahl in net. Well by drafting him onto my dream team I hope we can get a chance to change that and become the best dream team out there.  
 
 
1200 words

The Prauge Phantoms. Born in season 68, they’ve been an exciting team to watch, although they’ve had limited success, the town still loves to watch the team play. They haven't been around very long, but a lot of faces have come and gone, some fan favourites have retired, and some are still in the league but on other teams, but one thing is for sure, once a phantom, always a phantom.
 
 
They’re a lot of players who are remembered fondly in Prague, so I’m gonna do a top 6 and top 4 breakdown with some honourable mentions to be fair. 
 
 
First line
 
RW-Thomas Landry @Doomsday
 
Landry is becoming an absolute stud for Prague, and just signed a massive extension, basically committing to the team for the entirety of his career. He’s a strong power forward, a terrific sniper, and one of the best teammates in the league. He will forever be remembered in Prague, and I excpect his number to someday be retired next to Pearson’s. 
 
 
C- Alex Pearson
 
Pearson has been a lifelong Phantom, he’s been a solid top 6 forward for them in his entire career, serving as captain twice, and providing key offence in his prime seasons. His fast paced, shoot first style of hockey has captured fans of Prague for almost a decade, and helped push the phantoms into popularity in Prague.
 
 
LW-Blake Laughton
 
Blake was a very efficient power forward in his 359 Games with the phantoms, he never was a huge offensive force, but he gave it 100% night in and night out, and came back to Prague to finish his career after a year in Helsinki.
 
 
Second Line
 
RW- Ondrej Ohradka @animal74
 
Acquired in a trade for Willie dredge, He head been a very effective playmaker. His career has really excelled in Prague, and he’s proven he can be a dominant forward and leader in the VHL
 
C-Roll Fizzlebeef @TacticalHammer
 
The Veteran forward was acquired for three seasons and was a terrific addition as a veteran. He helped Prague to the playoffs two out of his three seasons. He Will definitely not be forgotten despite his short time in Prague. 
 
LW -Ben Mcgirr @Grape
 
He was a very strong two-way forward, but he was very valuable, in his later seasons he’s managed to score a lot. He has very good vison and hockey sense. He was a bit of a reach when he was picked but had worked out in spades for the phantoms.
 
 
Honorable Mentions 
 
Willie Dredge
Gary Tarantino
Ben Mcgirr
Don Draper
 
 
 
Defenceman
 
Defence has often been the strength of the phantoms for their entire existence, so this was a hard list to pick from. They’ve always had at least 3 very very solid defensemen in their lineup. 

 
 
Wolf Stansson Jr  @Cornholio
 
The Strong Two way defensemen has been terrific for his entire career with the phantoms. He’s always been a team first player, and it looks like he s going to retire a phantom. I would not b surprised to see his name next to Pearson’s in the rafters.
 
Seabass Perrin @Seabass
 
A terrific Defensive minded back end stalwart. He was a shot blocking a hitting machine for many years on that phantom blueline. Known as a terrific teammate, he was a also a very fun to watch, he never took a game off, hitting hard and often, and also not afraid to lake the large slap shots.
he is definitely missed in Prauge
 
Cinnamon Block @omgitshim

One of the most underrated defencemen in the league, she has been terrific for the entirety of her career, the former first overall selection is fantastic at both ends of the ice, she is one of the best at stick snd poke checking. But she’s also terrific at making long passes out of their own end, (Andrei Markov Esc). She has been terrific a phantom and seems happy, if she keeps her level of play consistent for her career she will continue to be the teams best player. 
 
 
Gert B Forbe @NumberJ5
 
The once feared enforcer on the phantoms blueline. He would hit, fight, and occasionally score, all while providing to be a defensive stalwart on that defensive core. He has since moved on to Warsaw, But Hess still a solid bottom pairing defencemen nonetheless.
 
 
 
Honourable mentions

Jacob Perry
Mountain Thunderfist
Riley Knight Gee
Cody Smith
 
 
 
 
Goaltenders
 
Goaltending is the most parity position in the league. You can have a good team and win a cup with an average goaltender, but you won’t even make it to the playoffs with a bad one.
 
Prauge hasn’t had many faces in net, but have seem to have found their starter for the foreseeable future in Woody McPine. They’ve drafted 2 failed prospects, and one semi successful trade for a goalie, but now it seems like finally have some stability at the position, something that has hindered them for years. 
 
Brick Wahl @BladeMaiden
 
As his name suggests, Brick wahl was a Brick Wall for his entire career. He was terrific in Calgary for many seasons, manning the net and almost dragging them to a cup once, before eventually being traded to Prague as a Vet. He responded by putting forward two of the best season of his career. In his last year he was easily the best goalie in the league that year, posting an insane 
931. save percentage and a 1.97 Goals against average. He won the award for league MVP And best goalie of the year, forever cementing himself as a legend among Phantoms fans and Players.
 
 
Woody McPine @HearnNation67
 
The young netminder does not have many games under his belt, but he’s slowly proving he can’t be a force in this league, taking over the starting job from Virgil Ligriv last season, he showed people why he is the future face of goaltending in Prague pretty easily. He is athletic, A great teammate and is not afraid to get a little aggressive with players when they enter his crease. Watch his career in the coming years as he could be a star.
 
 
 
Honourable Mentions
 
Koljur Bjorensson
Virgil Ligriv
Solomon Crawford
 
 
 
 
And with that end my breakdown of Prague’s dream team. Would this team win a cup? Probably not, they’ve only been in the league 7 seasons so they havn't had a lot of alumni yet, but GM Jason Glasser had done a terrific job building his core and I’m sure we are all excited to watch this team take the next step with their exciting prospects and young players. 

Missed this, but ty ty. Love the career Fizz ended up having. 

Announcing the S72 Prague Phantoms Team Awards as voted by the players:
 
Best Defenseman
Tie - Cinnamon Block, Wolf Stansson Jr, Seabass Perrin
@omgitshim, @Cornholio, @Seabass
 
It’s fitting that the “Big 3” on the Prague backend share this award. Block, Stansson Jr, and Perrin have patrolled the Phantoms’ blueline together for the past four seasons and have gelled into one of the most formidable two-way units in the league. All three defensemen had over 60 points in S72 which placed them all in the top five in team scoring and top 20 among league defensemen. They also provide a major physical presence as they each racked up over at least 119 hits and penalty minutes. They drive the Phantoms’ offense and defense and are well-respected leaders in the locker room.
 
Unsung Hero
Tie – Gary Tarantino, Ben McGirr
@Garrett, @cartoes
 
These two Phantoms seemed to fly under the radar as offensive threats but that is exactly what they became as two of Prague’s key depth scorers. McGirr tied for second on the team with 27 goals while Tarantino potted 13 of his own. The pair were a force on the power play as they tied each other for fourth on the team in power play goals with seven each. They also each scored two game-winners.
 
Most Energetic
Ondrej Ohradka
@animal74
 
S72 was a breakout year for the Slovakian winger who more than doubled his previous career-highs for goals, assists, and points. He did a little bit of everything for the Phantoms: played on special teams, blocked shots, dangled in the shootout, and took face-offs. He led the team in shooting percentage, was tied for the lead in game-winning goals (6), was tied for second on the team in goals (27), and was third in power play goals (9). He played every shift with energy and intensity and brought that energy into the locker room as well.  
 
Most Gentlemanly
Tie – Thomas Landry II, Seabass Perrin, Ondrej Ohradka
@Doomsday, @Seabass, @animal74
 
Even though each of these Phantoms played hard and were among the team’s physical leaders, they were the pinnacle of sportsmanship and were gentlemen on and off the ice. They became a trifecta of intensely vocal leaders in the locker room while also being encouraging and upbeat.
 
Most Valuable Player
Roll Fizzlebeef
@TacticalHammer
 
For the second year in a row, the Phantoms’ MVP was a veteran player who left it all on the ice before skating off into the horizon toward retirement. Like Brick Wahl before him, Fizzlebeef proved he had plenty of sizzle left as he led the Phantoms in scoring with a career-high of 76 points and led Prague forwards with a career-high of 50 assists. His consistently excellent play and quiet leadership helped guide the Phantoms through a trying season.
 
Phantom of the Year
Ondrej Ohradka
@animal74
 
While Ohradka would argue that there are teammates that were more deserving of this award, nonetheless, the Phantoms voted the young winger as the Phantom of the Year. Since the trade from Calgary that brought him to Prague, Ohradka has made every effort to help build the Phantoms into a contender whether it’s been his play on the ice, his dedication to better himself and his Phamily, his edification in the locker room or his attitude during winning streaks and slumps. His team-first mentality has endeared himself to Prague players and fans alike.
 

oh shit
 
Might have to give it a try! tbh I would have joined SBA instead of the EFL if it was an option earlier this summer... we'll have to see if I can do both ?

Hello There,
 

 
As some of you may remember we used to be PT affiliated with the SBA ( Simulation Basketball Association ). After some discussions regarding affiliation and what that might look like, I'm pleased to announce that we have come to an agreement with the SBA. We are now going to re-introduce our PT affiliation between our two leagues. What this means is that when you complete a Point Task (Graphic, Media Spot, Podcast) you may claim it for 6 TPE in all three leagues ( VHL, EFL, SBA ). This reduces the load on the average user regarding burn out, resulting in being able to participate in all three leagues without having to complete tasks in all three. 
 
Fine Print:
- You can now use SBA Point Tasks as Affiliate PT's here, and vice versa. This now means that once again, any PT in the EFL, SBA, or VHL is applicable as an Affiliate PT in all three leagues. 
- You may once again earn a second Affiliate Check TPE in the VHL, using affiliate Articles (Affiliate Check Rules). 
- Free Weeks earned via Seasonal Donations/Premium will be honored cross-league. Note: individual free weeks bought in the SBA will not be honored. 
- Theme Weeks may be exchanged cross-league, once per season, during the week each league hosts theirs
- All Auto-12 claims will once again be in effect cross-league. 
 
Effective immediately, you can now claim PT's in the SBA. You can find info about their league Here 
 
Sincerely,
@Commissioner Team

Come back @TacticalHammer

such a classic name, sad to see him go but all things must come to an end.

Roll Fizzlebeef has announced their retirement.